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SurF tHis SitE RaNdoMly

Black Canyon Restaurant

>> Monday, May 31, 2010

I haven't written for a LONG time (again)!

PerutBesi is VERY happy that she has finally completed TWO exams in TWO weeks! I'm done with my Certified Professionals in Requirements Engineering - Foundation Level (CPRE) paper last Friday & I just took my Certified Testers - Foundation Level (CTFL) paper this morning :D *wheee........* Finally, no more exams *keeps fingers crossed* I sure hope to pass BOTH the papers!

Here's to share with all of you one of the many "back-logged" posts :P You have to forgive me for the delay! Hahaha :D Enjoy!

*****
Venue: Black Canyon Restaurant, Putrajaya
Occasion: Movie night!
Overall comment: PerutBesi is satisfied! At last! Some proper & good food at Alamanda Shopping Centre!
Halal: Yes

Total bill = RM42.85 for 3 persons (including service charge + gov tax)

The nearest cinema to our office is at the Alamanda Shopping Mall in Putrajaya. Frankly speaking, there's nothing really interesting to eat at that mall. We often have a hard time deciding on what to have for lunch/dinner, but this time around, we spotted a "new" food outlet at the food court area & decided to give it a try.

Black Canyon Restaurant & Coffee House opened an outlet here in Putrajaya. The other 2 outlets that I am aware of are in Klang & Kuantan. I've heard from Aaron that Black Canyon's food is pretty good (the Kuantan outlet), so I told Alex & Rao that we'll try this place out for a change :)

The restaurant
The place surely looks new & is quite spacious. I'm quite pleased with the ambiance & what's more pleasing is the reasonable price of food (as compared to many other food outlets at Alamanda)

Food Menu
Black Canyon offers a wide variety of fusion food, which are quite interesting. Being a fan of pasta & Thai food at the same time, PerutBesi was just too delighted to be here :)

Drinks Menu
One of Black Canyon's tag line is "A drink from Paradise...available on Earth". Ah, go figure how great their drinks are. I find it satisfactory, considering the fact that I didn't try their coffee at that time. I reckon they do have pretty good coffee to begin with, since it's a beverage that the outlet boasts.

Hot Tea (RM4.50/cup)
Rao tried their hot tea, which wasn't much to shout about. The only unique thing Black Canyon offers was the additional mini cup of alphabet biscuits! So cute...hahaha...but who dips biscuits into their tea? :S If it's coffee, I would understand la :P

Dinner Deal (RM12.95/set)
When you're too lazy to browse through the entire menu thoroughly to pick your desired meal, the best is when the restaurant offers a simple "Set Meal" menu! I'm somehow attracted to such things - it's fast, simple, & it's usually value for money. Each Dinner/Lunch Deal ("Lunch Deal" is applicable throughout the day) comes with a drink/watermelon juice, a main course, & a small bowl of tom yam soup (for "Dinner Deal"), & a set starts from RM9.90 onwards.
By the way, their juice is actually quite delicious. I reckon it's pure watermelon juice (but I may be wrong) :)

American Fried Rice "Dinner Deal" Set
The set isn't too bad. For those who prefer rice with a 'Western touch', this could be your pick!

Mini Bowl of Tom Yam
Frankly speaking, I quite like their tom yam. It's not too sour, nor too spicy, with a tinge of sweetness. There's coconut/evaporated milk in the spicy soup, which gives the soup some added thickness, & the added "limau purut" leaves, lemongrass, & other condiments gave the soup a lovely fragrance :)

"Lunch Deal" - Stir-Fried Spaghetti with Chicken Ham (RM9.90/set)
I think this is the stir-fried spaghetti with chicken ham set. I don't really enjoy the taste as it's alike the "mee goreng mamak". Not that I don't like "mee goreng mamak", but having that sorta taste with spaghetti just doesn't click.

"Lunch Deal" - Fussili Tom Yam (RM9.90/set)
I enjoyed this very much :D It's like the best of pasta has finally met the best of the Thai tom yam! The serving was quite generous & there was quite a good portion of diced chicken meat, mushrooms, & fresh tomatoes. PerutBesi likes :)

The ingredients that gave the tom yam its lovely fragrance!
By having ALL these in ONE bowl of tom yam pasta, you can bet that the tom yam tastes good :)

Tempted to try this place out whenever you come across one of their outlets? I sure hope all the outlets serve equally satisfying food :)

Do stay tuned with PerutBesi! Since I'm done with my exams, I sure hope to be able to find motivation & time to blog consistently again!!


