Antipodean @ Sunway Velocity

Visiting Antipodean @ Sunway Velocity invoked feelings of nostalgia and took me on a trip down memory lane.  That's because Antipodean was one of the very first few cafes I wrote about when I started this blog in December 2013...wow, that was 13 years ago (it felt like I've come full circle)! ^_~

Antipodean is well-known for their all-day breakfast (so you can even have it for dinner) and to still maintain a 4.7 rating (for the one at Menara Tan & Tan, the one I went to) after all these years is no mean feat and a testimony to their consistency.  The one in Sunway Velocity (which opened in January 2024) has an even higher rating at 4.9 and it's good news indeed as this one is nearer to me with other branches located in Bangsar, Mid Valley, Atria, Penang & Johor.

The very first dish I wanted to eat again was, of course, their Big Breakfast @ RM36 as I could still remember the smoky sausages that impressed me way back then.  This dish comes with fluffy scrambled eggs on artisan toast (which was extremely well toasted to crispy perfection), hash brown, sauteed mushrooms and a choice of bacon or sausage (chicken, pork or beef)...not both like what PH The Meat Lover had...lol!  Everything was exactly the same...except for the price, of course...lol!

I obviously chose their homemade pork sausage and it was fragrant and delicious, perhaps not as smoky as I remembered but still good nonetheless.  The fluffy, light scrambled eggs were cooked just right and their housemade hash brown (which I didn't appreciate as much the first time round) got more love from me this time.  I'm beginning to appreciate the extra effort in making their own thick potato patty against commercially produced hash browns.

But it was the sauteed button mushrooms that turned out to be what I enjoyed the most on the plate (too bad, PH, you didn't get to taste as you got chickpeas and tomatoes instead...hopefully you get mushrooms next time).  They were sauteed with quite a bit of (blended) parsley and chopped garlic which gave it loads more flavour.  Probably one of most well prepared sauteed mushrooms I've eaten thus far which was unlike others where the mushrooms would just be seasoned with salt and sauteed in olive oil.  Ah, I got that hint of alcoholic taste in the salad dressing that PH mentioned (I liked the acidic flavour).  It most probably came from the vinegar in the dressing since vinegar is produced from fermenting alcohol after all.

My son wanted the Fish & Chips @ RM36 featuring 2 slices of beer battered deep sea fish (couldn't tell what fish it was...could be haddock, cod, pollock, sea bass or halibut but more likely the latter two) served with chips, salad and tartar sauce.

The doubled battered fish was fried to a beautiful golden brown, crunchy on the outside with tender, flaky meat.

The thick-cut fries were crisp and fluffy and the tartar sauce was also delicious with added texture from the chopped dill pickles and finely minced shallots/onions.

You can't come to Antipodean and not order coffee, so I went for my favourite drink, an Iced Latte @ RM17 which comes served with a little cute teddy bear coffee-infused ice cube.  My teddy was kind of tilted (and sinking when it arrived) coz I was missing a bit of that milk foam on top (to help it stand better) but that was alright as it brought a bit more bitterness to my coffee which I don't mind.

It was a hot and humid evening (yes, you heard right...I had their all-day breakfast for dinner!) and my poor teddy was melting fast...faster than I can snap my photo! ;D

It was so hot and humid that Mr Teddy couldn't wait to go for a swim...hah..hah!  Teddy aside, the coffee was very good.  The coffee-infused ice cube, besides being oh-so-cute had a purpose...it helped intensify the coffee flavour as we continue to drink which was simply fantastic.

My Personal Opinion

Antipodean continues to hold its own after all these years and have remained consistent with its good coffee and good food which cements their popularity and success amidst growing competition from the many newer cafes that have sprout up over the years.

From pictures online, I noticed that their poach eggs are done differently now...more free-form instead of coming out from moulds which was my bone of contention previously.  I remember getting an email from them after my blogpost was published (what...they read my post?) that this was the only way that they could ensure consistency in their poached eggs.  Well, it looks like they've found a new way of doing it consistently now (either way, I'm glad they took my comment or perhaps it was their other diners' comments constructively).  I guess I can put that to the test on my next visit (well, it does look like it's more free-form here). ^_~

Antipodean

VS1-G-05 & VS1-01-02

Sunway Velocity Two

Jalan Peel Seksyen 90

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-4817 1395

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

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

Dragon-i @ Sunway Velocity

Dragon-i @ Sunway Velocity was the venue picked by my sister-in-law for a luncheon with extended family and close friends (of a family member) though it wasn't a gathering of a celebratory nature....but decided to post/share it nonetheless since the food turned out far better than I expected.

I've been to Dragon-i before but that was from a long time ago...and my memories about their food is that they're pretty similar to Din Tai Fung with some common sought-after specialities like siu long bao, chilled drunken chicken, pork chop fried rice, la mian and stir-fried green beans.  I was tasked with ordering (there were 17 of us split into two tables) and noted that there were a lot more new food items on the menu since I last dined there.

We begin with a dish of Sauteed Hot & Sour Shredded Potato @ RM20.80 that showcased thinly shredded fresh potatoes stir-fried with very thin slivers of green and red bell peppers and dried chillies.  It had a nice refreshing crunch with a slightly tart flavour.  Great as an appetiser to start your meal off and get your tastebuds raring for the dishes to come.

