Daily: 1st Blogger Engagement Party @ Domino's Setia Alam

Domino's had been a common name in the fast food industry, especially among the younger generations. Yes, you probably guessed it right, with so many events and parties to organise, the easiest and most hassle-free food would definitely be pizzas!

I have always enjoyed Domino's pizzas due to their generous amount of toppings and cheese. Service at their outlets are usually top notch and despite having so many flavours to choose from, my personal favourites are the Aloha Chicken and Classified Chicken.

Anyway, let's skip to the gist of this post. For the first time in Malaysia, Domino's invited a bunch of bloggers for their engagement party mainly to introduce new pizza flavours on their menu in conjunction with the highly anticipated football event in Brazil!

Football and pizzas are like a perfect match and can never be set too far apart from each other. So, here are some choices of Smoky Blended BBQ Pizzas for those football junkies out there!

Meatasaurus (Fan Favourite)

This pizza has Beef Pepperoni, Ground Beef and Fresh Mushrooms, definitely the perfect combination for meat lovers like me! 

Smoky Beef N' Chick

I enjoyed this as well because despite the green peppers inside, I couldn't really taste them so I was alright with it. This combination includes some chicken sausages and ground beef as well :) This was served on the Cheese Burst Double Decker crust and the first bite was like a trip to heaven and back for me. Haha.

Smoky Pepperoni & Mushroom

Oh, this was definitely heavenly! I'm a huge fan of mushrooms and pepperoni so this flavour would be my new personal favourite!

Chickensaurus

This was quite good as well and it had roasted chicken, chicken pepperoni and mushrooms inside. 

Chocolate Lava Cake

I remembered trying this cake sometime back but it was too sweet for me. However, I decided to give it another chance and tried it yesterday. Unlike my first experience, it tasted like comfort food since it was slightly warm and the chocolate was extremely rich.

So, here's the good news guys! To those of you who are dying to head to Brazil to watch the football match live, there's a contest by Domino's for you guys to try your luck.

Click here for more information!

So that's it lovelies! I had so much pizzas yesterday, I think I wouldn't crave for them in a long time already. 

Food: Goku Raku Ramen @ Mid Valley Megamall

I've always linked ramen to instant noodles at the mere mention of its infamous name, thanks to the widely popular Korean drama these days. Ramen was considered a Japanese staple and over the years, ramen has evolved as well. Anyway, I headed over to Goku Raku Ramen @ Mid Valley on Tuesday for a splendid Japanese dinner. It was a food review and we were introduced to the best dishes of the restaurant.

Here's a rundown of what I tried:

1. Ebi Gyoza

2. 5 Star Aburi Char Siew Ramen

3. Shanghai Fried Ramen

4. GRR Meatballs

5. Course Meal Set C

I would have to say, the ambience and service at this outlet is top notch. It was cozy and comfortable, giving that homely feeling to diners who are looking for a nice place after a busy day. We were served hot green tea the moment we arrived about 7 pm and bear in mind, it is refillable! YAY!

Okay, let us go straight to the food.

Ebi Gyoza

Honestly, I thought this was pretty weird because I expected it to be a flavorful dumpling. However, when I bit into it, it was tasteless and a bit dry. I tried to add the special dipping sauce and it was slightly better but not to my liking, definitely.

5 Star Aburi Char Siew Ramen

This was real good especially the generous amount of 'char siew' (roast pork) added into the bowl of ramen. The noodles which are made daily from flour and water (well, of course some other secret ingredients were added) was springy. At first, I didn't like the broth because it had a strong garlicky essence to it. But after having a few more bites, it wasn't so bad and all in all, this was a good bowl of noodles.

Shanghai Fried Ramen

A 'char kuey teow' style ramen. The chef definitely knew how to cook this to perfection. The noodles were still springy when served but taste wise, it was a tad bit salty. 

GRR Meatballs

The meatballs were alright, but the insides were a little too soft. As they fried the meatballs before pouring the sauce over, the skin was a little hard but nevertheless, the meatballs were well marinated and flavorful.

Chef's Specialty Course Meal Set C (available only after 6 pm)
For me, this felt like a bunch of appetizer as they were in pretty small servings. Out of all, I enjoyed the Edamame beans the most because it tasted like comfort food and it got addictive once I started eating it. I particularly liked the Sweet and Sour Pork which was a little tangy and savoury with the meat being cooked to perfection. This set would be good for approximately two to three person.

Alright, that's all, I will see you guys soon! :)  Here are vouchers for you guys, courtesy of Goku Raku Ramen.

Daily: Escape Room @ Setiawalk Mall, Puchong

So, I'm sure most of you out there have came across the term 'Escape Room' recently. For those uninitiated, it is basically a game where you and your friends are being 'locked' in a room for a total of 45 minutes. You need to solve mysteries, puzzles or literally anything in your way to get out of the room before your time is up. Fret not, if you aren't able to get out within the time limit, you are deemed as a loser but don't worry, it really isn't a life and death situation. Basically, each room has a different theme but the concept remains the same of course.

Since it's the latest trend, I decided to give it a try with my friends as well. We picked the 'Secret Lab' room with the highest difficulty level out of all the rooms available in the Setiawalk branch. So, we played and there were a total of 3 rooms for ours. By the way, if you want to know how awesome it is, try it for yourself.

I will be including some pictures below, but only for viewing purposes for you guys who would like to have an idea of how it will be like. No clues of any sort will be given though, haha.

