Don by TSF @ Setapak

When I first learned about Don by TSF (by AirAsia) from phonghongbakes, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I tried since she sang praises of the food.

Don by TSF, located in Taman Danau Kota, specialises in Japanese inspired donburi (or rice bowls) infused with some of our favourite local ingredients.  My initial order was made via AirAsia Food Delivery.

The don that stood out the most, the one that looked most inviting, was the Chicken Karaage Don @ RM17 and that was my very first order.  This chicken karaage (or Japanese fried chicken as we know) came with boneless fried chicken (7 good-sized pieces), juicy diced mangoes, finely julienned cucumber and red chillies on Japanese rice.

Even though the karaage chicken were no longer crispy when they arrived, the mildly spicy, boneless bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh, finished with togarashi spice (a Japanese 7-spice blend), were juicy and tasty (and still lightly crisp on the outside).  Sometimes an overly crispy karaage = a dry kaarage (more often than not), so I'm one who doesn't mind one bit a slightly less crispy karaage as long as it tastes good...and this one tastes good! ^.^

The rice, sprinkled with aonori (green seaweed) flakes, with garlic soy dressing was also full of flavour while the mango salsa, together with the pickled cucumber salad and a slight hint of heat from the shredded pickled red chillies, perked up my taste buds and provided a mouthful of freshness.

Their karaage chicken is a recipe inspired by Malaysian-born Masterchef Australia winner, Adam Liaw, apparently.  For me, it was the inclusion of fresh, juicy mangoes that set it apart from the usual chicken karaage don.  Good stuff!

The Soy Glazed Eggplant @ RM10 was one of phonghong's favourite sides and I knew it would be mine too coz what other conclusion can there be since I'm a lover of eggplant too.  The soy-glazed eggplant gave the super soft (albeit slightly oily but can't be helped), well charred eggplant loads of flavour from the shoyu reduction with spring onions and shallots with a whisper of sweetness from the Japanese mayo.  It was the flavoursome sauce coating the eggplant that made me love this dish.

I wasn't sure what those lightly crisp shreds on top were at first (they turned out to be finely shredded fried leeks) but it had a mild hint of heat and savouriness from the togarashi spice.  This, together with the sauce, worked in unison to make the dish that more appetising.  I loved, loved, loved this dish (and I agree with her that we should order two portions next time...lol).

As for the enoki tempura, they arrived fully crispy, so that was a bonus!  If not, you can easily fix that by toasting them in a toaster oven for a few minutes (I did that as I had some leftover and they came out super crispy again).  The enoki was well seasoned and I could taste the salt in between the crevices of the enoki strands but wished a separate dipping sauce was included for the enoki.

You can turn this soy-glazed eggplant side dish into a donburi by ordering The Nasu Donburi for RM17 with an extra soy-braised egg.  I suppose you can cook your own rice and egg (if you really wanted to) without having to pay an extra RM7 for it...kekeke!) since the serving portion of this side dish is rather generous and can be a bit too flavourful eaten on its own.  If you crave eggplant, you'll be utterly satisfied with this side dish or donburi.

As for phonghong's other favourite side, Don's Chilli Tofu @ RM10, it (unfortunately) didn't turn out to be mine.  You get 8 pcs of deep-fried bean curd cooked with sweetish onions and a chilli bean sauce that tastes different from a typical sambal.

The soft tofu cubes are topped with thinly shredded crispy leeks, pickled chillies and spring onions. The description also mentioned a kombu vinaigrette giving the dish a lightly tart finish.

I detected a taste in the tofu that I didn't quite like but couldn't pinpoint what it was...until I re-read the dish's description which mentioned that the tofu was aromatically fried with Shaoxing wine.  That's it.....that's the weird taste which I didn't expect to find in the tofu.

Don't get me wrong...I do like Shaoxing wine that's frequently used in many Chinese dishes but one has to be careful with the amount used and how it's treated.  That's why it's often suggested that we add the Shaoxing wine right at the end and cook it off so as to give the food a fragrant aftertaste instead of a boozy one.  I think I could taste the wine because too much was used or it was absorbed by the tofu.  I once used that in a braised mushroom dish and I didn't like the outcome as I could taste the wine which the mushrooms absorbed.

