Di sini, saya ingin memberi laporan makan-makan di Meatworks (Solaris, Mont Kiara) bersama dengan Encik Aizal Kusyairi Ali. Kami mengorder the SIGNATURE BONE-IN FILLET - Prime Rib 350gram. RM79 harganya... In the beginning, we did not know how the piece of meat would look like. Kalau rib eye or T-bone tu buleh bajet2 macam mana rupa. Tapi bone in fillet? Apakah? ... Jadi, waiter kitorang tarusss bawak the refrigerated cut dan tunjuk. Senang cerita! :D ... Lepas dah nampak how big the part was, Mr Cikaro tarus order, and I cancelled my T-bone order (dah order dah masa tu) dan tukau ke Prime rib tu. hehehehe. Ni gambar2 from my FB...

 RM79...

Encik Aizal punya... nampak gelap sket... but his was rarer than mine in the end

Okes. Sebelum ni kitorang pernah makan kat Las Vacas. Jadik, wajib buat comparison sedikit. I'd say the way the meat is cooked... Las Vacas mcm lagi best, since they cooked the meat to perfect medium :) At Meatworks semalam, we asked for medium, but got almost well-done instead.

Side-dishes-wise... Meatworks mcm lagik banyak jenis. You can't see it in the top most pic, but ada mashed potatoes, carrots and cherry tomatoes kat bawah daging tu. Yang mmg clear2 nampak is of course the jagung aka corn lah :) Also, they give gravy/sauce... yang memang shedap. In the end mmg gravy2 pon licin saya bedal (termasuk Encik Aizal punya pon saya bedal). Las Vacas, the just gave the meat, sayur campur (coleslaw without the white stuff mcm kat KFC) and a slice of french bread (ada garlic butter rasa2nya). Jadik, kurang meriah sikit je la.

In all, I'd say sedap la makan semalam. Pueh ati... And the price was a bit cheaper than Las Vacas. At LV, the overall bill was like RM212 mcm tu (two steaks and two drinks. Cuma kat LV makan rib eye lah). Yesterday was RM180 (two of the stakes, and cappuccino dan ayor juice mango). Jadik, based on our one visit to Las Vacas and one visit to Meatworks... at the moment mcm Meatworks menang dari sudut price and taste... Tapi... ok la. Dari sudut price tu takleh compare la since kat LV makan rib-eye... kat MW makan daging yg saya rasa was a less expensive cut of meat.

Okes. Jadi itu saja cerita saya. Terima kasih kerna membaca :D Assalaamualaikum WBT dan selamat makan daging :)

In the end, I went to Las Vacas. I had lunner (lunch + dinner) there... If you translate Las Vacas, in English ianya bermakna "The Cows". Kalau ke Melayu... maka jadik la pulak "Lembu-lembu" atau "Para Lembuan" :) As expected, the meat was thicker compared to the 'steaks' found at Malay Western joints... and of course, no black pepper sauce from the bottle. But they had BBQ sauce and DIJON mustard! Yeous... baru le dapat merasa Dijon... kalau tak selalu dok tengok orang guna kat Asian Food Channel aje :) [Ya... saya memang jakun bab2 makan2 ala2 mewah2 ni...]

Went with my makan2 fren, Mr Aizal Kusyairi Ali a.k.a. Cikaro Kiroro. We tried the 300gm Angus Rib Eye (Grain fed) and the 300gm Angus Rib Eye (Grass fed). According to the sales guy, the grain fed meat is supposed to be sweeter. When our orders finally came... hmmmm... Ntoh. Rasa samaaa je? :P As a matter of fact, we couldn't even differentiate which one was which, since the waiter just put the orders on our table. Time tu pulak, I was in the toilet and Mr Cikaro tak pi tanya pulok. Tapi takpe...

Taste-wise... Ok. Memang agak sedap. Well, to Mr Cikaro... it was very2 sedap. For me... I tot it was sedap taraf OK saja :) Maybe I spoilt my taste buds before the meal sebab minom air oren masam dan berkarbonat kot? Tapi in all, puas hati la... cuz the steaks were big and juicy.

