Sangkaya @ Damansara Uptown

After a more than pleasurable brunch at Fork D World and our caffeine intake taken care of at Beam, we still had a bit of time on our hands before going our separate ways for dinner.  So, to keep our budget for the day in check, we thought we'd go for some (cheap) ice cream! ;)

 

We landed ourselves at Sangkaya @ Damansara Uptown which is, of course, well known for its premium coconut ice cream.  This franchise seems to be opening up everywhere these days.  [#Note: I read in the papers (themalaymailonline) that the owners actually got into this business of coconut ice cream by chance when their plan was actually to open a place selling bread and kaya (coconut jam) but later realised that the market for that was too competitive (and, along the way, they researched about the coconut which is one of the ingredients of kaya).  So, I'm not sure if the name has anything to do with their intention to be in the "kaya" business or that they stuck with the name because it also means "rich" (or "a rich person") which is what they'll be when their business succeeds.]

 

Here are the available toppings for your ice cream....roasted coconut flakes, roasted peanuts and nestum cereal.

 

Also available......cornflakes, sweet corn and kidney beans (that needs refilling asap...it's so bare or is it their ploy to keep us from taking too much.....hee...hee)!

I ordered the Signature @ RM10.50 with 4 scoops of ice cream and 3 toppings served in a fresh coconut husk.  It also comes in Cup (with 3 scoops and 1 topping @ RM7.30) or Cone (with just one scoop @ RM3.10).  Selected toppings were cornflakes, sweet corn and cereal.  When you get to the bottom of the ice cream, you'll find pieces of fresh coconut flesh as well....yum!  Just know that the 4 scoops of ice cream ain't very big...it just looks huge in photos only because of the close up shot! :D

The ice cream had a nice, clean taste with a good enough (but not intense) coconut fragrance...just not as creamy as other ice creams (since no dairy is involved in the making as it's made with undiluted fresh coconut milk (but suitable for vegans since it's dairy-free).  It's smooth and refreshing, with its natural coconut sweetness, but probably not for those who like their ice creams really creamy).  Though some in my eating party did mention that it was not as good as the ones they ate in Bangkok (well, I wouldn't know since I've not eaten it there before).

 

Sangkaya now also serves the Thai milk tea infused ice cream.  This is the 'Cha Yen' Cup @ RM7.30 (with one topping) which comes with three scoops of Thai milk tea infused ice cream (RM3.10 for one scoop on a classic waffle cone).  I actually forgot about the one topping limit and accidentally put in three...kidney beans, sweet corn and roasted coconut flakes....oops!  Anyway, what's with the toppings limit....tsk...tsk!  We should be allowed to put whatever topping we want, after all, we won't be putting in too much so that the ice cream can still shine ;)
 

This 'cha yen' flavoured ice cream, I didn't like.  It did taste like Thai iced milk tea but, for me, it should be left as it is.....a drink!

I also got a glass of their all-natural Coconut Water @ RM5.20 with no added sugar.  It was naturally sweet with an intense coconut flavour and tasted exactly like the Thai fragrant coconuts that I buy to drink and make jellies.  They also have the Coconut Shake which is made up of fragrant coconut water blended in ice with coconut flesh and topped with a scoop of their premium coconut ice cream which we didn't try.

My Personal Opinion

If you have a weakness for all things coconut, then you're bound to enjoy this freshly churned ice cream.  It makes for a very refreshing treat on a hot day, that's for sure, but I'll stick with just the coconut ice cream flavour here though. 

A word of advice, eat it fast as it melts rather quickly!

Sangkaya (Coconut Ice Cream)

No 80 Ground Floor Jalan SS21/39

Damansara Utama

47400 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: 012-283 0249
 

#ewew cooks Sweet & Sour Chicken by Urban Stove

After my earlier two meals of Crispy Seabass with Tomatoes & Capers in Butter Sauce and Beef Shepherd's Pie with Mixed Salad, I've finally come to the last meal pack in my dinner box by Urban Stove.

After two western inspired dishes, this last one is one of the most common Chinese dishes that's a rather popular order at Chinese restaurants or "tai chow" places....Chinese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken with Steamed Rice though I favour the pork and fish version more! ;D

Meal 3 - Chinese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken with Steamed Rice
 

The nicely measured portions of food that have been properly sealed and labelled.

