Toast & Roast @ SS2 PJ

Toast & Roast @ SS2 PJ has long been known (since 2009 from what I gather) for its awesome "char siew" (BBQ pork) and it was for this very reason that we came for a long overdue visit one Sunday morning.

When we googled the place, it showed 101 Jalan SS2/6 as the address...only to find out when we arrived that it was not the right address.  I should have followed the address given in most of the blogs (which was SS2/72)...haiz! >_<  A check later on their Facebook revealed that SS2/6 will be their new location (which is currently still under renovation, so do check their Facebook for further updates as to when they will officially move to their new location).

Having finally arrived at the right place, it was crowded but we managed to find a table almost immediately and got down to ordering.  Looking at the produce hanging at the front of the shop, you can pretty much guess what's the most sought after item here...rows and rows of char siew but only like 3 or 4 chickens! ;) The first thing I noticed is that their char siew is in short strips (of about 6 inches each) which is quite different from the long strips I usually see.

Of course, we had to order their no. 1 best seller....their premium char siew.  Well, that's what is stated on their menu, the word premium is there to probably 'soften the blow' and 'get you ready' for the exorbitant prices of their char siew...haha! :D  [#Hint: For a more wallet-friendly meal, stay away from ordering the char siew a la carte and go for a more reasonably priced plate of char siew rice @ RM7.20.]

This is a medium portion of their Premium Char Siew @ RM22 (RM11 for small & RM33 for large)!  Looking at the plate, I'd say we got about 2 1/2 short strips of char siew...and based on the number of thickly cut char siew pieces, I'd say it comes up to about RM1 a bite...ouch! O_o  But my, oh, my, what a divine bite!!  It was juicy, tender and nicely charred at the ends (that's probably why they do them in short 6-inch strips, so that there are more caramelised ends...amen to that!).

Although I ordered a "pun fei sau" (half lean half fat) cut, the foreign worker got it wrong as I later realised (from the receipt) that he put down an order of "less fat"....Grrrr! >_<  Even so, this less fatty cut still had enough fat to make it juicy and tender (and I actually don't mind a less fatty cut as long it's not totally lean) although I'd usually order pun fei sau (since my family outvotes me for this cut...hehe!).  A less fatty cut will have a bit more bite to it except it'll be missing a more charred exterior (which I love) and also a bit of that melt-in-the-mouth feel that some seek (like my husband).  Next time, I'll make sure I get the right cut!

The other thing that scored a point with me was that the char siew sauce was served on the side.  For good charring and caramelisation to happen, you need two things...fat and/or sugar! >.<  That's why I find that well charred and caramelised char siew is usually on the sweet side, so not drenching the char siew in more sauce is certainly welcomed.  This way, we can control the sweetness outcome...just dip a little (for me) or dunk (for those who prefer it sweeter).  Although the char siew may be a tad sweet for some taste buds, I think it was still less sweet compared to some I've eaten.  I couldn't help but dip my char siew pieces into the very robust sweet and salty sauce provided.  I got this somewhat delish smoky flavour from the sauce, which I liked very much, that's unlike any char siew sauce I've tasted before.

Now that I've gotten the main attraction out of the way, let's get to some of the other things we ate.  Two in our eating party had the "Siew Yoke" (Roast Pork) Rice @ RM7.20 since we've already ordered a plate of char siew for sharing.  Though the siew yoke wasn't the star here and no where near as good as some of those I've eaten, it was still pretty acceptable.

The other two of us went with the Hakka Original Noodle with Minced Pork @ RM7 since this was one of their signature dishes (you can also choose to have the noodles with char siew @ RM7.40, siew yoke @ RM7.40 or plain @ RM4).  My Hakka noodles came topped with minced pork, chopped spring onions and crispy fish flakes (that some might mistaken for crispy pork lard....ya, you wish!).  These crispy fish flakes (additional topping @ RM1.60) were the best thing in the bowl for me! ;)

The noodles were firm and springy alright but was rather bland tasting for me (even with the minced meat). It was then that I had the brilliant idea of drizzling some of the char siew sauce on the noodles....and that made it much easier to down.

