A Gift of Caviar

Caviar, as we all know, is the roe (eggs) of a specific fish...the (wild) sturgeon fish, to be exact.  A gift of caviar.....is a gift of luxury!  Well, that is if you get real caviar (as true caviar only comes from sturgeon)! There are many different grades of caviar out there...from super expensive ones to cheaper substitutes or alternatives.  Though only sturgeon roe is considered true caviar, roe of other fish like salmon, trout or lumpfish, even whitefish, carp or paddlefish is also referred to as caviar by some.  This one I got (from Iceland) as a gift is actually lumpfish roe (also referred to as caviar).

From what I know, read and seen (on TV), one of the most prized caviar it seems is Beluga caviar (coz the Beluga sturgeon is critically endangered).  Malaysia has also become a producer of caviar of late, specifically a luxury brand called T'lur Caviar with its farm in Tanjung Malim, Perak.  Even these locally produced ones can cost hundreds of ringgit for just 30g! O_o

It's not that I'd ever get to taste real caviar anytime soon...or in my lifetime...lol!  What I do get to taste are the cheaper versions of caviar or, maybe, imitation caviar that some restaurants offer.  I remember my first ever taste of 'cheap' caviar was in the form of a starter from Victoria Station in Jalan Ampang but that was before I started blogging, so no photos were taken.  In case you're gifted a can of caviar and don't know what to do with it, let me show you just a few ways you can use them in some simple home recipes.

#1 - Caviar on Toast Points

But that appetiser in Victoria Station remained vividly in my mind that I'm able to replicate it at home.  Turns out that's the traditional way of eating caviar...with a selection of condiments like chopped hardboiled egg (some would serve the whites and yolks separately...why, I don't know, coz when it goes into our mouths, they'd be together...lol), finely chopped shallots/onions and chives with optional lemon wedges and creme fraiche.

My rendition is a little simpler with less components.  The way to eat this is you scoop a little bit of everything onto a slice of buttered toast point (a toast point is a triangular piece of bread that has been toasted with the crust cut off), top that with a bit of caviar...and take a bite! ^o^

It's very good, I tell you...biting into these tiny discs of caviar, you get this crunchy texture with a briny, salty burst of juices for a pop of sensation in your mouth.  Somewhat similar to tobiko (flying fish roe) in its crunchy texture and ikura (salmon roe) with its pop of juices.

#2 - Caviar on Crackers or Blinis

Of course, the simplest way is to put the caviar on crackers.  Some would serve it on blinis (a small, savoury pancake) together with a dollop of creme fraiche.  Creme fraiche and caviar is a classic combination that pairs perfectly well together.

I'm not sure if I've had creme fraiche before...I'm sure I've had and not know it.  Since I'm not that into cream, I omitted it (+ it's not easily found at our regular supermarkets anyway)...perhaps the higher-end supermarkets might have it.  These bite-sized lovelies are great as hors d'oeuvres or finger food for parties.

#3 - Caviar on Eggs

Besides the great pairing of creme fraiche and caviar, the other match that's perfectly made for one another is the pairing of eggs and caviar.

#3.1 - With Deviled Eggs

I'm sure many of us have seen this dish on TV or in food magazines and cookbooks.  It's pretty easy to prepare and it also makes a good appetiser or finger food for parties.

I've made this deviled eggs before...but that version was missing the luxurious ingredient of caviar, of course. I didn't even need to salt the eggs as the caviar was quite salty (which I wasn't expecting) or, should I say, taste of the sea! ;)

#3.2 - With Soft-Boiled Eggs

I once had soft-boiled eggs with black truffle shavings (and foie gras) that I thought elevated the humble soft-boiled eggs.  If a prized delicacy like truffle can do that, I'm assuming the luscious addition of caviar can do so too, and rightly so, it sure did.

This is not the kopitiam version of soft-boiled eggs, so no soy sauce, please...hah..hah.  Anyway, the caviar brings enough saltiness to the dish.  Who wants the typical kopitiam version now that I've tasted the luxurious version...and wish I can have that to start my every morning! ^_~  

#3.3 - With Scrambled Eggs

If it works with hard-boiled and soft-boiled eggs, why wouldn't it work with scrambled eggs, right?  The rather crisp tiny pearls of caviar create a nice contrast to the soft scrambled eggs.  It'll take your humble western breakfast to a Michelin star dish (lol!) and make it that much fancier.