The Ingredients:

 

Chicken, onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, pineapple, cucumber, sweet and sour sauce, corn flour and rice grains.

 

The Prep Needed:

Cut the onion, red and green bell pepper, pineapple and cucumber (core removed) into cubes.

 

Season the chicken (which I cut in half into smaller bite-sized pieces).  Coat chicken in egg (your own) and cornflour mixture (the recipe says one egg but I used only half which was more than enough for the portion of chicken).

 

The Cooking:

 

This is the recipe card for the dish with simple to follow instructions.

First, you need to boil the rice, of course.
 

Then, fry the chicken pieces.

 

Finally, make the sweet and sour sauce (I actually used only half the sauce)....and toss everything together.

 

Here's my Chinese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken with Steamed Rice for two.

 

You can always add-on an extra fried egg for a more fulfilling meal.

 

My thoughts on the dish:

 

The messiest cooking of the three recipes because of the deep frying process but a relatively easy recipe to nail as well.  I've never made anything sweet-sour before since I don't know how to balance the sauce until I got this ready-made one.

I found the chicken pieces tender and the taste of the sweet and sour sauce to be more than decent although one would think that RM38 for a plate of sweet and sour chicken is rather pricey (as I can easily get one from a "tai chow" place for a lot less).  But knowing that I can replicate this dish again (with the balance half of the sauce) does take the sting out of the price...just a bit ;)

 
If you're a non-Chinese and you've made this Chinese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken, I think you'll be quite pleased with yourself.

 

MY OVERALL THOUGHTS

After cooking all 3 meals in Urban Stove's dinner box, this is what I think.

Pricing

RM19 for a meal seems reasonable taking into consideration the shopping, prepping, packing and delivering the food to our doorstep.  More so when the menu choices are western inspired dishes like crispy seabass and shepherd's pie.  But not when the choices are simple to prepare salads or simple stir-fry dishes like sweet and sour chicken.  Of course, if we were to buy the ingredients individually, it may come up to be more expensive (for example, we may only need a small piece of red bell pepper but we need to buy the whole red bell pepper).  And we mustn't forget that we can also easily get a pre-packaged salad or a sweet-sour chicken dish from a "tai chow" place for a lot less.

Packaging
The overall box and insulation is excellent but the individual packing of the food items can be improved (although each piece of vegetable was individually wrapped in cling film...maybe they could look into compartmentalised boxes).  May need to rethink on how to pack fresh salad leaves to ensure they stay crisp.  Also more care needed on the packing of soft vegetables in plastic bags (so that they don't get squished) and/or the vacuum-packed cooked vegetables (to retain optimum freshness).  The packing of sauces in sealed plastic bags is the right move as this will be leakage-proof.

Produce
Definitely pleased with the freshness of the produce, especially the fish and meats.  The freshness of some of the vegetables (or the possibility of it staying in its prime over 3 - 5 days is questionable though).

Portions
The portions were nicely sufficient for each person...not too light and not too heavy.  Great healthy meals for weight-watchers who want to exercise portion control and not overeat like when they dine outside.

Cooking
The proteins do keep very well (in the fridge or freezer) but the vegetables deteriorate a lot faster.  So, I would suggest that you cook your meals quickly (within 2 - 3 days if possible).  As for the recipes, they're simple enough to follow even for a novice cook but the degree of success depends on you as a cook (even if you don't cook regularly or not very good at it but as long as you've cooked before, you should be alright).
 

What I hope to see from Urban Stove moving forward?
 

More western inspired dishes
This would make RM19 seem like a more reasonable price to pay for a similar dish that could come out of a cafe's menu.

More complex dishes and sauces

I'd like to see more complex recipes with more complex (pre-prepared) sauces that I can't possibly know how to make.  This way, I'm more willing to pay RM19 for something I can't make + it'll also be difficult for us to replicate the dishes on our own (without knowing how to make the sauce).  Some possibilities that I can think of...good sauces for steaks and chicken chops.....or even possibly a good beef rendang mix or a curry chicken paste.

 

More choices on the weekly menu
I had difficulty selecting 3 out of 5 as it was really limited.  Especially so when you have picky eaters in your family.

 

Different prices for different dishes
Instead of limiting us to preset combinations, I'd rather pay a little bit more for the dish that I truly want.  This could pave the way for them to (maybe) incorporate pricier proteins (like steaks, fish, squid and prawns) into their menu and give us the choice to select the higher priced meals if we want.

