KIMNANA Bento

I have been reading several other food bloggers reviewing this product, and with vege options available on this website , my colleagues and me decided to try it out too.

Kimnana Bento are quite new to the market here. They are home/office delivery of healthy bento sets /Lunch box for all those Japanese food lovers as well those who are looking for healthy food. Whats good is the delivery charge is FREE!

There are 3 options in the vege club menu and one more vegetarian under the Dutch Bento Pizza.

We opted for 2 of the vege club options. Ordering was super easy online and we can choose to pay cash on delivery. You have to order before 5.30 pm the day before for next day delivery.
SMS is sent to your phone to confirm order and then also to say that the food is on the way. Thats very courteous so we don't wait and wait...

The delivery is to the main lobby of the office so I went down to pick it up. Pleasantly surprised that the food was still warm and nice.

The Korean Style Bibimbap looked very interesting . 5 different type of dishes resting on a bed of rice.

They had greens, some stir-fried mushrooms, corn, peanuts , cabbage and fried vegetarian chicken in the middle with a splash of gravy. Portion was quite big.

Unfortunately it was rather salty and my colleague  had much difficulty finishing up the food.Something she didn't expect. Lacking Uummph!

I ordered the Fried Abalone Mushroom with SzeChuan Sauce. It had fried mushrooms, green beans, steamed tofu, shredded carrots and vegetarian chicken.

Taste was ok for me. Didn't blow me away. I found the szechuan sauce too little and because there was no soup accompaniment, the whole ensemble was rather dry. I had to steal the gravy from my friends bibimbap dish. Maybe some pointers for them to improve in future.

At the end of the whole meal, we both decided that for RM10.90 , although affordable and free delivery, it was not worth going for second time.  But we probably chose the wrong two options. Maybe will try again the Vege Dutch pizza next time and recover from the disappointment.

The ingredients used by Kimnana Bento probably are fresher and healthier , and hence the boxed lunch would be a hit among some of you.

From the reviews of the other non vege bloggers, they seemed happy with their meal, so why don't you guys try it out yourselves. The other bigger bento sets come with tea as well, that was a real plus point.

Bon Appetit

kimnanabento.com

Morgansfield's Sunway Pyramid

We walked in to Morgansfield after seeing it on Offpeak. Little did we realize we were actually walking into a total Pork joint, that is so famous for their sticky bones and pork ribs. **clueless we were** . But thats the challenge isn't it. What can this hippo find to eat in this sty? :-)

We went just around lunch time and crowd was less. I guess with the relaxed setting and bar, more people come here after work to unwind.

I checked with the friendly staff what vege options i had, and he said apart from the Salad , there is only one other main and lots of sides. Not bad!
Skimming through the menu, i found 2 salads . Waldorf Salad ( RM21.90) and Fruity Garden Salad ( RM18.90)

A number of meatless sides available  as well as mushroom soup.

And the main meal is the one and only vegetable sandwich ( RM24.90).This comes with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, cheddar and feta cheese in a Ciabatta bread with tortilla chips and fruit salsa. I was skeptical until it came.

 OMG was my reaction. It looked so pleasing to the eye, i couldn't wait to dig in.

The light layer of cheddar blanketed the tender mushrooms and they were topped up with a lovely sesame mayo sauce. Underneath the blanket lay also the sweetest caramelized onions. The cubed feta cheese added the necessary saltiness to entire ensemble with warm toasted ciabatta.

Definitely needs a revisit for me here, though the choices i have is so so limited. But at least the pigs didn't leave the hippos starving :-)

For the carnivores, they actually have a very good set lunch available . For Rm16.90, you get a main + soup and drink. Portions are not as large the ones you order ala carte, but good enough for one pax.

Oh kids eat free here too for every Main meal ordered on Sat, Sun and Public Holidays...

Bon appetit.

Its on the outer side of Pyramid, facing Johnny Rockets.

OB.K8, Ground Floor
T: +603 5612 9028

Simplyd Nu Sentral

** Restaurant has closed***

I've been frequenting this place quite a few times now, but never got a chance to blog about it. We went again today because the kids love the soft serve ice cream and also we were just around the area. Simplyd is situated in Nu Sentral at the Ground Level , just behind the Levi's Store and you need to walk on the outer area to reach this shop. Its in the same row as Starbucks.

The reason this place is close to my heart, is that nothing beats the convenience , when a restaurant can label vegetarian/meatless options for us vegetarians . Simplyd nailed this perfectly.

