Food: Pepper Lunch @ Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Pepper Lunch has been one of my regular choice of restaurants when I eat out, which isn’t quite often these days due to my busy schedule. Anyway, I headed out to their outlet in Pavilion for a food review session. A brief history of Pepper Lunch, it originated from Japan about 20 years ago and currently, they have 250 outlets worldwide. There are 5 in Malaysia and they plan to open a new outlet soon in Nu Sentral. The uniqueness of Pepper Lunch is that food is served on a hot plate which keeps the food hot for over a period of 20 minutes. You can even add in your own pepper and sauce to grill the meat after they’re served.

The pepper that they used is a special Sarawakian one which is replenished daily to maintain its freshness. Well, after all, their name is Pepper Lunch so of course, pepper is their essential & main ingredient.

Let's talk about the food, I'm sure you guys are already excited right? :) I will only be writing about the dishes I've tried personally because I can't be commenting on those I didn't try.

 Pepper Steak

Honestly, I've tried this previously and I thought this was pretty good. I find the meat very chewy and they are very generous with the portion size. Sprinkling some pepper and adding the garlic soya sauce in this actually brings out the real flavour of the meat. 

Rib Eye Steak - Before

Rib Eye Steak - After

I've never tried this before because I find it too pricey. However, I don't regret trying this because its the best beef steak I've ever tasted. Since we could cook it on our own hot plate, I tried it when it was medium done and well done. The meat was extremely tender and juicy as I bit into it despite of the method I used to cook it. The serving size is pretty large and the meat is definitely well marinated! Thumbs up! :)

Salmon & Chicken

In comparison to the beef steaks I've tried above, this was mediocre. Nothing really special to shout about of this dish. For those who love salmon and chicken, give this a try, it isn't too bad. The ingredients used are fresh and I may be bias because I really don't fancy eating salmon and chicken this way.

Teriyaki Chicken with Egg

This picture doesn't show the teriyaki sauce because it was served separately. For those who prefer a little sweetness to their meat, I would recommend this. The chicken is fresh, flavorful and the egg compliments the chicken well. No complains about this combination :)

The Sides

So these are all the side dishes consisting of soup, mashed potatoes and salad. I didn't manage to try the soup but the mashed potatoes weren't to my liking because they tasted slightly powdery. It was too smooth and I could barely taste potatoes in this. The salad, however was a better side dish as it was a little sour and salty, very palatable and suitable as an appetizer.

Mango Ice Cream

Honestly, this tasted like cough medicine. It was supposed to be vanilla but I couldn't taste vanilla at all. Out of the whole ice cream, only the mango tasted like how it was supposed to be. As for the rest, it was just a disappointment. Do try other ice cream flavors though.

Well, nevertheless, watch out for their Combo Bonanza promotion soon as it includes rice, Nestea and a tumbler with a reasonable price tag to the set! Ciao!

Food: Tai Lei Loi Kei @ Taipan, USJ

I've heard previously of this restaurant, Tai Lei Loi Kei from my friends on their infamous pork chop bun which originated from Macau. First thought that came to my head was that it was probably somewhat similar to the usual burgers. 

Anyway, I headed over to try it out because yes, I've never tried it before. We went to the Taipan USJ branch, but bear in mind that they have 17 outlets altogether in Malaysia and there are plans to expand to Penang as well as Malacca.

Okay, now let's have a look at the food!

Signature Pork Chop Bun

What a generous portion of pork chop! I would have to say that this was definitely one of the best dish of the day. The meat was tender and juicy at the same time. The bun was toasted and buttered, I really loved the flavour and combination!

Polo Pork Chop Bun

This is exactly the same as the previous one. The only difference is that the bun used for this is a pineapple flavoured bun or 'polo' bun as it is more famously known. I didn't quite enjoy this combination because I felt the sweetness of the bun failed to compliment the meat which was more to savoury and salty.

Signature Pork Chop Bun with Cheese & Ham

Yums! Honestly, the add-ons brought out the flavour of the pork chop :) This definitely satisfied my cravings and the serving size is really huge.

Pork Chop Bouncing Noodles

This noodles came with add-ons of luncheon meat, ham and a fried egg. They served the pork chop in a separate plate. The texture of the noodles was bouncy as the name suggests and it is made out of duck eggs which I found extremely unique. 

Supreme Chicken Chop Rice with Egg

I didn't like this at all. The chicken chop was way too salty while the rice which smelled of pork lard was just nauseating for me. I can almost imagine the amount of calories this have for a health freak like myself.

Fish Ball Curry Noodles

This was similar to the Nyonya laksa as it is filled with 'santan' (coconut milk). The soup was quite rich and a bit spicy. Although this would probably be high in cholesterol, I think it's worth it!

Macau Chicken Wings

The chicken was well grilled and wasn't too oily for me. It's best to eat this once its served hot because the skin isn't crispy anymore if left uneaten for a long time. For the price, I think the serving is pretty decent. 

Original Sawdust Cake

A pure indulgence! This cake is made only from milk and cream. The consistency and texture was exactly the same as ice cream. The perfect dessert for those who like something mild after a heavy meal. Don't be afraid to try this because the 'sawdust' is actually biscuit crumbs! :)

That's all, lovelies! I'll definitely head there again sometime soon for their lovely pork chop buns and sawdust cake. Overall, I think this place is great for those who students like me to hang out on the weekends. Be prepared to spend approximately RM 20 for a decent meal here.

Here's the address!

Tai Lei Loi Kei

4A, Jalan USJ 10/1J, Top Speed Business Centre, Subang Jaya, Puchong.

