Review: Paradiso, Taman Danau Desa

Restaurant: Paradiso
Address: 5-0-2, Jln 3/109F, Danau Business Centre, Taman Danau Desa, KL
Tel: 603 7981 9996
Cuisine: Italian
Other reviews: Fried chillies
Verdict: Home-cooked Italian cooking, dont expect anything fancy

This has been my local Italian joint for more than 10 years. Paradiso was one of the first few shops to open in Danau Business Centre. I remember this because the whole family was happy to have a greater variety of restaurants in our taman so of course we had to try it out.

What I like about the place is the ambience - it feels like you're in the home of an Italian, especially since the whole place is run by one! They've been here since Day 1 and I remember how young the daughters were when they'd first arrived. Now, they're all grown up (and so have I!).

Another big plus for me is of course the convenience since it's just a stone's throw from my home.

Food-wise, my siblings, Rommel and I all like the mushroom risotto which is sinfully rich (think cream and butter). At one point, they used oyster mushrooms (which are one of the cheapest options around) but during dinner last Monday, they've improved the risotto by using button and portobello mushrooms.

Rommel and I also had a pizza (I can't remember for the life of me now what the name of the pizza was but it had beef pepperoni and turkey ham on it). Not a very big portion so it was just nice for the 2 of us. I won't say it's the best pizza I've had (I prefer the ones in Shook!, Starhill and in Telawi Street Bistro, Bangsar). But you can just feel the "love" that was put into making it.

We both had Iced Lemon Tea for drinks which wasn't very nice, to be frank. But the drinks are decently priced and if in doubt, you can't really go wrong with canned drinks.

The thing is, this place has survived all these years, has never been super packed but consistently had at least 2-3 tables each time we go there. I think its customers are mostly the local Taman Desa crowd (have bumped into neighbours and church members there).

Similar restaurants are the Pizza Uno chain perhaps, although I have only tried that once and didn't think it was that good, rather disappointing considering all the hype about it. I even got my dad to try the Pizza Uno in Puchong during one of his lunches and never heard the end of it from him about how he didn't like it.

So, I'm not sure if I would recommend this to someone living far away. But, I'll definitely go back there, especially on weekday nights when I feel like eating out instead of getting Evelyn to cook. If you want typical, home-cooked Italian food, this is where I go to for mine.

Ta..

P/S: Shen, it's Ascension Thursday tmrw so remember to go for Mass. Day of obligation!
It's also Labour Day in Malaysia tmrw. Yippee... I need to catch up on sleep!

Climate Change Week

Just back from the Malaysian premiere of The 11th Hour, a film about global warming produced and narrated by Leonardo Dicaprio.

Climate Change Week 2008 in Malaysia has been organised by YTL Corp, and so my mom got some invites to attend this premiere. *click here for details on Climate Change Week*

Incidentally, Rommel and I watched Al Gore's The Inconvenient Truth over the weekend, which I feel made The 11th Hour more meaningful. The main difference was that Al Gore's presentation had a lot more facts, more data and charts... something I am very much used to, being a research analyst.

But both films complement each other as The 11th Hour was more pictorial and had a lot of quotes from various scientists and activists. I would recommend watching The Inconvenient Truth first then The 11th Hour as the story flows better that way.

At the end of it, I have to ask myself... What do I get from all this? What is the point of watching all these films, commending these people for their efforts, and then going back to my same wasteful, highly energy inefficient life.

That's what I need to sleep on tonight. Ta... It's midnight here. Work tmrw..

Reviews: Ume-Tei Japanese and Bubba Gump; Champs and Restoran Overseas

We tried 2 new places this weekend (Ume-Tei and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co).. and went to 2 firm favourites (Champs and Restoran Overseas).

1.
Restaurant: Ume-Tei Japanese Restaurant
Address: 3rd Floor, Amcorp Mall, Persiaran Barat, off Jln Timur, PJ
Tel: 603-79541397
Verdict: Value for money.

Rommel and I went for 11.30am Mass at SFX and were scheduled to pick my mom up at 3pm from church (they had a 2-day GSS this weekend). So what to do for about 2hrs? Rommel came up with the Amcorp Mall idea to check out the flea market. Something we've been meaning to do but just never got round to it.

So anyway, we'd read about this Japanese restaurant in Amcorp in the papers so figured we shd go look for it.

