Pie In The Sky @ SS2, PJ

Affordable pizzas and pies in SS2, PJ :)....

The lovely Sneexe had pointed out this new addition to the already bustling SS2 area... but I couldn't join her for dinner so had to check it out another night....

It's not hard to find, just upstairs of the also fairly new Geylang Lor 9 restaurant:
(I have attached a Google Map at the bottom of this post for your reference, just in case)
Look up! There's the Pie In The Sky....

Inside, the restaurant is comfortable but very simple - very down to earth and cosy:
Inside the restaurant....

Looking at the menu, the selection is limited to a few starters, some pies, some pizzas, a lot of different milkshakes and a few soup noodles.... Still, it's plenty to choose from, and everything is pretty decently priced...
:)

We started off with the Mushroom Soup (RM 5):
Soup in a cute bread bowl....
Ok lah.
I appreciated that the texture was creamy without being too thick/ starchy, but the taste didn't blow my mind - really didn't expect it to, I guess, considering the super decent price of RM 5.

I felt like pizza so I chose the Pizza Rustica (RM 10)
My pizza....
The thick pizza base was nicely crispy on the outside and not starchy - good!...

Also, there was a decent amount of cheese, tender chunks of chicken and some (most probably canned) mushrooms and pineapple which made for a very fulfilling meal.
:)

Here's a closer look at one slice:
Pre-Chomp....
It was actually quite daunting to try to finish this 8 inch pizza by myself (better to share)... Wouldn't mind ordering this again though! It's definitely not authentic by Italian pizza standards, but was tasty in a very nice, simple, home cooked way.

Unfortunately, the Chunky Beef Pie (Usual: RM 9. That night - promotional price: RM 4.50) didn't impress:
One of the pies....
Strange, right?
I mean, if your restaurant is named Pie in The Sky, then shouldn't your pies be super yummy?

The pastry was ok - fairly flakey and slightly crisp (but also just a tad starchy)... It was the filling that was the let down - not much meat in it and what was there was just a tad stringy:
Cross section of the pie....
Erm... and sorry loh, the milkshake I had - Chocolate Temptation (RM 7.80), also didn't impress:
My Chocolate Milkshake....
:(

I guess with a name like Chocolate Temptation, I expected it to be thick and chocolate-y... and it wasn't.
(Still, it's not BAD or anything like that,... just not KAO enough for me....)

At the end of the day:
Although I only really liked the pizza, I think I'll be going back soon for that and to test out the other pies....
(Especially the apple pie, which I heard is good - I'm curious, and at those prices, I can afford to be experimental!...)

Oh, sidetrack a bit - Look! Engrish!
*LOL*
Would you like some PAPER on that??....


Overall: Simple cafe in SS2, friendly service, decent selection of pizzas and pies at very decent prices BUT some hits and misses on the menu and parking can be a bit challenging sometimes....

Summary Sheet:

Pie In The Sky @ SS2, PJ

(Upstairs) 8, Jalan SS2/61, 47300 Petaling Jaya.

Taste: 5
Ambience : 5
Service : 7
Price** : RM 25 per person
Parking: OK

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks

Telephone No.: 012-621 9198
Opening Hours: Tues - Sunday 10am to 10pm (Closed on Mondays)


NO PORK SERVED

Map:

View (Restaurant) Pie In The Sky in a larger map


OTHER REVIEWS:
- SOFEA
- Life's A Journey
- Tiny Vixen


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Pie In The Sky, Handmade, Petaling Jaya, SS2, Cheap Eats

The Lucky Coq @ Chapel Street, Melbourne

Melbourne 2010 Post #1: REALLY affordable food in Chapel Street...

