The Hidden Gem - Moussandra



The unassuming signboard



The rustic deco which reminded me of ancient castles



Sangria !!


Half a jug of sangria comes at RM 45; enough to fill up 3 glasses. The sangria was sweet unlike those sourish ones which I have tasted elsewhere.





Assorted mushrooms with herbs - tapas



  I never know how to cook mushroom this way. We started our dinner with 3 types of tapas which went well with our baguette.

Fresh scallops with blue cheese

 Best eaten while hot.. The juicy scallop with blue cheese literally melted in my mouth.



Escargots with garlic and bread


This dish was a tad salty and the shells had all been taken off. I'd prefer the adventure of sucking out the snails from their shells.



Lamb shank

  Tender meat with can be ripped off easily with a fork. Must have been slow-cooked for hours. My right kind of stew.



Paella Valenciana



 Paellas always reminded me of my trip to Barcelona where I was first introduced to this dish way back in summer 1996. The La Rambla, Sagrada Familia, the cheeky Spanish lads, the glorious sun and everything nice!!

Couldn't really taste the saffron in the rice though. Bit filling and best to share among 2-3 friends unless you are a big eater.

Moussandra is tucked away behind a wall on the ground floor of Fahrenheit 88 which was why we couldn't find it and had to call the restaurant to get one of its staff to pick us up. It was like a journey into the unknown dark dungeons of an ancient castle (oh well, it felt like it anyway)..

The restaurant was very quiet even with other diners around.. Perfect for some catching up with BFFs..

Moussandra- Mediterranean and Tapas Restaurant

Sub Lot B-8, Ground Floor, Jalan Bukit Bintang,

Fahrenheit 88 (formerly known as KL Plaza),

55100 Kuala Lumpur

03-2144-0775



Stadt German Bistro & Cuisine @ Puchong

It's best not to disturb K during the first 3 months of the year as that is the busiest time in school with new same old students' and teachers' problems to deal with. After months of hiatus, we were both determined to meet up and K was really in need of some fattening up..

Have heard some rave reviews about this restaurant which offers cheap but good German food. I don't know if it's the rain and cool weather but the restaurant looked very inviting with its cosy and intimate ambience. And a very cute waiter.



The beer looks so darn right tempting





Mixed platter of German sausages




German salad

Not much different from any other normal salad but the vegetables were very fresh, sweet and crunchy. The bits of deep fried pork gave an extra kick to the dish.

THE honey-glazed pig knuckle

 The meat managed to retain its moisture unlike some dry ones which I had sampled previously. We couldn't finished and had to take away the remaining knuckle which I had it boiled into 2 big bowls of delicous soup. No extra seasoning required, I swear !


Apple strudel

Pretty decent dessert but nothing special though I couldn't help licking the entire jam off the plate.

Stadt German Bistro & Cuisine
No. 50 & 50-1, Jalan Puteri 1/4,
Bandar Puteri, Puchong, Selangor
03-8063-5380

~ A man may be a pessimistic determinist before lunch and an optimistic believer in the will's freedom after it. ~ Aldous Huxley

Starry, starry night..

What better way to end a fruitful trip (shopping, that is) to Bangkok than to enjoy sumptuous good food with a bird's eye view of the city itself at night. We decided to head to the Saffron Restaurant at Banyan Tree Hotel.

We opted for the cosy comfort of the indoor restaurant as the outdoor was extremely windy and would you believe it, cold !! Food prices are a few times higher than what you would get from an average restaurant in the city, so we only ordered a few dishes.. Well, we planned to head for some shopping and food at the night market anyway..

The appetisers

 The best way to sample everything is to order this platter.


Rice crackers and sauce

 Yummy, crunchy starter. Love the sauce.


Dessert- water chestnut wrapped with glutinous rice coconut syrup

Tastier than those sold outside. The perfect combo of the crunchy chestnut and its springy wrapping. 

Lemon grass ice-cream

Tasted a bit like vanilla ice-cream with a hint of lemon grass flavour.

Psst.... the restaurant offers a wide selection of rice (i.e glutinous, fragrant, brown, etc) and they are free-flow.. So even though we didn't order that many dishes, we were quite full..


The night view

 We took this night view from the Saffron Restaurant but a better way to enjoy the night view without burning a hole in your pocket is to simply have drink at Pier 39 and just soak into the gorgeous, gorgeous night view..

Night view from Pier39

Crabs, crabs and more crabs !

Fatty Crab Seafood Restaurant needs no introduction. The long queue even on weekdays says it all. The restaurant is famous for its chilly crabs. The gravy is hot, sweet and sourish and goes well with toasted bread.

The restaurant offers few and simple dishes. Most diners would go with the crabs, chicken wings, fried rice, toasted bread and century eggs. Though nothing special, the crabs are pretty addictive especially the gravy. I can scrapped off the gravy from the plate with a few pieces of toasts.



The famous crabs



What I do like to introduce are the yummy durians from Kampar sold by the uncle with a lorry from the road across the restaurant. Though a bit pricey, the durians are gobsmacked delicious, sweet with a hint of bitterness just like the way I like it.

