she, the epicuriousgirl.

I was struck with a burger craving whilst I was writing the last post. Feeling inspired I decide to make my own “gourmet burger”. Instead of just any meat patty, I made a stuffed portobello and grilled it.

The portobello is basically stuffed with minced meat of your choice. I seasoned the minced meat with salt, freshly cracked pepper and added some flour, egg, diced onions, scallions etc along with the portobello mushroom stalks. then after stuffing the mushroom cup, i grilled the entire thing and added a slice of cheddar on top of it last.

Then it was just a matter of putting all the ingredients together. Some lettuce, followed by grilled aubergines, sliced onions, and finally the stuffed portobello, and voila, my very own gourmet burger.

Now with a name like the Daily Grind, one is bound to think of work, no? But the less than tempting name hides a gourmet burger diner where meat patties are made fresh daily. And since meat is ground on the premise daily, that would explain the name eh?

The first thing I noticed upon entering is how cosy the place seems. The red bricks, wooden seats, painted posters, handwritten specials on blackboards to the floorboards. I love it all, even the quirky lightbulbs on the walls. The place is never quite bustling with crowds when I have visited so I always get to choose a prime seat of my choice.

Upon examining the menu, I’m quite amazed with how they have transformed the burger, what used to be just a meat patty sandwiched between the top & bottom half of a bun. Here we are talking about the most unlikely combinations yet they sounded utterly delicious. For a moment, I couldn’t make up my mind as I wanted it all. In the end I succumbed and chose according to my favourite ingredients. Lol.

As I twirled the sauce bottles with my fingers, the word “homemade” caught my eye. Does the feeling of wonder never cease while dining here? The ketchup was essentially a smooth puree of fresh tomatoes, resembling the essence of a rich tomato sauce for one’s pasta whilst the chilli was a good mix of ground chillies and god knows what. But it was good, and addictive. I found myself reaching for more of my fries, the chunky cut type to dip in.

As soon as I saw “Corn Cakes”, I knew I had to have them. Made with whole corn kernels, these babies are nicely browned so that are crisp on the outside yet so creamy and buttery on the inside. I would have prefer them a tad firmer, but that’s just me.

This is the Salmon Soup with Sour cream and herbed croutons. Smooth and thick, it doesn’t taste fishy for those who are worried it may.

Apart from burgers, this place also serve other dishes and my friend decided to go with the Southern fried chicken with mash, corn bread & onion gravy. I tried bits of the mash and it was silky smooth and so yummy! The corn bread was ok, bit dry in my opinion.

As I am a huge fan of avocados, i ended up choosing the Chermoula Avocado Madness as I envisioned big glops of avocado puree on top the chicken patty. The description reads “Zing marinated, grilled, smooth avocado creamed patty covered in hot salsa”. As Chermoula is a common marinade using herbs, garlic, olive oil, lemon etc in Moroccan cooking, that would explain the “zing” part of the marination. It did give the meat patty a savoury and slightly tangy twist. The blend of the creamy avocado and salsa with the juicy meat was in one word, perfect. The buns were buttered well, which were a godsend when you’re dealing with fillings like these.

On another visit, I tried the Japanese Yodel Burger, whose description read “lush porcini mushrooms and portobello tempura, all lovingly layered with a creamy fondue sauce”. The looks of the burger when it arrived was not as enticing as I hoped, and I personally felt that there was not enough mushrooms to go around to go with that big, juicy beef patty. the beef patty was cooked to perfection as my request, the hint of pink in the patty, juices locked in.

Overall, this is indeed a gourmet burger place as they even have one with foie gras! As such, expect higher than usual prices for the burgers. But considering the creativity in the menu, the freshness of the ingredients etc, it’s a worthwhile splurge.

The Daily Grind
LG8, Lower Ground Floor,
Bangsar Village, 1 Jalan Telawi,
1, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur

other reviews;
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- beetrice’s reviews

It’s not been a good week foodwise. Was hoping to discover some new eateries towards the end of the week but my body chose not to co-operate and I ended up feeling way poorly. But still, all’s not wasted as I managed to try a new pizza place mid-week, and there’s a whole long weekend. I have had to pop by KL more than usual due to an ongoing project so I get to lunch with a friend whose office is just opposite my site.