At first impression, this place is pretty nondescript, nothing really special but it does give off a homey type of vibes, similar to the little ramen shops I'd been to in Japan with the family. But we still went in anyway. What's the worst that can happen, right? You'll never know until you try.

I took the Ramen set which cost RM18. Really value for money! My set included:
1) the ramen - which was a decent size, had some chicken ham, crab sticks, ample veg and seaweed. Tasty soup but I detected quite a bit of MSG.
2) rice - which you can choose between the garlic fried rice or just white rice. We took the fried rice. Not very good but still addictive.
3) Chicken katsu - crispy and nice. Came with a side of salad and potato salad in small but adequate portions.
4) the usual pickles and cut fruit.

Rommel took the nigiri sushi set costing RM27. He's actually seen the a la carte sushi platter which was RM53 but the lady boss was honest enough to say they didnt have the belly tuna today so they weren't serving that. They also have a cheaper option where some of the sushi is from local fish and another even cheaper option with all just local fish. The set comes with miso shiru, chawan mushi, pickles and fruit.

Verdict: We decided that the place was worth a visit should we step into Amcorp during the day again. But maybe not a place to bring my dear ol' fussy dad. We've put it in the same category as Kajitsu Nihon Ryori and the Japanese restaurant in Faber Towers, both in Taman Desa, KL. Which therefore means, I'd just stick to these 2 places since they're in my neighbourhood.

2.
Restaurant: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co
Location: The Curve, Mutiara Damansara.
(Sorry no contact details. I took a menu/pamphlet which I thought had their contacts but it turns out, it's only a list of their menu. But I'm sure you wont have trouble looking for it in the Curve. It's across from Marche, upstairs.)
Verdict: Wont be going back anytime soon.

The restaurant's theme is basically the Forrest Gump movie, very American - read big portions and cheesy tag lines. In the same category as TGIFs and Chillis (although Rommel and I vote that nothing beats Chillis!).

I got all excited after seeing an article on it in Friday's Star. So off we went that night itself.

We ordered the Cajun Shrimp and the New England Clam Chowder for starters. The shrimp were pretty small (but not as pathetic as the ones we get in the UK!) and I think it was too buttery and salty. The clam chowder tasted like it was one of those instant packet ones and you just add some extra clams and diced veg into it.

For the main course, we took Mama's Southern Fried Chicken and Bubba's After the Storm "Bucket of Boat Trash".

The chicken was not too bad, I suppose. An overdose of mashed potatoes though and they even put the gravy on top of the chicken. I dont know if this is how it's usually served, but I prefer my fried chicken without the sauce.

The "Bucket" consisted of deep fried shrimp, lobster tail (which were actually those mini yabbie lobsters, like the ones they serve in Max) and baramundi. Served with fries. It was alright but again, with everything deep fried, not the healthiest of options.

Enough said. I dont think we'll be going back anytime in the near future.

3.
Restaurant: Champs
Location: Centrepoint, Bandar Utama

We had dinner with the parents and some friends. 12 of us in total so luckily Aunty RubyAnn and Uncle Max know the owner. And someone had thought to book the table beforehand. Cos when we got there, it was super super packed!! I think it was partially because there was a Chelsea vs Man U game on so some ppl were there to watch the game.

Champs is pretty much your neighbourhood pub serving superb food.. and a decent pint.

My fav there is the char kuey teow. Stir fried to perfection with slices of Chinese sausage and a touch of fried lard to finish. YUM.... I seem to always order that whenever I go and I constantly have cravings for it (like now).

Champs is also famous for its Ipoh hor fun, its Hokkien mee (Black Worm Noodles in the menu) and its grilled baby back pork ribs (yes you read that right. I was so happy I found a place that sold proper pork ribs, as opposed to the beef ribs we have to live with in most restaurants here.). I remember my brother once ordered the Mee Mamak which was not too bad too.

The new item on the menu was the fish head soup noodles. My dad had tried it previously and said it wasn't that good but my mom ordered it anyway and I must say I like it! Peppery and not too much ideal milk... only thing was there wasn't enough noodles.

Always a favourite local pub in my books. I ended the night with a nice refreshing Hoegaarden. (Hey, you can't go into a pub, watch football and not have beer!)

4.
Restaurant: Overseas at Armada, PJ
Verdict: Best for steam fish

Sunday night's dinner venue. My dad defrosted the tail end of a grouper Uncle Loh gave us. He said, for such a fine piece of fish, we had to bring it to the chef at Overseas in Armada because his style of cooking such fish was unbeatable. And I agree, whole-heartedly.