Always a safe dish to order is the Sweet & Sour Pork @ RM30.80 that appeals to everyone, well-liked by both the young and old.  It's a dish that transcends generations.  I've not come across anyone who doesn't like sweet and sour pork, have you? ;D

This rendition had crisp nuggets of pork tossed in a well balanced, not too wet, sweet and sour sauce with chunks of fresh pineapples, crunchy green bell peppers, softened tomatoes and onions that have all been cooked to the right texture.

I went with an order of Sauteed Diced Chicken with Dried Flower Chili in Szechuan Style @ RM38 (which is one of their signature dishes) instead of the usually ordered dish of sauteed diced chicken & cashew nut in Szechuan style as I felt it'd be something different from their highly popular dish.

It was the right call.  The cubes of chicken were fried till it had a very nice crunch on the outside while still tender to the bite.  It was then stir-fried with 3 types of chilli peppers of Szechuan peppers, dried chillies and cone chilli pepper as stated in the menu (though they all seemed like just dry chillies to me...lol).  It was fragrant with a good dose of spiciness (but do watch out that you don't bite into one of those chilli peppers like an uncle unfortunately did)...yikes! >.<

I chosed the Stewed Sliced Fish with Preserved Vegetables in Szechuan Style @ RM43.80 (another of their signature dishes) to fulfill the fish component of the meal.  The photo in their menu is able to showcase the dish in a much better light.  

The actual dish arrived filled with soup to the brim that you can't even see the fish slices.  The fresh and flaky fish slices were cooked with preserved vegetables, straw mushrooms and red chillies.  Not sure what fish was used...the texture felt like it was sang yue (snakehead/haruan) or toman (giant snakehead) but it could also be any type of firm, flaky, white fish like grass carp or grouper.

The broth had this tangy and very appetising note to it that I loved.  It'll open up your appetite for more and I found myself going for a second bowl of soup coz it was so good.  The preserved vegetables looked like the suan cai fish dish that phonghong (used to) bake mentioned the other day at Fish With You.  Not 100% sure if this suan cai is the same as our haam choy (salted vegetables/ pickled mustard greens) here but it tastes similar (except this one is more leafy).

A second pork dish of Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables @ RM43.80 was ordered at the request of one of the diners (an uncle).  I didn't taste the pork belly (coz I don't like fatty meat but it looked tender enough).  The preserved vegetables of mui choy was soft and well infused with the flavours of the broth but would have liked to see the sauce a little thicker (and stickier) to hang onto the meat better.

The Stewed Spinach Beancurd with Wild Mushrooms in Abalone Sauce @ RM33.80 (yet another of their signature dishes) was a dish of braised assorted mushrooms (there were shiitake, eryngii, shimeji, button & wood ear mushrooms) with fried spinach tofu, broccoli and carrots.

Although the dish was decent in taste, it was disappointing in the sense that I was expecting to see the special/different spinach beancurd but what came didn't quite look like ones shown in the menu.   I think they used normal fried silken tofu but can't be sure since I didn't get to eat any (there were very few pieces of it as you can see).

A highly popular and commonly ordered dish here is the Stir-Fried Bentong String Beans with Minced Pork @ RM28 (sorry for the not-so-ideal photo).  My gold standard for this dish has always been the one at Esquire Kitchen when I first ate it (they probably should be credited for bringing this dish to fame...hehe).  Glad to report that the one here is just as good.

Next was another soupy dish of Amaranth with Century Egg & Salted Egg in Superior Soup @ RM28.80 (also one of  their signature dishes), a two-in-one dish (of vegetable and soup) that's always welcomed.

It's a soup that warms the soul but (unfortunately) after an earlier much more tantalising soup (with fish slices), this one will obviously come up a little short.  Again, it looked nothing like the photo in the menu.  I think they served it with too much soup (too diluted) and not enough salted egg yolk.

Rounding up our meal was the final dish of Deep-Fried Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk @ RM22.80 which had thick strips of deep-fried pumpkin and there were a good 15 slices (based on the way it was stacked up like a pyramid).  It was a perfect amalgamation of sweet and savoury flavours....sweetness of the golden pumpkin with the savoury, crisp salted egg coating that was moreishly fragrant.  It was so good that an aunt asked for a second piece immediately when I was serving/distributing the golden goodness to our guests.  I've to agree with her as this was the best dish of the day for me. ^o^

My Personal Opinion

It has been a long time since I last dined here remembering that I weren't that impressed with their rice and noodle dishes before (preferring similar dishes at Din Tai Fung instead then) but am pleasantly surprised (and impressed) by the taste of what they offer now.  I guess with over 20 outlets nationwide (both Dragon-i and Canton-i) over the years, they must be doing something right.

Many restaurants standard (and taste) of food tend to dip over time but this one seems to have gotten better from what I remember (and tasted)...and that should be the way, to keep improving and not let their food go stale (and I don't mean it in the literal sense).

From what I tried, the top three dishes (for me) were the deep-fried pumpkin with salted egg yolk, stewed sliced fish with preserved vegetables and sauteed diced chicken with dried flower chilli...in that particular order!  I was told the cost of the meal (for two tables) inclusive of rice, tea and charges/taxes came up to around RM900, not cheap but the good taste of the food more than makes up for it.  I'm certainly game to return for another meal here. ^_*

Dragon-i Restaurant

Lot No 1-29 First Floor

Sunway Velocity Mall

Lingkaran SV Jalan Cheras

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9770 1588