For my second order, I wanted to try the Soy Glazed Salmon Don @ RM18.  This consisted of a piece of soy-marinated salmon on rice, served with onsen egg, pickled cucumbers, nori, spring onions, togarashi spice and wasabi mayo.

I had to say the soy-marinated salmon (not that I detected much soy flavour), though fully cooked all the way through, was nicely flaky and wasn't dry to the bite. 

Perhaps it was helped a bit by the luscious, creamy, egg yolk which, unfortunately, broke during the course of delivery.  Can't really fault the rider since the runny yolk is of such delicate nature.

There was also this drizzle of wasabi mayo over the rice but, thankfully, it was only a light drizzle.  I don't care for wasabi (I must have missed it in the description) due to its very pungent aftertaste but, luckily, this version was tolerable due to its pungency being very much reduced as it was infused with mayo.  Still, I'd rather have none of it (must remember to ask them to omit it in future re-orders).

I also tried the Nam Yue Pork Belly Don @ RM16 featuring nam yue (Chinese fermented bean curd) marinated deep fried pork belly (with a request for less fatty meat) on rice served with a sour cabbage slaw, pickled chillies, spicy sriracha mayo and a wedge of lime.

When I opened up this donburi, I was very happy to see the generous amount of nam yue pork belly chunks covering more than half the rice bowl but my happiness was short-lived as the pork belly turned out to be not sufficiently tender enough + the fatty parts were also very chewy.  Yes, there were still fatty parts (even after assuring me that they'll give me leaner parts) through no fault of theirs (what was I thinking, this is what pork belly should be like after all!).  The nam yue marination also did not stand out as I could hardly taste the nam yue.

I think the nam yue pork belly fell short because they were (in my opinion) cut into too thick chunks.  I think the marination would have been absorbed better if they were in smaller pieces which would have resulted in crispier bites.  I have eaten my fair share of nam yue pork belly from Chinese restaurants (even chap fan stalls) that I had to say tasted a lot better than this.

If you can't see the zesty, hot sriracha mayo, that's because it was hidden beneath the nam yue pork belly pieces...and there was just too little of it.  The cabbage slaw (similar to what's usually served with tonkatsu, only shredded much finer) could use with a drizzle of the sriracha mayo too so as not to make it feel like we were just eating raw cabbage.  Overall, the whole dish felt dry (perhaps if a little tub of sriracha mayo was given, it wouldn't have been so dry).  Since the nam yue pork belly didn't work for me, I think I can safely say no to their miso pork belly don too.

I paid RM7.99 for delivery (by AirAsia Food for my first order) but this was compensated by a 20% discount that was running then which came up to RM8).  When it comes to food delivery by any platforms, I'd prefer a delivery fee of RM5 (which I think is the most reasonable) and would be willing to go up to RM8 if the food was good but RM10 is the max I'd be willing to pay no matter how good the food.  So I was aghast when I learned that phonghong paid RM20 for delivery! O_o  It would take a lot of convincing for me to pay that amount for delivery.  RM8 may not sound like much but if I'm ordering only two dons, that simply means each rice bowl just cost me an additional RM4, so (in that sense) I feel it's not that worth it! >_<

The second time though I ordered directly from Don by TSF (via whatsapp) coz I couldn't fine their listing on AirAsia Food.  I was later told that they had not renewed their plan with them as they were waiting to see what the new terms were.  Anyway, the delivery charges ended up to be the same (RM8, free if you make 6 orders) but the prices (for each don) were cheaper by about RM2.  So, it's up to you whether ordering direct from Don by TSF or from AirAsia Food (when they do renew their plan with them) works better for you.  Obviously for me, if there are no promotions on AirAsia Food, then ordering direct would be the better option.  P/S: Please know that you can request for "no cutlery" (I didn't know that was an option the first time round but was asked in my second order, so I dutifully opted for none).

My Personal Opinion

Don by TSF turned out to be a wonderful recommendation....and I'm grateful to phonghongbakes for her wonderful discovery.  And yes, the portions are just right for me (actually they're pretty generous) and one donburi is good enough for average-sized appetites (it was more than sufficient to fill me up)! ^_~

The soy glazed eggplant is right there at the very top in terms of favourites for me followed closely by the chicken karaage.  These two are certainly deserving of mention (and repeats, for sure).  I wouldn't mind having the soy glazed salmon again either.....but hold the wasabi mayo, please! ;P

There will be repeat orders from them.....definitely! ^o^  In fact, I've already done so.....and I foresee there'll be more to come in the days and months ahead....but I won't be coming near any pork belly related donburi anytime soon...as there's no such thing as leaner pork belly...lol!

