Rising Ramen had been getting good reviews from friends who had visited to shop so of course my hubby and I had to go and try the ramen there. 

The front of the shop has a wooden door frame painted in very dark brown (almost black in color) and in place of a door is a two piece curtain painted in red....it definitely has a Japanese feel....

So in we went and were surprised to find alot of patrons busily munching their food and enjoying the Japanese song playing in the background. The owner herself came to take our orders and lo and behold! She's a Japanese! So we were extremely excited! We were going to eat authentic ramen!

Then came the green tea which was very light and aromatic. It was extremely refreshing and  cooling. And finally, the great ramen itself was served. 

The presentation wasn't exactly great..just ok with a big pieces of seaweed, a half boiled egg with oozing yolk, slices of pork, the ramen itself and some sprinkles of spring onion. No matter. Hubby began to dig into his ramen and the verdict......(Drumroll)....7 out of 10 stars. Not the best but not bad either. The dark colored soup which I initially thought would be too heavy was actually quite light and tasty...neither too thick nor too salty. The ramen itself was also very springy and the egg was great! I believe it had been marinated prior to being boiled. The only let down was the slices of pork. They were a tad bit too dry and didn't taste like they were marinated long enough as we could still taste traces of the 'porky smell'. Also I would have personally preferred for the pork to be more fatty. 

We also ordered a bowl of rice with their signature fried chicken which was also abit of a let down. The rice itself was great, fluffy and round but the chicken also tasted as if it wasn't marinated for long enough. Perhaps the kitchen staff were pressed for time. 

Overall, it's not my favorite ramen shop but it's not bad either. They have their strong points (great tasting green tea, wonderful ramen texture and tasty fluffy rice, plus the owner is very pretty too!)

To be honest, the only reason I'm writing a review for Tommy Boy us to let you all know how the food tastes and how the service is like. 
One word, mediocre (Sorry Tommy Boy fans).

Perhaps it was because the stall /shop was run by inexperienced young men ( looked more like teenage boys). We tried to order a waffle which was displayed on their giant menu only to be told that 'we don't serve this. No stock '. To me, if you display something so big on your menu, shouldn't you take the liberty to be able to serve that dish. 

So we ended up ordering a butter cake. The taste was not bad...it was quite good in fact...dense and sweet. But a little on the pricey side at nearly RM6 per slice. 

We ordered an iced coffee which tasted too watery and too sweet. Perhaps this would appeal to non heavy coffee drinkers but it certainly did not meet my expectations.

Sorry Tommy, but I guess you and I just weren't meant to be. 

The French are famous for their butter cakes called Madeleine. Sweet little Madeleinne comes in the shape of a petite looking shell and tastes very much like our local 'kenengko' aka local egg cake.

So when a pastry shop called Madeleine opened up at our local shopping centre, I just had to pop in and give it a try.

The shop has a clean and airy feel...a major part of the walls and ceiling are constructed from glass panels / windows thus allowing warm sunlight into the shop. A plus for me as I find it very cosy and comfortable. (Mind you the air conditioning at the spring can be a little too cold for comfort at times)

Anyways onto the food....oh the glorious food. We ordered a strawberry shortcake, a green tea cake, a Danish, a cafe latte (hubby's obsession) and chamomile tea (my obsession).

The strawberry shortcake is officially my favourite. At first I was worried that the cream would be too thick and that they would use canned strawberries but boy was I wrong. In top of the cake sits a round thin biscuit (crispy!) and there are freshly sliced strawberries sandwiched between the vanilla cream cake! I was literally shoving them into my mouth hoping that my husband wouldn't take more than a mouthful.

The green tea cake was also a pleasant surprise. The top of the cake was decorated (with icing and almond nuts) to make the cake look like a beach side (refer to the photos). It wasn't too sweet and wasn't too dense. Just nice for my taste buds and it went really well with the chamomile tea (which by the way was very aromatic)

The Danish was crispy on the outside and nice and flaky on the inside. Turned out to be my son's favourite dish. 

The cafe latte came with a complimentary little cake / biscuit.....the famous Madeleine. It complimented the coffee well but on its own, the little cake tasted just ok. Not that it matters as I don't expect any Madeleine to ever blue anyone's taste buds away ever.

