It's that time of the year to snack.....

Yes, that's right.....it's that time of the year to snack....what is Chinese New Year (CNY) without snacking, right?  So, once a year, I throw my restricted diet out the window (well, I'm not as disciplined or strong-willed as my blogger friend, PH)...wuahahahaha!

So, I'm not going to confess I didn't eat any CNY snacks (like PH's resilience).....coz I did! ;D  Of course, I'm no saint either as I do eat snacks sparingly throughout the year...but not quite like CNY snacking, if you know what I mean (but with as much restraint as I possibly could).  And I start with my most favourite snack of them all...crackers, both prawn & fish! ;)

This year I did not buy my usual 3-4 pkts of prawn crackers from my go-to stall in the wet market coz I wasn't planning to fry to giveaway, so I bought only 1 pkt of Prawn Crackers online @ RM38 from a Shopee seller...and, surprisingly, it turned out pretty good as well (now I can have my favourite prawn crackers throughout the year...yay!).  One pkt was just enough for our own consumption with some extras to giveaway to my makan buddies, hairdresser, Caring pharmacist (coz she always gives me advice or answer any meds questions I have) and the Parcelhub lady boss (return a favour coz she paid for my breakfast one morning when she bumped into me when tapau-ing her breakfast).  As for the Fish Crackers, I also tried a new Shopee seller and it turned out to be thinner and crispier...and better tasting too.  I've since bought both the prawn & fish crackers (again) to be fried later (tak berlarat nak fry for CNY).

Since I didn't fry enough crackers, I supplemented my stash with Tapioca Chips (of 2 kinds) @ RM12 a pkt (bought from Shopee).  One was this normal tapioca chips with salt (kerepek ubi masin).

The other was the spicy tapioca chips (kerepek ubi pedas kering).  Both from this seller were good...fragrant, fresh and crunchy.  The one with salt wasn't too salty and the spicy one wasn't too spicy...just nice! ;)

Next snack on the list was pineapple tarts as this is a favourite of my husband's, so I know I could eat sparingly and know he'll finish the rest...and let me say, I did try a few (new) brands this year (from Shopee) starting with this Aysha Bakehouse's Pineapple Bar (Mixed Flavours) @ RM26 (for 27 pcs).  These pineapple bars come in mixed flavours of pineapple, blueberry and strawberry (or you can opt for just one flavour).

I thought they were pretty tasty...though pineapple wasn't my favourite or the best tasting flavour...the blueberry was better. ^o^  Somehow these didn't find favour with my husband as much coz I think he's not into flavours like blueberry or strawberry other than pineapple.  I ate probably about 70% of this (luckily there were only 27 pcs in total) while he ate mostly the pineapple filling.

I also got smitten by these cute Heart-Shaped Pineapple Tarts by Chocolate Garage @ RM18 (for 21 pcs)...oops, these were bought before pre-CNY snacking.  They make a lovely gift for someone (especially for Valentine's Day), don't you think?

But taste wise, they were just ok...I think it needed a bit more pineapple filling as I really couldn't taste much of it but seeing that it's a closed pineapple tart, it's difficult to pack more filling into them.

My third choice was a winner for all...marketed as a Nyonya Melaka pure butter Pineapple Tart @ RM14 (for 14 pcs).  The small box offered a tester pack for my taste test...and they turned out to be fluffy, crumbly and buttery delicious. ^.^

Since they turned out to be good (and, more importantly, my husband liked it), I did not hesitate to order the bigger box of 42 pcs @ RM40.

I like that they're packed individually in their special plastic moulds (if you can call it that) as this will ensure they arrive at your doorstep in the best possible way (since they're known to be super crumbly).  This Nyonya Melaka and Aysha's will certainly see repeat orders in future...but between the two, the latter is still my pick.

So good that I was tempted to order their other product...the one with cheese added! :O  This Pineapple Cheese Bar (Mixed Flavours) also cost RM26 (except I noticed this one has only 8 x 3 flavours instead of 9 x 3...no wonder lah it's the same price with cheese).  You know what, coming from someone who don't like cheese, this one I really liked.

The extra crispy cheese on top gave it that crunch factor and brought a hint of savoury note to the pineapple bar.  Probably one of the more expensive pineapple tarts on Shopee but it's worth it as long as it tastes good. Incidentally, I bought all my tarts online from Shopee.

What is CNY without mandarin oranges, right?  I can count with my fingers the no. of times I've eaten fruits since I embarked on my restrictive diet but I wasn't going to miss out on this once-a-year fruit...these normal large ones for him.

And the mini mandarins for me...which is better for portion control since they're smaller (I like to think of it that way and "convince" myself that it is...hehe!).  I limit myself to two a day.