If you're making this for friends/guests, your posh breakfast will be the subject of conversation among friends for a long time to come.  Seen here paired with some gourmet chicken garlic slices.

Sprinkle some finely chopped chives over the eggs if you have (I don't).  And yes, you can use a bit of freshly grinded black pepper with caviar as it can enhance the flavour profile of the caviar.  If the scrambled eggs look a bit less runny than usual, that's because I like my scrambled eggs cooked a bit more that way.

#4 - Caviar on Potatoes

One of the chefs on Top Chef once mentioned that caviar goes very well with potatoes.  For a cheffy rendition, it'll probably be in a dish of confit or fondant potatoes.  For the non-chefs in us, we can just pan-fry or bake the potatoes lah.

Dollop each potato rectangle with a little sour cream, mayo or creme fraiche and caviar (you can make it pretty with some strands of chives too).

#4.1 - With Potato Chips

If making potatoes is too troublesome for you, the easiest would be to use potato chips (unsalted, of course). Some (like the caviar connoisseurs) might frown upon this way of pairing caviar with potato chips but it's really good, I can vouch for that....crispy, salty, heavenly in one bite! ^.^

I think I went a bit overboard with too much caviar (for the sake of photo taking :D) on such a small, thin piece of chip...lol! :D  Just a little will do, otherwise you may end up with too salty a bite.

#5 - Caviar on Seafood or Pasta

When I think of caviar with seafood, the obvious ones that come to mind would be oysters, scallops, cured/smoked salmon, shrimps and crab cakes which I've seen on many food/cooking shows and competitions.

You can use the caviar to elevate a common appetiser like prawn cocktail to make it just a little bit more posh for your guests.  Equally as common is a dollop of caviar on top of pasta...the same way you'd see tobiko and ikura on pasta, so you know this is a winning combination also.

Overall, the caviar was good...it certainly elevated the dishes (and snacks) that I had.  I wasn't expecting the caviar to be that savoury, so I only needed to salt my dishes very lightly or not at all.  I enjoyed it the most with the scrambled eggs and soft-boiled eggs.  The bottle might look very small (100g) but a little goes a long way.

While lumpfish roe and sturgeon caviar may look fairly similar (except that lumpfish roe is really tiny unlike the larger, more luscious pearls of caviar), lumpfish roe is technically not caviar (though many such alternatives are still referred to as caviar)!  While lumpfish roe is not quite caviar, it still tasted great.  So, imagine if this was the real, luxurious, fine caviar! O_o  Due to its accessibility and affordability, you can use as much as you like...spread it on toast points, use it as a topping on your dishes (specifically eggs) or simply as a hors d'oeuvres.

So, thanks to my sister-in-law for her gift of lumpfish caviar which she got from her travels to Iceland....and even though this is not the real or super expensive caviar...it still tasted pretty darn good to me (and I wished there was more).  If I find them selling here, I would surely buy without hesitation...but, no, I googled and it's not sold here! :'(

Manjoe @ Aeon Maluri

I've not been to Aeon for grocery shopping for a while now and that's because I prefer to go to the wet market for fresh fish and chicken + there's also a pork outlet and a vegetable shop in my taman itself.

Since my last trip here, I noticed that some outlets have shrinked (in its occupied space) while a few have closed down.  But ManJoe @ Aeon Maluri, a specialist in Taiwanese dumplings which also offers Taiwan-style noodles and rice, is still around.

You can find ManJoe franchise restaurants everywhere like in The Gardens Mall, IPC Shopping Centre (Damansara), Pavilion Bukit Jalil, Aeon Kepong, Bandar Puteri Puchong, Tropicana Gardens Mall, Kota Kemuning (Shah Alam), Setia City Mall (Shah Alam), Bandar Bukit Tinggi (Klang) and Paradigm Mall (PJ) besides the one here in Aeon Maluri (but do take note that their Google review ratings can vary from between 3.5 - 4.7 depending on the branch).  So, choose your branch wisely with the high ratings coming from IPC Damansara and Pavilion Bukit Jalil to the lowest reviews from Kepong and Puchong.