First Room

Second Room

Third Room

Finally, after a gruelling mind blowing 45 minutes, we made it out as a winner! A hint for you guys, the last room is the toughest one to escape from, so think out of the box guys :)

Here are the pricing for those of you guys who are interested in putting on that thinking cap! :)

Price per person (Weekends & Public Holidays) : RM 36.00

Price per person (Mon-Fri 11 AM-5 PM) : RM 32.00

Toodles for now! I really do recommend you guys to try this once or wait for June as there will be a Fear Factor themed room in store by then :)

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: Jal-Dae-Ji Korean Restaurant @ One Ampang Business Avenue

For those who know me well enough, I've been a Korean enthusiast since a few years back. It started when I fell in love with Super Junior and then subsequently, I started being into K-drama. Slowly, I developed a liking for Korean food as well or better known as '한식' (Hansik). 'Han' literally means Korean and 'sik' means cuisine.

I began making my own 'kimchi' (fermented cabbage) because it was just too costly to purchase them from supermarkets. I was extremely adventurous as well as I tried making my own 'kimchi jjigae' (kimchi stew) and 'doenjang jjigae' (bean paste stew) from recipes on Youtube. All in all, I guess you can say I'm an all rounded fan of everything Korean!

Oh, I speak basic Korean too, yes, it's definitely from watching too many K-dramas. Haha.

Anyway, for those who wish to seek for yummy Korean food, then Ampang 'Korean Village' is a perfect place. They have at least 20 restaurants here for you to choose from. I've been there a few times to get my ingredients for my homemade 'kimchi' and in fact, I have tried out a few places there before too.

Last Thursday, I had the privilege to attend a food review session at Jal-Dae-Ji and it was an authentic Korean experience.Thank goodness it wasn't too jam when we reached about 7 pm. The restaurant was half filled with customers at that time and it wasn't even specifically dinner time yet.

The boss, Mr Lee ushered us to our seats and brought along the menu. He mentioned that it was better for him to select the dishes which he wants us to try as there were too many on the list for us to choose from.

Before anything else arrive, of course the usual 'banchan' (side dishes) arrive first.

'Banchan'

The variety is impressive, ain't it? These can be refilled for free at all Korean restaurants by the way. At Jal-Dae-Ji, they change theirs daily and everyday it will be different types of side dishes. The only thing that remains constant is the staple 'kimchi' of course.

For the barbecued/grilled meat, Mr Lee picked a few for us.

 'Young Yang Galbi' (Young Beef Ribs)

Look at those marbled, high grade beef! I included pictures of before and after grilling because I needed you guys to see how good it looks. These were served with mushrooms and the beef ribs were so juicy and tender. Well-marinated and fragrant, this is a definite must have at every dinner table.

 'Dwae Ji Galbi' (Pork)

According to Mr Lee, this was marinated for a few days. No wonder the taste seeps right in to the bones and it is so yummy! I like how this isn't too salty and the meat isn't too chewy either. 

 'Dak Galbi' (Chicken)

Now, I shall teach you guys the right way to eat the grilled meat. 

1. The first bite should be the pure meat itself, so that you can savour the true taste of the meat. 

2. Secondly, dip the meat into the special sauce. Place the pickled salad mix (this is slightly sour and salty at the same time) and meat on a piece of lettuce. 

3.Take a small piece of garlic and put a little spicy pepper paste/'ssamjang' on it. 

4. Wrap the lettuce together and place it all in your mouth.

5. Savour and chew slowly!

To be honest, this is the FIRST time I have eaten a wrap with the pickled salad mix. Most of the Korean restaurants I've been to, they don't serve this together with the grilled meat. I think that the salad mix actually compliments the meat and I wished more restaurants would go through the trouble to prepare this.

 'Gochujang Samgyeopsal' (Pork Belly)

This was a special serving given by Mr Lee personally for us to try. This was so flavorful and chewy, it was my favourite of the night. It wasn't too dry and the fat in the meat usually gives it a slightly smooth texture compared to other grilled items.

'Bulgogi' (Grilled Marinated Beef')

I had this previously in Korea, and this tasted pretty much the same. The only difference was the way they served this. It is recommended to eat this with rice or else, it'll be too salty. Serving size wise, this is pretty decent.

'Kimchi Jjigae' (Kimchi Stew)

My all time favourite! Out of all the kimchi stew I've tried before, this is the least spicy version and it had that sourish ketchup taste to it as well. It was a rich broth and there were meat, tofu, straw mushrooms, cabbage in this. 

'Haemul Pajeon' (Seafood Scallion Pancake)

This is pretty similar to the Chinese pancake with chives which I genuinely dislike. However, it wasn't so bad because they had some seafood in this. It wasn't too thick as well and I guess the sauce served together with this will compliment its flavor.

'Tteokbokki' (Spicy Rice Cake)

Korea's most popular street food. This is chewy and I liked how they serve this with eggs. Oh, don't worry, this isn't too spicy! Reminds me of Malaysia's very own 'chee cheong fun' actually.

'Bibim Guksu'  (Stirred Noodles)

This is a traditional Korean noodle dish which is served cold and made out of thin wheat flour noodles. The noodles are slightly soft and taste wise, it is a little sweet and sour probably from the vinegar and sugar used.

Ta-da! A picture grabbed from my Instagram at the restaurant :)

I'll be definitely going back to try the other items on their almost neverending menu. Here's their Facebook for those of you who are curious to head over.

The address is as below:

B-41, One Ampang Business Avenue, Jalan Ampang Utama 2/2, Kuala Ampang, Malaysia.
016-671 4625

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.