Pricewise... the Angus Rib Eye (Grain fed) was RM30 per 100grams... the Angus Rib Eye (Grass fed) was RM28 per 100grams. BTW, both are cheaper kalau beli daging mentah saja (sah2 la kan)... Each steak approx. 300grams... jadi... pandai2 la kira iye tuan2 dan puan2 :)  The beverages, for me, were a bit on the ExPenSive side. RM6.50 for a canned orange drink? Hmmmm... Agak mahal kan? Mr Cikaro minum ayor black current... that one was RM7.50. Quite dear if you ask me...

Location-wise... The shop is situated somewhere behind Wisam FAM, Kelana Jaya. Forget the actual address, but you can just Google and insyaAllaah you will find.

Okes... Tu je nak citer :) Lepas ni, buleh start kumpul duit balik. And maybe after 8-10 months, buleh pi makan kedai steak lain pulak... Meatworks maybe? :) Aminnnn...

 Bila dah ambik gambar macam ni, baru la betul2 nampak yg Cikaro punya memang berkali2 ganda

lagik besar dari saya punya. Patut la mamat tu pueh ati abis! Chaitsss!
[Picture rembatted from Aizal Kusyairi Ali's Facebook]

My friend Mas Rina mesti akan tensen tengok ini post punya title. Hehehehe. The reason being is that I've asked her about these two restaurants since two Alaskan summers ago :P Tapi still tak pergi pergi. Hehehe. Jgn mare Mas. Aku nak pergi dah la nii :P

Anywayz, after some deliberation... I have decided to go with Las Vacas. The main reason?... Well, I think it's because Mas said it was cheaper. But cheap2 pon, steaks will always be dear. I bet a 300-grammer would dry up my credit card by RM50-60? Ke lebih? Aiyooo.... Anywayz, now I still can't go and sample the meat at Las Vacas since the wifey ada side projects sana sini. Maid also tarak at the moment. So no one to look after our 2-year old Nadeem Farhan, yg semakin hari semakin besar dan naughty :) Jadi, kena tangguh lagi lah... When we'll be able to go? Wallaahua'lam. But harap2 its in the near future lah...

Anywayz... :D I've actually been craving a juicy medium rare steak since dok tengok Asian Food Channel. Moreover, sometimes I go to the Malay Western restaurants. No matter how nice the restaurant tries to look like, the steak will always be thin, and overpowered by black pepper sauce. And if you order  T-bone, you'd get a piece of meat as thick (thin?) as a T-Shirt!!! So, thats why wanna go to one of these steak/meat shops lah :D

Oraits. Tu je nak citer. Tq for reading iya :D  

Pagi tadi, saya jadik 3/4 terlebih rajin. Pergi ke dapur, bajet nak makan kot2 ada benda yg dah tersedia. Tengok ada roti, mentega, kaya dan jem. Hmmm... Apa kata kita coba masak? Lalu saya pun cuba lah masak.

Apa yg senang masak... pada masa yg sama buleh mengenyangkan? TELUR!!! Maka saya pon ambik lah 4-biji telur ayam (yang telah dibasuh oleh isteri terchenta). Letak atas meja. Lepas tu ambik tomato separuh bijik, lobak merah a.k.a. carrot sepanjang jari kelingking, 3-ulas (ulas ek?) bawang putih, dan sebijik bawang merah halussss sangat. Owh... dan sebijik cili (cabai hidup). Kasi potong semua ingredients tu halus2... yang mana cili tu saya buang semua bijik dan ricih halus2 menggunakan pisau yang dibeli di Tesco :)

Saya ni tak pernah belajar memasak... tapi agak2 je la benda apa yg nak dibubuh dulu. Mula2 nak bubuh bawang putih n merah dulu... tapi pikir2 balik, kang hangit pulak! Lantas, saya masukkan carrot dulu, diikuti cili, diikuti bawang putih dan merah, diikuti tomato :) Setiap ramuan dimasukkan selang beberapa menet... :) Kasik masuk garam sikit, lada hitam sikit, dan serbuk jintan manis sikit.... Rasa2 mcm sudah masak... kasik PUKUL 4-biji telur... dan kasik masuk dalam itu frying pan juga lah! Carik2 cheese sikit, tabur2 mengikut kehendak kendiri :)