Almost every section of the Menu, be it appetizers, pasta, burger or sandwich, there would be at least one ( V) sign. How so convenient. Bless you people, Simplyd.

You get what i mean :-)

The decor inside is in bold two toned colours. Black and Orange. The plates and bowls too. But it doesn't bring one bit of monotony to the atmosphere. Its large windowed walls provides ample light for patrons to feel comfy.

This place runs lots of promotions, their current one is on fries from different countries.

The last time i went, they had run an avacado promo. I had the Avacado pesto with Avacado shake. This is the plus point, There is always a good roll of options.

This time, i tried the simple roasted garlic oglio olio with sundried tomatoes. A bit dry ,  taste was light with lots of paremesan shavings.

And this is the reason my kids visit this place.

There are two flavors every day and it changes all the time. This softserve doesn't taste like any others. Its smooth and doesnt linger too long on the tongue..Not so creamy and sweet like McD's, the kids and me hardly get the thirsty after effect taste. It sometimes even feels like a pinch of salt went in there to get it where it is.  Recipe to be discovered.....

So try this place out, let me know what you think. Oh i must add. You might feel some dishes lacking bits of salt, spice, heat or pepper. Its up to you to add how much you want...

Bon Appetit Folks.

Five Minutes Overnight Oats

I'm not sure how many of you have joined this latest craze of overnight oats, i certainly have. When you google it up, it looks super yummy and easy to make, but juggling between kids and weekday dinners, school work, this simple creation gets procrastinated more often than not.

What is overnight oats you ask? Its a type of breakfast /lunch/dinner meal that is healthy ,made of oats as its key ingredient. The magic is what other little flavors and textures that you can add to make it much more flavorful. You basically leave the rolled oats overnight , with milk/water/soy milk and then add fruits, nuts and all. The probability of creations are infinity.

Lucky for Five Minutes who came over to my office for a roadshow that introduced me to this wholly organic, vegan and uses all natural products. Their tagline is "Flavoured by Nature" . Cute and apt.

                                                      ( Pic courtesy from FiveMinutes )

With about 5 flavours to choose from, you wont get bored if you had it every weekday in office.They have Banana ( Morning Blow) , Pomegranate ( Forever Young), Nuts ( Crunchy Browns), Mango (Hard Sweetie) and a Flavour of the month ( Miracles). This month, this was Honey Dew.

Priced at RM5 for a tub of 150g, 266kcal and made of pure natural products, it was certainly a good deal.

I got the Mango and Honey Dew. It was indeed a good buy. The texture was smooth, yet crunchy. It was a pot of organic rolled oats, organic chia seeds, coconut milk, organic raw honey, organic sunflower seeds and organic raisins. Taste was not overly sweet but just nice. Gave me energy for a good 3 to 4 hours.

Easy way out for a super busy working woman like me instead of grabbing that oil covered roti canai.. They deliver free to Putrajaya and Cyberjaya for now and for other areas, there is a minimal delivery charge.

This nutrient rich meal has a short shelf life, due to its all natural products. 1 day if left outside and 3 days in the fridge.  Makes sense.

So folks, do contact FiveMinutes for your dose of Overnight Oats today. Try it for yourself. It is after all beneficial to our health.

Bon Appetit..

You can contact them +6010 2267865
or on facebook :
 https://www.facebook.com/5ive.Minute5/

Onde One Sunway Putra Mall

We were at Matta Fair last weekend,feeling tired after looking at all the promotions, we decided to walk across to Sunway Putra Mall for a quick bite. We haven't been there since it was refurbished and boy were we pleasantly surprised. It was a great uplift here and the mood, was great. We headed straight to the info board to find our usual spot of Mcdonalds which we frequent every Matta fair visit. NO Mcd on the board. And in the fast food tab, nothing at all. My my, this place must be encouraging good healthy food. No offence to any fast food joints. I am, after all, an Mcd addict.

We passed by this nice looking place called Onde Onde on the 1st floor with a catchy advert.
Tea Time Tiffin for Rm15.90 , available from 3pm to 7pm. Perfecto.

We get all 4 trays and it said set of 4 serves up to 4 pax. Although it was only Ragu and me, how filling can a bunch of kuih get us.