What better way to finish off the dinner with a plate of yummy durians..

Fatty Crab Seafood Restaurant,
2 Jalan SS24/13, Taman Megah,
47301 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor 47301
03-7804-5758

Happy Bunny Year !

Gong Xi Fa Cai !! It's yet another new year with good food. Had our 'lou sang' (tossing of yee sang) 2 weeks before the CNY. Tried something different this year. We went to Purple Cane Tea Restaurant at Shaw Parade in Pudu area. Took the new year set dinner for 6 plus 1.

The dishes here may looked ordinary but they are all cooked with different types of tea leaves though I can't really taste it in any of the dishes.

Our yummy Yee Sang.

May all our wishes come true !!

Soup in a tea pot.

This is the lightest soup I have ever had. It was double boiled with apples, pears, chicken and other herbs and without any hint of fat or oil. Best dish of the night.



Steamed cod fish

The fish was very fresh and I love those yummy deep-fried garlic.

Chicken dish with lemon sauce.

No so-called special or significant signature dishes but the food is good with reasonable pricing. The only regret though is that nobody in the group (apart of moi, of course) has a sweet tooth which means we left without trying any of the desserts. Darn, I miss those yummy green tea muah-chee with a generous helping of peanut fillings.

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant, Lot L1-01, 1st Floor, Shaw Parade , Changkat Thambi Dollah, , 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
03-2145-1200

Ban Khun Mae Restaurant, Bangkok

Another new eatery which we discovered in Siam Square, Bangkok.

Spicy glass noodle salad

 Hot ! Hot ! Hot !


Tom Yam kung or prawn tom yam

 Another hot and sour but irresitable dish with fresh water prawns.

Baked prawns with glass noodle

 My perennial fav but would have preferred the noodles with baked crabs instead.



Pineapple fried rice

Fried with the right amount of sweetness. Love those cashew nuts.



Tapioca ball & steamed pancake stuffed with pork and peanut

A mild and slightly sweet dish compared to the rest of the appetisers. But didn't do it for me. 

Tapioca boiled in syrup with coconut milk sauce and crispy water chestnut in coconut milk

Tapioca was boiled just right and goes well with the thick coconut milk. I literally licked every morsel off the plate.

Overall, the meal was delicious. The authentic Thai food is accompanied by the soft melody of the traditional Thai music which is available during dinner time. Not sure if they have the music for lunch though.

The restaurant can be found at Siam Square, Soi 8. It's hard to miss it. Just ask around if you are lost.

Thai food reminds me of my good old college days in UK where I was the kitchen helper cum waitress at a Thai restaurant. Back then life was so simple. We fussed over assignment deadlines and what to buy at Next. We worried about not getting our hands on that newly released single at Our Price. But now, it's a different ball game altogether. How I wish I could go back to those carefree days. Sighhh...

''If only I could turn back time

If only I had said what I still hide''

~Aqua~

Som Tam Nua, Bangkok

My love affair with Bangkok started way back in 1992 when I was still in my teens. Alike any other typical first timers, we visited the temples, snake farms, jewellery factories, etc and had our fair share of badly cooked tom yam, pineapple rice, etc which did not do justice at all to the actual yummy Thai cuisine.

Back here in December 2010 for the Xth time, Bangkok remains my all time favourite cities with its affordable and delicious food, shopping haven, abundance of massage parlours available, cheap booze and the list goes on and on and on..

We discovered Som Tam Nua (literally translated as Papaya Salad Restaurant) on our way to the massage centre. What piqued our curiosity was the long queue of both tourists and locals alike waiting patiently for a place to sit in the small shop.

After 40 minutes or so of waiting, we finally got our table. Pretty easy to while your time away here as there are plenty of shops and stalls to keep you occupied. The famed Siam Paragon; an upmarket shopping centre is located just across the road.

Here are some of the dishes which we had :



Som Tam or Papaya Salad

 What better way to start the meal than with their famed papaya salad. It has just the right amount of fish sauce, spicy-ness and young, crunchy papaya.

Tom Sap Moo or Spicy Pork Soup

This is one mean and spicy soup. Had me breaking out in sweat. But we finished the entire bowl coz it was too addictive.



Meat floss & pork salad

Sweet and crunchy light-weight salad. Suitable for those who can't take spicy food. 


Fried chicken

Very very well marinated and delicious fried chicken. A must have. It was on everyone's table.  


Barbeque pork dish

Nothing special. 


Deep fried fish with sweet & spicy sauce and condiments

Crunchy fish with goes well with white rice or glutinous rice.



Thai fragrant rice

 I just love Thai fragrant rice and can eat a whole bowl just on its own.


Singha beer

Down your spicy and hot dinner with a glass of cold Singha beer or coconut. Burrpp!! Time to hit the shops again.

A meal for four costs around RM 60-80 (less than USD 25). Som Tam Nua offers affordable, fuss-free and quick meals.

The shop is located at Siam Square, Soi 5. You won't miss it if you are in the Siam Square vicinity. It is near the BTS sky train station opposite Siam Paragon.