If you do happen to shop at the Spring, do pop into Madeleine for tea or brunch. They have a variety of other cakes, pastries and bread (all of which look very tempting). I'd like to add that the manager (I'm assuming it's the manager) was very helpful and attentive. He secured us a nice little spot even when the shop was busy and full and made sure we had all our orders correctly served. Nothing like a shop with excellent customer service

Ahhhhh....twas a fine hot afternoon when my husband and I ventured into the quaint little coffee shop with our little baby fast asleep in his stroller. 

Upon entering the shop, we were greeted with the sight of a wooden piano, small enough for a child of 3-4 years old to play with and yet grand enough for an adult to take Selfie with. The coffee shop is decorated with alot of motivational words printed on wooden planks and the tables themselves are made from old sawing machines. A little messy but interesting nonetheless. 

Now, on to the most important thing. The food of course. We ordered a cafe latte, peppermint tea, a durian fantasy cake and a peanut butter cheesecake. Fattening foods...but exercise can came later. 

The cafe latte and peppermint tea were not bad. Nothing to shout about, drinkable but not that memorable. But the cakes, Oh my, the cakes were entirely a different story. At first glance, the cakes looked only ok. Not too fancy but the staff there took the liberty of decorating the plates of the cakes ( which came in the form of mini wooden chopping boards) with words of encouragement like 'smile' & 'enjoy' in very thick and yummy chocolate sauce. Both cakes were also sprinkled with peanut bits on top to add a crunchiness to the cakes. 

The durian fantasy cake surprisingly had real and really fresh tasting durian bits...not just the paste mind you but real durian 'meat'. That was a pleasant surprise for both my husband and I ( baby notwithstanding as he was snoring away). The cake itself was light and spongy, not too heavy or sweet and that compliment the heavy taste and sweetness of the durian. I will definitely come back for this cake again.

On to the peanut butter cheesecake. Full of peanut butter and rich in cheesy flavor. The first bite will make you want to dig in for more. The cake is flavorful and rich....it tasted great but do not eat this cake alone.....share it with your partner or friends. Why you might ask. As great tasting as this cake is, it can be a little to rich and after the 5th mouthful you might not  be able to take another bite. 

So how would I rate this like coffee shop? Its not the best but definitely one of the better ones in kuching. You won't regret dining there..it has wonderful cakes, pleasant drinks (they even serve Spaghetti and other western good which we haven't tried) and a relaxing ambience. So do visit the shop if you happen to be in city one. You might just fall in love with it. 

Fancy some Dim Sum?
If you’re looking for a Dim Sum place in Miri, Han’s Palace might just perk you up. Located at the first floor of Grand Palace Hotel, this Dim Sum place is almost always packed during the weekends. In fact, patrons sometimes have to queue up just to get a table!
The good things about Han’s Palace is that the hotel has ample parking lots so you won’t have to worry about finding a place to park your car and enjoy your breakfast / brunch at a leisurely pace. Also the place is air conditioned so no worries about sweating while munching your char siew paw. And there’s another perk. It’s halal! So everyone gets a taste of dim sum!
But is it good? Well, here’s my two cent’s worth:
The Char Siew Pau
The Char Siew Paus come freshly steamed in a set of 3 in a little wooden basket. The skin is snowy white and soft with a little tinge of sweetness to it so even if you’re just eating the bun without the meat, it still tastes good. The filling made from chopped chicken and their secret char siew sauce is also sweet and savoury. The chef could have toned down on the saltiness abit though. But overall, the paus get a 4/5 stars.
The Chee Cheong Fun
This delicacy actually has a very weird name. It’s literally translated to ‘pig intestines’. I think that’s because the original dish looked abit like one. Good thing it’s just a name though, phew! I’m not exactly a ‘spare parts’ eater. Now to the review. The translucent white skin wraps the bits if chicken and steamed prawns and is sprinkled with soy sauce. The skin is nice and springy, not to thick and the prawns are big and juicy. The bits of chicken taste abit like what was used to make the char siew pau and thus was a little too salty for my liking. A 4/5 stars.
The Carrot Cake
The carrot cake (Chinese style) was pan fried to perfection!. It’s outer layers were slightly brown and crispy while the inside was soft and tender. My favourite dish of the lot. A 4.5 /5 stars.
The Lo Mai Kai
Not liking their version of the lo mai kai as i found it too salty (again...perhaps the chef had flu and couldn’t taste his cooking properly that day?) A 2/5 stars.
Overall, this place can be considered THE best Dim Sum eatery in Miri so it’ll be worth a visit or two if you happen to crave for Dim Sum.