Option for single meals
Although Urban Stove will be launching their Family Plan (for 4 pax), I'd like to see them offering single meals too.  This is welcomed if you happen to have picky eaters in your family.  Plus, I think there's a real market for single meals....for singles who still want a gourmet meal but can't go out to a nice restaurant (coz they're...well...single and without a 'date' or probably too shy to eat out alone)! :D

Will I order more dinner boxes from Urban Stove?
 

Yes, if I come across a menu (with western inspired dishes) that I like but I don't think I'd be willing to pay this price for a salad or a simple stir-fry dish with steamed rice (which I can easily make myself).  Also, at such prices, this could probably be a non-regular thing but certainly a good choice when we want a restaurant-grade meal (sometimes) at home.

My favourite was definitely the crispy seabass which I wouldn't mind re-ordering for sure.  The shepherd's pie, I'm not so keen on and the sweet and sour chicken, I probably wouldn't mind having again.

At the end of the day, cooking in the comfort of your home and getting to enjoy a home-cooked, restaurant-quality meal is what this Urban Stove experience is all about....and, along the way, I picked up some cooking tips too.

So, if you don't want to worry your little head over what to cook or how to cook, turn to Urban Stove.....your friend in the kitchen......and your 'ticket' to a gourmet-like meal at home!
 

Finally.....I've reached my 100,000 hits!

Well, what do you know?  I've seemed to have finally reached my 6-digit mark.....my 100,000 hits!  It took forever to get here.....but I'm finally here!  Woohoo!! ;D

Anyway, I like to record the 'baby' steps my blog has taken (purely for my own reference) to see how far I've come....and how I've gotten there!  I've written a post for each of my 'mini' milestones so far (heck, I've even written one for My First 10,000 Hits)....and this is just one more to add to the bunch.

Okay...okay.....it's not great statistics for a blog after 1 3/4 years of blogging....but it's still another milestone for me.  For a blog that started out as purely a hobby to pass time and one that doesn't 'advertise' on any social media platform to drive 'traffic' (except for the occasional posting on some of the restaurants' facebook when they wish to share what I wrote), I'm pretty happy with the rate of my hits....."boleh-lah"! ;D

But a blog is more than just the number of hits one gets and, for me, it's more about sharing the stories of my food experience (if there's one to tell) and writing what I love that matters.
 

I remember when I first started, I had a paltry 30 hits a day but now it's inching towards 500...and I wouldn't have gotten there if not for all your continuous support....so, thank you!!!

Knowing that you visit my blog (some regularly) and derive some enjoyment or benefit (however small) reading my posts is the very motivation I need to keep blogging.  So, do come and visit.....I'll be right here waiting for you! ;)

Dare I say to meet me at my next milestone?.....my 1,000,000 hits, perhaps?  It'll be a long road to get there...I'm not even sure if I'll still be actively blogging then~~~:D

But, at the end of the day, blogging is not about how many posts I've written or how many page views I get....it's not the destination that counts but the journey to get there...so, I'm just going to enjoy the ride (while it lasts)!!

Let me end with a screen shot of this (I can't help it, I "ngam ngam" clicked my blog and caught this)......now set in stone....kekekeke!! XD

 

#ewew cooks Beef Shepherd's Pie by Urban Stove

After a satisfying meal of Crispy Seabass with Tomatoes and Capers in Butter Sauce, I'm on to my next meal in the dinner box I bought from Urban Stove.

 

Meal 2 - Beef Shepherd's Pie with Mixed Salad

 

All the food items for this dish arrived properly portioned, packed, sealed and labelled.

The Ingredients:

Minced beef, mashed potatoes, mixed salad leaves, garlic, onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar.

The Prep Needed:

 

Dice the carrot, onion, celery and garlic.

The Cooking:

Again, it came with a recipe card with simple to follow instructions.
 

To make the pie filling, I had to saute the minced beef with the diced up carrot, onion, celery and garlic together with tomato paste (I think it needed a bit more tomato paste) and a little water until the gravy thickens.  But, because the recipe didn't specify the quantity of water, my vegetables could have been softer though.

 

Pour the cooked mince and vegetables into a baking dish and spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top and fluff it with a fork (extra step - I sprinkled some seasoning over the potato mash).