Sebab saya 3/4 rajin, lepas satu ketika tu... isteri saya datang. Dan dia la yg tulung saya settlekan telur omelette tersebut sehingga masak :) Dia jugak amat baik hati dan tulung saya basuh segala apa peralatan yg saya gunakan utk potong2 dan masaaak. I Lub U lah laling... :)

Anywayz, itu saja la ceritanya. Omolete Jawatroxion Dot Blogspot Dot Com :D T kasih kerna membaca iya. Assalaam aleykom Warahmatullaahi Wabarakatuh.

Yang ni je sempat amik gambar...

Hasil masakan. Mcm bulan sabit la pulak iye tuan?

I like arab food... Yes, I like arab food :) When I say arab though, I don't mean the whole arab world because I've never tasted that many food from that many countries. But what I have tasted are food from Jordan and Yemen (since my circle of Arab friends are mostly from these nationalities). Anywayz...

I was relatively recently introduced to an Arab (Arabic?) restaurant, in Seri Kembangan near South City Plaza (kalau tak berapa sure jugak, it's somewhere near Mines Shopping Fair, but not exactly in the same neighborhood). The shop's name - Half Moon Restaurant. It's a Yemeni establishment serving a variety of Yemeni delights :) I just thought I'd share the details of this shop with my readers, whom btw, I thank so much for reading my blofg :D Hehehehe... Anwyayz...

One reason why I like coming back to this shop is because of its consistency. I like to order a dish called the Uqda Lamb with Humus and Rice (they give a piece of flat bread and some soup too). Ever since the first time I came and ordered that dish, the taste has been so consistent and delicioso every time I come back! Furthermore, the other dishes are also consistently good tasting, which probably means they have a very good chef and he/she hasn't gone anywhere yet for the past many-many months :D Even one of my wife's friend from Penang says that this shop (Half Moon) has better tasting food compared to the more famous SABA (also Yemeni food... There's one in Cyberjaya.). Although a smaller, Half Moon packs a pretty heavy punch when it comes to flavor. And I have to say, compared to Jordanian food, I prefer the Yemeni's twist on flavor as it seems that they have more of it compared to their Arabian counterparts :)

Okes... enuff talk (write) lah. Now I give you some screen shots from Half Moon's menu. Half Moon's menu is filled with lots of good food of course... tapi biasa la, when we talk about makanan Arab, the price is a bit dear lah :) Of kos akan mahal dari makanan Melayu kita :D But for this shop, since the portion size is BIG, and the taste is good, the worth every penny lah (in my humble opinion that is). 

Anywayz.... I don't know whether disclosing Half Moon's menu  like this is against the law or anything... but hey, free advertising what? Hahahaha! Oraits... Assalaam aleykom WBT.

The menu's cover. As you can see, there's a Half Moon... 

The beverages. For myself, to jimat belanja, I'd normally order that RM3 tea set?

You can get quite a lot of tea from it :) Minum 3-4 orang kadang2 buleh...

Other drinks offered at Half Moon

The Royal Yemeni Dishes serves at Half Moon. The one that I like to order is the Oqda

Lamb & Humus & Rice... RM15 :D 

I tried the Mandy and Kabsah before. They're good also. But somehow, I like

that Oqda thinggy more :)

Tak pernah try... but once, I tried their Sheesh Kabaab or something? Ok, that

one is not quite worth it since it was RM12, but the portion was little...

This is Mr Aizal Kusyairi Ali. As you can see, he was so hungry

at the time sampai tak sempat tengok kamera lah!!!

