Vishalatchi Food Catering | Authentic Chettinad Cuisine

Hey guys! It's been more than a week since I last blogged, been caught up with my final year proposal and getting distracted in between. New Year has been pretty good so far, looking forward to the WowFestival concert tomorrow! 

Back to one of the random food hunting adventures I had with the bunch last month, we went to Brickfields this time round for some Banana Leaf Rice. We actually saw a friend of us posted it on Facebook and we were like yeah, we should totally try this place out. I checked the place on Google Map earlier before we left and got a rough area of where it is and we tried walking from KL Sentral. Thanks to some DBKL fella, we managed to find the place in just a jiffy. Things we do for food; walking for that extra few miles is definitely worth it. Not to mention that my new shoes got me 3 blisters before I even reach the place HAHA still worth it though. 

Well, the reason why we were at this restaurant is another story. We were actually supposed to try out another restaurant called Vishal Cathering which is just a stone's throw away, I believe. But I guess we didn't really look close enough that day and we thought this was it cause it spelled something similar, almost similar. Most probably cause we were too hungry that time and by the time I knew that we went to the wrong place was like few days later, yeah. I call this a beautiful mistake HEH 

They serve an array of curry and fried stuff.

Assorted vegetables and pickles; refillable with no extra charge. 

To start off, there are three types of rice to choose from. Briyani, normal white rice or Indian rice. Being curious, I actually asked the lady boss what exactly is Indian rice. She explained to me that Indian rice has less starch. So the three of us took three different ones respectively so we get to try all three.

Chicken Briyani Rice - RM12.00 that comes with chicken and a hard-boiled egg. 
If you love spices, you'll love this. I find the taste of the spices that comes along with the rice a tad too strong to my liking.

Banana Leaf Meal each costs RM5.50 either with normal or Indian rice topped with curry of your choice  and 4 different vegetables. Indian rice tasted just like the normal rice we usually have but it's nicer in texture, like in perfect individual grains. As usual, rice is refillable but little did I know that you can ask for unlimited papadum top ups here too. 

Chicken Peratta - RM6.00 | Cuttlefish Sambal - RM5.00 
Their chicken are tender and the gravy is tasty, good that it's not too spicy. However, their cuttlefish sambal was a bit of a let down.

But their fried Tenggiri Fish (RM6.00) is definitely a must-order. Marinated and fried to perfection, love it! It was still piping hot when we had it. I obviously forgot to take a photo of it until I was halfway eating it. 

Eating banana leaf rice with hands cause that's how you eat it. Savouring every mouth of my tasty banana leaf rice YUMS

They usually bring the dishes for you to choose during peak hours; as you can see macam macam ada. 

Pretty packed during lunch hours so it's best to either come early or later to avoid the crowd. 

Folding the banana leaf inwards after the meal as a sign that we are satisfied with the meal. It was pretty scrumptious indeed *rubs tummy 

Group selfie with the makan kaki-s. 

Total bill came up to RM47.00 inclusive of drinks which we felt was reasonable. Their service was decent, probably cause I was there before peak hours. We will totally come back for more banana leaf rice, gotta try out their mutton curry and other fried stuff. If you're a banana leaf rice enthusiats, you could give Vishalatchi a try!

Visalatchi Food Cathering
18, Jalan Scott, Brickfields,
50470, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel No: 03-22740502
Opening Hours: 7.30am - 10.45pm daily

Something totally unrelated but I just couldn't resist to not take a photo of this super cool looking background so yeah an excuse to take a shot of my dull-looking OOTD.

Till then, have a awesome weekend guys!
xx

Manmaru Homemade Udon @ Midvalley

For the past one month, I've noticed people posting about this new eatery in Midvalley over Instagram and what attracts me the most is that it serves udon, and mainly just udon. I'm a big fan of udon cause that is what I normally order when I go for Japanese food. The fact that it's in Midvalley is definitely a plus point, at least I have new place to eat besides Sushi Zanmai now HAHA So back to Manmaru! It's a first Japanese self-service concept Udon Restaurant in Malaysia. Their udon are freshly made daily using the finest ingredients that are flown in from Japan. 

The open kitchen where you can see the cooks preparing udon.

Since it's a self service restaurant, you'll have to do the ordering on your own at the counter. 
A variety of udon illustrated with simple description on the menu, available in small and large. 