(Note: These are some of the few photos that survived my recent SD Card Disaster - still looking for a hero, btw.... *muka kesian*)

Arriving in Melbourne, straight off an Air Asia flight, I was hungry and kinda tired... so Cindy thought of a great way to help lift my spirits - a good meal at the very cheekily named bar called the Lucky Coq, in the Chapel Street area.
:)
Outside the Lucky Coq...
The interior of the bar was cosy but looked just a little run down (in the harsh mid day light)....
The main upstairs area of the Lucky Coq...
Still, it was charming in its own quirky way with strange decorations like a pair of bright green legs hanging from the ceiling and a nice open air section upstairs (mainly for the smokers)......
(Apparently, its a popular hang out/ party place and gets very packed on most nights)
Nice open air section...
Martian legs, floating in from outer space?...
The main highlight at this pub/ bar? - their ongoing AUD$ 4 Pizza promotion, which is available during the following times*:

Sun - Thurs: 7 to 11pm
Weekdays: 12 to 4pm
Sat: 7 to 9pm

(* According to their official website)
(Note: We were there on Sunday at lunch time and got the pizzas for AUD$ 4 each anyway. Dunno why....)

The selection of pizzas is not great for meat lovers (mostly vegetarian options) but many of the topping combinations are pretty interesting (eg. the ORGANICO pizza with roasted pumpkin, soy cheese, pine nuts, rosemary).

Of course we went for the more meaty options:
- LAMB AGNELLO pizza
... spiced lamb with mozzarella and pine nuts, topped with rockets
The lamb pizza...
Not bad...
While there could have been larger chunks of lamb (for more bite), the minced clumps of meat were fairly tasty and juicy enough, contrasting well against the crispy thin pizza base*.
(* Not 100% authentic Italian thin crust but still good enough for 4 bucks!)

- CAESAR pizza
... bacon, anchovies, egg, baby cos, parmesan, caesar dressing
YUM...
OMG.
While it may be partly because I was pretty hungry coming off the plane, I found this pizza AWESOME.
(Thank goodness Cindy's friend Cheng convinced me to try this pizza)
- Oily but yummy slices of (pork) bacon, slightly crispy on the edges,
- Slathered with a healthy dose of creamy Ceasar salad dressing,
- With a runny, yolky poached egg,
- Accentuated by the briney flavour of the anchovies and the saltiness of the cheese,
- Atop a crispy thin crust pizza base.
- With some fresh crisp cos lettuce leaves on top so you can try to tell yourself that it's healthy.

WARNING:
1) They put the anchovies in a small pile at some random corner of the pizza. I guess this is so you can just remove it all if you don't like it, but it really does accentuate the yummy-ness so please spread it evenly across the whole pizza before biting in.
2) The best way to eat it, is to fold it in half and eat in like a sandwich so that you can fully enjoy it without the yolk dripping straight off the edges. :)
Fold in half and EAT...

To be completely fair, there was one pizza we tried that we all didn't like (one of the new additions/ specials)
- PRAWN pizza:
Hmmmmm. :(...
It looked good and the prawns were fresh, but unfortunately the pizza was pretty darned tasteless....
(Don't waste your time with this. Just order the Ceasar pizza! Anyway, 2 successes out of 3 pizzas is not bad, right?)

I also tried beer they brew in house, the Blonde Cock.
(LOL)
Yes. I tasted Blonde Cock (on the right) :P...
Overall, the taste was ok... light, refreshing and with a slight citrus-y aftertaste (although I think it's mostly because of the added lemon slice)

Ok.
So maybe it's not the best pizza in Melbourne... and maybe you won't get full on just one pizza (for guys/ people with bigger appetites)... but it's a really good eat considering the (promotional) price tag! :)

So, it's: Decent gourmet style pizzas (with a really good promotion), interesting selection of booze to wash it down with, quaint ambience BUT beware! some "misses" on the menu, parking in the area can be a challenge....

Summary Information:
The Lucky Coq @ Chapel Street, Melbourne

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat- 12 noon till 3 am, Sunday - 12 noon till 1 am
Phone: +61 9525 1288
Address: 179 Chapel Street (Corner of Chapel Street & High Street), Windsor, Melbourne 3181, Australia
Map: (Below)
Website: HERE

NOT HALAL

MAP:

View Larger Map


OTHER REVIEWS:
- The Real Melbourne
- Urban Spoon
- Melbourne's bargain foodie
- Alley Life

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Lucky Coq, Pizza, Cheap Eats, Pub, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia, Melbourne

J <--- DISTRAUGHT

I need a hero....