Soup... I think it's Tumeric-based, but with a hint of goat/lam flavor. Sedaaap :D

Oqda Lamb (basically means daing kambing cincang) with Humus (chick pea-based)

and Rice. You can't see the rice since it's under the Oqda thinggy :) Roti tu

sebenarnya saya da ter-makan. Lupa pulak yg kena amik gambar dulu :P

The un-violated version. But this one is Oqda Chicken with Humus and Rice :D

As you can see, the bread is still in tact. Mr Azial, although hungry, was still able

to hold his horses for the photo shoot :)

Finally, the tea set. This is mint tea. Basically, they make the tea, put loads of sugar, and add

mint leaves :) Very2 de sedap. Can make at home also if you want :D

Okes. There you have my report on Half Moon Yemeni Restaurant. If you wanna go there... Firstly, look for South City Plaza. Make sure it's on your left. Then, basically, just follow the red-line on the map provided below :) I usually park at that circled-blue area (on the map) and walk for around 20-30 meters to the shop. Okes. Hope this post has been of some benefit :D Assalaam aleykom and tq for reading iya :D

Map to Half Moon Restaurant from South City Plaza...

    

Ok. Sorry, but I just can't help it. When ever I eat goat, I post goat. Korang sah2 dah boring... but I want to post jugak :D Jgn mare iye.... 

Although this was eaten somewhere in the middle of May 2011, I still want to post it on my blog. Why? Because this time, I think the presentation of the dish was better (the price was a bit UP oredi however). The first time I ate there, the dish looked something like this (click here). Plus, the lamb shank (paha kambing ... altho I think the shank actually refers to the knee area, kan?) was cooked so well that it glided of the bone so so so easily one. I mean, easier than before!!! Dia orang bubuh grease ke apa kasik licin? Hehehe! Anywayz... Here are the pics. For those of you who don't know (altho I think most oredi know sbb dah berapa kali aku post pasal menatang neh), ini lah dia Nasi Beriyani (ke Beriani?) Paha Kambing from Puncak Mutiara Cafe, Kampung Pelet :D Arigato. [Nanti viva time wajib makan lagi, insyaAllaah]

The goat is as usual... so big one

Wajib for me to do this... kalau tak sia2 kamben tu mati :P

The bone... 

The bone... MACRO setting (ke yg atas tu macro setting....?)

Today I will talk about pizza... Ok, here goes...

I never knew that the Veggie Galore pizza from domino's would be so good :) Up till now, I've ordered it every time I access the domino's webpage for online ordering. Since the toppings are all veggies (cherry tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and onions), it's not that heavy on the stomach. And alhamdulillaah, it is not that difficult to finish one whole 12" New York or Classic Hand Tossed crust type :D 

Below are some pics of the pizza before I finished the last slice. The final pic shows the pizza's face... Maybe muka kasian nak suruh saya jangan tamatkan riwayat dia? Tapi nak buat camno, I already paid for you. So into my tummy you go :D

Oraits. TQ for reading this unnecessary blog post... :D

Veggie Galore pizza (2-slices) closeup

The pizza's sad face

Salaam to all. Alhamdulillaah, I was blessed with two biggies in the past two days.

Two nights ago, my roommate and good friend Mr. Ehsan Abbasnejad gave me a farewell dinner at Kampung Pelet. Of course, to save time and to get the best deal, we ordered the usual Nasi Beriani Paha Kambing [whose price has gone up a bit by 70-cents... now it's RM17.70]. To our amazement, I got a very big kambing portion! Gila babeng besar punya!!! I was like at a lost of breath after finishing the whole thing. Nasib baik nasik tak banyak, kalu tak sah2 dah tewas. Below are the pics [almost half the plate is filled by the massive meat!!!]

As you can see... this is a bapak kambing...

Normally there'd only be one bone left... Yang ni sampai 3 tulang lepas abis makan!!!

Alhamdulillaah.

For the next biggie, it involves a trip to the middle of the ocean. Yesterday, went to Yan again. Fishing trip :) Went to sea, and hunted tengiri [Spanish mackerel]. Alhamdulillaah, overall we were blessed by the Ar-Razaq with 16 good-sizes mackerels, and also 4-5 others, namely the Dorado and Todak (Banang?). I was blessed with the biggest catch, weighing in at around 3.5-4 kilograms, I reckon. So that's the second biggie in two days :) Below are de pics.

