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. 

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.

The Brewhouse is located in THE most happening mall in Miri. It's been open for nearly a year (i think) but last week was the first time my husband and i stepped foot into the shop.
First impression; the shop has a very relaxing ambience, with grey bricklike walls and Christmassy lights hanging above. They even have a featured wall for you to write reviews and declarations!

We ordered a cup of chai tea latte and a brownie and here's what i think:

Chai Tea Latte
The oohs & aahs:
The smell was very aromatic, the feel of the latte was smooth and silky.
The blahs:
The volume was a little disappointing as it was served in a small little paper cup (we had a takeaway, the cup design was pretty though). And the latte tasted a little sourish, this might have been due to the latte’s spices. Also, it was a little weak for my liking. Could have been thicker and creamier.

Chocolate brownie
The ooh & aahs:
The size of the brownie was just right. It was sweet and had a slight saltiness to it which i liked. It was dense and not too crumbly.
The blahs:
The only downside of the brownie is that it had not walnuts (or any kind of nuts) Would have gotten the vote of BEST brownie if there had been some walnuts to give the texture a chunkier feel.

Didn’t get to try the other cakes and pastries as we were pressed for time, but we’ll definitely come back again to try them out.

My BFF recently treated me to a birthday lunch and boy was it Oishi! We ordered a simple potato salad, the avocado dragon roll and teriyaki chicken rice.

The potato salad was served chilled. A nice touch especially if you eat out on a hot day. The texture of the potatoes was soft and the salad sauce was very light. Not top heavy on the tongue. The sprinkles of little red fish eggs added a poppy and juicy flavor to the salad too.

The avocado dragon roll. What I liked about it. The crispy deep fried prawns which oozed a juicy and succulent flavor with every bite. What I didn't like about it. The avocado though layered neatly on top of the sushi was a little too warm for my liking. I had expected it to have a yin and yang theme whereby the avocado would be chilled while the prawns and sushi rice warm but that was not the case.

The teriyaki chicken rice. I love the fact that they have us a free bowl of miso soup to go with the fluffy fat rice. I'm a sucker for freebies mind you so an definitely giving them huge points for this. Add the fact that the chicken was tender and the gravy thick and sweet. Oishi all the way!