After ordering the udon, you can DIY your own meal by adding any tempura ranging from RM1.50 to RM3.80 or side dishes of your choice and drinks before making the payment. 

You will then have to help yourself with the cutlery, condiments and the green tea at the respective labelled counter bars. 

Basically, I love the simple interior design and good thing that there is ample seats as you can see.

Can't wait to dig in their udon already, itadakimasu!

キムチうどん Kimchi Udon | RM13.90 (L) RM11.90 (S)
If you are craving for kimchi and udon at the same time, you could probably give this one a try. I personally like it very much probably cause I love kimchi jiggae. Not too spicy either, YUMS! 

ニクうどん Niku Udon |  RM14.90 (L) RM12.90 (S)
If you're big fan of beef, then this is definitely your bowl of udon. It's one of my favourite too, pretty similar with the classic udon with soy broth, just that it has beef slices in it. Every slice of the beef are equally juicy and tender! 

カレーうどん Curry Udon | RM12.90 (L) RM10.90 (S)
The perfect udon for you if you love Japanese curry. I find it a tad salty, the thick gravy and rich curry taste might make you feel satiated after a few mouth. 

ざるうどん Zaru Udon | RM10.90 (L) RM8.90 (S)
I don't really fancy when my food is served cold so cold udon is never in my order list. I still give this a try and surprisingly the texture of the udon is even more chewy when it's cold.

梅うどん Ume Udon | RM12.90 (L) RM10.90 (S)
If you want something different and refreshing, try this! Pair the udon with the pickled plum (that brown paste on top of the udon) for a hint of sourness.  

カケうどん Kake Udon | RM10.90 (L) RM8.90 (S)
When you're indecisive, it's always safe to go for the classic udon served in its simplest form. Simply loving it! Definitely one of my favourite too, just add in a few tempura and you're good to go. 

ぶっかけうどん Bukake Udon | RM11.90 (L)  RM9.90 (S)
One would either love this or hate this. Served with radish and ginger on top, I couldn't really take the fish broth taste. Plus, it's cold too. This is my least favourite udon among all.

鴨せいろうどん Kamo Seiro Udon | RM15.90 (L) RM13.90 (S)
Plain udon served with duck meat and gravy.

釜揚げうどん Kamaage Udon RM12.90
Another classic udon served with warm sesame sauce. You'll need to dip the udon into the sesame sauce before eating it. Some customers tend to pour the whole sesame sauce into the udon which is a big no no. Since I don't eat sesame, I just dip my chopstick into the sauce and tried it. The sesame taste isn't that strong but it's really fragrant. 

クリームコーンうどん Cream Corn Udon | RM 14.90 (L) RM12.90 (S)
I was a bit skeptical when I saw this bowl of udon, what an unusual combination. It turns out acceptable to me cause the gravy tasted like carbonara. So it's like something like carbonara udon. Pretty unique!

I guess what makes Manmaru really stands out is indeed the texture of the udon, totally different from the others udon I've tasted before. Chewy on every bite and note that their udon are extra long too.

| Tempura Items |

Lotus Root Tempura | RM1.50/pcs

Tori Karaage (Fried Chicken) | RM2.00/pcs

White Fish Tempura | RM3.00/pcs

Brinjal Tempura | RM1.50/pcs

Ika Karaage (Fried Squid) | RM3.30/pcs

Mixed Vegetables Tempura | RM1.80/pcs

Green Pepper Tempura | RM1.80/pcs

Ebi Tempura (Fried Prawn) / RM3.80/pcs

Since I love fried stuff, their assorted tempura are delectable to me, especially the squid and prawn tempura. Even better to eat them when it's piping hot, crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. And another dish that shall not be missed would be their perfectly cooked Hanjuku Tamago! 

Hanjuku Tamago | RM2.00/pcs
I can't resist eggs like this, cooked white with runny yolk YUMMMEH

So if you're looking for a decent meal with reasonable price in Midvalley, I'll recommend you to drop by Manmaru Homemade Udon which is located just beside Machines. Also suitable for those who wanted something light for dinner or lunch. I've been there three times already within a month cause I keep craving for their udon, will definitely see myself coming back more often (:

Manmaru Homemade Udon
S-045A, Center Court, Second Floor,
 Midvalley City Mall, Lingkaran Syed Putra,
 59200 Kuala Lumpur.
Operation hours : 10am-10pm
Website: http://manmaru.com.my/

xx

Dao Kia Soy Dessert

Oh hey, hope I'm not too late to wish you guys Happy November! It has been great so far with me lazing at home for my one week break. This trip back home was decided just a month ago when I found out that the air tickets are cheaper than usual, thanks to AirAsia for the promo :P How can you say no when you get to fly home even if it's just for a while?! But it seems like my sole reason flying home was mainly to satisfy my Sarawak food craving, bad I know. 