I bought a new 8GB Panasonic SD memory card just before going on my holiday.

Over the course of 9 days, I took almost 900 photos - mostly of food, but some of which were happy, smiley photos with old friends*.
(* People from high school / university days which I had not seen in YEARS)

So, what's my problem?:
1) The SD Card corrupted.
2) I cannot find the receipt for the purchase of this SD Card.
3) Six hundred photos are missing.
4) SIX HUNDREDDDDDDD PHOTOS ARE MISSING**.

** Disaster. Tried using a data retrieval software that my friend sent to me.... Maybe I am not using it correctly?, but it looks like most of the data is completely corrupted - it's all gibberish.
Help, please. Thanks....
Does anyone know any IT gurus*** who can retrieve and fix corrupted data, like how they do in the movies?

Preference:
1) Free service because he/she is wonderful and kind (*hopeful*).
2) An affordable price tag.
(*** If you are such a person and would like to volunteer your services, even better)


I know I won't die without these photos....
... but well, it's a part of my memories/ life that I'd really really like to get back.
:(


Needs help,
J

PS/
- Thanks to Li Lian for pointing out the data retrival software - at least I was able to at least save the 300 photos from the corrupted card.
- Thanks to UnkaLeong for suggesting one option - if all else fails I will go there to get help, but looking at the gibberish left in the card, I suspect the affordable basic retrival will not be enough.

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Poco Homemade @ Lorong Kurau, Bangsar, KL

Such a cute n yummy place.... :)

The Lorong Kurau area is nice, tucked away in a quiet Bangsar residential area. Parking is limited but there's good food there (Thai, Nyonya, etc)... making it worth the effort.

When I saw on LL's blog that there's a new addition to the selection (Japanese food at Poco Homemade), I just had to try it.
(Luckily, I soon got the chance, during the Luverly Lyrical One's birthday/ girls day out)

From the outside, it almost looks out of place, with its whimsical pastel blue and white colour scheme contrasting against the simple "kedai runcit" (sundry shop) next door:
Near the end of the block, next to the sundry shop....
Inside Poco, it was packed yet comfortable:
Lots of people....
It's the small touches that make this place so adorable - simple but well coordinated mish-mash of decorations which make this place feel like it jumped out of a Japanese shoujo/ Korean novel:
Wanna go for a ride?....
Since it was a fairly big group of us (gorgeous glammed up girls) that day, I think we tried almost everything on the menu.... :D
(So, I'll keep the descriptions short lest this post never ends)

Appetizers/ Side Dishes:
- Chicken Roll (RM 11.80+)
Simple but nice....
Was pleasantly surprised - wouldn't mind ordering again.
Crispy outside yet moist inside, and the filling was bouncey without tasting synthetic.

- Sushi roll with Japanese Style fried Chicken (RM 7.80+)
Carbs!....
This was also not bad, with the moist rice complementing the tender fried chicken.
(Preferred the Chicken Roll over this though, if I had to choose just one)

- Fried Ebi (RM 15.80+)
Deep fried Prawns....
Fresh prawns, lightly coated with bread crumbs and deep fried to perfection (crispy but without overcooking the prawns into a rubbery mess).

- Salad (RM 6.80+)
Fibre....
The greens were fresh (good) but I didn't fancy the sweet, almost honey-like dressing.

Mains:
- Unagi Don Set with Hijiki and Miso Soup (RM 24.80+)
(Hijiki can also be ordered as a side dish at RM 3.00+ per plate)
Eel....
The eel flesh was tender without being too soft and just sweet enough, coated with the fairly thick sauce.
(Nice!... and I really liked the savoury/salty seaweed, Hijiki, that was served on the side)

- Soba Cold Noodle with Fried Ebi (RM 15.80+)
Cool dish....
I haven't yet acquired a liking for this type of dish, but I can see how people would like this refreshingly cool noodle (slightly softer than al dente but nice).