The set comes with a combination of savory and sweet treats. Savory comes
1) Deep fried vegetable fritters ( Meatless)
2) Cucur Udang ( non vege)
3) Yam Cake/Sago Kelapa ( latter is vege)
4) Keropok Lekor ( non vege)

Sweet comes with
1) Kuih Lapis ( vege)
2) Pulut Inti ( vege)
3) Golden Banana Fritters with gula melaka ( vege)

First up, good ol' pisang goreng served with Gula Melaka. The Banana's were not too sweet , so the sugar syrup complimented it really nicely. It was not too oily like some.

Then comes the yummy, beautiful and colorful sweet treat.

The Sago kuih was to be coated with the desiccated coconut,and when we did it, it was a marriage of perfection, Coconut was pure, slightly salty and when chewing it together with the soft sago, we went numb.
The kuih lapis was light and tasty, just like the originals from our childhood days. And the same was for the pulut inti. For both of us, it was like jogging back to our younger years in Sungai Petani.

Ragu said pulut udang was super tasty too. By this dish, we were quite full up.

Then came the last installment, the fried savory.

Vege fritters lacked a pinch of salt but when paired with the tangy Thai Chili Sauce, it didn't matter any more. Lekor was fish, so i had to skip it. All in all , we were stuffed for our tea time. We skipped dinner later , and never imagined we could be so full.

So head up to Onde Onde , next time you are in the area during tea time. I can assure you, it will be a good time and money spent trip.

Bon Appetit

Waterfront @ Parkcity

•  GF-03A, Ground Floor, Waterfront @ Parkcity 5 Persiaran Residen, Desa Park City 52200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Business Hours : 7:30am to 12:00am | Tel : +603 6261 8286



Citta Mall

•  G-49, Ground Floor, CITTA MALL, No.1 Jalan PJU 1A/48 Jalan PJU 1, Ara Damansara 47301 Petaling Jaya Selangor Malaysia
• Business Hours : 7:30am to 12:00am | Tel : +603 7832 5551



Putra Mall

•  1-31&32, Level 1, Sunway Putra Mall, 100 Jalan Putra 50350 Kuala Lumpur
• Business Hours : 9:30am to 10:00pm | Tel : +603 4051 186

Tujo Bar-serrie & Grill @Jalan Pinang KL

What do you get when the number seven is the translated to BM ( Tujuh) and this is where this comfy bar/restaurant gets its name. Previously , located at the same place as 7atenine, so close to KLCC, this bar has become a hangout place for office workers running in for some nice set lunch or just an after- work hang out place to catch up with colleagues over drinks for the last few years..




My friends had been recommending this place for quite some time now , on how good the beer tastes and how delicious their Indian Thaali set meals are. Ragu and me were around the area yesterday so we headed there to try it out.

To our disappointment, the Indian set meals were no more available.. but the beers were still there :-)




We settled in to the brightly lit dining area surrounded by glass walls. I love sitting areas that get natural light as opposed to darker restaurants. Just feels more comfortable.

The set lunch menu was pretty impressive for RM29.90, and since it had a vegetarian option, I chose that.

Looking at the menu later , there were quite a number of vege dishes that I could have opted for. The good thing is , they have the green sign V(vegetarian), made it so much easier to scan the menu.
For Soups and Salads, they had 3 types of salads and Tujo Mushroom Soup; One mushroom Spaghetti for Mains, 3 types of Pizzas - one caught my eye. Spinach and Egg..hmm ..something to try next visit; Avacado and Tomato Sandwich; as well as the classic Nachos and Bruschettas. Their list of deserts look very tempting too.


First came the Minestrone soup, which was very nice. Lots of vege and maybe about 4 elbow macaroni swimming. Taste was akin a light tomato soup with a slight kick of herbs and spice.

The bruschetta that came , apart from looking good , was a not  a good choice . The bread was dry and chewy although it had enough garlic butter .The mushrooms were well seasoned and flavorful, topped with cheese shavings but it just did not go down well.

Last of the set meal was the Tiramisu.

Just as the dry bread , I found the base of this cake should have been taken out from the oven 3 min earlier. A more moist cake would have nailed it. The cocoa powder on the cake was yummy and the cheese layer, smooth and light.


As I was eating it, I just kept comparing it with Alexis' Bangsar Tiramisu and just found this two blocks not up to par.




Ragu and our friend Subash, had Oglio Olio and the Cold Cut Sandwich each, the former tasted good as per Ragu. Seafood was fresh and prawns were large.

Cold cut sandwich was served with fries and salad on the side. Salad had a wonderful sweet balsamic vinegrate which complemented the dish well. I ended up finishing it :-)

The place I felt was overrated. I expected outstanding food. But it was just o-aight.