The one I landed. If you look closely, there are some ikan bilis (anchovies?). This momma [think it's a she] was eating them when my bait 'swam' in front of her eyes.

The bait... bulu ayam...

The overall haul. One of the mackerels got 'khatam'-ed while being reeled in [the half bodied one in the pic]. An alu-alu (something like a barracuda) got mad and bit the poor fish in two. So tajam its teeth one... just cut like a razor!!!

In all, Alhamdulillaah for both the biggies. Dan dengan itu, sekianlah laporan mengenai the two things that help maintain my sanity during this ordeal we call a PhD :D Kambing and Ikan. TQ for reading iya. Assalaam aleykom WBT.

Yesterday, it was Arab (Yemeni) and Iranian food galore for me, Alhamdulillaah. Firstly, for lunch, had some Mendi/Mandi Rice with Fahsa at SABA restaurant (at Ivory Plaza, Jalan Bukit Gambir). Normally, the rice is accompanied by either chicken or lamb... but myself, Mozaher and Ehsan (labmates) decided to budget a bit and did not go for the normal package. The rice is cooked with some herbs, spices and oil... making it yellowish in color and super delicious. Furthermore, they use Basmathi rice so the texture is quite smooth and nice :) 

Mendi/Mandi Rice - RM3.00 per set

Includes: Tomato+Chilli (and vinegar I think) semi-hot sauce and some chopped cabbages+carrots

Then there was the Fahsa. From afar (and from a-near :P), it greatly resembles beef curry. The only difference I think is in its taste where... well, it tastes nothing like curry :D Meat was cooked until tender and served in a sizzling clay thinggy (apa nama ek? kuali? mangkuk?)...

Fahsa - RM12.00 ... For me, it's quite expensive, tapi since bahagi 3, so ok la.

Meat quantity was so-so, but can eat la. Tak la kenyang tapi ok :)

Overall... each of us spent RM7.00. Not really a budget meal, but cheaper than eating the whole rice set... (tapi save RM1 je pon sorang... heheheheh). After eating, semua habis la of course... Alhamdulillaah.

Abish

Pon abish... kena penangan Malayu, Bangla dan Pak Iran :D

Night time... I was invited to another makan-makan session, courtesy of my roomate, labmate and good friend Mr. Ehsan Abbasnejad (bukan Ahmadinnejaad iye....). This time it was the Iranians who were cooking. And this time, it was free, Alhamdulillaah. They were doing something called Dholmeh/Dolmeh. Basically, it's stuff wrapped into grape leaves, and then cooked in a rice cooker. The taste was quite interesting and I must say that this was a first for me :) Overall, it was de very2 good. While portion size was not that big, the whole meal was very satisfying (no bloated belly, no angin2 etc.). Below are the pics :)

Pak-pak Iran chit chatting. They were all speaking Persian btw.

But of course, cakap English la dengan saya :)

Dholmeh/Dolmeh 1

Dholmeh/Dolmeh 2

Overall, Alhamdulillaahi Robbil 'Aalameen. I thank God for all the bounties he has bestowed upon me yesterday :) Kenyang perut senang hati..... Ok. Thanks for visiting iya. Assalaam aleykom WBT :D

Yesterday marked the first time I broke (Ramadhaan) fast at a hotel. Thanks to Ms. Adlina Adnan, wife to Mr. Ani/Malik/Suhaizam (same person but with 3 names). She gave away four free coupons to my good friend, Mr. Azrul Azmi bin Mohd Amin bin Kayat (yes, I somehow have the knack of memorizing people's grandfathers!!!). Not wanting to bukak pose alone, Azrul invited myself and Mr. Awang Selamat bin Karim. There was still one extra coupon though. After the futility of searching for Bangi-an homies... we ended up inviting one of my MRSM Terendak friends, Mr. Helmi bin Mohd Shah, who apparently hasn't gone back to his Masjid Tanah kampung yet :) Rozqi dia dapek makan free kat hotel, hehehe. After cukup korum... we all sat down to very2 delightful buka puasa dishes, Alhamdulillaah :D