Bake in an oven at 180C for about 10 minutes (I left it in the oven for a further 5 minutes) until the mash was lightly golden brown.

A side of mixed salad tossed in the balsamic vinegar dressing provided.

 

This is the Beef Shepherd's Pie with Mixed Salad ready for serving. 

 

I scooped half of the Beef Shepherd's Pie.....

 

.......and served it with some Mixed Salad for a one-person portion.  For better presentation, I would suggest that you bake these in two separate ramekins for an individual portion each.

 

My thoughts on the dish:

 

The flavour of the cooked mince was pretty pleasant but the mashed potatoes were not as smooth as I had hoped (a bit lumpy actually) and lacking in the flavour department (even though I added seasoning to it which wasn't suggested in the recipe).  The salad leaves were slightly limp though the balsamic vinegar dressing was satisfactory.

 

The portion size for the Beef Shepherd's Pie was really generous for two but the Mixed Salad can be easily consumed by one.  I had a bit of a difficulty finishing my portion towards the end.  If you're a big meat eater, this dish will be more than sufficient for you.

 

In terms of the cooking, this one was really easy compared to the previous dish of crispy seabass though the result was not as satisfying.  If they had provided a bit more tomato paste and made a smoother potato mash, this could have been a more successful dish.  But, then again, if not for Urban Box, I'd probably wouldn't have known where to begin to make a Beef Shepherd's Pie.

My Overall Thoughts

My concluding comments on Urban Stove's dinner box will be in my next post!  Up next.....Meal 3 - Chinese-style Sweet and Sour Chicken with Steamed Rice.

 

#ewew cooks Crispy Seabass by Urban Stove

Get ready for my restaurant-quality Crispy Seabass with Tomatoes and Capers in Butter Sauce.....with a little help, of course! ;D

I first got whiff of this through Sean's blog and was genuinely excited at the prospect of cooking and enjoying gourmet-like food in the comfort of my home.

I'm talking about Urban Stove's concept of home cooked food, without the hassle.  What more can one ask for when....

 

.....1)  they create the recipes

.....2)  they source the fresh ingredients (all properly measured and packaged)

.....3)  they deliver it to your doorstep
.....4)  you cook and enjoy the meal in the comfort of your home

So, what better incentive to sign up for their pre-launch deals from 12 - 15 August than an offer of a 30% discount, right?  I keyed in the voucher code eatdrinkkl to be eligible for the 30% discount (I could also have used the code MyFirstOfficialUSBox offered by Urban Stove themselves).  They were officially launched on 17 August with first deliveries shipped out on 26 August.

Each dinner box contains 3 meals for 2 pax (Couple Plan) and costs RM115 (making the price per meal @ RM19 per person).  So, for the pre-launch promotion, I only paid RM80.50 (or RM13 per person) thanks to eatdrinkkl.

I then got down to ordering my meals.  You need to select 3 from the 5 meal choices available in their weekly menu which were:

1)  Crispy Seabass with Tomato & Capers in Butter Sauce
2)  Chicken Piccata
3)  Chinese-style Sweet & Sour Chicken with Steamed Rice
4)  Cajun Chicken Salad
5)  Beef Shepherd's Pie with Mixed Salad

Initially, I chose 1, 2 & 5 but that wasn't possible as not all combinations are permitted (to ensure consistent pricing but what that actually meant was you can't choose all the pricier meals....hee...hee)!  So, I went with 1, 3 & 5.

Next, you choose your preferred delivery day (Tuesdays to Fridays) and time.  For delivery to business addresses, there's only one time slot (9am - 12pm).  For residential addresses, you can choose from 3 delivery time slots (9am - 12pm, 12pm - 3pm or 3pm - 6pm).

What was supposed to start off as a wonderful experience got off on the wrong foot unfortunately....my delivery was late by an hour but that was not the issue as I can forgive the late delivery.  What pissed me off big time was the attitude of the delivery guy who called me numerous times to say he can't find my place.  Well, that's not my problem, is it?  You're the courier professional, you should find my place!  I gave him the easiest landmark but he still had no idea.  In the end, he told me that he's at a bank and, at that point, I was so furious I just told him I'd retrieve the dinner box from him there.  As I drove out, it started to pour and, needless to say, I got wet trying to retrieve a box which was supposed to be delivered to my doorstep!  Aaarrrgghhhh!!  [#P/S: Kudos to the Urban Stove's quick response to my email of complaint in less than an hour.  This clearly showed that they sincerely wanted to improve and provide the best service and food for their valued customers.]

