Food: Ramen Kanbe @ Empire Damansara

Looking for a good and affordable ramen outlet? It's been sometime since I last had ramen and I'm glad to discover this mini gem, Ramen Kanbe @ Empire Damansara. They originate from Kobe, Japan and most of us will be reminded of Kobe beef when we hear this city. 

At Ramen Kanbe, their prized ingredient is none other than their special soy sauce in making that perfect bowl of ramen.

 The restaurant is spacious and features a modern dining concept. It feels like an authentic Japanese ramen shop to me.

Ramen (RM 17)

The ramen is handmade daily so that its freshness is maintained. The broth is made from boiling chicken, onions, garlic, spring onions and carrots for hours. No wonder the sweetness or 'umami' of all the ingredients can be tasted so distinctly. The most important part of the bowl of ramen is the flavour of its broth, and I think they were successful in doing just that here.

Reimen - Cold Ramen (RM 21)

I don't really fancy eating ramen cold but this is a must try as it is something pretty special.

Spicy Ramen (RM 21)

This is served with minced pork, garlic and chives. Although the soup looks quite red, this isn't that spicy as they used chilli powder only. I love the way the ramen is complimented by the salty broth which enhances the flavour of the dish.

Mini Fried Rice (RM 9)

Well, this was exceptionally good because it has that 'wok hei' that you can normally only get from hawker stalls. The rice they use is Japanese rice from Vietnam and is a tad bit expensive as it is similar to sushi rice. I guess for the price you pay, this is worth it after all.

Gyoza (RM 10)

The usual Japanese dumplings they have in every Japanese shop. Never been a big fan of this, but here, it was very meaty and the dumpling skin wasn't very thick as well.

Karaage (RM 10)

Boneless chicken marinated in special sauce and spices, these are recommended with beer as snacks. The chicken is fried for 4 minutes, precisely so that its crispy on the outside and the meat is tender & juicy on the inside.

Otsumami Charsiu (RM 10)

Made of pork shoulderloin which has a balance of meat and fat, this is also a Japanese snack served together with beer usually. For those meat lovers, this is highly recommended!

ATTENTION! 

Ramen Kanbe will be having a promotion from 25/6 - 1/7 where everything off their menu is on 50 % discount. YES, there is NO EXCEPTION! EVERYTHING IS HALF PRICED!

Mark your dates now and here's the address you'll need to get there:

Ramen Kanbe

G28, Block Empire Retail, 

Empire Damansara No.2, 

Jalan PJU 8,47820, 

PJ, Selangor

Tel : 016-202-5812

Food: Ramadan 'Bazaar Desa' Buffet Spread @ Square Restaurant, Novotel KL City Centre

This year, Novotel Kl City Centre is back with an exquisite 'Bazaar Desa' for the holy month of fasting. This buffet spread features a total of over 100 Malay dishes with 3 different menus which will be on a rotation basis. 

This theme is chosen because the buffet consists of all the street food which is usually found in the Ramadan bazaar. I have picked a few dishes to talk about which I thought was quite good and unique.

Ulam-Ulam

This are equivalent to appetizers or salad, so always start with 'ulam' to cleanse your palate before the main meal.

Cencaluk

Some crackers or fondly known as 'keropok' to be eaten with sambal belacan.

 Rojak Buah & Pasembor

Acar

Noodles Station

Here they will be having Mee Rebus Tulang, Prawn Mee & Asam Laksa on rotational basis.

 Lamb Varuval

Squid Rendang

Well, this was something out of the ordinary and I decided to try it. Appetizing and flavorful, great to go with white rice.

Spicy Tomato Beef

Oven Roasted Lamb

Marinated Chicken Perchik on Shawarma

This is the first time I've seen this at buffet spreads.

Assorted Fruits

Assorted Cookies and Puddings

Assorted Kuih

Cold Beverages

Ice Peach Tea, Sirap Bandung, Sweet Corn, Sugar Cane & Khatirah Juice

'Bazaar Desa' is priced at RM 95 nett (adult) and RM 45 nett (children aged 8-12). You may choose to purchase early bird vouchers from now till 19 June at only RM 80 nett per adult and RM40 nett for children. 

Call 03-21470888 or email H6324-FB3@accor.com for reservations or to get more information.

Food: La Cafe Memoire @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI)

So, it's not that rare to find such beautifully and uniquely decorated cafes nowadays, with more and more cafes mushrooming at literally any space available. Then, what makes La Cafe Memoire @ TTDI so special? Well, they have put all their stakes on their yummy, delicious food. This little hideout located upstairs is the brainchild of Brian Liew, the owner who is passionate about his food.

Here, you can get ready to try variations of your favourite dishes as Brian always tries to add a twist to all the items on the menu.

The interior of the shop which is so neat and I liked how they recycle the crates as furnitures. Pretty cute concept.

Some of the selection of cakes and pastries available.

Here are some of the drinks we had that night.

Smoked Duck Salad (RM 9)

This salad was so good, maybe because it came with slices of pan fried smoked duck. Here, they make their signature dressing from apples, garlic and chillies and drizzled with some olive oil as well as Balsamico vinegar.

Creamy Bacon Pasta (RM 14)

This pasta certainly looks like carbonara, however don't be mistaken, it's not. The cream sauce is made fresh and some seasoning of salt, pepper and parsley is added. Bear in mind that no egg yolk goes into this which differentiates it from your traditional carbonara. Their fettucine is the main highlight here though, as they handmade it with all purpose flour, eggs and egg yolks.

Seafood Aglio Olio (Spaghetti- RM 15, Fettucine- RM 18)

Yums! Although this was a bit dry, I think it wasn't that bad especially since their seafood is quite a lot.

Japanese Curry Pasta (Spaghetti- RM 14.50, Fettucine- RM 17.50)

A different twist from your normal Japanese curry. This is a drier version which is not so spicy. And, guess what, they used brandy here instead of red wine as that will produce a fruity taste instead.

Pork Chop (RM 25)

This pork chop is cooked with Mongolian seasoning powder which is pretty close to five spiced powder. Look at the thick, juicy pork chops. They even weigh their pork chops and it is 200-220 g per serving. 

Mussels and Fries (RM 30)

My favourite seafood of all time are mussels so, this was my favourite of the night. The mussels were sauteed in white wine and the sauce is made using brandy, butter, onions, salt, pepper and lemon juice. The mild alcohol taste and sweetness of the sauce definitely went well with the mussels. 

Tiramisu Cake (RM 9)

 Mango Coconut Tart (RM 10)

Nutty Bacon Sundae (RM 11)

This is definitely not your ordinary dessert. I'd never thought that bacon could go so well with ice cream. Well, a lot of effort goes into making this. First the bacon is pan grilled then baked in the oven. The vanilla ice cream and calamansi sorbet really compliments the salty, crispy bacon. This had basically all the tastes you can imagine; salty, sour, sweet. 

La Cafe Memoire

7A, Lorong Rahim Kajai 13,

Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

Phone Number: 03-7731 7574