We had a side order of Crispy Fish Roll @ RM7 featuring three rolls of fish paste wrapped in "fu chuk" (bean curd skin) and perfectly fried till super crispy.  I enjoyed this very much.  Other side orders here include "sui kow" (dumplings) and wantan (fried or soup), pork meatball soup and vegetables (bean sprouts and choy sum).

I got a packet of Chicken Rice @ RM6.50 for take-away (for lunch later) since I didn't get to try the rice.  The chicken was ordinary but I liked the flavour and texture of the well separated grains of rice.

Their chilli sauce also turned out to be one of my favourites with refreshing hints of garlic, ginger and lime juice coming through.  One of the better chilli dips I've come across from a BBQ meats place.

My glass of refreshing and zesty Sour Plum Lime Juice @ RM3.50.....perfect to round up my meal and cut through all that meatiness....hehe! ;D

My Personal Opinion

You may have to spend around RM20 per pax for a meal here if you order their char siew separately by portion sizes.  If you find the prices too steep, then go for a more reasonably priced plate of char siew rice.

Though this place has been around for 7 years now, I don't know if the standard is still the same as when they first started (since this is my first visit) but it definitely has a place (in my books) among some of the top-notch char siew I've had over the years.

We tend to eat at the same places or close to where we live and I'm only discovering some of these places since I started blogging about my food experiences among others.  I guess I should have come sooner but better late than never, right?  It'll be interesting to see what's in store at their new place.....new additions to the menu perhaps?  I shall return! ^_^

Toast & Roast
No 20 Jalan SS2/72
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 03-7733 9972

Secret Garden #3 - Love Actually

After my first two coloured pieces, Enter My Secret Garden and Tree House, here comes my third piece which I shall call "Love Actually" (it's a title taken from a film)! ^_*

This piece by Johanna Basford is more abstract in nature compared to the previous two that were closer to real life art with stuff like tree house, leaves, flowers, cat, birds, etc....so my approach to colouring this was slightly different.

Blank Canvas

Work in Progress #1

Tip #7 - I think there are two ways you can approach this...one, by using the actual colours of flowers, leaves and stalks or two, by using colours that are complete opposites of their common colours which one can do for a more abstract piece...like what I chose to do....red and black.

Work in Progress #2

Tip #8 - When colouring very thin lines (like the stalks and outline of the flowers and leaves) which are quite difficult to do, I don't use a colouring motion but instead use a motion of drawing lines to try to fill the tiny gap with colour.

Work in Progress #3

Work in Progress #4

Tip #9 - I went with the symmetrical form of colouring as well this time (again for consistency and balance) but the only difference I made was I chose dissimilar colours for the corresponding similar parts.

Work in Progress #5

I decided to change it up a bit in the colouring of the flowers in the centre but still keeping to the same colours without deviating too much.

My piece called "Love Actually" is completed!

You'd be surprised when I tell you that I've only used a total of six colours to churn out this piece...two shades of red + one pink and two shades of grey + one black!

I was pleasantly amazed too that I could get a decent coloured picture with just 6 colours....so, you don't really need a box of many colour pencils to come up with your masterpiece.

Onwards to my next piece! ^_*

#ewew cooks Prawns in Dark Soy

I'm a lover of seafood, prawns especially, and there's this "kon cheen har lok" (dry-fried prawns) dish that we'd sometimes order when we dine out.  But with skyrocketing prices of large prawns these days, this can be quite a costly affair.

So, to satisfy my craving for this dish, I'd rather cook my home version of kon cheen har lok or what I'd call Prawns in Dark Soy.....for only about half the price (these prawns cost me RM27)! 

Ingredients:

500g (or about 15) large-sized prawns*
10 - 12 shallots
4 stalks of spring onions
1 tbsp dark soy
2 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt

*Note:  Make sure you get the right prawns....try to get those white prawns with thin soft shells (from the wet market) and not those black-looking ones from Aeon with hard shells.

Preparation:

The most tedious and time consuming part of this dish...is to prep the prawns (the actual cooking takes no more than 5 minutes).  Using a pair of scissors, cut off the tip of the prawn head.  Then, make a shallow slit at the back of the prawn (but do not butterfly the prawn) and devein.  This dish is usually made with whole prawns (with shells intact) as it's more presentable that way but I'm quite particular about removing the dark vein (aka intestinal tract) as I'd prefer not to eat shit (to put it more bluntly) if I can...haha! :D  Plus, splitting the back of the prawn allows it to absorb the flavours of the sauce and makes it easier to peel at the dinner table.

