The hunt for food + so called road trip

Here's wishing 'Selamat Hari Raya' to all my Muslim friends. :)

This Raya holiday is such a timely break. It's a much needed 2 days of solid rest for me (and i bet for heaps of others too).

It's a time to enjoy those yummilicious raya kuehs, lemangs and rendangs without guilt. So eat more on my behalf ok? And drive safe ya!

~*~*~*Nihon ryori galore*~*~*~

Day 1 Raya

Had such a blissful uninterrupted slumber. Slept till 12pm. The sound of incoming sms-es woke me up.

Received a couple of messages. The latest being the one from Mon, asking me if I wanted to have lunch with the Seaparkians (we refer to some of our friends that cos they were from Sea Park sec school) at Sushi Zanmai.

I immediately accepted. Why? Cos i've been craving for sashimi for days. And I was eager to check out the food at Sushi Zanmai for some time already. In fact, i was supposed to bring a friend there on Sunday, but somehow our plan got cancelled.

Was a little late due to the fact that I actually thought that it was only 10+ in the morning when i woke up. I saw Mon's message and I actually replied, "Woman, i'll go get something for mum from the Curve 1st. Will join u guys after that".

It was after i've pressed the 'send' button that i realised it's already 12:05pm. And we're meeting for lunch around 12:30-1pm.

As you've guessed, i barely made it on time.

One U was packed to the brim, the queue to enter the shopping complex was outrageously looong. I spent 30+ mins looking for a parking. And i was forced to park in the Old Wing even though I entered via New Wing. That's cos they've closed many of the entrances/pathways.

Though late, i guess it was a blessing in disguise - i didn't have to wait :P. Look at the loooong line outside Sushi Zanmai. Mon and Kuang have already gotten a place by the sushi bar. Yay for friends who are early!

They've started 30 mins earlier, therefore this is the only piece left when i arrived. And i gobbled it down like i've never eaten in 2 days. Yups, i was super famished then.

oh, not forgetting the 3 pieces of edamame left! :p





Kuang did a quick recommendation of what's good so i could hasten my decisions on what else to order next.

He urged me to try this. Curry soft shelled crab in inari.
Mmmmm...

I dunno the name of the sushi roll on the left. But at first glance i thought the topping was cheese (awesome right?!). However, it was actually tuna with mayo topping.

No no, this may look ordinary but it actually tastes different. Definitely more fragrant since the mayo has been burnt to emit a delicious aroma when biting into the roll.

Unagi

Mon and Kuang

Dai dai roll

I noticed that Kuang and i have a similarity when it comes to Japanese ryori (food). If we're both checking out a Japanese eatery for the first time, it is almost customary for us to try their curry katsu don.

Well, our verdict? This curry katsu is only maa maa desu. tsk tsk.

Shishamo (pregnant fish) + grilled hotate (scallop) sushi.

I always prefer my pregger fish to be crispier. The ones here are slightly 'wet'.

I've been craving for this for days. Fact, i was so desperate for a sakura chirashi don that i even updated my status on Facebook as "Carrie is craving for a bowl of sakura chirashi don". And it was up for days!

Now, i'm truly satisfied.

However, for sakura chirashi don, my fave still hails from Rakuzen.

Enoki wrapped with beef.

Again, i'd prefer it non wet, simply grilled to perfection.

You know how i always say i have 2 stomachs? One for main, and another for desserts. Well, though stuffed, i was tempted to get this rice cake ice creams from Shojikiya.

Hey, not many places in Msia carry these ice creams ok? And..i loved these when i was a kid. It's nice to rekindle that feeling again. :p

Itadakimasu!

Bought the choc flavoured daifuku

Me digging into the super frozen daifuku..a tough task!

~*~*~*So called road trip*~*~*~

Day 2 Raya

One of the Seaparkians (Kuang actually) suggested we go on a 1 hr road trip to Ulu Yam (Lama) to try their infamous 'Loh Mee'.

That sounded like a good idea and we were all gamed. As for me, i was thrilled. It's been a while since i've gone on a road trip.

Btw, this is only a so called road trip cos 45 mins of travelling does not constitute a road trip la.

Upon arrrival, we were surprised to see the entire stretch of road occupied by KL cars. Also, there are many houses serving 'Loh Mee' here.

"So which one is the authentic Loh Mee place?", we wondered.

Kuang said he ate here a year ago. His colleague recommended to Restoran Swee Yen.
However, he said that this is NOT the authentic one. According to his colleague, the authentic loh mee place has a very unfriendly atmosphere and the staff are very snobby.

I wouldn't know if he didn't tell me.

Look, this place was damn packed too. We had to wait for a while before we could get a table for 8.

The food troop 1: Kennes, Mon and Kennie.

Food troop 2: Yue, me, Bun

Food troop 3: Kuang and Weng Chun.

#1 dish: hand made fried fish cake.

One word: Yummy!!!!

The fish cake was springy and the skin was perfectly fried.

Yue wanted to tapau some fish cakes home but the lady boss said she couldn't sell it to us as business was exceptionally good and she's running out on them fish cakes.

Kuang commented that ppl normally order the Loh mee with the fish cake dish.

RM10

#2 Fried pork ribs in Nam Yue (fermented bean paste).

Pretty standard. But good nonetheless cos we all love porkie..

RM20

#3 Ulu Yam's infamous Loh Mee

Prior to coming, Kuang informed us that the loh mee is quite different from the one in KL. For those who do not like the ones in KL will probably like the one here.

Uh-oh, i actually damn like the ones in KL. Means, i'll end up not liking this eh? :P

My verdict? I prefer the KL ones for the gravy. The one here lacks taste.
However, the noodle is hand made and does not have preservative and it's smoother. :)

And ooh..we love love love the extra pork lard too!

RM13

#4 Rendang wild boar!

This is da bomb! Absolutely everyone's favourite.

I've never tasted such good rendang wild boar. And i've never seen it cooked with long beans and served with so much greens (coriander and lettuce as well).

The combination with the veggies make this dish very refreshing and definitely no 'jelak' feeling.

RM20 <--damn worth it la! If only we weren't so full, we would have ordered another one of this! :P

#5 Fried meehoon ala hokkien style

Rendang wild boar, hokkien style fried meehoon, and loh mee.




#6 Fried nian gao (rice cake) with mushroom and veggies.

This is a popular Chinese/Shanghai dish. It's not easy to find fried nian gao (in KL they call it 'bak guo') in KL.

Pretty good stuff but can be damn 'jelak-fying'.

RM10


All in we spent about RM100 including drinks. What a steal!

To our 2 drivers, thanks for everything!