Some stairs are worth climbing… we’re not your usual.

Located at the first floor of Publika, Red Beanbag Cafe has attracted scores of customers ever since they opened their doors at the end of last year. The Red Beanbag is a modern contemporary Australian-inspired café with a rustic interior decoration with a nice view of Piazza at Publika from its balcony. The entrance is unmistakably inviting with scores of coffee bean bags lying on the ground teasing passers-byto check out what is in store inside.

Service was also prompt despite the enormous number of customers dining there during lunch hour. The friendly waiter recommended their signature dish called My Crustacean Cousin (RM 29.90) which is a fancy name for their seafood pasta. Food presentation was top notch with huge prawns resting on top of the pressed pasta.

There were also a few pieces of clams and scallops scattered around the dish.

The sauce is not the usual tomato or cream based type.Instead it was more watery and has a pleasant seafood taste to it.

The pastas was certainly good and no wonder there were a few tables ordering it that day.

The Fowl Luck (RM 25.00) was another recommend item in the menu. The dish came with a piece of nicely roasted chicken thigh with herb potatoes, mushrooms, olives and mushroom gravy.

The gravy was tasty although I wish they would added a wee bit more to go with the chicken meat.

And speaking of the chicken, the meat was tender and the taste was spot on. Again, I love their food presentation which makes the entire dish seems so appetizing.

No doubt, some stairs are worth climbing and Red Beanbag Cafe is one of them. With its homely rustic ambiance and warm service, it is really easy to recommend this place to eat. Food wise, I was happy with the meal and would definitely visit this place again.

To get an idea of how this place looks like, check out the Youtube video below.

The Red Beanbag
No. A4-1-08, Solaris Dutamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 06-211 5116

Business Hours:
Tue – Fri: 10:00 a.m. -    10:00 p.m
Sat – Sun: 09:30 a.m. -    10:00 p.m.

Website: http://twitter.com/theredbeanbag

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theredbeanbag/info

Over the recent years, Sri Petaling has become a food hub with a myriad of restaurants and cafe mushrooming at the new commercial area next to The Store. Capitalizing on the popularity of this area among food lovers, Restaurant Herbs & Spices has opened its door early last year to cater the crowd by serving both western cuisines and local favourites.

The restaurant is spearheaded by Mr. Yeo who is the Director of this establishment. Together with a group of talented chefs who have honed their culinary skills over the years by working in hotels, restaurants and golf clubs, Herbs & Spices has garnered a steady amount of regular customers over the months.

We were treated with their signature Hainanese Chicken Chop (RM 15.90) which was prepared using traditional Hainanese recipe.

The chicken skin was crispy as a result of frying it till golden brown. The meat was tender and the brown sauce which has green peas and onions complimented the dish very well.

The Sirloin Steak (RM 26.50) was served with mushroom sauce, French fries and vegetables.

The highlight of the dish was the steak, of course and it didn’t disappoint at all. The outer layer was char grilled while the inner part was tender.

Next came the Black Pepper Chicken Chop (RM 15.90) which was served with freshly made black pepper sauce, French fries and coleslaw. The chicken thigh was very flavoursome as a result of marinating it with seasoning ingredients.

Although we were already full to the brim, the Mixed Grill (RM 29.50) looked so appetizing and tasted good as well.

For those who have a hearty appetite, the platter would suit the bill nicely as it comes with a portion of grilled lamb shoulder, grilled chicken chop, fish fillet, jumbo sausage, three prawns with a side of potato salad. It was also value for money considering the generous portion of meat that goes into the platter.

The Braised Lamb Shank (RM 26.50) has a slightly gamey taste but that is normal for a dish like this.

The meat was very soft and easy to chew. I was told that the meat was cooked with rich herb gravy.

The Grilled Rib Eye Steak (RM 28.80) was also very good.

The meat was well marinated and grilled with a hint of smoky taste.

After tasting so many heavy food, the Grilled Salmon (RM19.00) was a welcome change as it was lightly seasoned and came with tartar sauce, vegetables and fries.