Food: Mr Dakgalbi @ Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

At the mere mention of 'Dakgalbi', my heart races and I can get super hyper because I absolutely love this dish. As most of you guys know, I am a die-hard fan of Korean food and I'm not just saying it for fun because I do cook 'doenjang jjigae' (beanpaste stew) and 'kimchi jjigae' (kimchi stew). I have been making my own kimchi for the past one year, but I'm no perfect chef because I think I need plenty of practice to get the taste right.

Anyway, I headed over to Mr Dakgalbi at Bukit Bintang yesterday for a blogger's event. It was pretty tiring to take a one hour train ride down to hustles and bustles of the city at night but it was worth it once I saw the pretty interior of the shop. 

Here's one which I grabbed from my Instagram hee!

Pretty, no? :)

The food finally arrived and as usual, it's served in a large, flat pan. We were so special that the CEO, Mr Ahn decided to cook it for us. Before you feast your eyes on those mouth watering pictures, here's a brief outline what 'Dakgalbi' is all about and why people love it. 

There's chicken (Dakgalbi translates to chicken ribs, but they decided to use chicken thigh because the meat is smoother), rice cake, onion, scallions, cabbage, noodles (or ramyun, perhaps) and rice.

YUMS!

To those who don't fancy eating vegetables, this is probably the best way for you to get those vitamins. They cook this so well that even the cabbages are good. Oh, despite being too spicy for me, the ingredients such as the chicken and 'ddeok' (rice cake) in this was definitely of the best quality. The chicken was marinated well and filled with flavours.

A shot of the rice which they usually add after you eat half of what was firstly cooked in the pan.

Pizza rice!

Oh, and they added some cheese inside to make it exactly like pizza. Don't worry, the cheese wasn't too strong and overwhelming. Just nice for me actually.

Here's a special dish of the night, 'Jangban Noodles', courtesy of the generous boss. Haha. It's a spicy noodle which was served cold and although it tasted quite nice, I was too full to stomach anything else. I still have a whole lot of this in the fridge and I ate it for lunch just now. It was a little like kimchi mixed with noodles to me, though.

Take One with the emcee of the night, Sean! Yes, we are still in the CNY mood :)

Take Two! 

There are lots of selfies of the night, but I shall save you guys from my self obsession. Haha.

Anyway, for more information, head over to their Facebook and the address of this awesome place is as below:

Mr Dakgalbi

61, Jalan Bukit Bintang

03-62065567

Food Review: The Journey Cafe @ Setiawalk, Puchong

Once again, another cafe at Setiawalk, Puchong. We headed out pretty early because we were afraid of the Saturday jam. My expectations on this cafe were quite high because I thought they had a great concept, cosy place with good food. I looked through their Facebook before going since I was curious if they had pastries which are my all time favourite. It seemed that they were more famous for gelato and breakfast instead.

Anyway, ta-da, we reached! It isn't that difficult to find compared to the last time I went there for another food review. The ambience was perfect for couples out on a date or friends who are looking for a place to hangout.

Anyway, let us skip to the point of this post. The food.

Fried Button Mushrooms. 

Don't they look so cute? Yes, the size was a little too huge compared to our regular button mushrooms. I think they should reduce the batter for this and make it less oily.

Chicken Bruschetta.

Baguette with small chicken chunks. The tomatoes were fresh but the baguette was soggy by the time I ate it. The chicken was flavorful though. The baguette was a little too buttery for me.

Swedish Meatballs.

There wasn't enough binding for the meat and this was way overfried. It actually tasted burnt. Even the sauce could not help it. Disappointing dish.

European Continental.

Bacon and sausages are my favourite food for breakfast. The bacon was pretty good but the sausages were a little too oily. Mushrooms were fresh and the baked beans are scary, can you believe they were the size of kidney beans?

Soft Shell Crab Spaghetti.

Although this was a tad bit spicy, it was very tasteful and the sweetness of the tomatoes could be tasted in the spaghetti. I only managed to get one bite of this and the soft shell crab was quite crispy as well.

Scandinavian's Delight.

Smoked salmon on baguette toast and poached eggs. This dish was a little messy because as you cut it, the poached egg yolk will drenched your whole toast. It becomes soggy and distasteful. However, the salmon is pretty good.

Lasagna.

This was a little special than your regular lasagna. They had cream cheese all over and it was too milky for me. I had one small bite and I didn't want it anymore. The bolognese sauce inside was dry and the meat were so little that i couldn't even taste it. In terms of taste, it was pretty bland.

New Zealand Lamb Grill with Mint Yogurt Sauce.

I love eating lamb but when this arrived, the smell was so strong that i think it overpowered the real taste of lamb. The lamb meat was well grilled though. But, the smell was still too pungent for me.

Tenderloin Steak.

This was medium done and I usually prefer mine well done. However, it was so good, extremely juicy and bursting with flavor the moment i bit into it. This was definitely the best steak I've ever tasted so far. It was well seasoned with salt and pepper.

Lamb Shank.

The aroma from this dish was so enticing. The meat was a bit tough but it was generally okay. Definitely delectable and flavorsome!

New York Cheesecake.

The cake was so strong and rich. The crust at the base of the cake was a bit salty and went well with the cake. The taste was piquant as you continue eating it. This cake had that zest I've always been looking for in cheesecakes.

The Gelato.

I tried almost all the flavours and the Calamansi was so sour. Definitely too intense for me. But, I'd recommend to try the Strawberry Frogurt because it was so smooth, just like how gelato is supposed to be.

Well, that marks the end of this food review. I think I'm reminded of how much I used to love eating Western food.