Situated in Avenue K, Roma Pizza C.L.U.B caught our eyes due to the lunch crowd. And I was a bit intrigued with the way they served the pizza, in a rectangular shape instead of the customary round. The shop itself is not very big, but looks spacious thanks to the trickery and effect of mirrors. I noticed quite a few people lunching there on their own, and I suppose that’s why the proprietors came up with the bar area, complete with mini monitors for the singles to enjoy while partaking their lunch.

Decided to share a Seafood Salad with my friend to start. Boiled squid, prawn, mussel and crabstick were tossed with a mixed leafy salad and lemon dressing. It was light and mild. And I liked how the dressing didn’t overpower the taste of the salad yet complimented it as the way it should be.

While going through the pizza choices, we ended up considering the “Basiculus” and the “Carmelo” pizza but ended up going for the former as recommended by the waiter. All their pizzas are thin crusts and come in planks of 24″ x 6″. As the chef makes the pizza fresh upon each order, waiting time can hover between 15 to 25 mins as I saw him bake them one by one. The menu said that our pizza toppings included mozzarella, eggplant, wild mixed mushroom, beef salami & fresh basil.

The presentation was good, and it smelt lovely! It tasted pretty good whilst it was still hot but towards the last couple of pieces, it had cooled down and didn’t taste as nice as it was drying up by then. But to give it credit, the thin crust pizza base was good as it was crisp and had that cracker-like crunch. My only grouse was that all the ingredients were sliced just as thin! As the eggplant was julienned, I couldn’t taste much of it and the wild mixed mushroom was basically just thinly sliced white button mushrooms. And the basil used was the dried herb type, which I really don’t think classifies as fresh basil. So yes, I was a little disappointed as I had too high an expectation after the highly tempting description in the menu.

But despite that, I’ll still return if I have the chance as the selection is pretty good and I do like the thin crust. Will just have to bring a couple more friends so that ithe pizza is polished off even before it can be allowed to cool down, lol. The waiting staff are also quite friendly, which is always a plus.

Roma Pizza C.L.U.B
Lot C-7, Avenue K,
156, Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur.

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Teluk Gong is well-known for its seafood restaurants and most of the bigger, more famous ones are situated along the stretch of Jalan Udang Galah (yes, that’s a real road name!) but my regular lunch haunt in Teluk Gong is Yong Tat. Instead of turning left into Jalan Udang Galah upon your entry into Teluk Gong, drive straight for a further 3-4 km and you’ll spot Yong Tat on your left, an air-conditioned restaurant on a shoplot block.

As it was only lunch, we decided to eat light. Ordered a portion of the Lala Beehoon, which tasted delicious. It had lots of tiny lalas, and bits of crunchy lard, and was very fragrant and not oily.

This is steamed Soon Hong Fish (顺风鱼). Some tofu slices are steamed together with it. I quite like the texture of the fish and it was quite fresh.

Lastly we had the Fried Kampung Chicken. Using the smaller Kampung Chickens, this fried chicken has a slightly salty crispy skin with very tender flesh. I like how it is retains its juices even. One of my must-orders everytime I come here.

I have also tried their Pak Cheok Prawns (白灼虾) which was truly delectable. Very fresh and firm. They also have a signature oyster mushroom dish which was I liked as I’m partial to anything mushrooms. Good place to try if you’re tired of the same old at the seafood restaurants along Jalan Udang Galah.

Kedai Makanan Laut Yong Tat 榮達海鲜餐室
Lot 9185, Kampung Telok Gong,
42000 Pelabuhan Klang.
Tel: 03-3134 1167

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i have heard about the Purple Cane Tea Restaurant situated in The Gardens for sometime now but since I’m being quite the slow poke in catching on to these new malls, i remained blissfully unaware of tea inspired cuisine until a birthday gathering initiated my first visit to one of these Purple Cane tea restaurants. However, the Gardens it was not, but the rather forgotten Shaw Parade that we ventured into.

The restaurant was bustling by the time we arrived, an encouraging sign. And the interior design was pleasing to my eye, which brought such a refreshing change to the rather dingy surroundings. i loved the liberal use of the b&w honeycomb mosaic tiles on the floor, the spray-painted white chinese lattice doors and even the painted paper lanterns.

Once we were seated, we were served braised peanuts. No idea if tea leaves are one of the ingredients in this small appetiser dish but thumbs up from me for this yummy plate of goodies. i’m always a little biased towards chinese restaurants which serve these instead of the boring old salted peanuts. Lol.