Black Canyon Restaurant
Lot No.22, Rasa Food Arena

LG 72 & 74, Alamanda Shopping Centre

Precinct 1, 62000 Putrajaya.

Tel:
(+603) 8890 2328



Ratings:

Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * * 1/2
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:





- Ruth

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Crazy Day Trip to Sungai Petani

>> Sunday, May 23, 2010

Date: 23 May 2010, Sunday
Venue: Sungai Petani, Kedah Darul Aman
Occasion: To collect a good bargain of an electronic drum kit from a seller in Sungai Petani (and of course to at least try out some food there!)

Our mission: Roland TD-9KX V-Drums V-Tour Series

Aaron came down from Kuantan to KL specifically on a mission to collect his new 'toy' from a seller in Sungai Petani, Kedah. The distance from KL to Taman Lagenda in Sungai Petani is at least 374km (while the distance from Kuantan to KL is approximately 259km). It was a crazee decision to drive up all the way to collect the drum kit, but to him, it was worth every single km. He had the option to either pay RM500 for the transportation fee for the drums (without having a glimpse of it before purchasing), or go there to see it for himself before buying it, & without a doubt, he chose the latter.

We left for Sungai Petani (SP) around 6:15am, & oh, it was a lovely & exciting journey :) (albeit a tremendously insane one) With just a small ice box of chilled coffee & milo + a bag of water, bread, home-made tong sui & some sweets, we were off on our mini adventure for the day!!

Here's just to share with all of you on our journey there & the ONE meal that we had in SP before leaving for KL again (as he had to drive back to Kuantan after a short rest in KL).


Before dawn: 6:37am
On the North-South highway...Good morning, Malaysia! What a Sunday morning!!

Morning has broken: 6:54am
The lovely painted sky :) Pweeety!

Mist-erious: 6:54am

Shifting Clouds & Colors: 6:55am

The morning journey on the North-South highway is indeed a spectacle to behold :)


On the way into Perak: 6:57am
I thought this was quite a "majestic" sight

Hello Ipoh!: 7:52am

This is some sign of hope that we're on the right track up north!

Of Hills & Lovely Weather: 7:58am

I enjoy the scenic view on the North-South highway. Have some good music playing in the background, some fun chatters, & you're off on an exciting road trip! :D

First Sight of Kedah: 9:36am

Paddy-fields!! Me like! Hello Kedah!! :D

Finally arrived at Sungai Petani: 9:53am
We were only driving around in the car, so this was one of the few photos I could snap (which is clear) from the inside of the car.

City Center's Clock Tower: 9:58am
The clock is still functioning! Whoa...

Upon arrival at Sungai Petani (SP), we headed straight to the seller's house to test out the drums. After testing it out & finding it satisfactory, we packed up the drums, paid, & left for lunch - the one & only outside-meal that we had for the entire trip!!


Interesting-Looking HSBC Building

Parking Ticket on a Sunday =.="
Sunday is a weekday in Kedah, so we had no choice but to purchase a parking booklet for RM3.00, using just ONE of the tickets, & giving the rest away to some passerby when we left SP.

Lunch at hawker center behind the SP Bus Terminal, Jalan Petri

This was one place where I read had pretty good ice blended peanut, red bean, corn, & the alike. There's also reasonably good SP assam laksa around this area. I was looking high & low for this stall, & finally found it. It's a corner shop, behind the bus terminal, facing the river. Just look for Stall #59, Chung Choon Kooi.

Ice Blended Peanut & Ice Blended Red Beans @ Stall #59 (RM1.80/glass)
Simple, delicious, & very delightful on a hot, humid day. It's not too sweet, so I kinda enjoyed it. You can really taste the peanut+milo+milk (not sure about the red bean as our new-found friend, the guy who sold us the drums, had that. Yes, we invited him to a simple lunch with us :D). I still can't forget the peanut snow mountain at Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant at The Gardens beside Mid Valley, but hey, this glass of ice blended costs 1/4 the price of peanut snow ice at Fong Lye!

SP's Assam Laksa @ Stall #59 (RM2.00/bowl)
It's certainly not the best. The assam laksa soup was a little bland/"flat" in my personal opinion. The balance of the sour+spicy is quite alright, but perhaps what's really missing (that gives the "umph" to the noodles) is the smelly kampung fish! I wasn't able to locate the better assam laksa recommended by other foodies (at 2nd street...wherever is that???!) as we were rushing for time to head back to KL so that we'll have some time to rest.