This container of ngaku chips was given by my neighbour (who fried it herself).  I wanted to say no to it (coz no-one in the family eats ngaku chips so I'll have to finish it on my own) just like she refused my prawn & fish crackers which I gift her every year (I was taken aback when she told me in advance not to give her any this year...apparently it doesn't taste all that great to her and her husband)! :O  But I know it's not tactful to say no to a gift..."when people give you things that you don't want, you must remember it's the thought that counts".  In the end, I bought her some mandarins as a return gift! *roll eyes*

Another snack that CNY is not the same without is bakwa or BBQ dried meat.  But, these days, the skyrocketing prices of my favourite brand has made it imperative that more reasonably-priced alternatives be sourced.  That made me try out 2 new brands, one was at 1/3 of the price (meaning I could have 3 pkts as opposed to just 1 pkt of Oloiya...I ended up buying a package deal of 4 pkts).

While the other (which someone recommended to me) was priced at 2/3 of the price of Oloiya saying that it tastes just as good as my beloved brand (well, it didn't taste anything near Oloiya which I expected).  But based on the price-to-taste, I thought they were decent enough to eat (always good as a bakwa sandwich).  I ended preferring the cheapest one while my husband preferred the other but my son liked neither! :D

On a side note, this happened during the Mooncake Festival (and not a part of this CNY snacking)...not wanting to indule in sweet mooncakes, I got myself a savoury version.  It has a similar pastry like any traditional mooncake except the filling is made with minced bakwa! :O

How did it taste, you're wondering?  Just think of it as eating the mooncake pastry with bakwa...to be honest, a regular mooncake with lotus paste and salted egg yolks (my go to flavour if I was eating) still tastes better. This one was a bit odd, not that it tasted bad just that it's not quite like a traditional sweet mooncake we're used to.

Well, that's about all the snacks I indulged in this CNY...not a lot really, right?  I'd say I probably ate about 20 - 30% of the snacks (except for the ngaku chips) while my family kaotim the rest.  So fast, it's Chap Goh Mei today already.  Till next year..........for now, let's enjoy our snacks in the meantime! ^_~

Ra-Ft Cafe/Bistro @ Lorong Binjai

Ra-Ft Cafe/Bistro @ Lorong Binjai has gotten from strength to strength.  I was first introduced to them through their first outlet in Binjai 8 with Mont Kiara and Sungai Buloh (which is also their roastery) branches to follow not long after.

This was a blast from the past...lol!  Since discovering them in 2017 (that's close to 10 years ago...you can read my previous postings here, here and here) and I'm happy to say they've managed to maintain their good standards in both food and service...although they're not as crowded as they used to be.  You know lah, with new cafes sprouting up every day, people want to be the first ones to be seen there so that they can say "been there, done that"! ;D  Glancing at the menu, I see a lot of old favourites here...you know the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"!

My very first introduction to Ra-Ft was through this all-time favourite dish of theirs which is equivalent to a Big Breakfast which they simply call My Ra-Ft Breakfast - Build Your Own Breakfast @ RM28...perfect for those who want to customise what they want on their breakfast plate.  The standard items in this breakfast dish are eggs your way (we asked for scrambled eggs), hash brown, cheesy baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and a slice of toasted sourdough bread with herbed butter.

You can then customise your breakfast (as in build your own) by choosing add-ons of pork bacon 2 slices (RM9), chicken or pork sausage 1 pc (we chose pork sausage), roasted porchetta (RM12) and/or home-cured salmon gravlax (RM14).  Everything was as good as I remembered...savoury, meaty, housemade sausage, creamy and fluffy scrambled eggs cooked just right, juicy button mushrooms, crispy sourdough and hash brown with a special mention to the grilled tomatoes that day which had a nice, smoky flavour. ^o^

Our other breakfast dish was something I've not ordered before, the Ra-Ft Crown BLT @ RM34 which featured a smashed avocado open sandwich with pork bacon, sunny side-up egg on a slice of toasted sourdough topped with a crispy cheese crown and a mixed salad on the side.  

Loved the creamy, smashed avocado on the crisp sourdough, especially the slightly salty, crispy, fragrant cheese crown (which was actually infused into another piece of smaller sourdough toast with some bits of crispy bacon).  Some sourdough, the crust can be very hard and the bread rather chewy...but not the one here...very good sourdough.  I enjoyed the salad very much too with fresh, mixed salad leaves, finely shredded white and purple cabbage and the grilled cherry tomatoes with balsamic dressing.  A beautiful dish all-in-all. ^.^

After chit-chatting for more than 2 hours, my friend and I was ready to share another dish (+ it's the rightful thing to do if one is occupying a table for far longer than you're supposed to)...anyway, they were winding down in preparation for dinner service already, so the place was empty besides us and another table.  We opted to share a more dessert-like dish of American Pancakes with Maple Syrup & Butter @ RM24 and I added on a fresh fruit salad at an additional RM6.