- Curry Chicken Katsu Set with Miso Soup (RM 14.80+)
Crispy yet moist....
The chicken was tender, and the batter was perfectly crispy, complemented by the savoury Japanese style curry.
(They also have a Curry Fish Katsu if you prefer)

Desserts:
- Green Tea Red Bean Pudding (RM 4+)
Jiggly....
- Poco Homemade Tofu Cake (RM 7.80+)
Healthy....
While both desserts didn't knock my socks off, I appreciate that they are delicately flavoured and are generally, healthier options. :)

Overall, I loved how the everything tasted fresh (not pre-prepared/ thrown together from supermarket frozen food), and well, like they are lovingly home made. :)
(If there was only one down side though is that due to this, they can be a biiiiiit slow when serving your food)

BTW, there is also a selection of hand made products designed/ created by one of the owners:
Quirky and cute....
- Poco Bear thanks you for your visit:
ARIGATOoooooooo!....


Overall: Cute cafe/restaurant in the Jalan Kurau area (on the quieter side of bustling Bangsar), simple Japanese food at a reasonable prices, friendly service BUT service can be a bit slow....

PS/ I'm still sorting through my Melbourne photos - will post up something on that as soon as I can. :)

Summary Sheet:

Poco Homemade @ Lorong Kurau, Bangsar, KL

1, Lorong Kurau, Bangsar 59100 KL

Taste: 6
Ambience : 7
Service : 6
Price** : RM 30++ per person
Parking: OK

Website: Click HERE

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks

Telephone No.: 03-2287 5688
Opening Hours: 12pm - 9.30pm (Closed Mondays)
Parking: Limited

NO PORK SERVED

Map:

View Larger Map


OTHER REVIEWS:
- A Whiff of Lemongrass
- Bad Boy Is Me!
- Jesslynn Clarissa
- Life's Journey


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant, Japanese, Handmade, Bangsar, Lorong Kurau, Poco Homemade

The End

Holiday (almost) over....

Hullo.
*slightly dejected wave*

My holiday is THIS close to being over.
(Flying back to KL tomorrow morning)
BACK TO WORK! (SOON)...
It's such a bittersweet feeling:
1) Happy : YAY - Going home! My toes will be warm again! Missed my family and friends (who are in KL)! Lots of cheap yummy food! :)

VS.

2) Sad: BOOOoooo - No more sleeping in! I will be hot and sweaty! Will miss my friends (who are in Melbourne)! Still wanna eat more yummy Melb food! :(


Gloomy,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Melbourne (So far)

3 days down, 6 to go....

HI EVERYONE! *WAVES*

This is J the Chocoholic reporting from Melbourne. :)

So far, so good... feeling really cold (frozen toes at night) but today was a beautiful sun shiny day:
Sunny day *happy* ...

Ooh, and having lots of fun catching up with friends and just NOM-ing my way across town:
Chocolate cookie! *BLISS* ...
Can't wait to get back and update properly - hope you don't mind this filler post.
:)


Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Notice of Hiatus

*J does happy-happy, holiday dance*
\o\ \o/ /o/

FINALLY: My first long holiday of the year! So, just to let you know: I will not be updating my blog till Tuesday, 21st of September...

Well, maybe I'll try to squeeze in a post or 2 in that time, but only if I manage to hijack someone's computer**. :)
(In the meantime, please don't forget about me, ok?)

Watch out Melbourne! Here I come! :) :) :)


Hugs,
J

PS/ ** Thank you in advance, Cindy!

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Blog Birthday #5! :)

5 years already?

SO FAR:
- 769 total blog posts...
(Hmmmm, a lot of them - especially in 2005 & 2006 - were kinda nonsensical, but I guess they still count?...)

- 321 number of food/ restautant reviews...
(Probably all adds up to 1 million calories but they were, mostly, worth it...)