Map to Stall #59 behind the SP Bus Terminal

View PerutBesi in a larger map


See you again, Sungai Petani!: 1:39pm
The sight of paddy fields on both sides of the highway in Kedah brings great delight to a city girl like me...hahaha...I enjoy the country-side :) Sometimes I wonder if I'm a kampung-girl stuck in a city as I am really a "village-girl" at heart!

By the time we arrived back at KL, it was 5+pm. Oh, we were a little tired, but the excitement was still present when we landed home. What a Sunday; what a road trip; what an adventure! This surely brought more colors to my day :)

Rainbow!! - A Glimpse of Greater Hope & Assurance :)
This is a random photo. I just saw it yesterday (22 May 2010) on the way to Mydin at USJ1. It's been a terribly long time since I caught the sight of a rainbow. It made my day! :D

When was your last road trip?

Perhaps it's time to pack up some simple food & drinks & drive your way to the neighbouring states where you live ;)


The Happy-Bunny,
Ruth

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PJ Old Town Market Ice Kacang

>> Saturday, May 22, 2010

Fancy something on a "sizzling-hot" day?

Ice kacang is your ultimate answer!! :D

*****
Venue:
Stall #48, Medan Selera, Old Town Wet Market, Petaling Jaya
Overall comment: One of the best (most 'authentic') ice kacangs that you will ever find in the PJ area. It's VERY different from the ones you get from the Indian rojak stall & the Chinese coffeeshops. If you like your ice kacang with brown sugar/gula Melaka, this may be for you!
Halal: Yes (as confirmed by a Muslim blogger buddy)

I've had various kinds of ice kacangs, but I personally feel that none can be compared to this one at the Medan Selera beside the Old Town wet market in PJ. Somehow, there's a "special touch" to this ice kacang.

I prefer my ice kacang to be coated with brown sugar instead of the pink/red syrup (which is commonly found on most ice kacangs, whether it's Malay, Chinese, or Indian style). This one doesn't only have the brown sugar, but it's also has coconut milk covering the mount of ice shavings - looks like some snow mountain/volcano!

I found out that most foodies have blogged about the ice kacang at Stall #46 instead. I've tried both & I personally prefer Stall #48's (right side of the Thong Kee Restaurant/Stall). You can go ahead to try out both ;)


Stall #48's Ice Kacang (around RM1.80/bowl)
If you're not into something too sweet, I personally feel that this is THE ice kacang for you (I don't really fancy sweet stuff). The brown sugar + coconut milk mixture gives a pleasant fragrance to the simple ice shavings. Furthermore, the ice shavings here are extremely fine that it feels like putting a spoonful of silky smooth, ice-cold dessert into your mouth. Oo-la-la...

Hidden Gems
Beneath the "volcanic snow mountain" hides a mine of gems! You'll get to uncover a generous serving of fragrant peanuts, black grass jelly/cincau, red ruby jelly, cendol, sweetened & pastey red beans, golden corn, & if I'm not mistaken, there was also the atap-chee (atap seeds)! If you're not a fan of any of the hidden gems, you could request to not have it in your ice kacang; simple as that :)

Map to Stall #48's Ice Kacang in PJ Old Town

View PerutBesi in a larger map

If you're around the area, come by to try the ice kacang :) The food court is certainly very hot & humid in the afternoon, but the cooling ice kacang does the trick pretty well to cool you down in a jiffy. The stalls here are opened from morning, some before 8am, all the way 'til at night. I can't recall if Stall #48 opens until at night, but it's certainly still opened during tea time around 4pm :) (as what I remembered last)


Stall #48
Medan Selera
Old Town Wet Market
Petaling Jaya.


Ratings:

Presentation: * * *
Price: * * * 1/2
Environment: * * 1/2
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:





- Ruth

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Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant

>> Thursday, May 20, 2010

Venue: Fong Lye Restaurant, The Gardens
Occasion: Dinner with parents to celebrate mum's birthday
Overall comment: Lovely food, though I feel that the serving is a tad small. The place is packed even on Friday nights, so make sure you're there early :) Oh ya, the prices of food there are actually quite expensive, but worth eating from time to time la...
Halal: No

Total bill = RM83.15 for 3 persons

Since my first visit to a Taiwanese restaurant in Sunway Pyramid (Xian Ding Wei) several months ago, some of my blogger friends recommended me to try out Fong Lye instead. Taking the opportunity of my mum's birthday last month, I drove both my parents to The Gardens on the Friday of my mum's birthday.