The delicately fragrant Jasmine Tea (香片) was our choice. Both the teapot and the dainty teacup were more to look at in comparison to its white china cousins in chinese coffeeshops. Haha, yes, I believe in nice crockery and servingware to enhance one’s gastronomic experience. The rice served here is normally the Green Tea Rice, which is basically rice cooked with tea leaves. True enough bits and pieces of tea can be found within the fluffy grains but it tasted just like white rice. So much for tea flavoured rice.

One of the dishes we had was the Stir fried Chicken Slice with Jambu and Tea (龙井莲雾鸡片). It was quite an inconceivable combination but somehow they managed to pull it off. The use of the pink, juicy jambu together with celery managed to compliment the chicken slices (which I believe wasn’t marinated). Once again, the taste of tea was lacking. As a whole, it was a dish that retained much of its natural flavours.

The Sauteed Prawns in Cheese Dressing and Orange with Tea (龙井芝士香橙虾) was surprisingly good. Though the taste wasn’t attributed to the tea leaves nor the orange flavour as both were barely discernable. But the cheesy sauce coating the prawns more than made up for it.

Homemade Pan Fried Egg with Tomato, Prawn & Tea Mill (茶原炒蛋). This dish is no stranger in my household even though we normally use meat in lieu of the prawns.

The Stir Fried String Bean with Tea Mill (乌龙桂豆) was nice and crisp. Topped with preserved radish, it was quickly polished off.

Our last dish was the Sambal Cuttlefish in Tea Sauce (三岜苏东). It was in one word, spicy. I could only taste the chilli and little else. Not exactly impressive, imho.

After our dinner, we decided to share all the desserts they had. Clockwise there was Green Tea Peanut Paste (花生绿茶糊), Almond Beancurd in Black Tea (红茶杏仁豆腐), Rose Water Chestnut Paste (玫瑰马蹄羹) and Black Tea Red Bean Paste (相思红茶糊). Out of the four, I like the rose water chestnut paste the best as it reminded me of the Vietnamese water chestnut drinks, but smelt wonderful with the rose water. The red bean paste tasted a little weird, as it was a little on the salty side. Nor did I like the almond beancurd as I am not the biggest fan of almond powder, as I’m convinced it smells like cockroaches. Lol.

i was initially a little sceptical about trying food with tea incorporated into it but my verdict in the end is that the taste of the tea was way too subtle, to the extent of being negligible. even though i had no complaints about the standards of the food, i did feel that the usage of tea leaves was a little gimmicky. it’s easy to think that one is eating healthier when partaking of such dishes, as I did. Yet I must admit that I won’t hesitate trying other dishes in their tea restaurants again as the menu still seems quite intriguing.

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant (www) 紫藤茶原
LotGL-02, Ground Floor, Shaw Parade
Changkat Thambi Dollah
55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 2145 3090

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decided to laze at home over the weekend as it was far too hot to go anywhere. instead of eating out or resorting to the usual instant noodles, was a little more rajin in whipping up something for brunch and dinner…

4 cheese tortellini with mushrooms & spinach. did a lazy person’s trick by using canned mushroom soup, lol.

angel hair tossed with olive oil, garlic powder, chilli flakes and some mushroom cubes. simple, but one of my favourites anytime.

18 organic grain buns with filling - mayo chicken, avocado & egg and bacon & mushrooms. this involved more work but the yummy factor was worth every bit of it.

grilled dory fish fillet & scallops. no idea why my scallops ended up looking so miserable. drizzled a little plum sauce over the fish for taste.

and yes, i notice that i eat far too much pasta, mushrooms and dory fish. but at least i’m easy to cook for. lol.

While discussing where to meet up with Politikus, she mentioned being sluggish and wanting more greens, and since I haven’t stepped into The Gardens yet (insert blush here :P), we decided on Yogitree after showing her some reviews.

We found the cafe/bistro/restaurant tucked away at a corner by Isetan and even though it was relatively empty, i quite liked the sight that greeted me. Part of the restaurant is converted into a specialty shop selling yoga attire & equipment.

The furniture were not entirely matched as it revolved around green bench seats, light coloured chairs and tables, along with some spray painted pastel kopitiam chairs but was still pleasing to the eye. I really liked the handwritten specials on the blackboard finishes at the counter too. Quite a soothing & relaxing ambience, which was apt with the organic theme of this place.