I was happy to learn that Restaurant Herbs & Spices offers authentic Kelantanese cuisines which is a good thing as there are not many restaurants in Klang Valley that serves authentic Kelantan food. When I tasted their Nasi Dagang Ayam Goreng (RM 12.90), memories of my journey to Kelantan many months ago instantly came back as the smell of the aromatic brown rice cooked with thick coconut milk whiff into my nose. The Ayam Rempah was nicely fried with herbs and spices.

They also offer the Beef Rendang version (RM 12.00) and Ikan Tongkol (RM 9.50) that taste similar to the ones in Kelantan.

What really bowled me over was their Curry Fish Head (price based on weight). This has to be the BEST curry fish head I had tasted so far.

Not only was the gravy thick, it packed a real punch with the aromatic curry flavour. Apparently, they used a special type of fish called Ling fish-head that are imported from New Zealand to cook the curry with. It was so good that I wanted to lick every single drop of the gravy from the plate. Lol!

Surprisingly, the Mee Mamak (RM 9.50) was my other favourite dish on that day. Although it was cooked with the usual black soya sauce, vegetables and bean curd, it was really tasty.

The noodle did not have any taste of alkaline water which was a plus point.

As for dessert, we were pampered with Sago Melaka (RM 4.00) which has a rich taste of santan and Gula Melaka. Apparently, Restaurant Herbs & Spices uses a different type of Gula Melaka known as Gula Manisan from Kelantan.

We also tasted the Apple Pie Ala Mode (RM 8.00) which has a soft crust and tasty apple fillings.

The Cream Caramel (RM 5.00) offers an interesting combination of mixed fruits and nata de coco.

And finally, the English Trifle (RM 6.50) concluded the food review session with a layers of biscuits topped with cream and maraschino cherry.

After having such a hearty meal, I must say that Restaurant Herbs & Spices stands out among the crowded eateries at Sri Petaling. The food were not only tasty but very affordable as well. With a combination of fresh ingredients and experience chefs, Restaurant Herbs & Spices is easily one of the better places to dine around this area.

Restaurant Herbs & Spices KL
51, Jalan Radin Bagus
Bandar Baru Sri Petaling
57000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603-9057 5592

Business Hours: Daily From 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Restaurant.HerbsSpices.KL

email: yeoh.hengheang@gmail.com / yhhfoodloft@gmail.com

Note: Restaurant Herbs & Spices is a pork-free restaurant

Location Map

Lately, I have been rather watchful of my food intake due to health reason. So when the offer to participate in a food review at Chef Lim came about, I was keen to learn more about the benefits of eating organic vegetarian food. Most people would have a pre-conceived notion that organic food are bland and tasteless. However, after tasting the food at Chef Lim Organic Kitchen, I can safely say that organic vegetarian food can be healthy and delicious at the same time.

Chef Lim who hails from the School of Hospitality and Management background has worked part time in numerous hotels and kitchen since he was 19 years old before venturing into organic food. Despite being at his early twenties, he has already acquired the fine art of extracting the natural flavour from each ingredient to produce the desired taste for his cooking. Like most organic restaurants, Chef Lim Organic Kitchen does not serve the ‘five pungent spices’ – garlic, onion, chives, spring onion or scallion and leek. Apart from this, they also do not use egg for any of their cooking. While all the food are prepared by his Burmese employees, Chef Lim ensures stringent quality control and consistency for all the organic cuisines served at his restaurant.

Cukawamee (RM 6.90) was the first dish that landed on our table.

Contrary to our initial perception that the greenish colour on seaweed was a result of artificial colouring, Chef Lim pointed out that it was the side effect from soaking the seaweed into the sugar water (syrup) while being shipped from Taiwan.

Since I am a big fan of mushroom, the Basil Leaf Mushroom (RM 13.90 – Small / RM 17.90 – Big) was one of my favourite dish that night.