We left Tujo's feeling not complete. Maybe we need to come back to try their Indian fare of dishes.


The boys however left feeling good, after their beer , which they highly recommend. "Unlike other places" in their words.

Bon Appetit


9, Jalan Pinang,
Kuala Lumpur,
50088 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur


03-2161 7789

Recipe : Vegetarian Pudina Rice (Mint Rice)

For 2016, i thought i'd start sharing my mom's awesome recipes.She has always wanted to open up her own restaurant. But never had a chance to do it. She wanted to start writing a book then, and that too , procrastination has always overpowered all.. Everyone i know loves her cooking from back home and even in KL. From Indian,Chinese to Western cuisine, she nails it all the time. I thought if i start blogging it, its one way to start her off to share her knowledge in her mind to the world out there.

We'll start off with Vegetarian Pudina Rice ( Pudina= Mint).

Pretty simple in mom's words. A one dish meal that bursts with flavors.

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati rice

( One set of the below is for rice and another set is for frying)
2 sets of 5 Cardamons
2 sets of 1 Cinnamon Stick
2 sets of  3 Cloves
2 sets of 2 Bay Leaves

For Frying
1/2 Cup Frozen Corn soaked in hot water
1 Onion Sliced
4 Tablespoon Ghee
Cashewnuts.
Raisins ( optional)
1 teaspoon salt

For Mint Puree
1 Cup Pudina(Mint) leaves
1/2 Cup Coriander leaves
2 Tablespoon of Ginger & Garlic Paste
2 Green Chilies ( Optional )

Method :
1. Puree\Blend Ginger & Garlic Paste, Chilies, Coriander and Pudina
2. Cook Basmati Rice in rice cooker with cardamon, cinnamon, cloves , bay leaves and 1 teaspoon salt.
3. In a pan, melt 4 tablespoon ghee. Add in cardamon, cinnamon, cloves , bay leaves , cashew nut and sliced onion, and fry till light golden. Add in corn and raisins( optional)
4. Add in Mint puree until it sizzles. Lower heat and add rice.
5. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Mix all together and garnish with mint leaves

End product :

Try it out and let me know your feedback..

Bon Appetit !

Restaurant Makanan Laut Zhong Ma Sungai Petani

I know I am a meatless/vegetarian blogger and this post is titled Seafood (Makanan Laut) restaurant, but the arduous task in life is how herbivores can survive in a carnivorous world. So here we are , in a town where I grew up and spent the first 20 years of my life. Our usual Chinese food restaurants consists of only two shops. When we went back last weekend, it was our bad luck, both were closed for wedding dinners and we were left in a lurch. I know there are lots and lots of Chinese restaurants in SP, but which is a good was the concern. In the car , I googled up and found a recommendation for a restaurant near Tesco and Village Mall ( behind Old Town White Coffee). We started the Hunt for Zhong Ma Seafood Restaurant. The blog that had recommended it was so precise with its location, We were there in 2 min ( actually you can reach anywhere in SP in 2 min :-) )

Two Chinese Restaurants side by side, one at the corner and, Zhong Ma beside it. The latter was so crowded, there was a line waiting outside. The corner shop beside it was rather empty. The waitress said , waiting time is 30 to 45 min. We took the risk and sat down. I asked her if she could make the kids fried rice first before the rest and she advised me to go another shop to buy buns for them while waiting. Nope - no short cuts here.

The wait was indeed long, Ragu went over Old Town which was behind this shop and packed Garlic bread for the kids. We went at about 8pm and people just kept coming in. By 9.30 finally the crowd was less, so I definitely suggest coming here for late dinner.

The dishes we ordered were standard : Fish cooked Assam style, Mix Vege (Vege only), Omelette with onions, Sweet Sour Chicken , Kailan cooked with Garlic(Vege only). Even though they looked like dishes from any other Chinese shop, each one of them tasted super nice. Then we decided to try one of their specialty dish - which I could eat.

The Salted Egg Lotus . One word described it. PERFECTO. For those who like salted egg taste, this was just divine, crunchy , salty, spicy all in one bite. The lotus were deep fried and coated with salted egg sauce, with dried chili and some curry leaves. Needless to say , i finished the entire dish and couldn't wait for my next trip back to SP. My new found love.

Thank you Wteng Journey Blog for recommending this shop!

Bon Appetit.

Jalan Lagenda 6, 
Lagenda Heights,
 08000 Sungai Petani,
Kedah, Malaysia