She started with the Grilled Portobello Mushrooms au Gratin topped with crispy breadcrumbs and cheese, which I nearly ordered too. The mushrooms were evidently very fresh as it was juicy and cooked just right. However, I thought that the cheese topping were a tad too salty for my liking. But that just goes to show that they were very generous with the topping.

I chose the Flaky Salmon & Crab Fishcake with tomato relish & homemade tartare sauce to start. The fishcakes used smoked salmon pieces along with the flaky crabmeat which tasted divine in my opinion. True to its name, it’s flaky and light. Fans of both smoked salmon and crabmeat will love this.

My main was the Crispy Prawn & Pomelo Thai Salad. Wanted to get a pasta dish initially but as I am huge fan of prawns & pomelo, I ended up choosing this from their board of daily specials. I must admit I wasn’t expecting the crispy prawns to be these dried shrimp lookalikes. But still, it added a nice crunch to the slightly tangy and spicy thai salad. Once again, I found the dressing a tad salty, perhaps too much fish sauce? But luckily the pomelo bits balanced out the saltiness.

Her main was Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables Superfoods Salad with pine nuts, pesto and organic beans. I could see grilled zucchini, squash, bell peppers amidst the medley of salad leaves. As she was finishing up, I could see a whole lot of pine nuts with lentils and chickpeas pooled at the bottom of the plate and I gladly helped myself to them. So it looks like one must mix the salad thoroughly before consuming.

What’s a meal without dessert? We decided to share the Pineapple Upside Down cake with Pineapple Ice Cream which was also listed on the board. They claim to use organic eggs, unbleached flour and real butter for all their cakes. Upside Down cakes are cakes baked in a pan before being turned upside down to let it set. Usually sliced canned fruits in a caramel topping is poured in before the batter so that it sets on top of the cake when turned out. The cake itself is wonderfully dense and not too sweet. However it can be a little difficult to cut with the pineapple rings on the top, but we still enjoyed every bite. The icy ice-cream had hidden bits of pineapple in it too, and tasted refreshing and had the sweetness level down pat. Yum!

Last of all, asked for cold water to wash down everything and couldn’t help admiring the cute glasses they came in. Actually did have some juice to go with the meal but I guess I slurped it down too fast. I chose the “Peak Performer”, a mix of grape, apple & pineapple juice which tasted invigorating.

Overall, food was very good although they rated a bit higher on my salty gauge. Prices are on the higher side, but then, organic foodstuff normally costs more. I am already looking forward to come back and try their handmade pasta as I’ve seen some promising reviews! and for those who think that organic food equates lousy tasting food, come here and be prepared to be blown away.

Yogitree (www)
Lot F-237B,
1st Floor,
The Gardens
Mid Valley City
Kuala Lumpur

Tel No: 03- 2282 6163

other reviews;
- politikus
- masak-masak
- friedchillies

Jiufen (九份) has acquired quite a reputation for being picturesque and nolstagic. To get there, we had to board a train to Ruifang (瑞芳镇), before taking a bus to the narrow, winding alleys of street snacks and souvenir galores of Jiufen.

Despite this town being solely a tourist town, we vastly enjoyed walking around the olden streets and taking in the sights. Word has it that the name of the town originated from the times of the Qing dynasty when nine families settled here and every shipment here included “nine portions” for the nine families.

By the time we reach the town around noon, it was drizzling a little. Hence we decided to find shelter and food! When we saw the window display of this quaint B&B, Chiu Chunt Dint (九重町), we didn’t even hesitate and stepped into its restaurant. The atmosphere here does bring one back down memory lane, esp. with its wall displays and soothing background music.

The ambience in the restaurant was relaxing enough. However, do note that there’s no smoking or non-smoking areas in this place, and much to my friends’ dismay, the neighboring tables started lighting up and puffing away which did put a damper on our dining experience a little as one of our group members can’t stand cigarette smoke as it makes her ill.

There are some lunch sets here, which comes with an appetiser and soup. One of which we tried was the Beef with Green Peppers (牛肉套餐) set. The soup had meat sausages in it, whilst the appetiser came in the form of a green courgette salad.

Another set that was chosen was the Roast Rice with Beef and Black Pepper (黑牛炬饭), which had a creamy cheese topping. It was quite nice but rather filling as cheese baked rice goes.

I quite like the Steamed Rice in Bamboo Mugs (竹筒饭套餐) which used mostly Japanese type short grain rice and was flavoured with diced mushrooms, dried shrimps etc. A bit similar to our glutinous rice (糯米饭) but not sticky.