As I needed a fair amount of shallots, the 'lazy me' decided to buy these ready peeled ones (RM1.20 for this packet).  Just slice the shallots and cut the spring onions into 2-inch sticks.

Method:

Once the prawns are prepped, season with 1/2 a tsp of salt.  This is just to get a bit of flavour through the prawn during the frying process.  Heat oil till hot and fry your prawns until almost cooked.  You'll need a fair bit of oil to do this (I use at least half an inch of oil) as this will seal the prawn juices in.  As it takes only about a minute or two, I fry them in batches in a small deep pan (to minimise splattering if the prawns are not dried well).  

Once the prawns turn orangy, remove the seared prawns onto a plate.  It's alright if the prawns aren't fully cooked through as they will be twice cooked later.

Leave a little oil in the pan to saute the shallots over low heat.  Cook until shallots are soft and transparent but not caramelised.  You can add some chopped garlic, ginger and red chillies (if you like) but I'm all about keeping it simple, so just shallots will do fine for me.

Put the almost cooked prawns back into the pan and add the dark soy and oyster sauce.  If you're not comfortable with the prawns being so dark, you can always reduce the amount of dark soy.

Drizzle about three tablespoons of water and do a quick toss until the prawns are well coated in the sauce.  Do not cook for too long or the dark soy will turn slightly bitter.  Throw the spring onions in at the last minute and do a quick stir and it should be done.

My Prawns in Dark Soy is done....this is my take on kon cheen har lok.  It may not taste exactly the same as the ones I ate in restaurants but it's good enough (I think) for a home-cooked version (and cheaper too).

The oyster sauce brings savouriness to the dish....while the dark soy adds a hint of sweetness to the prawns.

The key ingredient of this dish (besides the prawns, of course) is the shallots.....and you need lots of it...the more, the better.  The shallots bring out the sweetness in the prawns and the sauce.

Let me show you one close up....is that yummy or what? :)

And since we did a shallow slit on the back of the prawn, deshelling it is a breeze.  I don't even need to use my hands, just a fork and spoon will get the job done nicely.

But don't throw the prawn shells away immediately...do that only after you've licked (or sucked) every last bit of the sauce off the prawn shells....kekeke! :D

And the prawn heads are the best parts.  They're good for sucking and you get loads of flavour and juices from them (I'm sorry...but sucking prawn heads is a very 'Chinese' thing)! *wink wink*

These prawns are best eaten with rice....om nom nom nom! ;D

It's a mouth-watering dish that you can put together with just 3 main ingredients.....prawns, shallots and spring onions...and at a fraction of what it'll cost you at a restaurant! ;)  Do give it a go...and I hope you'll be pleased with the results :-)

Serves 3 - 4 (as one of the dishes on your dinner table)

Lemon Garden Cafe @ Shangri-la Hotel

Whenever there's a celebration in the family, the meal of choice is (sometimes) a buffet at a hotel as it provides a great ambience to eat and chit-chat in comfort.  It's a place where one can linger for long periods of time without feeling 'guilty' or perceived to be 'hoarding' the seats.

The buffet of choice this time was the Lemon Garden Cafe @ Shangri-la Hotel and it also happened to be our Merdeka Day holiday.  I wasn't the one who made the booking (nor the one who paid ^_*) but I was told it's a High Tea Buffet @ RM120 nett from 12pm - 3pm.

It was a public holiday and the place was running full, so taking photos of the place and food wasn't an easy task but I did manage a few.  The place was fully taken up until extra round tables (that fit 10) were set towards the back of the coffee house (and that was where we were).

If you're lucky enough to score some side tables, you'd be having your meal overlooking a beautiful surrounding of a garden pool with lush greenery and lovely orchids.

This was my fourth time here....and the reason was because this place was my ex-company's venue of choice for their Chinese New Year luncheon...every year!  But that was 5 years ago and I've never been back until now.

I guess people go for buffets because of the wide selection of food but if you're not a big-eater, just looking at the mind-boggling choices is already enough to make you full! :D  In the end, we'd probably just scraped the surface of like 10% of what was offered.

