Clarity

Clarity

Sunday 23 August 2015

Food: De Hunan Hotpot @ Fahrenheit 88, Bukit Bintang

Hunan is a mountainous province in China which is also the hometown of the famous Mao Zedong. Recently, I've had the opportunity to try out some authentic Hunan cuisine at De Hunan Hotpot, Fahrenheit 88. Since Hunan is a place with high agricultural output, the ingredients used in their cooking is of a high variety, and perhaps some which we've never seen before here in Malaysia. At the mere mention of Hunan cuisine, one can imagine hot spicy dishes which is a definite favourite among chilli lovers or those who would like to challenge themselves once in a while. 



Ample dining space for those who wish to hold private functions here. Besides that, they have a designated area where you can just chill while enjoying the beautiful view of the bustling Bukit Bintang streets.


Great view taken from the window of De Hunan Hotpot.

SIDE DISHES





When we arrived, they dished out some really unique side dishes. It reminds me of Korean cuisine where side dishes are a must at each meal. Well, I guess it applies here as well with the respective side dishes; pickled cucumber, seaweed, foo chok and pickled pig ears. 

HOT POT



Fish Head Soup (Small Pot - RM 15 (per pax) , Big Pot - RM 40 for 4 pax)
The soup is prepared from ling fish head, which is boiled together with pork bones, chicken bones and scallop for approximately 3 to 4 hours. Three types of chilli is used to make the broth which gives it its distinct yellow colour.



Duck Soup (Small Pot - RM 15 (per pax) , Big Pot - RM 40 for 4 pax)
The duck soup comes with chunky pieces of duck meat and was very spicy in comparison to the pork bone soup. This broth is made mainly from herbs such as mandarin peel and star anise. The duck meat is firstly fried to remove its gamy smell which may essentially affect the taste of the broth.




Some of the 'star' ingredients which can be added into the hot pot!

MAIN DISHES


Hunan Farmer Style Fried Pork (RM 22)
Stir fried green chilies with pork belly and lean meat which is delicious when eaten together with a bowl of steaming hot white rice. I find this really appetizing and uniquely flavorful with a hint of nutty aftertaste which comes from the special green chilies seed used in making this dish.


Spicy Skewered Prawns in Hunan style (RM 33)
This may look quite spicy in terms of appearance, however don't be fooled, it is great for faint-hearted chili eaters like myself. The sauce which is poured over the deep fried prawns is made out of fermented bean paste, some dried chilies, sesame seed, green chilies (xiao mi jiao 小米椒 ) ginger and garlic too.


 The crispy prawns are very addictive, one stick will not be enough!


Fried Homemade Beancurd with Salted Egg (RM 18)
A home cooked style dish made from two simple ingredients; beancurd and salted egg. The texture is sandy because of the minced salted egg yolk and I love how runny it is. I can guarantee that kids will love this for sure!


Uncle Mao Special Braised Pork (RM 30)
This dish is Mao Zedong's favourite dish, therefore it was named after him. This specialty dish requires some skills and I find that the pork was braised to perfection with the meat so tender and the skin still chewy. According to the chef, the pork is left in a pressure cooker filled with herbs for 10 to 15 mins to attain that great texture. They even import their pork from China as the pigs are bigger there compared to the ones in Malaysia.



Sizzling Skewered Lamb (RM 28)
I was actually pretty surprised when they served this because Chinese cuisine don't really have lamb in the menu. Here, their Australian striploin is marinated before frying and the sauce is home made from several ingredients such as garlic, onion, fresh red chilies and the signature green chilies (xiao mi jiao 小米椒 ).


Deep fried Spicy Chicken with Dried Chili (RM 30)
Many people are afraid of ordering this dish because of the enormous amount of dried chilies added into it. Fear not, this dish isn't as intimidatingly spicy as it looks. In fact, the chicken cubes were well marinated with beer, special rice wine (Hua Diao wine), salt and then deep fried till perfection. 




Hunan Yuen & Yang Steamed Fish Head - Ling (RM 60)
This one is a real killer and be prepared to embark on the spiciest adventure ever when you take a bite of these noodles. Instead of a brain freeze, this was an immediate burning sensation inside your mouth and around your lips. It was like they were on fire! A signature must try Hunan dish for the daredevils.


