On our way back from a short holiday to Singapore, we stopped at Johor for dinner before making a long drive back home. Plus there is apparently a really good restaurant there which my mom had dine at before and wanted to bring us there. It was one last treat before returning back to our usual routine. The place looked really good, something that most chinese couples would have their wedding dinner at almost. The staff were quite attentive too though they seem to have a little bit of a struggle when it comes to smiling. But I guess that is easily overlooked by the ambience. Being quite popular for their roast duck, it would be qite foolish to dine there and not to order it. The roast is brought to the table whole and carved right there before being wrapped into little savoury crepes/pancakes for you with the nice sauce lathered in it. This was pretty good and I ate more than three without even noticing it. As another added treat and bonus, we got this exurbent dish. The sea cucumber, fish maw, mushroom braised in a super thick sauce that leaves you wanting more. I cannot remember exactly what fish this was. But it tasted really amazing because of the sauce it was cooked with and  just on the outside layer, it's perfectly caramelized. Despite the nice crust outside, the interior was still nicely juicy. Plus one portion is pretty substantial for a single person and eating it with rice, remember to douse the sauce over it because you know it will be amazing.

There is never a chance for me to say no if someone asks me to eat something Thai. Even if I am feeling unwell, I will still drag myself out of bed just to have a good bowl of hot tom yum soup. Since there was an errand or two that had to be done there, we decided to have our dinner at Midvalley and my first option was of course Absolute Thai. First we got the Omelette with Oysters. This was actually pretty good was exactly what I wanted when I ordered, plus it had little bits of raw cabbage at the bottom. Not too sure if I was eat that together with the egg or not but I ignored it mostly. The only draw back of this dish is that there was a little too much oil which I had to wipe off with a tissue paper. And like always, we ordered our favourite steamed fish with lime, ginger and chilli. This will always be my favourite dish to order especially when it comes in the metal dish that remains constantly heated throughout your entire dining experience. The soup is the star because I can have mouthfuls of it, probably about to die from the spice and kick but that won't stop me from going back for more.Then finally the bowl of Seafood Tom Yum soup. As always when it comes to Absolute Thai's, it is incredibly spicy and also sour. Eating this hot was just an assault on your senses, but the good kind and keeps you coming back for more. The seafood always tastes fresh without being overcooked and dry. I could finish this entire bowl myself on a good day.After all the hot and spicy stuff I had, as a nice ending to the meal I got my favourite thai dessert - the red jewels. Basically it's sweetened coconut milk doused shaved ice with slices of nangka & little red jewels of chestnut individually wrapped with jelly. I always loved this because it's sweet but has different kinds of texture, something Absolute Thai does this very well. 

As always whenever my aunt from Singapore comes down for a visit, our entire family on the maternal side always have dinner together. Our first choice is and probably always will be Wan Jia even if the distance there is quite a bit. But we never mind driving a little further just for some good food. Our first order is the Thousand Island Sauced Pork Ribs. Usually I would prefer marmite rather than this but then at Wan Jia, this dish is freaking amazing that it has fast become a favourite of mine. It's kind of hard to describe the flavours exactly but it's tangy, salty and also slightly sweet. The ribs are always cooked nicely, crispy on the outside while the meat remains nicely juicy. We also ordered their special Bean Curd braised with Abalone Slices on top. This was everyone's favourite because they loved the sauce that it came with. I however was partial to this only because beancurd was never really something I was crazy about, though I did have two big pieces to myself. It's nice when doused with the sauce and mixed with some white rice. Another dish that is also a favourite is the Kam Heong Lala. This dish had a good punch of flavours and nice hit of spice from the chili padi that is used. Plus the clams are super gresh so they are juicy while absorbing the flavour of the sauce very well.Then as an added treat for everyone, we got this braised pumpkin with lots of seafood. They have abalone, sea cucumber, dried oysters, mushrooms and fish maw which have all been  braised in a similar sauce to the beancurd dish. This was also pretty good as the filling was very big portion which kept all of us at the table very happy.

So worth dining at Wan Jia every time because the portions are always big and yet the price are not too exurbent while the quality of taste & ingredietns never fail. 

There are some days, especially a Sunday, where all I want is just to have a really indulgent breakfast. And often times my brain + stomach asks only for dim sum - not just any dim sum though, it has to be from one of the best places ever and that is Jin Xuan.

The one thing that's slightly negative is the crowd, especially on weekends. You have to wait about 15-20 minutes usually and easier to get a table when you're in a small party of maybe three or four people. However that's easily overlooked once you tuck into your mountainful of orders.My absolute must-order when I am there is the Loh Mai Kai. The rice is soft & sticky with nice sweetness. The chicken that comes with one portion is huge and also the mushroom + lap cheong that comes with is always nicely flavoured. I can finish two portion of this easily if I don't eat antyhing else. Then there is the egg tarts. Although most of the time it is not fresh-out-of-the-oven, it is still very good because the custardy part is just nicely sweet withouth being too firm. With that in mind the pastry is also beautifully crusty which makes the bite of this almost heavenly. and then the main thing that keeps me coming back (among the other amazing things from this place) is the Brinjal. IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD, especially if you're lucky to get the portion that is freshly cooked. I don't know how but they stuff the brinjal to the brim with fish paste and still remains juicy. Plus I really love how the brinjal is crisp on the outside but meltingly soft on the inside.

Now I wish I lived nearer to Jin Xuan so I can get my dimsum fix any time. 

for some funny reason my best friend was really desperate for a girl's night out. She wanted to spend time together having a good meal, talk and also some drinks. Since we both live rather nearby, we decided to go to KLCC and at first wanted to dine at Svago. Unfortunately the place was fully booked for a function so we had to dine somewhere else instead and opted for Chinoz.

Our previous experience there had been a not so pleasant one, however we were willing to give it another chance. We do like the ambience there, especially when it isn't crowded nor filled with big families. This gave us a good chance to have a nice conversation without having to yell at each other from across the table.

With our drinks ordered, we looked through the menu and decided to just order food tapas style to share as none of the mains really appealed to us. Plus we prefer eating like this as it gives us a chance to try more different things. We ordered the fried calamari. This was super good as it was hot and crisp which is a clear sign that it was freshly fried - with a squeeze of lemon and dipping it into the mayo that it came with, this was satisfying. Plus the squid tasted fresh unlike the frozen kind so I give them props for this dish.We also ordered the grilled merguez sausage. The portion was slightly bigger than we imagined but then again, who would really complain about more food anyways. This tasted really good as the sausage was perfectly grilled and has a nice herby flavour. Plus it came with some kind of sauce which until today I am unsure what it is, but eating the sausage with it gave you quite a mouthful of flavour.

This is a must-try.Then because we were indulging in dinner & drinks for the night, we also ordered the soft shell crab tempura. This was an absolute love because the batter was perfectly crisp, nicely flavoured and the crab was still juicy on the inside. We finished this up almost instantly, but we actually took our time to chat and nibble while we sipped on our drinks.