I always see phonghongbakes enjoying her tomato-based soup noodles (in Rice & Pot Empire) but have never gave it a go myself (for fear that it'd be too sourish) but since I now enjoy tomato soup more than I used to, I finally decided to give it a try and ordered the Tomato Soup Chicken Meatball Noodle @ RM16.90.

What came was a gigantic bowl of tomato soup with noodles, 5 pcs of chicken meatballs and some bok choy with a sprinkling of chopped spring onions.  Chicken meatballs is also something I don't eat often enough...it's always either pork meatballs or fish balls.  I thought the texture of this chicken meatball was lovely and tasty enough (and the balls were huge too).  There's also an option for shrimp meatballs.

They were very generous with the tomato soup as it came filled to the brim in a rather big bowl.  The soup tasted very appetising with its lightly tangy-sweetish flavour and not too acidic as I was afraid it would be (that's why assam laksa is not among my favourite noodles to eat though I do eat it from time to time). Haiya, why did I wait so long before trying? I just kept drinking and drinking as it whetted my appetite further.

As for the noodles, you have an option to choose either thin, thick or hand-torn. I went with thin noodles (which is always my default and preference).  Again, I absolutely loved the texture of the noodles that were cooked just right.  I wasn't expecting to like this bowl of noodles that much.

My son had the Popcorn Chicken with Scallion Oil Dry Noodle Set @ RM20.90 and what came was a rather huge serving of food comprising of noodles, fried popcorn chicken, braised egg + tofu, soup and a chilli dip (that's obscured from view).

He chose thick noodles and I had a sample bite of the noodles once it was well tossed in scallion oil together with shredded carrot, cucumber and plenty of chopped spring onions.  The texture of the noodles was well flavoured and likeable which my son enjoyed.

The bite-sized pieces of popcorn chicken, coated in a flour and seasoning mixture and fried, were typical of any Taiwanese fried chicken in taste.  The main meal was also accompanied by a satisfactorily executed side dish of braised egg and tofu.  Certainly a value-for-money set.

You can't very well come to a place that specialises in Taiwanese dumplings (or potstickers) and not have any, right?  So, I ordered the Manjoes Pan-Fried Signature Dumplings @ RM14.90 to share.  

When it arrived, I was surprised to find them served looking more like Japanese gyoza with a super thin layer of batter on top (actually it's at the bottom-lah before it was flipped over).  It certainly did not look anything like the pic in the menu which I was expecting how Taiwanese dumplings would be served.

For the dumplings, you have a choice of signature, cabbage, chives, fresh prawn, spicy kimchi or sichuan mala for the filling and I obviously had to start with their signature.  The filling, which I believe was a filling of minced chicken (+ maybe a little prawn), was adequately tasty (though I still think a minced pork filling would have the upperhand).

The dried chilli/chilli oil lightly vinegary dip I found a bit too spicy and sharp.  I prefer to eat the dumplings on its own and I ended up eating most of it myself.  I was in top form that day...lol!  I think it was the appetising, tangy nature of the tomato soup that opened up my appetite to eat more.

On another trip there by myself, it was mid-morning (not quite breakfast or lunch), so I wanted something that wasn't quite like a main meal and this caught my eye as it looked rather inviting served in style in a boat-like shaped wooden platter.

So, I ordered the Manjoes Warship @ RM25.90 thinking I could taste every type of dumplings in one go though the serving plate didn't look as pretty as the menu pic and neither was the presentation of the dumplings themselves.

Featuring 5 types of different dumplings in flavours of original, teriyaki, mala, tartar and Thai sauce (3 pcs of each), this is a platter meant for sharing...lol!  15 pcs of dumplings might not look like a whole lot but, in the end, I couldn't finish and had to tapau some home (and cold dumplings are not enjoyable, I tell you).

Anyway, starting with the original (from the right, next to the chilli dip), this was quite similar to the earlier signature dumplings I had although the experience wasn't quite the same this time.  Next to it was the one with teriyaki sauce with a chopped spring onion topping (this combo didn't work for me).  Following that was the one with a Thai flavoured sauce with a pickled onion topping (this was the most appetising of the lost with its sweetish + sourish flavours).  The next dumpling was the one with tartar sauce topped with bonito flakes (this was the next best one in terms of taste).  Finally (on the most left) was the one with mala sauce with a thinly shredded cucumber topping (to relieve the spiciness).  This one was just spicy, not something I liked either.