The sauce on the fish is made up of green chilies which is imported from Hunan and red chilies which is self preserved or home made.



Stir Fried Beijing Cabbage (RM 20)
Although this looks like a simple dish, it requires quite a lot of manual work as the cabbage is hand plucked one by one. This should be eaten immediately when its served to prevent it from getting soggy.

DESSERTS


Potato Pancake (RM 10 for 4 pcs)
I am your ultimate potato lover, so this was my favourite dessert as it is crispy on the outside but soft, literally melting in your mouth on the inside. Made from a mix of glutinous rice flour and potato, you can enjoy it with a sweet dip of condensed milk too.



Golden Sweet Potatoes with Honey (RM 22)
You can pull it on and on! Sweet potatoes coated with tapioca flour and custard powder mix which is then fried till golden brown. The pulling caramel you see in the picture is made from a little oil and sugar. Although this is the way they serve it, you have to dip it into water first before eating as it is too hot. Lovely sweet ending to our dinner!

De Hunan is a definite must try for adventurous food seekers! Here's the details you need to get yourself there:

DeHunan Hotpot
Lot 2.05, Level 2 Fahrenheit88, 
No 179, Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur

Phone: 03-2141 3469

Website: http://dehunan.com/

Wednesday 19 August 2015

Daily: Molto Bene Deep Layer 5-Step Moisture Treatment System @ IMP Hair Studio


It's been sometime since I last had a pampering session for my hair. Hair care is important for girls because your crowning glory defines you. I've always wanted to have those Korean curls (yeah, I was probably too influenced by the dramas I've been watching) but a friend recommended that I wait for my hair to grow out before perming it. So, I was itching all over to do something to my boring, lifeless mane. 

That's when I head about Molto Bene Deep Layer 5-Step Moisture Treatment System and the wonders it did. I was eager to try it out and last weekend, I had the opportunity to try it out at IMP Hair Studio, Setapak. 



Look at the crowd! I guess everyone wanted to try this treatment as well :)

For the uninitiated, here's a brief writeup on the treatment:

Deep Layer - 5 Step System Treatment

  • Effectively gives moisture to high damage hair. 
  • To repair inner & outer hair component, with water-repellent coat the surface of hair.
  • 5 step hair system treatment able to achieve superb moisture effect to the hair.

  • Colored or permed, can cause a high damage to hair, in order to restore the damage of hair, Deep Layer gives inner & outer repair to the hair. 
  • Deep Layer - System Treatment contain in salon use & home care, until the surface from inside the hair was carefully repaired , and leads to strong beautiful hair

Two Main Ingredients:
Kerataide® to repair the inner part of damage hole hair by carefully penetrate into it. 
Hyaluronic Acid Fluorine with water-repellent coat & moisturizing the surface of the hair instead of silicon. Flourine is the ingredients that contain in our tooth paste for protection & glossy purpose. MoltoBene use this ingredient instead of Silicon which gives artificial/fake feeling on your hair. Whereas, for flourine, it gives you a natural feeling of your hair that suppose to be with a smooth & soft touch!




Here's the 5 bottles used in the 5-step treatment which takes approximately an hour to complete.


Home care treatment which coats the surface of the hair and prolong the effect of the treatment. You can use this for about 4 wash.





Some of the cakes and bites served to keep us busy while we waited for our turn.

Check out what the 5-steps do to your hair :)
After waiting for some time, it's finally my turn. The hairstylist washes my hair, then applies the 5-step treatment while I sit back and relax. 


Here, the hairstylist is applying the product on my hair. Instead of just adding it on the hair, they actually have to massage the product in. This is done to achieve better results and enable to products to penetrate deep into the hair shaft.


Finally, blow-drying my hair!



Before & After
Goodbye frizzy, unruly hair and welcome straight, silky hair :)


A mandatory selfie with my new, healthier hair.

I guess I will have to take better care of my hair from now on and go for regular treatments monthly. For those who want to try this out, here's the address:

IMP Hair Studio

NO.16 , JALAN PRIMA SETAPAK 3, OFF JALAN GENTING KLANG, 53300 KUALA LUMPUR

Contact: 03-40214148

Tuesday 18 August 2015

Food: Marc's Grill @ IOI Boulevard, Puchong

Tucked within the busy, bustling township of Puchong, this newly opened restaurant, Marc's Grill is a gem worth stopping by for a hearty, wholesome meal. A good place serving home-cooked grilled items is hard to find nowadays and no doubt, I'm a big fan of steaks or basically, anything which involves some grilling. 