The pancakes were nice and the maple syrup is served on the side for you to tweak the level of sweetness you prefer (I would have preferred a better tasting, more fragrant maple syrup though).  I thought the addition of fresh fruits of crunchy green apple, juicy watermelon and lightly tart oranges brightened up the entire dish and gave it a much more refreshing and light take.  On a side note, their tiramisu (which I've had on many occasions) is really excellent and if you're here for the first time, you should so get that.

Of course coffees is a must...an Iced Latte @ RM12 for my friend and a Hot Latte @ RM11 for me (as I was still coughing).  Hey, I got a cute rabbit for my latte art! ^_*

My Personal Opinion

If you don't know what to have, you can't go wrong with My Ra-Ft Breakfast where you can customise what you want in your breakfast plate. Trying the Ra-Ft Crown for the first time, I was very happy with my choice as the crispy cheese crown was savoury and outright delicious (and that's coming from someone who doesn't like cheese all that much).  I guess when you make anything crispy, it's difficult to not like...lol!

Ra-Ft is still one of my favourite cafes to dine in...and still is after so many years as their food and coffees have stayed consistently good.  A breakfast/brunch plate that ticks all the right boxes...it will remain a beloved cafe of mine in the years to come.

Ra-Ft Cafe/Bistro

Unit G-1 Ground Floor

Binjai 8 Premium Soho

2 Lorong Binjai

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2181 1091

Udon-Ya San @ Pandan Indah

Udon-Ya San @ Pandan Indah has been around for many years and though I noticed that they have a rather high rating (4.4) on Google, I've not come around to try.

The reason being I've never been a big fan of udon noodles....I prefer soba or ramen! ;)  But since it was one of my friend's favourite udon place (and she wanted me to try), we were here for dinner one evening.

Well, you're in the home of an udon specialist, so what do you have?  Udon, of course! ;D  I had the Tsukimi Udon Soup Set @ RM18 that comes with chicken kaarage, a mini salad, soup and green tea.  I've to agree with her that the udon is not bad at all (they were slurp-worthy)...and the soup had wakame, an onsen egg and batter bits in a subtle tasting soup which I appreciated.

My friend had the exact same thing, the Tsukimi Udon Dry Set also @ RM18, except she opted for the dry version.  The chicken kaarage that came with both the sets were 3 huge pieces, so the set was indeed value for money.  Well fried and crispy, they were decent tasting.

The mini salad that came with the set was the standard salad of shredded cabbage and carrot, a usual at Japanese restaurants (with a light dressing of roasted sesame).  Other choices of udon besides tsukimi (dry and soup) include cha su, duck, beef, seafood, curry, carbonara, mentaiko, goma salad and kake udon.

I placed an order for a side dish of Fried Gyoza @ RM12.  It was missing that crisp and well charred bottom (and edges) we've come to expect of a good gyoza.

Another side dish for sharing was the Assorted Vegetables Tempura @ RM7.  I was hoping for the batter to be lighter and crispier and not so thick.  Other side dishes include ebi tempura, kakiage, tonkatsu, chicken katsu, ajitama, goma salad and edamame.

My Personal Opinion

It's a place you can come for your udon fix...and that's about it! ^_~  The udon here is certainly slurp-worthy and decent (just not sure how it compares to other udon places since I've not eaten enough udon to be an authority on it as udon is not way up there on my list of favourite noodles to eat).

Also, don't expect too much from their other menu items that aren't udon.  In the end, I think the low prices may be the contributing factor to its ratings and popularity.  If you don't set your expectations too high, you should have a fulfilling meal here (with the emphasis on "full") at a very decent price.

Udon-Ya San

65 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/3A

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-236 8131

Rakuzen @ Sunway Velocity

Rakuzen chain of restaurants is a popular Japanese restaurant that is known to serve consistently good food with fair portion sizes.  That's why they're a favourite with families and their many branches is a testament to their popularity.

They have branches all over the Klang Valley but the Rakuzen @ Sunway Velocity is our go-to when we happen to be in the mall for a bout of shopping (not at the mall but at Ikea next door) and feel like a Japanese meal thereafter (I've blogged about this place twice before...apparently both way back in 2017)! :O  Glad to see they're still alive and doing well after so many years.

Prices may be a bit more premium here but service is good...they always start you with a warm towel and complimentary green tea! ;)  I was rather famished and decided to splurge a bit and got myself the Executive Course Menu @ RM99, a 5-course menu featuring an appetiser, sashimi, a grilled dish, a course of rice/noodles and finally a dessert.

Although tamago tofu and grilled eggplant was listed in the menu as the appetiser round, what I got that day for the Appetiser Course were Tomatoes & Asparagus.  These were some really sweet, juicy, cherry tomatoes, skin removed and served chilled (if I remember correctly) in a little soy sauce.  I'm guessing they're Japanese cherry tomatoes as they're a lot sweeter than regular cherry tomatoes apparently...they were very good.

