Food Explorer & Home Chef
So many new omakase restaurants are popping up these days that I can’t keep track. Did you know that ‘Omakase’ means ‘I’ll leave it to you’? Decided to an older establishment instead, a few months’ ago. Sou Omakase Dining has been around for 6 years, …
This year, 2022, is especially significant for Tiger Beer as it is the Year of the Tiger. To uncage the festive cheer, Tiger Beer has partnered with Son Heung-Min, a football icon from South Korea, in conjunction with the Lunar New Year celebrations to ignite …
Good quality, well-made sausages are not easy to find in Malaysia, otherwise they probably cost a bomb. Which was why it was so delightful to find juicy, superior and flavourful sausages – chicken, lamb and beef – at Foodies Gourmet Market and Cafe in Kinrara.
Uncooked sausages, meat cuts and other foodstuff are also for sale at the market in the front half of the resto. The cafe itself is simple and straightforward, nothing fancy, just a place to have a good meal at very affordable prices. The menu is styled like a typical British deli with only top quality and halal meat, sausages and other products offered here, categorised into Ready2Cook and Ready2Eat products. Apart from spices and sauces, there are breads and cakes, gourmet items, and even knives sold at Foodies’.
During this food review, we were presented with almost the whole gamut from the menu, from basic fish and chips to sausages and grass-fed steak, and for me, the Grilled lamb and the German chicken sausages (RM30/RM31 each), meant to be sharing plates, stood out; both were really sumptuous, juicy and flavourful. Some might find the lamb somewhat gamey, but I loved it. The starch came in nice, thick potato wedges that were crisp on the outside and fluffy inside.
Rather than the cheaper dory fish which most restos use for fish and chips, Foodies’ use New Zealand ocean perch which offer better texture and taste (RM25). It’s hard to go wrong with Smoked Duck, and this came with cubed apples on top of the apple chutney (RM30) a refreshing combination of sweet and salty flavours. Another version of this is the Chef Signature Smoked Duck quiche (RM20) which was a winner, a complete meal by itself for one person.
For those who seek comfort food, there’s Housemade Chicken Meatballs and Pasta (RM20) and Beef Goulash (RM21). The meatballs were OK but I refer beef for more texture and a heartier bite, while the beef stew, pieces of wagyu cooked for hours, melded into the gravy and scooped up with French baguette, soothes the soul on a balmy day.
The lamb in the Spicy Korean style lamb chops (RM36) was tender and moist, and I like it as it is, but for want of something different, gochujang sauce amped up the flavours and got the mouth juices flowing. A good old-fashioned Grilled Ribeye Steak (RM53/ about 200g) is always a joy and put alongside the Pure Grassfed steak (RM42) – grilled Australian striploin – comes with a choice of mushroom or black pepper sauce – the latter had a slight upper hand, though steak aficionados might beg to differ. Foodies’ is probably one of the few places in town where you can enjoy good quality steak at these steal prices.
We also tried the Awesome Wagyu Burger (RM32) – premium beef patty with sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce, caramelised onion, katsu mayo, cheese in between soft brioche – which was true to its awesome moniker while Fillet Chicken with Katsu sauce Sandwich (RM20) – crispy fried chicken with tonkatsu sauce, mushroom, fried egg as well as salad – is a poultry version with Asian accent.
Dessert was XL Doughnut with Fresh Cream, chocolate sauce and strawberry jam and fried banana fritter with Kikoman sauce. Needless to say, we all sat food comatosed and only coz we had good doses of Illy coffee that kept us from slumber, that we could muster energy to buy some more food from the market section! I’m almost grateful that Foodies’ is a bit of a distance from my house, otherwise I’ll definitely put on even more weight!
No.29, Jalan BK5A/3A, Bandar Kinrara 5, Puchong. Tel: 0122135277.
During a recent birthday celebration, we descended on Hungry Bacon, chiefly because the name of the resto itself was already appealing. Looking more like a pub rather than a family joint thanks to the dark interior, the menu centres on Mr Pig, naturally. We got …
The Balvenie officially unveiled The Makers Project, an exclusive exhibition held recently at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, featuring specially commissioned artwork from homegrown designer Fern Chua. Fern joined the collective of five other ‘Makers’ who were selected from around the region, hailing from Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, …
Premium wheat beer Edelweiss has embarked on its #FeelTheAps journey to inspire fans to actively seek new discoveries. Followers can expect to experience the refreshing spirit of Edelweiss when they visit their favourite local drinking spots in the coming months with exclusive Edelweiss pop-up bars activated at selected outlets across the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor regions.