Chef Lim uses Shimeji mushrooms mixed with basil leaves and a host of other ingredients to produce an interesting taste.

To produce an aromatic curry flavour for its Kapitan Fish (RM 14.90 – Small / RM 18.90 – Big), Chef Lim creatively mixed red chilli, ginger and yogurt which replaces santan (coconut milk) to produce the curry gravy.

While it is commendable, I guess I still prefer the real Curry Kapitan taste. Still, for a healthier alternative, this is as close as one can get without feeling the guilt of over indulgence.

Interestingly, the Golden Beancurd (RM 13.90 – Small / RM 17.90 – Big) uses pumpkin beancurd instead of the normal white toufu. The reason according to Chef Lim is because white toufu tends to turn sour easily if not handled well.

Chef Lim also pointed out that their Grill Beef Steak (RM 22.90) uses mushroom legs blended with a few types of other mushroom to produce the texture and taste for the steak. Unlike most other vegetarian shops that tend to put excessive flour and MSG, Chef Lim believes that natural ingredients can produce equally delicious dishes.

What really surprised me was the Fruit Pizza (RM 19.90) which look rather unexciting at first sight. After all, how appealing can a slab of pizza dough with fruits be? Lo and behold, it was the BEST food that night. The natural sweetness of the red and green apple combined with the rennet-free cheese hit the right note on my taste bud. Chef Lim explained that the cheese was specially imported from Australia and does not contain any animal rennet which is a type of enzyme that coagulates the milk into solids. He also uses orange mayonnaise – a mix their mayonaise with corn oil and orange. As for the pizza dough, he said that it was sourced from a supplier in Germany since they uses unbleached flour. Apparently bleaching is a common process to whiten the flour and to smoothen its texture for baking purpose. In line with Chef Lim’s belief in consuming chemical free ingredients, the flour is made from smashed brown rice without any bleaching agent.

I also learned that the Coconut Tomyam (RM 17.90) soup base comprises of coconut juice mixed with Tomyam paste. I didn’t know that these ingredients can produce such an aromatic flavoured soup.

The coconut flesh adds a bit more depth of the dish with its slightly crispy texture.

Classic Cabonara (RM 14.90) was cooked with thick white cream sauce and imported pasta from Germany.

This dish turns out very well as then white cream was robust and flavoursome. The tiny bits of black herbs known as Mahogany were actually sourced from Taiwan. I was intrigued to find out that this herb emits garlic-like flavour when it is cooked with olive oil.

Sadly, the Hawaiian Pizza (RM 21.90) was a pale comparison to the earlier Fruit Pizza. I guess the combination of pineapple and capsicum failed to produce a tastier pizza that the former.

Herbal mushroom soup (RM 18.90) certainly scored high marks in terms of its nutrition value. Using Tong Kuai powder, wild mushrooms and other herbs, this soup is definitely good for the health. It was also tasty. The goji berries and red dates gave extra nutritional value to it.

The Yam Basket (RM 18.90) was nicely prepared with a crispy texture on the outer surface of the basket and smooth yam fillings on the innards. The ingredients consist of the usual stuff that you normally eat at regular Chinese restaurants such as baby corn, carrot, cauliflower, capsicum and cashew nut.

For those who love, Lo Hon Chai (RM 19.90), Chef Lim’s generous serving of this dish won’t disappoint at all. The broccoli and cauliflower were fresh, crunchy and sweet. Combined with the soft bean curd and mushroom, the dish was really appetizing.

For dessert, we were served with their pudding (RM 5.90). Apparently, Chef Lim uses a special type of pudding powder extracted from seaweed to produce the sticky and spongy-like texture for the pudding when mixed with hot water.

The opportunity to sample an assortment of dishes at Chef Lim Organic Kitchen, has left me with a very positive impression about organic food. What I love about Chef Lim Organic Kitchen is the interesting mix of Chinese, Western, Thai and Japanese cuisine, creatively cooked using only natural ingredients. And the fact that most of the dishes taste so good is a testament of Chef Lim’s ability to harness the flavour from a variety of natural ingredients which taste as good as the non-organic counterpart.