We had the fish blanched in oil and then steamed... to perfection. I think this method of cooking is called "yau tzam wat" (sorry am really bad with Cantonese pronounciations although I really am trying to learn to speak the language)

Also ordered the sliced pork belly with salted fish in claypot. My sister's favourite so since I was talking to her while on the way there, she requested that we ate it on her behalf.

And the homemade taufu with "sing kua" veggie. My brother's favourite - he can eat a bowl of rice with just this dish alone.

And some chicken herbal soup which was the only option they had left for the night. Not bad. I always like soup.

And my favourite veggie - "dau miu" in Canto or "dou miao" in Mandarin. It's so difficult to get it in Malaysia. I ask for this dish at every Chinese restaurant we go to but rarely ever get it. We had it stir fried with garlic and strips of Chinese ham.

What was really funny was that one of the managers came over to talk to us and started commenting on the fish, trying to act like he knew a lot. Then my dad said, actually, we brought the fish, it's not from your kitchen. Then my dad started rattling off names of some managers who used to be at the Armada Overseas but have since been transferred around to the other outlets. Then the chef himself came out to say hi and said the fish was a really good piece. I guess the manager must have been new and maybe thought we didn't know better about the fish we were eating.

Anyway, that was it... Another weekend of feasting. and another weekend before my diet ever starts. Muahaha...

OMG I bought more yarn

I know I know.. I've got loads to do at work.. I need to study for my exam... and so what on earth am I doing shopping online?!?!?

This is a rather prevailing trend in my family. When we are stressed, we shop. It happens with my mom and I see it happening to my sis and I.

(Shen, don't lie. I used to see the whole stream of emails from Ebay saying "You have bidded for XXXX" and "You have won XXXX". Just because I dont get those emails now doesnt mean we dont know how much you're buying over there!!)

So I happily come into office today, happy because it's a Friday and because I had my day planned out. Get the daily stuff done, finish and send out the end of week stuff, work on one financial model in the morning, do a little studying in the afternoon, pack up and go home early so that I can miss the jam and studying again at night. Simple.

Then my fingers got itchy and decided to click on a few knitting blogs. And I remembered the Plucky Knitter blog... she sells these really gorgeous yarn too so I thought I could buy some to try them out. I tried last week but somehow it didnt work so I decided to try again...

And bought 4 balls of yarn (at about US$20-25 a ball).. :D

I must say, HSBC is getting super duper efficient - they called me to confirm just as I was printing out my receipt!

Total cost was US$105.25 including shipping. I've figured that not only is it slightly cheaper buying online as opposed to the Sg Wang shop, it's also much cheaper buying from US sites with the weak dollar. The British pound is still going strong which makes it a pain everytime I convert it back to ringgit!

And to make me feel even happier, the yarn I bought from Jimmy Beans Wool should be on its way here!

In case you're wondering why the sudden urge to buy yarn, it's because I came across one blog a while where the person had a whole glass case FULL of yarn she hadn't used. And lots of WIPs too. So I figured that there is no such thing as too much yarn.

Here's how Im justifying my impulse purchase: My mom has her collection of bags, shoes, jewelry and clothes. My dad has his collection of wine and fancy Chinese herbs (Shen I will call you and tell you what Pa did last Sunday and how much he SPENT! Makes me feel a lot less guilty about buying things). Shen, you have your kimono collection. Patty has his music and games collection. So mine shall be yarn and moisturisers.

If you did not already know, my nickname at boarding school was Moisturiser Queen. I had, and still have, a whole collection of moisturisers. I love trying different types - face or body. Which reminds me, I have been meaning to do a review on beauty products.. Like what's the best day moisturiser, best sunscreen, best shower gel etc.. Coming soon..

Ta for now!

p/s: Shen, did you check out the link for that Chocolate Museum in Barcelona? I've also found a yarn shop not very far from our hotel. Muahaha...

Random childhood pics

I was just noticing that I haven't posted pictures in a while. And I happened to have some of my childhood pics on softcopy. Super...

My toy room in all its glory. It has since been converted into our family prayer room..
Great memories playing and taking naps in here. I think I was about 4-5 yrs old.


I think we were on holiday somewhere near a beach.. But I cant remember where. Just thought this was a cute picture of me spying on my dad sleeping. Me aged 3..