I forgot to snap the name of this dish for my reference but in all honesty, this was the worst tasting one of them all. Prawns cooked with egg in a tomato based gravy, even though the prawns were bouncy, the gravy was too much and too salty.

We decided to try the Mushrooms Hot Pot (九重菇菇锅) as it was highly recommended in the menu. The soup base was made with rib bones, kampung chicken, and many types of mushrooms. As mushrooms are reputed to be full of antioxidants, this is one beneficial and nourishing soup! True to its word, it was tasty and sweet.

Our meal was quite good though I don’t think it was that impressive overall. If I’m not mistaken they serve cakes and other snacks for a tea set. Prices for our meal were of course a bit higher but if you’re after a nolstagic atmosphere and ambience, this could be the place for you. (A review, but in mandarin)

We probably picked up most of our souvenirs here in Jiufen as we were spoilt for choice and we felt that the prices were reasonable. Packed snacks are also easily obtainable to be brought back for friends and families so that they too can have a taste of Taiwanese snacks. I ended up getting some sticky peanut candy and strangely enough, chicken century eggs! Lol. Guess I was captivated by the translucence of the century egg.

Despite there being many types of street food in Jiufen, including gigantic meatballs (some with fillings), grilled king trumpet mushrooms & squid, fermented red wine lees meat buns (紅糟肉圓), mochie etc. However it was the grilled sea snails (螺) that caught our attention. Selling at 3 for NT100. They are cut into bite-sized pieces and drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce.

This is Ah Lan (阿兰), a famous shop here selling the yam cake (芋粿) and cudweed cake (草仔粿) I mentioned trying in Fenchihu. Business must be quite good as a group of women were seated, furiously kneading away, churning out as many cakes as they possibly can.

Ah Lan offers a few fillings for the cudweed cake, including red bean, salted green bean and the usual preserved radish one. I opted for the norm and it was quite delightful. The outer layer of the cake, which has cudweed mixed into the dough has speckled the skin and ends up becoming a perfect accompaniment to the julienned preserved radish.

Towards the late afternoon, it started raining quite heavily hence we popped into Jiufen Teahouse (九分茶坊) to get some shade. As it’s the first teahouse in Jiufen, established in 1991, its decor is mostly revolving around teapots, antiques etc. It is also a ceramics factory of sorts, making beautiful teapots and plates.

All around, the placement of the tables and daybeds were quite pleasing. And I like how every piece is different. As we were a bigger group, we were led to a more private enclosure with only one big table and another small one. There was a doorway leading out to the terrace which would have provided us with an gorgeous view if not for the rain.

The teahouse has small dishes and snacks that goes well with the assortment of tea leaves they have available but we opted only for tea. I can’t remember the name of the tea we chose anymore, but it’s of a mountain origin local to Taiwan only. The waitress does a demonstration of tea making, whilst explaining the use of every different tool and also of the tea leaves itself. then we are left to slowly savour and enjoy the taste of the hot brew.

The tea we chose has a delicate taste and is great for warming us up on a rainy day. i must admit that the rain was a blessing in a way as we wouldn’t have ventured into this interesting place. Quite an interesting experience, and it was quite fun exploring the teahouse too!

On the way back to KL from Seremban we decided to stop at the newly renovated Dengkil Rest & Relax stop along the highway for some of the famous kajang sate (or satay). Sate Kajang Hj.Samuri is quite famous as it’s expanded from one shop in Kajang to numerous branches all over Selangor.

They offer quite a few varieties of sate, from the usual chicken & beef to mutton, rabbit, fish, venison, tripe etc. We picked the chicken, beef, mutton and chicken liver. I had to make the order at the cashier’s first and pre-pay before waiting at a table to be served.

The sate did not take long to be served. Along with it, came the peanut gravy with a separate serving of sambal. We had also ordered a plate of nasi impit (compressed rice) which was of course served with its usual cucumber slices.

The way to eat the thick peanut gravy here is to add dollops of sambal into the gravy in accordance as to how hot you like your gravy. The chunky sate was tender and well-marinated so that it was flavourful and had this lingering smoky taste from the charcoal on it.

One thing I’m impressed with about Sate Kajang Hj.Samuri is how they’ve maintained their quality. So now it’s no longer necessary to venture into Kajang just for mouthwatering, lipsmacking good sate.

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- lyrical lemongrass