Pasta Zanmai, Sunway Pyramid (Third Visit)

I was supposed to meet with Kar Wyai for brunch somewhere else but Mama Carrie ruined everything when she said that she needed me around to settle some last-minute errands in Sunway Pyramid... and so, that's where we headed instead.

Needing to catch lunch and feeling slightly lazy to eat the homemade cakes (yes, Ciana is a wannabe baker at home) or whip up okonomiyaki, we patronized Pasta Zanmai again, hoping to catch the familiar dishes but seeing that the menu has been slightly altered, we decided to take a gamble.

You may want to read about my first visit here and second visit in Empire as well.


Ice Fruit Tea - Glass (RM 8.90) is a combination of fruits: strawberry, green + yellow kiwi, orange slice, mango, watermelon, lemon



I knew that this was the condiment that I wanted to order when we entered Pasta Zanmai, partly because Iced Fruit Tea was the one that cemented my memories with friends in this branch and the one in Empire Gallery. With each sip evokes a scene; it was like watching those happier days being replayed before me.

Unfortunately, even with no added sugar, it was still perceived as sweet as if it was pre-prepared and doused in peach flavor. It was not infused by the homogenous combination of fruits; that will contain a unique twinge instead. On a positive note, the mind appreciated the idea of downing something refreshing that soothed the soul with something as healthy as this, with the Vitamin C being blended in the cold liquid. For a voracious diner like myself, the elements were impeccable as a snack to nibble on while waiting for the main course.

I didn't originally intend to order this dish as I was perusing the menu back and forth for something else. Mama Carrie suggested that we decide on this because she's aware that I'm capable of eating beef (even with the distinctive flavorsome fragrance) and wanted to share the portion with me; the starving me didn't give much thought and went ahead.


Hayashi Gyusuji Garlic Omu Rice - Set (RM 29.00); Ala-Carte (RM 26.00) contains mushroom, broccoli, omelet and rice

Tilting my head back and forth, the presentation of the dish kept banging in my head as if to remind me of something that I've seen or tasted sometime ago. The first glance had faint traces of a local Thai-influenced dish called Nasi Pattaya, which was exactly what I had years ago somewhere downtown.

We harbored a sneaking suspicion that the bite-sized pieces of beef was stewed until well done, instead of the rare or medium rare that people will request in Western restaurants; it may have been chewy but not rubbery in texture like it has been overdone. I really love how the gravy merely compliments this main element, which allows it to shine through its individuality without the diner being overwhelmed by the sudden twist of taste; that twang coats the palate with a meaty taste yet it doesn't leave you thirsty.

The broccoli was coated in the thick gravy as it slept comfortably on the dressing. The pepper-infused rice was wrapped in an egg-shaped cave and protected from the curry sauce, allowing the idiosyncratic aroma to be sealed. It is a good infuser for something neutral like the rice whereas the shimeji mushrooms were done to perfection; the natural sweetness seeping into the taste buds with ease. I barely touched the gravy aside because it looked starchy and oily.

Mama Carrie would've preferred if there was an option of serving it spicy with chili sauce and pepper to masquerade the tang but overall, she is comfortable with the preparation and texture, hinting that she doesn't mind sampling this again.


Unagi Avocado Tortilla Roll (RM 20.00, 6 pieces)

It consists of lettuce, a cucumber slice, a slice of tamagoyaki (= Japanese rolled omelet), avocado + unagi slices, fish roe and a splash of onions, drizzled with mayonnaise and shoyu (= Japanese soy sauce).

This was ordered on impulse and as a backing; in the event Mama Carrie prefers something light instead of a dessert to end the meal, this roll will be a good substitute.

The star of this dish is the unagi, which is a Japanese freshwater eel, and accentuated with a spoonful of avocado slices. Forming the adhesive to bind the contents with the tortilla dough is a thick, flattened blob of mayonnaise. The first bite launches a sweet base in your palate and unfortunately overpowers the neutrality of the lettuce leaves and the tamagoyaki, leaving an aftertaste you can't quite identify. Consequent crunches however strive to counterbalance that feeling, contrasting the sudden burst of the shoyu's piquancy with the faint hints of sacchariferous splash of more mayonnaise. With that being said, the lettuce leaves, if deconstructed and eaten individually, furnishes and stimulates the palate like a breath of fresh air. It is prominent as one element in the preparation process and it feels more like a salad if consumed in this manner - or at least to me.

I personally favor this roll over the aforementioned one as it is light on the digestive system and does not weigh the taste buds with the compelling touch of an overwhelming element, yet it fulfills a famished soul with ease.