Myself, aged 2, with my cousin Adrian, aged 6 six. Again, we were on some family holiday by the beach.

Knit update: I've finally bought yarn online!

Okay I know that you must think I live in the Stone Age or something since I've never bought yarn online. I just dont know why I haven't to be honest.

When I was in London, I did buy clothes online from Boden and surfed on eBay for interesting things. But since coming back to KL, just never did.. Of course it didn't help that internet at home was super-duper slow so I just didn't bother to log on!

Anyway, I bought I think 15 balls of yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool (one of the yarns I wanted initially was sold out so I changed to a different colour). I cant remember how much it all costs now and I haven't received the final bill from them. But I'm happy... Can't wait to get them. Hurray!

I also went back to Lily Handicraft in Sg Wang Plaza (I blogged about it previously) and bought yarn to make a scarf for my colleague Ellie.. She like wearing black most of the time in the office but I didn't want to give her something in that colour... yet I wanted something that she can use regularly.. The lady at Lily Handicraft suggested this lovely brown baby wool yarn, costing RM35.90 per ball. In fact, there was quite a selection of colours but I thought the brown was a really rich colour and would go well with pretty much any outfit.

I decided to do a simple lace knit, the same one I used for Suen's scarf but minus the border. And it's on a much tighter gauge so the pattern really shows up nicely. I must say, this yarn is one of the softest I have ever knitted with... so nice!! I've actually brought it to office. No, I wont knit in the office but instead, I'll knit on the way home while stuck in the jam... Multi-tasking I say. So if you see a mad woman knitting furiously at the traffic lights, it most likely will be me!

Okay, lunch break over... Ta~

p/s: Shen I have bad news.... or rather... traumatic news for myself. I went to the supermarket in Pavilion just now and passed by the place where Paul was supposed to open. They've changed it to another shop... Corningware I think. *sob* and I was so hoping that Paul was going to open and I can pig out on macaroons and tarts. :'(

Recipe: Super easy cottage pie

It's Sunday evening. You're dreading work tmrw and want to have a stress free night in preparation for the week. And then you have to cook dinner...

That was pretty much how this evening went for me. And since I felt like eating ragu sauce, just thought it'll be great to make cottage pie today.

I apologise though because I didn't exactly measure the ingredients.. Just threw everything in and hoped for the best!

First, dice one large onion, a few cloves of garlic, 2 carrots and 2-3 stalks of celery.
Also, preheat a fan oven to 220'C.
Heat olive oil in a large pan - medium heat, throw in the onion and garlic and let them sweat for 5 mins.
Then, add in the carrots and celery and cook for another 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
Next, add in minced beef (or lamb) and stir until the meat is browned. (I have not noted how much meat to add in because I'd bought too little of the meat. But what turned out was a more veggie-based and healthier meal.)
Then, stir in a large jar of pasta sauce, some bay leaves, oregano (or just use one of those mixed herb combos for convenience).
Let the sauce cook for about 5 mins if you like your veggies with a bit of a crunch, longer if you want them softer. The recipes I've looked at had the sauce simmering from a range of 20mins to 1hr. There must be a reason for this but I like my veg to still contain its nutrients rather than an unnutrious blob of mush..
Pour the sauce into an oven-proof pan.
Next, peel some potatoes and grate them. Sprinkle salt over it to prevent from browning and stir in melted butter and pepper for taste. Immediately spread this over the sauce and smooth the top. Add a dash of olive oil on the top, if you like. The recipe I followed said to use an oil spray but I didn't have one at hand so I just drizzled the oil.
Bake in the oven for about 20mins until the top is crisp and brown and the sides are bubbling.

My mistake with this was to grated the potatoes early on. The salt extracts the moisture from the potatoes, making it a soggy, discoloured mush. Even after baking it, the colour still looked a little off. But, Rommel said it tasted good and gave it a thumbs-up!

Now all I need to do is tweak the grated potato topping.

*Hint 1: You can use mashed potatoes of course but this is more work... boiling the potatoes, peeling them, mashing etc.. If you're in a rush, this is quick and easy-peasy.
*Hint 2: The ragu sauce is pretty much a base for loads of dishes. You can eat it with a variety of carbs - pasta, rice, pita bread. I'd initially wanted to pair with my wild grain organic rice I'd bought a few weeks back but changed my mind in the end.
*Hint 3: If cooking for 1-2 ppl, you can make the sauce in a large batch and freeze/refridgerate half of the sauce to use another day.