As with any hotel buffet there'll be hits and misses, there won't be a dish that'll make you go 'wow', that's really good, but there also won't be a dish that'll make you go 'oh no', that's horrible, most are what we'd call middle-of-the-road acceptable dishes (so minimal description should suffice...hehe!).

Let's start with one of my favourite sections in any buffet...the Seafood on Ice Section! ^o^

Raw Oysters...shucked and ready, fresh and juicy

Poached Prawns...firm and fresh

Cooked Mussels & Scallops 

Sliced clams, octopus, butterfish, tuna & salmon

My Plate #1 - the fresh seafood of oysters and poached prawns were the best things on this plate for me.

I had to borrow a space for the yabbies that made an appearance later when I got my mother-in-law her plate of fresh seafood ;)


Lots of sushi....I didn't have any.


The Chinese Food Section featured some wok-fried prawns, roast duck, stir-fry broccoli, fried rice, belacan brinjal & ladies finger and lots more.  I also saw lots of fried & steamed dim sum items and sweet corn soup.


 My Plate #2 - I only had a piece of steamed fish from the Chinese section >.<


The Malay Food Section had so many curry dishes, it was insane.  I just took one photo of the Ayam Masak Lemak (chicken cooked with coconut & turmeric) as representation of the entire section....uh-uh, don't have stomach space for the abundant Malay food.


My Shared Plate #3 - I had one stick of chicken satay from this section! >_<


The Indian Food Section is represented by this sole pic of Tandoori Chicken...there were lots more I couldn't remember or wasn't interested....none for me from this Indian section as well.


At the Western Food Section, I noticed the Braised Beef Brisket with grilled peppers and what looked like some kind of peppercorn sauce initially but I think they were juniper berries.


Also the Paper-Wrapped Baked Red Grouper with grilled tomatoes & peppers and a lovely fruit salsa accompaniment (which I enjoyed very much).


My Plate #4 - braised beef brisket, baked red grouper, some cold cuts, baked potatoes & grilled tomato.


My Shared Bowl #5 of mushroom soup


The Cold Cuts Section


The Salad Bar


And even more salad.....+ rojak


From the Noodle Section, my Bowl #6 of Soup Noodles (don't know why I ate this simple noodle, I must have been delirious after looking at too much food, but, heh, at least the dried shrimp sambal accompaniment was really good).

I also saw a Pizza & Bread Section.  Tasked with helping my mother-in-law get her food, taking photos (I gave up after a while) and feeding myself, I'm sure I missed out some sections! ^_^


Finally, the Dessert Section with creme brulee, cupcakes, ice cream, sorbets, ice kacang, macarons, chocolate fountain, fresh-cut fruits and the list goes on.


....and lots of cakes...


.....and panna cotta.


My Shared Plate #7 - Mango Panna Cotta, Chocolate Cake, Mini Lemon Tart, Fresh Strawberry, Durian Cake and a very apt (Merdeka Day) Chocolate Cupcake with our national flag.


Some Ice Cream & Sorbet (that didn't belong to me)


My Plate #8 - just fresh fruits....cheap stuff but the only thing I could stomach seconds....haha! :D


My Shared Plate #9 - more fresh fruits...and no, the grapes weren't part of the fresh fruits, I 'stole' it from the chocolate fountain! O_o

I'd say the only thing missing from this buffet was a selection of chilled juices...there was none :(  There wasn't a self-service Coffee & Tea Section either...you had to order your coffee or tea from the servers.


My Mug #10 - Coffee (not a cup but a mug).....and I had two! ^.^

My Personal Opinion

The enormous and wide array of food here will make many happy!  Hey, if you can down a dozen oysters and some of those seafood on ice, you'd probably get your money's worth back already....hehe...but I can't, of course!

So, in the end, did I eat my RM120 worth?  Probably not.  Even if I did (looking at the fact that I had 10 rounds), it sure didn't feel like it! ;D  I'd rather just have a small but expensive plate of food....like a piece of good wagyu!!  But that's besides the point.  You get to eat your food...slowly while enjoying a nice ambience, mingle, chat and linger for a good three hours or as long as you want...and that should be worth something, right? ^_*

Lemon Garden Cafe
Shangri-la Hotel

11 Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2032 2388