It is recycled from Facebook, and only because I forgot to take a picture of the exterior before I left

Address: F1.73, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall,
3, Jln PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway,
46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Telephone: 03-7492 0710

Landmarks: Find Shojikiya, and you'll find Pasta Zanmai. Other neighbors include the Orange Zone entrance into Jusco and the New Wing entrance into Asian Avenue - all on the 1st floor.

Pasta Zanmai, Empire Gallery Subang

The plan was to explore Empire Gallery for some shoes at a discounted price and maybe a couple of T-shirts to compliment them before extending it to the nearby Subang Parade. But before we were able to call it a day, Teochew Mama growled that she was starved. We took our time, debated between I Love Yoo! and Pasta Zanmai before deciding on the latter and dividing the meal into two.



The lunch crowd had started to flock into the restaurant the moment we were seated and given some time to mull over the countless varieties of dishes that ranged from rice to pasta, fish to seafood.

We placed our order with the waitress without any further do, and happily waited for the order to be completed and delivered to our table.

First, came the iced lemon tea (RM 6.00 for a glass), plain and without any added sugar.



Iced Lemon Tea (RM 6.00 for a glass)

The first sip told me that there was a trace of Ceylon tea in it and a whole load of freshly squeezed lemon juice in it, almost turning my teeth sour. Teochew Mama loved the bitter taste to it, said that it suited her just fine.

She wouldn't be able to finish the drink if she wasn't sharing it with me because she dislikes cold drinks. This was not our first choice; we were actually looking for a hot drink, something like green tea but couldn't find it on the menu. It wasn't until after we placed the order that I saw someone on the adjacent table enjoying a jug or cold green tea and his food companions sharing a pot of hot green tea.

Next came the set that I ordered, Tori Tortilla MP (RM 25.00) that included.....



Chicken Cream Pasta (exact name, I have forgotten) and Soft Shell Crab.

Now, let's talk about the main dish.



The moment the pasta arrived, the aroma of the dish knocked her right in the nose, rendering her taste buds numb. It was after I tasted the sauce that I knew what she meant. The sauce was cooked with butter and cream, and she doesn't like the latter, especially.

The spaghetti was perfectly cooked; although it was chewy, it was not to the point that I couldn't break it with my teeth easily. As for the chicken, she commented that it had to be grilled with black pepper; she was sure she could taste it on each bite.

But what about the soft shell crab (individual plate at RM 16.00)?



When the plate was placed on the table, the hints of green in the wrap made me suspicious if avocadoes were used as an ingredient as only that item will produce such a color. After a quick check with menu, my suspicions were proved true.

There were indeed avocadoes in it.

Crap. For someone who doesn't have a penchant with the fruit, ordering this might rub off on you as weird, right? But since the other set meals didn't quite appeal to me, this was the only choice. I'd have loved to order seafood pasta but I couldn't quite risk a rash attack and scratch my fingers the whole night long.

Oh, yes, seafood is now forbidden. =(

Upon the first bite, she mentioned that she loved this dish as it contained neither butter nor cream and neither too sweet nor too salty, just the right consistency of mayonnaise. Without much hesitation, I asked her to polish the plate as I knew I'd have difficulties downing the pasta and polishing hers.



My only pet peeve?

The lack of soft shell crab. You'd have dig deep into the middle before you are able to bite onto the crab, and it'll smooth down your throat within two bites.

I however liked that they chose to wrap it with pieces of lettuce leaves.

Yes, I wanted to sample their parfait or their desserts but I had difficulties swallowing the last bits of the soft shell crab and burped twice while the cashier sealed the purchase, waited for the credit debit card approval. There's no way I can order a scoop of green tea ice-cream or parfait without kneeling in front of the toilet bowl and puking everything into it. (I've done that too many times during my younger days at Hotel Equatorial KL's Kampachi buffet brunch; back then, I had a voracious appetite in food. Nothing could satiate me.)

Now I know what Kar Wyai meant when she said that she felt like throwing up after finishing the meal. The sets were definitely designed for couples or a group of two diners, as the portion is a tad bit too much for one person.



Address: Pasta Zanmai
LG33, Empire Gallery,
Jln SS16/1,
47500 Subang Jaya

Tel: 03-5637 1910

Landmarks: Kenny Rogers Roasters, Gelato Fruit, I Love Yoo! and Speedy

Food Review: Hyotan Japanese Restaurant, Subang Jaya

Since the crisper was empty yet again and with no time to head to the grocery store, Mama Carrie raised the thought aloud of either catching a meal outside or be holed up inside and bury our faces in baguette sandwiches.

I chose the former, suggested an old Japanese haunt of ours: Hyotan Restaurant. Back in the day, we used to dine here at least once a month when someone (not me) had a serious craving for their potato salad and soft shell crab.

A word with the waitress revealed that the former Japanese partner used to manage a nearby restaurant (Shun) but eventually partnered up with someone else to open and manage Hyotan. I've not seen the local business partner; it's always the Japanese guy that we seemed to run to then, but he has since retired and returned to Tokyo with his wife.


