The Hungry Beast @ Sunway Velocity

When it comes to western food, my husband is not into those fancy-schmancy dishes both in terms of taste and presentation.  If we want to eat western, it has to be meat-centric...lol!  So, we decided to head to The Hungry Beast @ Sunway Velocity for dinner one weekend.  This place was first suggested by a friend as a possible venue for one of our makan gatherings.  When I googled the place, I was encouraged by the high rating (of 4.7) + I also found out that they have a branch near me (their other branches are in Sri Damansara, SS15 & Mont Kiara).

On arrival (it was before 7pm), we found the place full and placed our names in queue and were told it could be up to an hour's wait.  Oh dear, that's too long a wait but decided to try our luck and wait a while.  After just about a 10-minute wait, the staff informed me that there's a table available provided we can finish eating in an hour (as the table's next reservation was at 8pm).  I told him that an hour is doable as long as the food comes out fast.

There's a fresh selection of all the meats from beef to pork, chicken to lamb, bacon to all types of sausages and more.  The concept is somewhat similar to Anne Elizabeth in Cheras where you choose your meat (individually wrapped per portion basis with weight indicated) from the meat counter directly and they cook it for you.  There's also a preset menu (written on the board at the meat counter) of soups, salads, sides, pasta and house specials to choose from.

And kept their word, they did...the dishes came flying out of the kitchen in no time.  The first one to hit the table (like 5 minutes after we ordered) was my Seafood Chowder @ RM16.90.  The soup had one good-sized, captivating-looking prawn on top and two mussels inside the soup. I also found something which I first thought to be scallops but it had a rather chewy texture like soft, chewy gnocchi, so I don't know what they were.

If you like your soup thick and creamy, then you'll like this a lot.  It was a very decent tasting soup and I liked that it was thick but just a tad too creamy for me personally.  I could taste the cream more than the seafood flavours of the soup.

For mains, I had the (Australian) Marbled Ribeye (250g) @ RM88.70 and asked for medium-rare doneness. The meat had a good sear and was tender and juicy (even though the steak wasn't very thick) except for the inherent streak of chewy fat and sinew around the centre (eye) of the steak which I've always disliked (but have to accept since ribeye is still my favourite cut).

The flavour commensurates with the price and the fact that this is Australian beef.  For a piece of steak that's under RM100 (which I'd say is affordable steak), just don't compare their flavour with steaks that cost more than RM100 and you should do just fine.  It was served with confit garlic and (wholegrain) dijon mustard with some sort of brown sauce that tasted a tad too creamy for me, so I used very little.  Since they don't use a proper menu, it's difficult to say for certain the exact sauces they use.

I got the (House Special) Iberico Pork Collar (230g) @ RM48.60, cooked medium-well for my husband.  This was also served with some confit garlic and a green sauce (probably some kind of pesto or herbs sauce) that again was a tad too creamy for me.  I don't mind sauces with a thick consistency but I don't like to taste too much cream in the sauce.

I felt the Iberico pork collar was tender and juicy enough though my husband felt otherwise (not quite tender enough).  I think it's because he's used to eating thinner cuts of pork chop, some of which have been pounded/treated like a schnitzel, so for sure it's going to be more tender that way.

My son, as usual, went for his favourite (British) Fish & Chips @ 31.90 featuring two good-sized pieces of fish and thick-cut chips served with a tartar and chilli sauce.  It was a satisfying fish & chips with crispy batter coating and flaky, soft meat.  As most fish used for fish & chips are flaky, again it's not possible to ascertain what type of fish was used when it was not mentioned.

The tartar sauce wasn't my son's favourite and I can only guess it was also too creamy.  I only taste-tested a small piece of fish and didn't use any of the accompanying dip.

I ordered a couple of sides for sharing starting with some sausages, a Habanero Sausage @ RM14.90 and a German Valley Sausage also @ RM14.90.  I believe their sausages are inhouse made and they've got quite a selection of different type of sausages (some with more unique flavours) ranging from Spanish Chorizo to Heritage Lemongrass, Hungarian, Cheddar Cheese, Emmental Cheese, Fresh Italian, Spiral Herbs, Smoked Garlic, Apple Cinnamon, Lamb, Chicken Vienna and more.

The sausages had the texture and taste of a good, well-made sausage.  They were savoury, firm, meaty, tasty and slightly smoky.  Between the two, I preferred the Habanero one with its distinct spiciness.  From the colour of the dipping sauce, if I had to guess, it's probably some kind of a romesco sauce (again, thick and too creamy).

Next up was the Crispy Fries @ RM15.90 which arrived piping hot, fresh from the fryer.  The skin-on fries had an absolutely crispy exterior and were fluffy inside (marks of well executed housemade fries).