Chef Lim Organic Kitchen
Lot 2-47, 2-48 & 2-49, The Scott Garden 4 1/2 Miles
Jalan Klang Lama
58100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-7982 3395

Business Hour: 11:00 a.m. – 23:00 p.m.

Website: http://www.cheflim.com.my

Email: info@cheflim.com.my

Location Map

After hearing so much about Peter’s Pork Noodle, I finally managed to try this famous pork noodle stall at Brickfields a few weeks ago. Peter’s Pork Noodle is located at Money’s Corner opposite the Pos Laju building. For those who are unfamiliar with Brickfields, it could be rather tricky to find this stall due to its rather obscure location.

The first thing I noticed about Peter’s Pork Noodle is the generous amount of pork served with each bowl. Most stalls would rather skimp on the ingredients in return for a more handsome profit but Peter’s deserves two thumbs up for putting a generous amount of meat.

There is simply no way you can miss a chunk of meat with this amount of pork!

Taste wise, the abundance of meat does make a huge difference. The soup was sweet, full of porky flavour and packs a real punch!

If only I had added an egg poached with the piping hot soup. Still, this is pork noodle at its best.

After having a hearty meal, it is easy to tell why Peter’s Pork Noodle is so famous. The stall is run by an old man, presumably the owner himself.

Word of advice. Be there early as this stall tend to close at 1 p.m. when the noodles are sold out.

Price: Small (RM 4.50) & Big (RM 5.00)

Egg: Additional 50 cents

Peter’s Pork Noodle
Money’s Corner
No. 144A, Jalan Vivekananda
Off Jalan Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur

Location Map

When it comes to food, Melaka is no stranger with its abundance of good Peranakan food around. Most of us would tend to eat at Jonker Street since it is the most popular area in Melaka. However, ask any locals and they will steer as far away as possible from the aforementioned street. Besides being too commercialize, food is also not cheap there. That leaves us a question… Where do we find authentic Nyonya food in Melaka? Auntie Lee’s Restaurant reputedly serves the best Peranakan style food in Melaka. Located at Jalan Ujong Pasir, it is situated far from the city center so most of us wouldn’t know about its existence unless being escorted by a local guide.

Apparently the restaurant is so popular that advance booking is a must. What’s more, with only seven tables it hard to secure a seat without prior reservation. Also, Restoran Aunty Lee does not score high in terms of ambiance but for what it is lack of, the food made the trip worthwhile. Here are the list of food that we had.

Mutton Curry (RM 14.00 – Small / RM 20.00 – Big)

Omelette with Cincalok (RM 11.00 – Small / RM 16.00 – Medium / RM 21.00 – Big)

Chicken Pong Teh (RM 12.00 – Small / RM 20.00 – Medium / RM 28.00 – Big)

Bendih Ulam (RM 10.00 – Small / RM 13.00 – Medium / RM 16.00 – Big)

Sambal Sotong (RM 18.00 – Small / Rm 23.00 – Medium / RM 28.00 – Big)

Taucho (RM 9.00 – Small / RM 12.00 – Medium / RM 15.00 – Big)

Sambal Kangkong (RM 10.00 – Small / RM 12.00 – Medium / RM 15.00 – Big)

Udang Lemak Nenas (Market Price)

Overall, I find the food to be tasty, delicious and fresh. Book in advance if you wish to have a taste of truly authentic Nyonya delights.

Restoran Aunty Lee
No. 385 Jalan Ujong Pasir
75050 Melaka
Tel: 06-2831009

Location Map

Located next to UOB Bank at PJ State, Kam Heong Stewed Duck Rice does not need much introduction. Just like many shops around this place that have been operating for many years, Kam Heong has a legacy stretching a few decades. When I was a little kid, my parents used to bring me to this shop to eat. Nothing much has changed about this place except the inclusion of a big screen TV at the entrance which shows how the ducks are being reared at their own farm.