Don by TSF (Taste Some Food)

Danau Kota Suite Apartment

Danau Kota Komersial

No 1 Jalan 6A/6 Off Jalan Taman Ibu Kota

Taman Danau Kota Setapak

53300 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 010-422 3607

#ewew cooks Prawns with Own-Made Fresh Chilli Paste

One day, my neighbour sent me a photo through whatsapp of the prawn dish she made with her own blended chilli paste (the same neighbour who taught me to make a big batch of chilli paste and freeze it).  It looked delicious enough to make me want to replicate her dish.

So I asked her what went into her dish.  She told me she added a bit of taucu (a paste made from preserved fermented yellow soybeans) and blended it with her chilli paste.  That sounds easy enough, I thought, so I set out to cook this prawn dish with my own-made chilli paste.

Ingredients:

20 large prawns, deshelled & deveined 

1 onion, peeled & finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

3 stalks spring onions

6 tbsp chilli paste

1 tbsp taucu (or salted soybean), mashed

6 tbsp water

Oil for sauteeing

A drizzle of light soy for colour

Preparation:

Deshell and devein the large prawns (by making a slit along the back of the prawn) but leave the tails intact. Finely chop the peeled onion and garlic cloves.  Cut spring onions into 2-inch lengths and finely chop some of it for use as a garnish later.

Method:

Saute finely chopped onion in 2 - 3 tbsp of oil until soft and translucent before adding the chopped garlic.  Fry the aromatics until fragrant.

Add in the blended chilli paste (you can follow my recipe or use your own version) and another 2 - 3 tbsp of oil and fry over low heat until aromatic (chilli pastes or sambals are unfortunately very good absorbers of oil).    You will be able to smell the fragrance of the chilli paste when it's ready or (as they say) tumis sampai pecah minyak (saute until the oil separates) but it'll take at least a good 10 mins before that happens (patience is key when you want a well-cooked paste).  It's quite shocking to see the amount of oil used for cooking sambal outside...but since this is home cooking, use less oil lah when we can (even though that would mean we may not be able to see the oil separating from the paste).

When you feel the chilli paste is almost there (by the smell and the darkened colour of it), add in the taucu. You can choose to buy the soybeans whole or in paste/minced form.  I asked my dry goods seller which one tastes better and he says the whole soybeans is more fragrant.  Ok, I'll take his word for it (+ he has never steered me wrong before...heheh!).  After all, if I need it minced or in paste form, I can just chop it up with a knife.

Once the paste has come together, it's time to put in the prawns.  As you can see, I left the tails intact (a much prettier presentation) but you can certainly choose to deshell everything for easier eating.

Flip and stir the prawns around until they turn pink and opaque and are cooked through.  At this point, I poured in about 3 - 4 tbsp of water just to help with the cooking of the prawns and to create a little sauce.  I also drizzled in a bit of light soy for colour and taste.

When the prawns are about done, add in the spring onions and toss them quickly into the prawns.  It should take barely a minute to soften.  If the chilli paste gets a little dry, add in a bit more water (another 2 - 3 tbsp) just before you plate up.

Finished with a sprinkle of chopped spring onions (just because I had extras), this prawn dish with own-made fresh chilli paste is rather tasty with firm, fresh prawns that have a very slight hint of heat from the chilli paste and light saltiness from the taucu. ^o^

Having made this successfully, I ended making this dish again for our hoi nin lunch on the second day of the Lunar New Year when my sister-in-law asked me to make a dish with the balance large tiger prawns she bought (and it so happens I had some frozen chilli paste in my freezer).

Once you have a made/stored chilli paste ready, it's pretty easy to whip up any dish that requires it to be cooked with a chilli paste.  Because I used only fresh red chillies (and not many at that), it isn't spicy at all. Even children can handle the heat level of this dish but feel free to use more chillies (or bird's eye chillies) if you like it spicier.