The filling of the dumplings felt dry this time round.  Not only that but the skin was rather doughy too (you can notice signs of it not being completely cooked through).  If there's one thing I don't enjoy...it's thick and doughy skin.

My Personal Opinion

 

You can't come to Manjoe and not try its dumplings which is their speciality.  They're not quite the juicy, tasty dumplings I've had elsewhere (but I've to admit those were with a minced pork filling) but still satisfactory in my opinion.

What I've come to like here is their noodles in tomato soup which has me looking at tomato soup noodles in a different light coz I would usually not order such noodle soup.  This one turned out so appetising that I'm sure I'll have it again the next time I'm here.  There's also an option with golden pumpkin soup and wonder what that would taste like...maybe on my next visit, perhaps. ^_~

Manjoe (Taiwanese Dumplings)

Lot S21 Aeon Maluri

Jalan Jejaka 

Taman Maluri

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Shin Japanese Bar @ Sunway Velocity

After doing a bit of shopping in Sunway Velocity, we decided to stop by Shin Japanese Bar @ Sunway Velocity for lunch before heading home.

The restaurant offers all the comforts of Japanese food with a pretty extensive menu offering all sorts of donburi, hamburg rice, tempura, kushiyaki, teppanyaki and Japanese curry rice to name a few.

Walking in, your eyes will be immediately drawn to the teppanyaki station at the entrance and you can pretty guess that teppanyaki is probably one of their specialities here.  The other is hamburg rice judging from the many photos of the dish on Google reviews.

Up first was my son's choice of Teppanyaki Garlic Fried Rice with Sizzling Black Pepper Beef @ RM38. Looking at the sizzling plate, there seems to be more onions than beef (what to do, beef is expensive these days) together with some green bell peppers and spring onions.  He was expecting a bit more for RM38.

Having tasted a piece, I thought the overall taste was decent enough as the black pepper beef was not overcooked though it fell a little bit short for my son...not peppery enough.  I've to agree that we it can probably do with a little bit more black pepper for a more robust flavour.

The teppanyaki garlic fried rice, as the name implies, was cooked on the teppan (iron plate) itself and it was cooked with egg bits, garlic and chopped spring onions and finally topped with some corn kernels.  At least the fried rice was cooked well and it had good flavours.

Seeing that the vast majority of customers chose to try their hamburg rice (or simply put, hamburger with rice) @ RM28.90 (for beef and RM25.90 for the pork version) from Google photos, I was tempted to order it myself but I'm always weary of the beef patty being too beefy (which is usually the case at places where steaks is not their speciality).  The other factor that made me decide otherwise was that I was fortunate enough to watch videos of it being served...they first inject something into the patty with a syringe (sauce, perhaps?) and then grate lots of cheese over it (from photos it looked like omelette at the bottom)! O_o  Oh no, that swayed my decision straight away.

But it's heaven for cheese lovers...and you can also choose the Nihonthai Fire on the Cheese @ RM19.80 (a Thai version with either red or green curry besides Japanese curry)...and you can top up with even more cheese for RM12.90 and get an additional 2 sides of either chawanmushi, katsuobushi okra, ko ebi karaage or potato sarada (salad).

So I went with my one of my favourites, the Grilled Unagi Don @ RM32 a la carte (promo price of RM28.90 as part of their Super Value Lunch) on a bed of Japanese omelette and a sprinkling of shredded nori.

I actually thought the portion size of the grilled unagi was very generous based on the price.  The quality of the unagi was pretty good too as it was nice and tender, glazed with a slightly sweet teriyaki sauce on top.

The Japanese omelette underneath was also cooked very well...not over or under but with just the right fluffy texture which was a pleasure to eat.

What's even better is that you can just add RM3.90 to top up your meal with 3 side dishes of edamame, miso soup and watermelon.  I was feeling a bit hungry, so I decided to get the add-on.

My Personal Opinion

It was a nice lunch and the food was undoubtedly decent enough from the two dishes we had the chance of trying that day.  I wouldn't mind returning again to try other dishes.

Certainly a nice addition to my list of teppanyaki places when I'm looking for one of my favourite ways of cooking a meal in a Japanese restaurant! ;)

Shin Japanese Bar

V03-01-01 Sunway Velocity

Lingkaran Sunway Velocity

Cheras

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 012-467 8388