vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Kuala Lumpur
Munakata Buy Two Free One Ala-Carte Japanese Buffet Dinner is back
Dec 24th
Munakata is one of the very few Japanese restaurants in town that serve Cod Fish as part of their ala-carte buffet menu. That alone is a major reason why I would still go back to them. While it is true that their ala-carte buffet menu is not as extensive as the rest, I have been to Japanese buffets many times enough to know that quality matters more than quantity.
After my last visit, Life Centre went under a much-desired renovation and many questions were posed asking if Munakata was still open, as the scaffolding pretty much hid the restaurant from sight hence creating an impression that they were closed during that period. Well, the answer should be pretty obvious now that you are reading this. Truth is, they were never gone and to sweeten that fact, Munakata’s “buy three, pay for two” ala-carte buffet dinner promotion is back again. If you are wondering, this is the same promotion I had when I first went to Munakata a few years back.
But firstly, let me address some of the common complaints I have received about Munakata. Variety wise, I have said this again and again – if you are looking for hundreds of things to order in your buffet, then please head elsewhere like Tenji or Jogoya. Food portion wise, I really can’t comprehend why would anyone even complain about it.
Take the sashimi for example. If you already know that per person’s portion is 3 slices and you were expecting maybe like 30 slices, you can always place another 10 orders. This is just simple maths, no? I really can’t see how this is a valid complaint. It is not like they are placing a restriction on how many orders you can place on each food. And just to be clear, I am not deliberately trying to defend Munakata. But the way I see it, some (read: *SOME*) of you just like to place the blame on others if anything goes wrong, either the restaurant or the blogger.
OK, enough of my long winded rant and let’s get back to business. Since this is my third post about Munakata and the buffet menu remains very much the same, I am just going to highlight on the items that are worthy of ordering. Don’t get me wrong though, I am not saying the rest are bad. But in a buffet I think you gotta be smart and get the good and higher valued stuff, right? Please be a smart consumer.
Salmon is the only choice of sashimi being served here, which is bad news for those who are expecting more like tuna or squid. Well the good thing is they still taste great and personally, that is all that matters to me since salmon is the only sashimi I truly enjoy anyway.
Wong Mee Kee (王美记) Roast Pork & Chicken Rice @ Jalan Nyonya, Pudu
Dec 21st
Wong Mee Kee at Pudu is said to serve one of the best roast pork in KL but they are also notorious for being expensive with an attitude. Judging by the huge lunch crowd daily I guess price is only secondary when it comes to this luscious meat.
Roast Pork is only available after 12:30pm and they are sold by the strips at RM14.50 each. Even knowing how expensive pork costs nowadays, it still sounds like a lot to pay. But the good thing is each strip has enough meat to be shared between two so you should exercise caution when ordering.
Opus Bistro Italian Restaurant @ Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar
Dec 19th
One of my best meals recently was had at Opus Bistro, an Italian restaurant at the Bangkung Row, Bangsar. This simple yet slick ‘neighborhood restaurant’ is certainly more than what it appears to be and everything was perfect from appetizier to soup and entrees. Just one visit was enough for me to place it at the top of my favorite Western restaurants to go.
But of course good food does not come cheap, which is why you will also appreciate Opus’ reasonably priced menu as another great reason to visit. Most appetizers are below RM30, except for the premiums like foie gras (RM60). If you are looking forward to try many different appetizers and don’t mind sharing then Opus’ Special Seafood Antipasti Platter is the best choice. Priced at RM45 for a platter, it comes with the best of Opus’ seafood including grilled scallops and tiger prawns, clams in white wine sauce and calamari ripieni (squid stuffed with risotto rice in tomato sauce).
Honestly, this impressed me so much. Besides the beautiful presentation, the array of flavors on the platter is amazingly wonderful and it sends your taste buds into euphoria, making one feel excited about the dishes to follow. And as expected, all the seafood is as fresh as will get and I especially loved the squid and clams.
Min Huang Restaurant – Shanghai & Hong Kong Style Dim Sum & Desserts @ Kepong
Dec 17th
After coming back from Hong Kong I have been shunning our local dim sum joints because I feel they are not up to the standards anymore. If you have been to Hong Kong and tasted some of the best dim sum in the world, I am sure you can relate to this. The last time I had dim sum was at Foh San 2 months ago and I found myself not enjoying the food at all. Everything just tasted uninspiring and dull.
Now, based on a reader’s suggestion, I went to Min Huang Restaurant in Kepong. They serve plenty of Shanghai and Hong Kong style dim sum and desserts which I find to be good enough to earn a recommendation from me. And yes, even after comparing them with those I had in HK.
Among the many dishes we had here, the Shanghai Special Fried Bean Sheet @ RM4.80 (small) would be the most recommended one. The bean sheet is very similar to koay teow but appears a lot thinner, more translucent and with a slightly chewy texture. The chef sure cooked the dish right by infusing a lot of ‘wok hei’ and egg fragrance into it, it tastes just delicious.
A special variant of Xiao Long Bao seasoned with Chinese herbs is served here @ RM7.20. It tastes exactly like the normal Xiao Long Bao, just that it has an extra pleasant herb flavor to it.