The taucu gives the prawns its salty base but I used only 1 tbsp, so the saltiness is quite muted.  If you like your food more savoury, you can bump that up to 2 tbsp...your call! ;)

My neighbour's version had additional glass noodles in the mix.  I thought it was an odd pairing at first but still followed suit but had to abandon the idea quickly when my glass noodles (which I blanched in hot water earlier and left sitting on a dish thinking it was meant to be stir-fried with the prawns) clumped together and became a mushy blob.  I later learned from my neighbour that she steamed hers together with the prawns and chilli paste (and from choiyen.com also when she made something similar too with her steamed prawns with glass noodles).  Ah, now I know how to treat the glass noodles if I wish to include it.

Anyway, thanks to my neighbour who inspired this dish and showed me that we can freeze chilli pastes which I found so useful that I do that now regularly.  Imagine the convenience at your disposal when you can just reach out into your freezer and grab a tub of freshly blended chilli paste to cook any dish you want.  That's pretty awesome and convenient, don't your think? ^.^

Just One Food - Taiwanese Golden Sweet Potato Balls

I've been noticing this new food truck (parked opposite Restoran 9898 in Pandan Indah) for a while now (since the beginning of the year, I think).  Each time I pass by (after tapau-ing food), there always seems to be a queue at this food truck.

I didn't bother to go near to see what they were selling but, from afar, I could see it was some kind of sweet potato balls from the rather visible "Golden Potato" words on the truck.  I thought they were the common sweet potato balls sold at the pasar malam which I've eaten before.  But, one day, when I was still a little hungry after dinner, I decided to get me a little snack when I noticed there was no queue at the sweet potato truck.  Sweet.

Not knowing what they offer actually (as everything on the truck is written in Chinese), I saw they had two different coloured balls, so I asked if I could have a mix.  The food truck operator told me that it's RM5 for a portion of 10 balls.

A first glance of the sweet potato balls whilst walking back to my car, I realised that they were very thin and lightweight, unlike the sweet potato balls I know, and I had to take extra care in transporting these delicate little fragile babies home.  Seeing how they were packed (I was given the 10 balls in a small paper bag with two bamboo skewers), this is a snack that can be eaten on the go.

Only on reaching home that I noticed the words "Taiwan Hand Made" on the packaging, so I'm assuming this is a Taiwanese snack.  Well, I'm guessing that it had to be a snack from either China, Macau, Taiwan or Hong Kong based on all the Chinese wordings on the truck and in the packaging.

I got a mixture 3 orange and 7 purple/orange ones.  At first bite, it was nice and crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside (soft and warm if you eat it immediately).  What was utterly surprising was to find that the sweet potato ball had a hollow centre! :O

I wasn't expecting it to be only lightly sweet with a natural sweetness from the sweet potato, so I was very pleased indeed. ^.^  Eating them for the first time, they did remind me of our own Chinese crispy fried sesame ball (or what we call jin dui) where the texture is somewhat similar...a nice crisp crust on the outside (minus the sesame seeds) and a chewy texture on the inside (minus the peanut filling).

It had that nice sweet potato flavour though the ones with the mix of purple sweet potato had a slightly more evident sweet potato flavour than the orange-coloured ones.

I don't know how the sweet potato ball can be fried till it forms such a crisp crust but yet hollow on the inside.  It was when I googled and watched videos of how they were made that I found out it was the tapioca starch that gives it the chewy and transparent texture.  And when they're fried in oil, the sweet potato balls are continuously pressed (and flattened) but yet they pop right back up and this ultimately make them expand in size.  It's a real marvel when you witness how it's cooked actually.

I prefer the mixed purple and orange one just a wee bit more for its more pronounced sweet potato flavour but I still enjoyed the orange one tremendously nonetheless.

Although the sweet potato balls may deflate a little if you keep them for later, it still managed to retain some of that nice crisp texture when you bite into it...even after two hours.

If you bump into this snack selling at your neighbourhood pasar malam or from a dedicated food truck.....go get some fast fast!  LOL.  I can guarantee that you won't feel as guilty eating this snack (due to the light sweetness) as you would be if you had indulged in (say) doughnuts, ice cream, cendol or any sweet desserts and pastries for that matter...but I can't guarantee you'll be able to stop at 10! ^o^

Spade's Burger @ Sri Petaling

From the north (Penang) to the south (Johor) and stopping in between (Perak & Klang Valley), Spade's Burger has invaded us since 2013.  I don't really have a thing for burgers....and that's because they usually come with cheese and I'm no fan of that.  Of course, I can order them without cheese (if they don't foul up my order) though burger enthusiasts will say they just aren't the same without cheese! :O

The first time we went to try Spade's Burger at their Seri Petaling branch, we were astounded when told that they had run out of buns.  What?  Run out of buns?  How can a burger joint run out of buns?  They said the delivery of their buns had been held back to later in the evening.  We couldn't wait, so we left to look for another venue for dinner.