But, don't judge just yet, Marc's Grill does serve up some really good Asian delicacies as well. 




The unassuming interior of Marc's Grill which has more of a cafe feel to it. I like the simple, modern concept here and they have these really beautiful flowers around as decorations. 


Even the counter has flowers!



Apple and Carrot Mix Juice (RM 6.00)
Love the colour difference in this freshly blended apple and carrot fruit juice.



Bistro Walnut Bacon Salad
A refreshing fruit salad! Perfect appetizer filled with cubed apples, mangoes, cucumber, walnuts, cranberries, cherry tomatoes and bacon slices. They've even added some mandarin peel which I found really special and drizzled with sesame dressing before serving.



Big Breakfast (RM 19.50)
The trend nowadays is to start your day with a Big Breakfast! This comes with two premium sausages, mixed mushrooms, streaky pork bacon, baked beans, salad, scrambled eggs (you can opt for sunny side up too) and a buttered toast.



I enjoyed Marc's Grill version of big breakfast where all the goodness is on one plate!


Pumpkin Soup (RM 7.80)
Not my favourite, but real pumpkin lovers will need to try this. Thick and tasty pumpkin broth which goes so well with the toasted rye bread.


Mushroom Soup (RM 7.80)
This soup is slightly different from the ones you always have at other places as they use Chinese shiitake mushroom only. Pure mushroom goodness in this creamy soup, a must have when you make a visit here.



Honey Mustard Chicken (RM 16.80)
Herb infused chicken, this is a healthy yet yummy and delicious way to enjoy chicken! It is not oily as they use a 'special' cooking method here and for those who are curious, that's thyme on top of the chicken. The chicken is juicy as the moisture is retained while cooking! The mashed potatoes which is served along with it is not your usual smooth ones because here they mashed it manually.




Ribeye Beef Steak (RM 32.00)
This steak is served on a hot sizzling pan to keep the meat warm as you indulge and enjoy it slowly! This is served with the usual grilled or mashed potatoes, corn and salad of the day. Ours was served with grilled potatoes and you can choose your sauce either brown or black pepper sauce. I found the black pepper sauce a bit too strong for me, so I guess I would prefer the brown sauce instead.




Tasty Beefy Beef (RM 17.80)
Beef patty in between two freshly made charcoal buns which are healthier than the normal burger buns. Look at the glorious shimeji mushrooms added inside, so fat and juicy!


The beef patty is so thick and it is made from minced Australian beef, pan grilled to perfection. Since it is home made, the patty is not solid and it tends to crumble when you bite into it.


Chef's Special Grilled Lamb (RM 25.80)
Served with honey mustard sauce similar to the chicken I've mentioned above, this is also one of my must have dish at this place.


Mutton Curry (RM 16.80)
Spicy, savoury mutton curry served with fragrant rice, starfruit salad, chickpeas and fried egg. The meat is tender and not too hard or chewy with just the right texture. You may also opt for this to be served with spaghetti or rye bread. This is a real fiery dish so for those who can't take spicy, it is not advisable to order this unless you feel like you're up for the challenge. 

LUNCH SET



Ayam Goreng Rempah Set (RM 14.90)
The set comes with Jasmine tea and fruit of the day which is definitely a good deal especially for students who are on tight budget like myself. I loved the juicy chicken thigh cooked with spices such as lemongrass, ginger and almost every other imaginable spices. They usually marinate the chicken overnight which makes it extremely flavorful and this set is available from Monday to Friday.



Savoury Waffle with Bacon & Walnut (RM 15.90)
Waffles topped with Hollandaise sauce, a sunny side up egg plus some bacon as well as walnuts. This is a savoury version of waffles in comparison to the sweet waffles we usually crave for. A nice change if you would love to try something different.

On weekends and weekdays, their breakfast menu is available all day but waffles are excluded from it. 

Marc's Grill
Lot G, 32 IOI Boulevard
Jalan Kenari 7, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 
47100 Puchong,
Selangor.

Opening Hours: 8.00 AM - 10.00 PM
Phone: 013 330 0386
FB: Click here!
Website: Click here!