As the title suggests, I'm obviously not gonna blog about my holiday but about this new dessert place I tried out with the bunch some day last month. To be honest, I didn't know about this new soy dessert cafe until Dao Kia emailed me. Dao Kia was founded in Singapore and their first outlet was opened last November in Kota Damansara. Initially I was curious about what Dao Kia actually means (I can hardly pronounce it correctly either HAHA) until I later found out that it is actually 豆仔 pronounced in Hokkien. No direct translation of 豆仔but it's a nickname given to the founder by his family as he is always experimenting various recipes of these soy dessert in the kitchen. It's good to have something different than the overrated Taiwanese shaved ice dessert, I was pretty excited to try them out.

I love how their menu is nicely illustrated and colourful. 

Introducing Dao Kia's signature dessert; flavoured soy milk puddings!
There are four flavours available; Original, Japanese Green Tea, Coconut Bliss and Creamy Almond respectively. Occasionally, they have seasonal flavours too. Previously they have Teh Tarik flavour (too bad I missed it) and as for now they have Chocolate Mocha flavour.

The puddings are light and really smooth. Every spoonful of it  just melts in your mouth SLURPSSS
If you're a big fan of almond, you'll definitely enjoy the creamy almond cause of the strong and fragant taste. And as for the refreshing coconut bliss, there's nothing extra ordinary about it. Since I'm a green tea person, it's pretty obvious that I prefer the japanese green tea the most. It's one of the bestseller too, after the original flavoured soy pudding. Most importantly, their puddings are not too sweet, just nice to my liking. A dessert that is suitable for the young and old, don't you think? 

Since they ran out of the original flavoured soy milk pudding that day, we only get to try the sample size ones but it's good enough! I love the rich taste of the soy milk, very creamy and milky indeed.

P/S: Feel free to ask for samples when you drop by at Dao Kia :D 

(L-R) Creamy Almond Soy Milk, Japanese Green Tea Soy Smoothie, Original Soy Smoothie.
Their Almond Soy Milk doesn't have the strong almond taste compared to the pudding so it's still acceptable for me. As for their smoothies, I was expecting something more chunky but it turns out to be smooth and fine in texture compared to the smoothies out there. Apparently, customers like it that way. I guess it all depends on individual's preferences (: 

This says it all; perfect for the health-conscious consumers out there. I was told that the soy beans used for their dessert are organic. So if you're craving for sweet dessert yet having the need to watch on your  diet, this would be a good alternative. 

And oh, they serve my fave glutinous rice balls too. Pretty huge in size I would say and generous with the fillings too. 3 chewy glutinous balls are served in each bowl with their hot piping signature soy milk. 

Available in three different flavours and my favourite has got to be the molten peanut! Couldn't have enough of these om nom nomss

They have these wacky props on the table for you to take photo with. Perhaps you can share it on your instragram and if you do, don't forget to hashtag #daokia HEH :3

I can haz mustache too in conjunction with Movember :{D
Thanks again for such warm hospitality, we definitely enjoyed our soy dessert experience in Dao Kia!

We were too stuffed after lunch and the dessert earlier so we didn't get to try these cute steamed buns.

It's pretty easy to locate them, just find for the big Dao Kia signage (: but they have quite limited seats and I noticed most of the patrons take away their dessert. 

They have outlets in Tropicana City Mall & Kota Damansara as well and another one opening soon in Sunway Pyramid. Come grab your delectable and refreshing soy dessert at the nearest Dao Kia today, happiness guaranteed (; 

Dao Kia 
Lower Ground Floor - LGK 103 (Besides Crazy Potato & Each A Cup)
Food Street Promenate
One Utama Shopping Center.
Contact No : 03-7733 8364
Operating Hours: Opens daily including Public Holidays.
Website: http://www.daokia.com/
Official FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/DaoKia
xx