I ended trying Spade's Burger through delivery (which came from their Seri Petaling branch).  Of course, trying to find a burger without cheese is next to impossible.  I noted only two, Porkception (but it had sauteed pork belly which I'm not a fan of) and Phynix (but I don't fancy white sauce).  So, I made sure I just stayed clear of those that had cheese sauce and sharp cheddar.

I went with Dark Knight @ RM22.14 in a set with fries and drink (RM15.79 a la carte) coz that's one of those that didn't have the words cheese sauce or sharp cheddar in its description.  Spade's burger are known for their pork burgers, no time for chicken or beef burgers here....wuahahahaha!  It comes with a pork patty (there's an option for beef patty too), cheddar (at least not sharp cheddar), cheese crisp, caramelised bacon bits and Spade's sauce.

The pork patty that was well seasoned and juicy with a very good sear was in between some fresh, crisp lettuce and halved cherry tomatoes.  The top side of the burger was filled with the house Spade's sauce that had bacon bits in it.  It was lightly tangy and very tasty.

I left special instructions to omit the cheddar (luckily they did) and cheese crisp but it was a blessing in disguise that they forgot about the crisp cheese as I didn't know I would enjoy it so much.  It doesn't taste cheesy at all but savoury, crisp and very fragrant.  I would definitely not omit this in the future (hey, I even want more)...kekeke! ;P

Someone did mention that the charcoal bun was not fresh, nor soft and fluffy (when she ate it), but luckily, I didn't have that problem with their Seri Petaling branch (maybe that's why they ran out of buns as they ensure their buns are delivered fresh daily).  The ones I had were adequately soft and fluffy, perhaps not as soft as some others but I'll gladly accept that as they hold up very well during delivery.  I've had my share of buns that were too soft and they become soggy after absorbing the sauces to the point of almost disintegrating when you bite into them.  So, I don't mind a slightly denser texture actually as long as the bun is still fresh.

The other burger we ordered (which I didn't taste) was the 300 @ RM22.78 in a set with fries and drink (RM16.43 a la carte) which consisted of 2 x pork katsu, 2 x cheddar, bacon and teriyaki mayo.

You can make it a combo by adding fries, Spade's salad, salted egg fish skin, porkets or fried bacon strips and a soft drink (choice of Coke or Sprite, Minute Maid orange or ice lemon tea).  All the add-ons are also available as sides (in larger portions) with more choices of onion rings or salmon & chips.

The very thick cut fries (as proper fries should be) were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.  Not only were they thick cut, they were cut from very large potatoes as evidenced by some pieces as long as 6 inches. Ooo, I like them thick and large....that way the potatoes stay fluffy after they've been fried, not shrivelled and dry.

The two Spade dips provided for the fries, one is like a tangy thousand island sauce while the other is on the spicy side.  Both were good though I preferred the tangy one a bit more but because the sauces were in such tiny containers and the fries were so thick and chunky, you'd end up finishing both (maybe not even enough).

Their burgers range from pork to beef, chicken to salmon and mushrooms to veggie.  All the burgers are priced around RM12 - RM20 (for the burger alone) although do note that not all burgers that can be eaten on-site are offered in their delivery menu.  They also have seasonal burgers throughout the year and some come with rather quirky names but what they offer via delivery tend to be limited, in fact you may not even be able to get some of the burgers on their regular menu.

My Personal Opinion

As long as I stay clear of those with cheddar (especially the words sharp or gooey) or cheese sauce, I think I should be alright.  In fact, I'll be more than alright (happy even) if I stick to the ones that come with their Spade's sauce (so good)...and, for once, I don't even mind a cheese crisp (or two) in between! ^_~

Their claim of "not the best, just better" burgers is certainly conservative and non-boastful......and you know what, I have to agree with that.  I foresee there'll be more Spade's burgers delivery in the horizon! ^.^

Spade's Burger

77-1 Jalan Radin Bagus

Sri Petaling

57000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9054 4388