The other half of the appetiser highlighted, cooked to tender, sticks of (shaved?) asparagus topped with (what looked like) natto (fermented soybeans) for that salty, umami flavour.  They were pleasant too.  The meal was getting off to a good start.

Next was the Sashimi Course featuring fresh cuts of Salmon (Belly), Kanpachi (Amberjack), Hotate (Scallop) & Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp) Sashimi.

Nothing to fault as everything was as it should be...pristinely fresh, clean and subtle in taste and texture.  A little dip into the soy sauce (or wasabi as some prefer) and you're good to go.

The third was the Grilled Course and it was a choice between Karasu Karei Saikyo Yaki 70g or Angus Ribeye Steak 70g not that I had a clue what the former was as I zeroed in on the ribeye steak right away.  It was served with some charred vegetables on the side.  While writing this post, I googled and found out that karasu karei saikyo yaki is actually a type of fish (Greenland halibut or Atlantic flounder) marinated in white miso (saikyo yaki).  They should include an English translation of the dish and not expect us to know what the dish is in Japanese.

The Angus Ribeye Steak was cooked properly to medium rare doneness as I had requested.  The meat was tender and flavourful with the soy sauce (and some slivers of cooked down leeks).

My next course was the Rice/Noodles Course with a choice of Unagi Hitsumabushi or Tempura Inaniwa Udon (hot/cold) and I knew instantly the former would be my pick.  I've always wanted to try unagi done this way...and it came served in a wooden bucket with a pot of dashi (broth) and a plate of condiments on the side.

You can savour Unagi Hitsumabushi in a few ways, making it a layered culinary experience.  First is, of course, as it is savouring the pure flavour of the smoky, tender, flavourful unagi with the rice which had bits of eel mixed into it for extra flavour.

Secondly, you have it with the condiments of shredded seaweed, some tiny crispy puffs (a bit similar to tempura batter) and finely chopped spring onions (with wasabi and sansho pepper too if you like) mixed into the rice for a more complex taste.

Thirdly, you pour in the pot of hot dashi into the rice and eat it ochazuke style.  The dashi was delicate and light (I believe it was dashi when I poured a little into my spoon to taste it on its own coz it can also be green tea or just hot water).  When mixed into the rice, it had a refreshing but savoury aftertaste.  The broth was very hot, so for those who enjoy hot soup with rice, this will be right up their alley.

The tender unagi over flavourful, sticky Japanese rice in a hot and delicate soup is comfort food at its best. I'm glad to have finally tried unagi hitsumabushi and enjoyed it though I felt eating it the first way lets you savour the pure, unadulterated taste of unagi and because the unagi-flavoured rice was already flavourful on its own, the taste of the soup was lost in the dish (I wish I had eaten more spoonfuls that way before pouring in the soup).

My fifth and final course was the Dessert Course of Matcha Ice Cream with Red Bean.  I've never liked anything matcha but this matcha ice cream I truly enjoyed...it was creamy with a light matcha taste.  I finished the whole thing even though I was very full.

My son went for the Steak Don Set @ RM48 showcasing pan-fried steak (60g wagyu) with onsen egg and rice (the other option was 100g Angus Ribeye @ RM42.

The set was served with sides of cawanmushi, sesame-dressed salad (of spinach and carrot), miso soup and diced fresh fruit (of watermelon & dragon fruit).

The wagyu was cooked correctly to medium rare as requested, and it was tender and reasonably flavourful when I tasted a piece (can't expect premium wagyu based on the price charged...especially when the charged is not much of a difference compared to the ribeye).  All in all, it was a decent beef set for the price.

My Personal Opinion

I've heard about unagi hitsumabushi for quite some time now and glad to have finally tried it since I'm a die-hard fan of anything soupy with rice.  Perhaps I would have enjoyed it even more if plain white rice was used instead as I would then be able to savour the true flavours of the delicate soup more.  I'm hoping to try salmon or beef patty chazuke style in future now that I've had a taste of what it's like.

The quality of the beef (Angus ribeye) here is definitely reasonable in both taste and tenderness...and it matches their price point.  As for the matcha ice cream, the creamy taste was much stronger than the matcha taste but, at least, I won't shun matcha from now on...lol!  Always worthy of future visits (although their Google rating is very low at 3.8 mostly due to complaints of poor service which I've been fortunate enough to not encounter).  That's why it's always good to filter through the reviews as it may not always be about the food coz I've always enjoyed my meals here (glad to see they've maintained their standards).

Rakuzen 

Lot 1-28 Sunway Velocity Mall

Lingkaran SV Sunway Velocity

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9770 1170