- Almost 1.2 MILLION page visits!...
(Well, actually it's only about 490k unique hits/ visitors, bit still WAH. Thank you, thank you....)

- [???] of new friends made...
(*HUGS* You know who you are, dahlings...)

- Worked my rank up to No. 737,724 on Alexa.
(OOh look at me - I'm in the top 1 MILLION websites in the world.... So class horr? LOL)

Once again, thanks, everyone! *MUAKS*

It's been so much fun blogging, but it would not have been the same without you. :)
(And to those who have been kind enough to compliment my blog before in person - sorry if I seemed aloof... Actually, it's just that I'm strangely kinda shy about it and generally, in some sort of disbelief that people can actually like my blog...)

On a (slightly) separate note:
*whine*
Any kind souls want to start sending me cash donations? - I just realised that I've been spending about about RM400/ month for food** over the last 5 years.
(That's approximately RM 24,000 spent. OMG - HOW IT ALL ADDS UP!!!)
(** ONLY for the restaurant reviews, not even including my daily food expenses, etc... )

And lastly, *er-hem* here's some "fan-service", for lack of a better word:
J the Chocoholic rocking her little black dress....


Not an exhibitionist, really!,
J

PS/
To my friends in Malaysia (and all over the world) - Selamat Hari Raya! :)
Hope you are having a fun and delicious celebration, surrounded by your loved ones...


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, KL, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

328 Katong Laksa @ East Coast Rd, Singapore

Singapore post #4 - Trying out one of the main competitors in the SG Katong Laksa War...

Katong, in the East Coast of Singapore is (as we were told) a Nyonya area, where the much loved Katong Laksa is said to have originated.....

Whilst the shortage of parking was anything BUT endearing, the sheltered walkways and old, fairly well maintained shophouses in this area were definitely charming:
(Parts of it kinda reminded me of Melaka)
Walking towards the laksa shop...
Arlene and Kelvin explained a bit of the complicated war of the Katong Laksas (a fairly long story peppered with family disputes and some "I'm the original, not him! Me, me, me!")....

.... but I guess, at the end of the day, whichever stall/ restaurant you think is best is just up to your individual tastebuds. That day, we tried out one of the front runners in this "war" - 328 Katong Laksa:
(They have expanded to several branches across SG, but this is the one A & K like best)
Typical coffeeshop dining...
We chose to dine al fresco*. :)
(* On the sidewalk).

They also have some other food options there, one being the Nasi Lemak:
Giant size nasi lemak...
It is pre-packed in a banana leaf, like the usual Malaysian 50 sen nasi lemaks, but of course the Singaporeans just had to make it extra big to try to outdo us. :P
(LOL - kidding, kidding)

Overall, the mini mountain of rice, served with some fairly spicy sambal and fried fish tasted OK:
(I liked that the rice had that nice "one piece-one piece" texture but the fragrance of that and the other ingredients just couldn't win against my favourite places in PJ/KL)
Carb laden meal...
We also tried some of the Otak-otak (Nyonya style spicy fish cake) there (SGD 1.50 each):
(Presented in a similar fashion to the Muar version of otak-otak)
Otak-otak "clothed"...
Overall, it tasted pretty good as the texture was neither too soft nor too bouncey/ synthetic, with a nice fragrance from the added spices and herbs:
Otak-otak "unclothed"...
Of course, the main star of 328 is the Katong Laksa (Small - SGD 3.50, Medium - SGD 4.50, Large - SGD 5.50):
Possibly artery clogging...
MMmmmmmmmm.....
I am usually not a big fan of laksa but I liked the balance of:
- creamy, lemak-y and not too spicy broth,
- nice but not overpowering fragrance of the added herbs and spices, and
- textural contrast against the crunchy beansprouts, fresh prawns and some slices of fish cake.