Horror of horrors, there's a queue! *contemplates Plan B*


Anyways, one plus point for Fong Lye is that they have a 'waiting area' for their customers. Not too bad. At least you can sit around & wait instead of having to stand (at times for more than 15minutes). I'm not too sure if it's part of The Garden's management or it's part of the restaurant that those seats are strategically placed there.


Interestingly, while waiting for your number to be called, Fong Lye serves a small glass of refreshing lime juice to those who are thirsty & tired of waiting (actually to all who are waiting). Yums! Not too sour, nor too sweet :)


*****

"Huan Ying, Huan Ying..." (Welcome, welcome)


"Huan ying lai dao Peng Lai Cha Fang!" (Welcome to Fong Lye Restaurant)

Our number was #33, so we waited for around 15minutes before we were seated :)
Looking at the menu got us hungry!

My dad thought the lime juice tasted nice, so for a guy like him, ordering is often simple.

Iced Lime Juice (RM6.30/glass)

Dad waiting for the food to arrive...and making silly faces...

Mum still waited patiently for the food to arrive...

We didn't need to wait for too long as the snacks arrived quite quickly.

Deep-Fried Mushrooms (RM12.80/serving)
I'm a fan of mushrooms, so I had to order this. The mushrooms were coated in some flavourful batter. It's slightly too salty & has that Maggi instant noodles' seasoning kinda taste, but it's alright. The better fried mushrooms are the ones at Cameron Highlands & My VG Restaurant in Taman Equine, SK.

Sweet Potato Ball (RM5.30/serving)
Almost all my blogger friends who have been here before recommended me to this snack. "It's a must-have," they said. These 'golden balls' look SO appealing, right? These deep-fried sweet potato balls aren't like the one that I grew up eating (from the SS2 pasar malam). The outer layer of these balls are hard & crispy, while the inside is chewy! I think my dad really enjoyed this (more than the mushrooms) as he was eating it non-stop! Hahaha...it's quite expensive, but oh well, how often do we eat it anyways? I enjoyed it nonetheless...wish the portion was larger!

3-Variety Supreme Diced Chicken/"Sam Pui Kai" Rice Set (RM19.80/set)
Ordering this chicken dish is a must for me - especially at such a Taiwanese restaurant. The portion was REALLY small, to my surprise. The gravy has a mixture of sweet, salty, & vinegar-sour, which makes the dish very appetizing. The basil leaves gives this "sam pui kai" dish a very pleasing fragrance, which I can't resist! Having said that, I just found a place for better "sam pui kai" (cheaper some more) at a humble restaurant in Seri Kembangan. That "sam pui kai" is a killer! I've yet to blog about it (too many drafts awaiting my action).

Side Dishes from Rice Sets
Each rice set comes with 3 side dishes & a bowl of braised pork rice ("ru rou fan" in Mandarin). I noticed that there are no set side dishes for each customer. These were served to us, but I saw that some customers had brinjals & deep-fried wan tan instead.

Deep-Fried Yam Ball with Minced Pork

Lovely :) The flavour was just nice, plus the yam was "powdery" & soft :)

Braised Pork Rice ("Ru Rou Fan")

I love "ru rou fan". I wish we could have more! Somehow I feel that Xian Ding Wei's "ru rou fan" tastes better...hmm...the rice has a "chewy" texture, plus the tender & fragrantly braised pork that tops the plain rice makes the rice a dish to savor by itself!

Steamed Fish with Pineapple & Preserved Plum Rice Set (RM19.80/set)
The fish may be the usual dory fish fillets, but I personally felt that the style of preparation/cooking was delectable. It's actually very simple, yet the sauce was uniquely blended with some preserved plums & pickled pineapples! Gives the 'boring/common' steamed fish a slight tangy-ness & twist.

Dinner spread for the 3 of us!
We enjoyed our meal here, albeit slightly expensive for us.

The dinnerware at Fong Lye looks rather pretty :)


Peanut Snow Mountain (RM8.30/bowl)
This is a MUST-HAVE! I'm actually not a fan of peanuts, but oh my, my, this was EXTREMELY delicious! It's like eating "cold, light peanut butter"! I was flabbergasted at how smooth the peanut snow mountain was & I didn't regret ordering this AT ALL!



Oh, I was a "happy-bunny". The peanut snow mountain just did the trick to make my day end on an inevitably pleasant note! :D

More updates to come! 1 down, 12+ more to go!! *lol*


Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant
Lot T208, 3rd Floor, The Gardens
Mid Valley City
Lingkaran Syed Putra

59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel:
(+603) 2282 8699

Note:
No reservations allowed on Fridays - Sundays



Ratings:

Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:





- Ruth

Read more...
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