Of course, there has to be a salad to balance out all the meaty goodness that we were going to have.  There were only 3 choices, so I went with the Calamansi Salad @ RM15.90 (the other salad choices were Classic Caesar Salad which I'm not a fan because of the cheese and Black Forest Salad with fruits apparently).

I liked the sound of calamansi (a tart dressing to cut through all the meatiness).  The salad was filled with fresh frisee greens (or curly endive), mesclun, pickled radish, cherry tomatoes, juicy orange segments (my favourite) and chopped nuts of almond and walnut.  Nothing to fault, nice and refreshing! ;)

For drinks, we both had refreshing drinks of Fresh Watermelon Juice @ RM14 (for me) while my son had the Cold Lemon Tea @ RM10.

My Personal Opinion

This is a place you need to make reservations beforehand (if you don't wish to queue in wait) but I feel it's also not conducive to linger and chit-chat after your meal, so it's more of a eat-and-go kind of place.  I wouldn't recommend it for a get-together where you'd probably need to stay longer to catch up seeing that there are always people waiting for a table (perhaps you may need to choose one of their other branches where the space is much bigger with more tables)! >.<

But, having said that, the food is good and commensurates with the reasonable pricing for such quality meats.  From the cooking to the quality meats, good taste to the fair pricing, I'm very satisfied.  I just wish that their sauces weren't that creamy (and by that I don't mean having a thick consistency) until I can taste the cream in the sauce (though I know some prefer it this way).  I felt a much lighter/refreshing sauce with the heaviness of the meats is more suitable (at least for me) though this is not a big deal since I can do without any sauce with my meats.

Overall, it's a place I'll not hesitate to return when I'm hankering for some affordably-priced good meats backed up by taste.  Only the waiting for a table (without reservations) when it's crowded or during peak periods is a deterrent...lol!

The Hungry Beast

VS2-01-08 Sunway Velocity 2

No 158 Jalan Peel

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 017-220 7108

#ewew cooks Homemade Beef Burger

While at Aeon supermarket to restock my butter, I finally found jalapenos I've been wanting to get so that I can cook minced beef omelette ever since seeing PH The Meat Lover cooking (and enjoying) the same.  By the way, did you know that jalapenos with tiny white lines (or stretch marks like the one on the left) are spicier than those with a smooth surface?  Well, they supposedly are when I googled (and I really did taste some that are hotter than the rest), so now you know which ones to choose (if you get to choose) if you want spicier ones.

Once I got the jalapenos, I had to get some minced beef and spotted this pack of chilled minced beef which were the only ones available on the shelf.  Back home I portioned the 500g of beef mince into two...one half of it I portioned into 3 portions (for freezing) to make minced beef omelette (or whatever I could think of for the beef mince).  The other half I portioned into two...with the ambitious plan of making beef burger (for the first time at home!), so that means my beef patty was about a 125g patty (that might sound a bit small to some but since I was using smaller than regular buns, it was ok).

I googled on how best to prep the meat patty and most would have two ingredients in common...breadcrumbs and egg to bind the meat together.  Most says to use Panko breadcrumbs (you can also blitz your own breadcrumbs) or crushed crackers (that's just great as I so happen to have some salted crackers with me). 

I marinated the minced beef with salt, freshly cracked black pepper and used my Montreal chicken seasoning (coz that's the only all-purpose seasoning I keep in my pantry).  You can use whatever seasoning you like, even just salt and black pepper will do.  I pounded up 3 pcs of salted crackers into a fine crumb and added that to the mince along with some egg (not the whole egg, just eyeball it as long as it's not too wet for you to form into a patty).  I also dusted it with a bit of cornflour just in case it sticks to my non-stick pan (which has lost its non-stick ability!).

Every burger needs some sweet, caramelised onions...so I started with that but I didn't cook it long enough (that would have taken an hour at least!) until it turned jammy and sweet.  I just sweated them in olive oil on low heat until well soften and caramelised.  Using low heat is best (though it would take a longer time to cook) as onions can easily burn if you don't watch it.

I also wanted an oozy egg with my burger.  Cooking an egg with its egg yolk still runny is one of the hardest thing to do...more so when I don't have an egg pan (as the egg white will run all over the surface area of a large pan) + my pan is also no longer non-stick.  So, I used and egg ring...but forgot to oil the ring, so the edges got stuck a bit.

Next, I placed my burger patty on my non-stick pan with olive oil on medium heat.  I cooked my patty for 4 mins on each side for a total of 8 mins as I wasn't planning for a pink centre not knowing the quality of the chilled beef I got from Aeon (if you want it medium rare, you can cook it for a shorter time).

I relied on two tips I found on the internet...1) flip it only once (to get a great sear on your patty and leave it undisturbed until you're ready to flip) and 2) don't press down on your patty (with your spatula as that'll squeeze all the precious fats and juices out).  Wow, look at the great sear I got (on my first cook)...woohoo! When I flipped the burger, I also dropped some sliced jalapenos to sear and soften for a while.  You can also add some butter towards the end and baste your patty with it for more lusciousness...but I didn't.