It is also perfect for lazy people, as the noodles (something like a thick version of mihun) are cut into short pieces - you can just spoon it up and slurp it up without using chopsticks:
No need for chopsticks, just spoon it up!...
Wah....
.. Was very full after all that food, but had a great time trying out this delicious local Singaporean dish. :)
(And NO. I don't want to know how many calories is in one bowl of that laksa. :P)


So, it's: Yummy Katong laksa in a simple and fairly comfortable (coffeeshop) setting, fast service, reasonable prices BUT parking in the area is a challenge....

Summary Information:
328 Katong Laksa @ East Coast Rd, Singapore

Opening Hours: 8.30am to 9pm
Phone: +65 9732 8963
Address: No. 216, East Coast Rd, Katong, 455210 Singapore
Map: (Below)

DUNNO WHETHER HALAL

MAP:

View Larger Map


OTHER REVIEWS:
- The Ninja Review
- Malaysia Food Blog, Malaysia Travel Blog
- i eat i shoot i post


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, 328 Katong Laksa, East Coast, Singapore

Chinatown Seng Kee @ Jalan Sultan, KL

Simple but yummy local Chinese food in the Chinatown area....

WARNING:
Today I feel LAZY,... but still want to share this lovely non-Halal restaurant with you.
(So, it means I will be more succinct)

This restaurant is called Chinatown Seng Kee.
- Located a few doors down from the Swiss Inn Hotel.
- Also, very near Petaling Street/ Chinatown so it's a good place to bring visiting friends for local food and then (tourist-y) sightseeing/ shopping.

You can eat either on the sidewalk area (at night) or inside.
- Inside, it is basic but comfortable (air conditioned):
Inside Seng Kee ...
A famous dish here is the Siew Yoke Mein (Roasted Pork Noodles) (RM 9):
Pork! And noodles! ...
Overall, ok:
- Fairly spring-y/ bouncy wan tan mee type noodles,
- Topped with ok tasting siew yoke (meat could have been more tender + skin crispier), and
- Coated with a slightly sweet sauce.

Another famous dish is the Claypot Lou Shu Fan ("Rat’s Tail" Noodle!) (RM 8):
MORE pork! MORE noodles!...
Overall, nice:
- Lots of tasty minced pork,
- Smooth noodles,
- YUM.

Here's a closer look:
Mmmmmmm ...
*CHOMP*

Next, the Kung Poh Har Koh (Kung Poh style Mantis Prawn) (RM 16):
Yummy prawns...
Worth trying:
- Fairly thick batter but it was crispy enough,
- Prawns were meaty (although not really that big),
- Good balance of spicy and sweet kung poh sauce.

Other than that we tried the Kangkung Belacan (RM 10):
Veg is good for you ...
Not bad lah:
- Fresh vegetables with just enough "crunch",
- Fragrant, fried with hae bee (dried prawns) and a little belacan,
- Just a bit too salty.

Can you imagine that it was just me and one friend who finished all of this (and a large bottle of beer)?
(Was SO full after that. Almost fell into a food coma)

Basically it was my fault.
I over-ordered because my friend was visiting from Australia and I didn't want to let him leave without gaining at least 1kg from yums. :)


PS/ HOPE YOU HAD FUN IN KL, CHAN! *hugs*
It's always so good to see you+catch up. Can't wait till you visit again next year... Take care, man...


So, it's: Basic but comfortable "ambience", good selection of yummy local Chinese dishes at a reasonable price, opens till really late (3am) and convenient location - just a few steps away from Petaling Street BUT of course, surrounding area can be jammed and parking can be a challenge.....

Summary Information:
Chinatown Seng Kee @ Jalan Sultan, KL

Opening Hours: 12 noon till 3 am
Phone: 03-2072 5950
Address: 52, Jalan Sultan, 50000 Kuala Lumpur (Near Swiss Inn)

NON HALAL

MAP:

View Larger Map


OTHER REVIEWS:
- aly's wonderland
- Jason Mumbles
- I Come, I See, I Hunt and I Chiak
- ~Live by giving, take by forgiving~


TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Chinese, Chinatown Seng Kee, Local Food, Jalan Tunku Sultan, Petaling Street, Coffeeshop, KL, Kuala Lumpur