The launch event of the pop-up bars featured various activities to bring guests’ experience to greater heights. Guests were served with food to pair with their ice-cold Edelweiss which they could tap themselves from the exclusive Blade Machine. They also had a chance to learn about the natural ingredients and blend of fresh mountain herbs that go in the making of Edelweiss at the events in Genting Highlands and The Beer Factory, Sunway Giza.
They also had fun trying their skills at the claw machine game to score exclusive prizes such as free stays in Genting Highlands, food and beverage vouchers, at-home Blade Machine experience, and various other Edelweiss merchandise.
In the coming months, fans can expect to see Instagram-worthy Edelweiss features at their favourite pubs with the activation of the pop-up bars. They can take pictures at the unique Edelweiss cable car photo booth and share their #FeelTheAlps experience on social media, and taste ice-cold Edelweiss served from the pop-up bars.
“Edelweiss wants to inspire its fans to explore new adventures and experiences, and our aim is to provide different drinking experiences to our drinkers. As such, the pop-up bars are activated at selected outlets across major cities to bring our fans’ experiences to greater altitudes with every sip of Edelweiss. We are also all geared up to take fans’ experiences to a whole new level with the recent launch of the Edelweiss flagship outlet The Alps bar in Genting Highlands,” said Pablo Chabot, Marketing Director of HEINEKEN Malaysia.
To score exclusive Edelweiss merchandise, visit the social media pages at facebook.com/edelweissbeer.my and instagram.com/edelweissbeer.my/ or check out http://www.drinkies.my for ongoing promotions.
For non-Muslims aged 21 and above only.
From press release
Kompassion describe themselves as ‘progressive Thai cuisine’. If you’ve visited the newly revamped set up, progressive is indeed the best way to describe how far they’ve come. Not a new establishment, the resto has been around for about 9 years. And I confess after one …
The Street Food Virtual Festival is back this year, with an epic collision between street food and an integral part of street culture – streetwear. The local streetwear scene has always been a way for people to express themselves and is influenced by the many …
With a name like Snout, there’re no prizes for guessing what’s the mainstay of this resto.
The place is brightly lit and spacious with piggy soft toys on stools and pigs painted on walls, reaffirming the restaurant’s theme, while potted plants, stacks of books and a small corner selling clay crafts add to the casual homely ambience.
We ordered Scotch egg-style Fried Quail Eggs (RM9) to start which disappeared very fast. The quail eggs, ensconced in minced meat and an assortment of condiments, then covered with breadcrumbs and deep-fried, I dare say, were nicer than some of the ones I had in UK which tend to be too dense … and cold.
Boasting all things porkalicious in the menu, the signature here is the juicy T-bone Pork Chop (RM33) which comes with a big swirl of classic egg carbonara. Littered with bacon bits and Parmesan cheese on top, this signature chop had No. 1 smacking his lips and ooh-ing his approval. He decided to be good and up his fibre intake by adding on the Orange Salad (extra RM5) which was fresh and citrusy with the house dressing.
Another bestseller here is the comforting Braised Pork Belly (RM23) served with steamed rice. The jiggly pieces of pork belly with layers of lubricious fat, braised for hours in soya sauce and spices, was melt-in-the-mouth tender and bursting with flavour. Comes with an egg, bok choy, braised peanuts, and my favourite, a dallop of sambal.
We also tried the Sticky Pork Rib Rice that came with a serving of vegetables. The ribs were tender, coated with finger-licking sweet sauce that was nicely balanced, the kind that slowly teases your palate to give you a satisfying mouthfeel rather than hit you up with a shot of diabetes.
Next time, I’m looking forward to ordering the Chilli pork rice that’s said to be quite spicy.
No. 2 had the Snout Avenue Sandwich (RM18) that had a piece of grilled pork tenderloin topped with caramelized onion and sandwiched in a bun. Looked simple at first glance, but the taste won us over with the still moist and flavourful texture of the pork, tucked in between the fresh veggies.
In comparison to the other outstanding pork dishes, the Salted yolk carbonara (RM23) with salted egg, bacon bits and Parmesan cheese seemed the most ordinary, though it held its own pretty well in terms of flavour and tastiness.
Snout was opened in August 2018 by Doris Ch’ng and Rosalia Chua, and with its good food and decent prices, it’s a winning formula to get one going back for more pig-out sessions.
Add: 22A-1, Jalan PJU 8/5E, Bandar Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya. tel: 03 – 7732 8871.
I don’t often get to attend craft beer-tasting sessions, but when I do, it’s always a joyous occasion. There’s such a spectrum of flavours which we often forget as we are so accustomed to the same few brands. One of my favourites was a good …