I chose wholemeal raisin buns (for a healthier option) and toasted one with a bit of butter.  Time to assemble my burger!  First goes the burger patty on top of the bun.  Followed by the caramelised onions and slightly spicy jalapenos (this time I dug out the seeds first to reduce the spiciness...lol)!  Then the fried (hopefully) oozy egg goes on top and we close the bun....and my first homemade beef burger is ready to be devoured.

Wah, look at the layers in my burger (macam professional...kekeke)...bun, patty, onions, jalapenos & egg (only melted cheese and maybe a sauce is missing).  Well, you could also add on some slices of cucumber, tomato, grilled pineapple or some lettuce for a professionally executed burger...but this one is good enough for me! ;)

Of course, a burger is best served with fries...but since I didn't have any store-bought frozen fries in my freezer, I roasted some potato chunks (which I actually prefer) for a fluffier/healthier side dish.

This burger will not have a pink centre coz I deliberately cooked it for longer just to be safe not knowing the freshness of the beef.  It's still very much tender but, of course, will lose a bit of juiciness in the meat but still tasted good to me (if you're not weary, you can certainly cook it to medium rare for your preferred doneness).  The egg was just a little oozy. >.<

After being successful at cooking my first burger at home, I was more ambitious for round 2 (on another day) and decided to make smashed burger (like the ones I saw on TV...haha).  So, I made two smaller patties with my other 125g portion of beef and press it down with a potato mash (if you have one or use a metal plate will do).  This time I finished it with a bit of butter at the end.

This is my first housemade smashed burger!  I think I need to smash it thinner (it looked more like I'm having a double burger)!  This time I was too lazy to make caramelised onions and oozy egg, so it was just a layer of omelette, patty and jalapenos.

I enjoyed this version too.  It has more of a crisp texture on the outside because of the surface searing.  I think if it was thinner, it'd be even more tasty.  I'm loving my homemade beef burger (or smashed burger) which is not loaded with sauces...and cheese (of course, those who like those, feel free to add on).  This cook has given me confidence to make my own burgers from now on at home...and I'll probably be making them again soon.

It's not that difficult to do actually but may take a bit more work...but the end result of a homemade burger (with a proper beef patty is so much better, not to mention healthier, than those commercialised Ramly or frozen beef burgers)! ^o^  Hope my homemade burger has inspired (or tempted) you to make yours too! ^_~

Shio Sushi @ Pandan Indah

Finally...a slightly higher end sushi restaurant (that's not like Sushi Mentai or Sakura Sushi) has opened up in my neighbourhood, Shio Sushi @ Pandan Indah...and I'm pretty ecstatic after my maiden visit.

Although I can't help but worry for them as I found the restaurant almost empty (there was just another table occupied) on a weekday (Friday) lunch (and I was there at peak lunch time at 1pm...and we even managed to park at their reserved lot).  I would have thought there'd be a bit more crowd from office workers during lunch time...but I guess the (higher) prices are not that affordable for the majority type of working crowd here (who aren't typically white-collar workers).

Notwithstanding that, we started with the Salmon Ikura Don @ RM28 as our first dish and when it arrived, my first impression was that the portion looked rather small (luckily, we ordered an extra dish for sharing).

The bowl was filled with slices of thick, fresh salmon sashimi as well as fairly juicy ikura though I would have liked if the salmon roe was slightly bigger in size but, at the price of the don, there's really no cause for complaint.  Besides salmon sashimi and ikura, there were also two small slices of tamago which was tastily done.

The dish for sharing is chef recommended from their signature series, the Shio Signature Roll @ RM12.  I could see finely shredded cucumber inside and crispy batter over sushi rice and nori sheet (it was a pretty basic sushi).

Nothing too spectacular with the taste of the roll (can't expect much also at that price) but the one thing I did notice was that the rice has slight tinge of (very light) brown.  On checking their FB, it seems they season their sushi rice with akazu which is a traditional Japanese red vinegar...rumoured to offer a naturally sweet with a much smoother, less harsh taste than regular rice vinegar.  Certainly decent in taste and the fine crumbs of batter were very crispy.

I zeroed in on the beef straight away and got myself the Saikoro Steak with Mini Tempura Set @ RM45 and was bowled over by the magnitude of it (it even had more dishes that the photo in the menu!).

Let's start with the mini dishes...it had a small plate each of potato salad, spicy tuna, including a miso soup and cawanmushi, with watermelon as dessert to end the meal.

There was also a mini salad of crunchy shredded cabbage, cucumber slices and wedges of cherry tomatoes tossed in a refreshingly light mayo dressing.