That incompetent delivery guy took all the fun out of what otherwise would have been an overwhelming excitement of opening the box.  Anyway, this is how the dinner box looked like when it arrived. 

The box seems well insulated and contained ice packs (at the bottom) to keep everything fresh (for 12 hours according to their website) except that some of the plastic bags containing the food items were a bit wet due to condensation.

Inside the box, you'd find a welcome letter from Urban Stove as well as recipes for the meals with simple to follow instructions.

Since the ingredients can last 3 - 5 days in the refrigerator, that would mean you may have to cook whatever is in the box within 3 days for optimum freshness.  I refrigerated all my meals immediately (incidentally, the meat and fish come frozen) and cooked the first one the following day.
 

Meal 1 - Crispy Seabass with Tomato, Capers & Butter Sauce
 

All the food items were nicely portioned and packed...and properly sealed and labelled too (but, for some reason, the brown paper bag that contained the vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, lemon, shallot and parsley was very wet at the bottom, so much so that the bag gave way at the bottom).

The Ingredients:

Seabass fillets, potatoes (already parboiled), cherry tomatoes (a few were squished), capers, shallots, parsley, fish stock, unsalted butter and lemon wedge.

The Prep Needed:

Season the seabass fillets.

 

Halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the shallots and chop up the parsley.  This is the curly parsley which I find has no flavour (it's more for decoration purposes).  I would have preferred if they had given flat-leaf parsley instead.

The Cooking:
 

Just follow the simple instructions on the recipe cards.

The key to success of this dish is the cooking of the seabass fillets to ensure the fish is cooked perfectly with a crispy skin.  The fish is quite delicate so extra care is needed in the frying process.  The extra step I took was that I dusted a bit of flour over the skin to ensure it crisps up perfectly and does not stick to the pan. 

 

The already parboiled potatoes just needed reheating and seasoning.  I decided to cut it into chunks so that there'd be more surface area to absorb the seasonings.  The recipe said to toss in some olive oil but I added a bit of butter for a more buttery finish.  [#Note: I've only tossed two potatoes here coz I pan-fried the other two potatoes to crisp them up for my son who doesn't like parboiled potatoes.]

To make the sauce, simply follow the recipe and the sauce is done!  Easy peasy :)

The dish is ready for plating up....place your seabass on top of a bed of cooked cherry tomatoes with your boiled potatoes (and garlic rusks, that's extra) next to it and drizzle more sauce around the dish.

Here's my Crispy Seabass with Tomatoes and Capers in Butter Sauce.  Now, doesn't that look like a dish right out of a restaurant's menu? ;)

 

And this is my son's version of crispy seabass, topped with fried garlic, with pan-fried potatoes and extra (store-bought) garlic rusks on the side but without the tart tomatoes and capers sauce (which he chose not to put on his plate).

My thoughts on the dish:

When cooking the fish, watch out for some splattering....it's expected, after all, you're pan-frying in oil.  But you'll be more than pleased with the result, so the effort will be worth it.

I was happy with the dish...I would have preferred the parboiled potatoes to be a bit softer as they were a little under.  Other than that, everything else was alright...the fish skin was nicely crisped, the flesh was flaky and juicy...and definitely fresh.  I liked the slightly tart lemon-infused cherry tomato sauce with capers.  It made for a light, clean, refreshing taste with the seabass for a healthy meal.  So, if you're not a fan of all things tart, hold back on the capers and lemon juice in the sauce. 

I found the portion size just nice for me as I was fully satiated (with the addition of some garlic rusks) at the end of the meal.  A great dish for those who want to exercise portion control but may not satisfy a bigger eater (so, feel free to add on more potatoes, garlic bread or even a side salad). 

So, I'd gladly pay RM19 per person for this meal....good dish, clean taste, reasonable portions, fairly simple to execute! ;)

 

My Overall Thoughts

I shall provide my overall assessment of Urban Stove's meals only after I've cooked all 3 meals in my dinner box, so stay tuned for that!  Coming up next.....Meal 2 - Beef Shepherd's Pie with Mixed Salad :)