The sushi bar


The menu


California Roll


Close-up of California Roll


Grilled Fish Skin w/ Shoyu

Crispiness was what I tasted after the first bite, and pleasing to the palate even without dipping the shoyu.

The skin, on the other hand, has to be either from eel or salmon. I can't think of other fishes.


Oyako Don w/ Miso

A comfort food for the starving tummy. The overall taste was perfect; it contained a balance of sweet and salty without overpowering the buds with either taste.

Everything about Hyotan Restaurant remained the same: the food is as delicious as ever, although I'm not sure if they have skimmed down on the portions due to rising costs and the employees? Ah, they are still the same people that I am familiar with.

Let's see, will I dine here again?

Even though it was a pricey meal, I'll be sure to patronize the restaurant again - but only when I'm craving and missing their oyako don.

Address: No. 63, Jln SS 15/5A,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor

Tel: 03-5636 0326 / 03-5635 0328

Business Hours: 12pm - 2.30pm (Lunch), 6pm - 10.30pm (Dinner)

Food Review: Pasta Zanmai, Sunway Pyramid

In continuation to the previous blog post, here’s the promised food review that took me so long to write.

After Kar Wyai had brought me to this little shop in Asian Avenue where I splurged on more accessories, we shot straight for Pasta Zanmai since she had the craving for Japanese food and since it was within steps away.

We followed the waiting waitress with what sounded like Beijing-accented English inside the packed restaurant. There’s no way of telling if she’s really a Chinese, but I’ll leave it at that. She led us to the only available table, which was in the middle of a group of four working colleagues and a family of mother, father and son. She left us alone; she allowed us some time to finalize with our order, which we did.


This happens when one is bored.One starts taking random pictures. The working man at the next table shot glances at me, my food and my camera for what, I don't know...

From my seat, I could see the clock in the restaurant’s kitchen and shot oblique glances at it, mentally noting the time. I didn’t know how long it took for our dishes to arrive; it was about 10 minutes after our order was submitted that the drink arrived. Waking up with a full stomach and skipping breakfast wasn’t bad enough; waiting for 30 minutes for the dishes to arrive was excruciating for us but none of us had a choice, do we?



Fruit Tea

Couldn’t help it; it was at the peak hour of lunch break, so while we waited for the kitchen to whip up our dishes, we walked through a variety of our past memories and reminisced on our elementary classmates – there’s only a handful I can remember, one I want to verbally strangle with my bare hands now – and Blue’s Clues! You read that right.

So, after what seemed like eternity, our dishes finally arrived but we remembered to take the pictures of it and us for this little food review before we pounced on it.



Top: A set of Chicken Teriyaki Omelet (with Garlic Fried Rice), Miso Soup and Salad
Bottom: A set of Tori Tortilla with Chicken Pasta and Crab Meat Roll

Mine are the ones on top; Kar Wyai’s ones are at the bottom.


Kar Wyai, with her order


Yours Truly, with her order

We had great difficulty polishing the plates clean and there was no more space in our stomachs to sample the parfait that Huai Bin had mentioned in one of his posts. You see, our stomachs almost exploded at the surprisingly-normal portion.

Next time.

Next time, we shall skip the main meal and head straight for the dessert section.

Was I happy with the service? I won’t say that I’m happy, but I was satisfied with the service. The waiters were trying their best to satiate the bored, hungry diners as fast as they could. Well, at least my order wasn’t forgotten – like that time at Chef Low’s place.

Address: F1.73, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall,
3, Jln PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway,
46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Telephone: 03-7492 0710
Landmarks: Find Shojikiya, and you'll find Pasta Zanmai. Other neighbors include the Orange Zone entrance into Jusco and the New Wing entrance into Asian Avenue - all on the 1st floor.

Chinese New Year 2012: Reunion Lunch

It was on Chinese New Year Eve that we had our farewell meal at Kampachi Equatorial. Whether the lack of crowd was the result of the restaurant's recent price increase or the long festive weekend, I wouldn't know.

Here are a handful of pictures that Mama Carrie had managed to capture while she was going around, looking for interesting dishes to pounce on. Not that she's a glutton, anyway.

Simply said, the meal can be considered as this year's reunion meal. =D



Fruits


Salad


Salad #1


Chicken Sukiyaki


Beef Sukiyaki


Vegetarian Sukiyaki


Tuna and Salmon Sushi


Egg and Inari Sushi


Grilled Salmon


Tempura


Sashimi


Futomaki and Soft-Shelled Crab Sushi



Sushi


Sweet Cake
Address: Kampachi by Equatorial
Mezzanine Floor,
Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur,
50250 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Phone Number: 03 - 2101 7777 (Kindly remember to ask the operator to transfer you to Kampachi)

Food Review: Kampachi Sunday Brunch Buffet, Hotel Equatorial KL

Since I'm exhausted after spending a whole day with our London-based acquaintances, I shall blog about our recent trip. Since our birthdays had been around the corner, I had made a reservation for two and swung by Hotel Equatorial for their popular and pricey Sunday brunch buffet.