The side dish was the mini tempura with two batter-coated shrimps, one shiitake mushroom and one brinjal that were light tasting and super crispy.  A rather successful tempura, if you ask me, in terms of taste and crunchiness, accompanied by a traditional dipping sauce typically served with tempura.

Now, onto the main of saikoro steak featuring bite-sized beef that has been cut into cubes.  I was not asked my preferred doneness but when the dish landed on our table, I breathed a sigh of relief as I could see that the centre of the diced beef was still very much pink.

Cooked to medium rare (perhaps that's their default doneness) and tender with a good sear on the outside, they were extremely delightful for beef that price.  They were cooked in a savoury, delicious sauce with stir-fried vegetables of cabbage, red and green capsicum, onions and mushrooms.

My Personal Opinion

I'm so glad that a higher end (slightly only!) Japanese restaurant has finally landed in my taman compared to the usual lower priced Japanese outlets we have here that are highly popular.  Some may even consider this not affordable for a typical family meal but that's because they're probably not used to the even higher end Japanese restaurants elsewhere.  I actually think they're not high end or high priced at all.

Based on what I tried on my maiden visit, I'm 110% sure that I'll be back...very soon (to try other dishes)!  But as I'm writing this, I'm already thinking of having the saikoro steak again coz @ RM45 not only is it value-for-money, the portion is very generous and filling too (I needed help to finish, so the portion is certainly good enough even for a guy or one with a big appetite)! ^_~

Shio Sushi

48 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/6B

Pandan Indah 

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-693 6136

Poppy's Great Escapes

What has my Pretty Poppy been up to lately?  Well, for one, she made a great escape recently (well, not once...but a few times).....and had the adventure of her life for 3 hours! O_o

When was this?  On a Sunday morning when we went to church and returned after breakfast.  I'm not sure if I was the one who didn't latch the lock properly in her cage or she accidentally pawed it open.  That was a scare.....even though she came running back to the house the moment our car arrived (clever girl to be able to recognise the sound of our car engine or the opening of our gate...Cookie was the same!).

It was even scarier when we learned about the appearance of a black snake from our resident chatgroup.  A resident said it may be a cobra and that they enlisted JPAM to catch the snake but it escaped through the sewer.  Even more frightening was when a neighbour shared that there seems to be less stray cats loitering around our neighbourhood! O_o

The picture of my sweet Poppy being swallowed by a snake sounds really frightening (of course, my husband purposely wanted to scare me more by saying that if the snake crawled into the cage and swallowed Poppy, you know the snake would not be able to crawl back out, right?  Omg, the vision of a bloated snake (think Anaconda or like those we see on Animal Planet) is such a graphic vision that it gives me the goosebumps!)...that I've since added a failproof mechanism onto the latch (an S hook) that'll act as a safety latch to ensure it'll not be opened accidentally however hard she pushes or paws at the latch.

Of course, I can also be the cause of it if I forget to put that safety latch back on...but since that's the second lock (and the S hook is very visible if it's left hanging on the side of the cage and not put on), I hope that'll reduce the chances of it not being locked properly (after all, surely I can't be that unfortunate to not lock both latches).

Actually, this was not the first time that she made a great escape.  She has done it before as there was a previous incident when I didn't put the latch properly.  The next I knew (and heard) was the loud fighting sound of two cats at it.  I rushed out to find both cats under a neighbour's car and tried to break up the fight.  Poppy was cowing in fear in a corner (well, so you know who's the loser here).  Once I managed to chase the all-black female cat away (that's how I know female cats fight one another too), she took the opportunity to run around and enjoy her freedom.  It took me (with the help of my neighbour) like 45 mins before I managed to catch her...adoi!

Her other great escape was when she was in the house and somehow I must have not closed the door properly.  It slide open by itself (probably due to the wind) and opened a small gap in which she escaped.  When I saw the door slightly ajar, I called out her name immediately and when she didn't answer, I knew she must have run out again.

I ran out immediately after her and found her trying to get into the house opposite.  No wonder lah, she chased a female cat into the compound of the house (she didn't know how to get in through the gap at the side of the gate).  She was pawing the gate frantically trying to get in (very clear who was the winner this time!) and I managed to grab her instantly coz she was so focussed on trying to get at the cat.  She meowed so loudly (and tried to make a break from my grasp) all the way home.  She was obviously not happy being taken away when she was having the winning hand (or paw, in this case).  Naughty, naughty Poppy.....lol!  

Well.....and that was that to her few little adventures to the outside world (or were they misadventures).....and her brief taste of freedom.  Glad to report that there have been no more such escape incidents since! ;D

Poppy: Hey, by the way, did you notice my new collar.....cantik tak? ;D

It's custom-made you know (from my mommy's sister-in-law).

Have a great weekend, everyone!