Since I arrived there after at around 5 p.m., it was still relatively easy to get a seat. During peak hours, the restaurant is packed to the brim so it is good to be there earlier. We ordered the stewed duck for two people.

Taste wise, it was still as good as how I remembered it to be. The meat was lean, tender and very flavourful. The gravy goes well with the rice and I wouldn’t miss a single drop of it.

Beside the stewed duck, the boss also asked us to take some side dishes. The pork intestines were very tasty. It reminded me a lot of those side dishes found at Teo Chew porridge stalls.

Likewise, if one prefers pork instead of duck, the stewed pork would be a very good choice.

The meat was also tender but I still go for the duck, taste wise.

To add some variety to the meal, the braised egg is another good choice. Notice how the outer layer is brownish in colour? That’s the result of boiling the egg with gravy to ensure that all the flavour are absorbed into the egg.

For something a bit lighter, the salted vegetables would fit the bill nicely. Despite being called salted vegetables, it didn’t taste too salty or sour. I reckon that this is a good appetizer before indulging into the stewed duck.

The total bill came up to RM 27.10 which was affordable. I also took the opportunity to chat with the owner and was told that they prepare a few hundred ducks daily.

Kam Heong Stew Duck Rice is one of those places that has become synonymous to good food at PJ State. Come to think about it, it is really amazing that this shop has remained so popular after so many decades. More importantly, the taste has never changed at all.

Kam Heong Stewed Duck Rice
No.8, Jalan Tengah
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Business Hour: 5 p.m. till 11 p.m. (Daily)

Location Map

Apart from the famous Siew Pau, a trip to Seremban town wouldn’t be complete without stopping by the morning market (Pasar Besar Seremban) for its famous Beef Noodle. A few weeks ago, I was told that the Mee Hoon Sotong at stall no. 787 is equally good if one would to stop by the market for breakfast.

For RM 3.50 a bowl, it was really cheap and ridiculously delicious. The Mee Hoon Sotong came with thick gravy coupled with a generous portion of pork and squid.

I guess what made this dish so tasty is the combination of its brown gravy and aromatic braised pork. Word of advise. Be there early as the stall closed after 9:30 a.m.

And of course, Beef Noodle is synonymous with this morning market and stall no. 748 sells the best Beef Noodle. Initially, I ordered the soup version (RM 6.50) and found the taste a bit lacking in oomph.

Perhaps, I had tried a better version at Tangkak many months ago. However, unlike Tangkak’s Beef Noodle, the stall at the morning market uses ‘Lai Fun’ which made it worthwhile to try it out.

Thankfully, the dried version (RM 6.50) tasted much better.

The starchy brown sauce was something special and went well with the noodle and slices of beef.

Apart from the beef, the noodle also came with peanuts and sesame seeds as toppings.

If you want to eat the beef noodle, go for the dry version instead.

Having been to Pasar Besar Seremban numerous times, it is easy to recommend this place to anyone who is at this town for food. If you happened to be at this market, just remember stall no. 787 and 748.

Pasar Besar Seremban
Jalan Pasar
70200 Seremban
Negeri Sembilan

 Location Map

When I first met Adrian and Stephanie, it was during their registration of marriage. They were really happy with the shots taken during the outdoor session and came up with the idea of doing another pre-wedding shoot with me despite signing up with another bridal house. In spite of some minor hiccups, the entire pre-wedding shoot went rather well. They were really spontaneous and very photogenic. Here are some of the photos taken.

I just finished up a pre-wedding shoot with Adrian & Stephanie yesterday. It was very tiring as we started from afternoon till late at night. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every moment of it. Here is one of my favourite shots taken during the sunset moment. More pictures to come soon.

Last weekend, I had a food photo shoot session at Ettora World Class Gourmet Gifts. Ettora specializes in hand crafted food which are made from the freshest ingredients. I was asked to shoot their new set menu and had a great time during the entire shoot. Here are some of the pictures taken.