Now, I know that I should have surprised Mama Carrie with a gift, but she doesn't believe in birthday celebrations and gifts unless there is an unlimited amount of money to splash everywhere.

Ask any Kuala Lumpur-based folk about Kampachi Restaurant and chances are that they're familiar with it. In all my years as an infrequent diner, I have not gone for the Saturday buffet dinner and I've heard that it's cheaper and you order your dishes from a menu. Or something like that.


Our table
Although the agreed time was at noon, I was more than fifteen minutes late as Mama Carrie and I were finalizing something in The Star. When I saw the manager and the waitress standing at the menu stand, I had the suspicion that they might have phoned my cell to confirm my reservation but I pushed it aside.

He led me to the designated table and I nodded my thanks. Since Mama Carrie was swiping her credit card for the bread loaves downstairs at the Bistro, I went for the first dish that I could think of, which was sukiyaki.

[Sukiyaki]consists of meat (usually thinly sliced beef) which is slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Before being eaten, the ingredients are usually dipped in a small bowl of raw, beaten eggs. - Wikipedia

The Malay lady manning the booth has seen me growing from a toddler in a baby chair to a woman of a tender age. While I waited for my portion, I overheard the person next to me asking her young assistant for the buckwheat noodles instead of vermicelli. Since the buckwheat noodles were at the corner, he could have added it to the sukiyaki himself when he's back at his table without anyone knowing.

Top: raw slices of tuna and salmon; middle: soft-shell crab roll; below: part of the many types of sashimi
A big lover of raw fish like Papa Carrie, I satiated my stomach with the sukiyaki before I slithered unnoticed to the sushi bar to pick up some of my favorite items. What you see above in the picture are my favorites.

The soft-shell crab rolls were tasty and unique, and I don't think you can find it in any other Japanese restaurants here. Psst, let me know if there is a second restaurant selling this.

Top: Edamame, cooked immature soy beans; middle: prawn tempura; bottom: vegetable tempura
The edamame was perfect; it was not salty as compared to the frozen ones Mama Carrie has bought from Jusco Mid Valley. I love the texture that if I could buy it from the restaurant, I seriously would.

As with all deep-fried dishes, the prawn tempura was especially tasty when complimented with a bowl of shoyu and a couple of tablespoons of grated radish (which you can find at the grilled fish section).

Warm green tea
Man, this was the best green tea that I ever had. It tasted so fresh like the tea leaves were plucked and brewed just before the buffet.

Grilled Fish - Salmon and Mackerel
Grilled fishes have no seasonings included, but the oil that you see is the Omega-3. It's of no offense to anyone, but those who appreciate raw fish will know that it will taste best on its own.

I'm a fish lover but when Mama Carrie brought a plate back to our table, I wasn't excited about it as I'm so used to filleted fishes that I'm not used to removing the bones.

Mochi (rice cake made from glutinous rice, coated with crushed peanuts)
To me, it was a tad too sweet for my palate but I'm sure other diners would be comfortable with the taste.

I wouldn't mind making this at home, but I've heard from Japanese acquaintances that you need a special machine for it. Sigh.

Dorayaki (Japanese pancakes)
Like the mochi, it was a tad too sweet for my palate. Yes, I could have asked for the peanut butter filling, but I've a fear towards peanut butter as I'm not sure if I'm allergic to it.

If I had eaten only the pastry, it'd have been lovely. Perhaps I could attempt to make this dish one fine day? =D

A bird carved on ice?
One angle of the restaurant
Another angle of the restaurant
Sigh, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to take a picture of the dessert area and more pictures of the restaurant and the buffet lunch. I hope I'll have another chance to take more beautiful pictures if I ever find myself there again.

The rate is at RM 92++ per pax, but I suggest that you give Kampachi a call to find out about the current rates a week before your intended week as it is packed to the brim every week with diners.

Kampachi by Equatorial
Mezzanine Floor,
Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur,
50250 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Direct Line: 03 - 2101 7777

The restaurant will be closed on 1st April 2012 for three years as Hotel Equatorial will be undergoing an extensive revamp works. The operation of other branches will still be in business.

Mama Carrie had let it slip that we were there for some special occasion to the Malay waitress and it brought us a complimentary cake instead.

Chocolate Truffle Cake
RM 95.00 ++, sold by Étoile Bistro by Equatorial
Never in our lives did we expect it! =)