I for one ate:

1. One date and fruits,
2. Barbecued lamb (or was it just normal goat meat... donno),
3. Char Kuey Tiow,
4. Nasi Beriani with Tandoori Chicken and Beef Beriani,
5. Shawarma (that kabaab thinggy you can find @ pasar malams or pasar ramadhaans),
6. Chocolate mousse,
7. Red jello,
8. Cakes and pastries (which to my surprise, almost all had DURIAN flavoring!!! Yuckz!!!) - I do love durian as a fruit, but as derived products or flavoring... tada bules diterima dek tekak dan logik akal :P,
9. Ayor sirap (yg. I had to refill sendiri since waiter dok layan orang2 yg lebih VIP, I think...),
10. Teh tarik,
11. More barbecued lamb.

Walaweh... when writing all that down only can I see how MUCH I actually ate!!! Banyak gak tuh :P Ish... Patutlah pagi tadi terpaksa melawat En. Tan utk. sesi 'beruang'... Hmmm... Tapi takpe. Overall, the dishes were quite good. Except for the durian flavoring part. So weird, that even the chocolate and cheese-based cakes had durian taste! Like I said, I like durians... but only as a fruit (with one exception being tempoyak). But as flavoring to food that isn't supposed to be durian? Hmmmm.... Tak berapa seshuai I reckon. But then again, that is my tongue. Maybe the majority of people love it that way... Wallaahu a'lam.

Oh... btw, the price for the buka puasa buffet @ Residence Hotel Uniten [Jupiter Coffee House] was actually RM63++. Well, at least that's what the coupon states. But Alhamdulillaah, we had it all for free!!! TQ again Ina!!! Kalu tak free, takde de nak makan bukak pose mahal2 gini, ye dok? Hehehehe.... Oraits... SELAMAT HARI RAYA!!!!! Mari layan beberapa gambar (gambar itu Helmi takde tapi... pasal x sempat amik time kusyuk makan... dia sampai lambat...) 

My meal... I actually didn't want rice. But somehow the mamat @ the food counter put rice in my plate. Bedal sahaja lah iya :)

Mr. Azrul Azmi bin Mohd Amin bin Kayat... who will be losing his 'freedom' on the 3rd/4th day of Eidul Fitr :) InsyaAllaah, other 'things' will be lost as well... but in a good way and for a good cause. Hehehehe...

Mr. Awang Selamat bin Karim. Face looking sad maybe due to waiting for the muadzzin, who at the time, did not yet sound the azan :P

Ahmad Troxion bin Jaaper :D Me and my weapon to attack the food.

The similitude... Nasi Kandar Beratoq!!! Seriously... I think longer at times! 

The Arabic Iftar line has been gaining popularity this year round. There is actually another line on the other side of Masjid Al-Malik USM, serving Malaysian food. But it seems that people are thronging the Arabs instead. I personally believe it's because of the more well defined portions of chicken that you get, plus the ARAB PORTION rice that is being put in your plate/tupperware.  If you've seen an Arab with good appetite, you will know what I mean :)

Anywayz, me and my Iranian friend Ehsan have already agreed that by 6:35pm, we should start heading down alerady. If not... we'd end up at the end of the line with the risk of getting no Arab food. But not to fret, for if the Arab food habis... insyaAllaah, most probably there is still more Malay food on the other side (Dah semua datang bedal makanan Arab? Siapa nak habiskan yg Malaysia punya side...).

Okes... berikut adalah a few pictures of the Arab Iftar Line @ Masjid Jamek Al-Malik USM :D Assalaam aleykom.

@ 6:30 - 6:35 pm... Empty. But like the changing windssss... (see next pic)

Line becomes long in an instant!

Ladies also ada line :) Minah tudung itam tu perasan ka gambar mereka di-snap?

Amir tak silap is the boy's name. The mum is a frequent patron of this line :)

Makhluk2 hampa pasal datang lambat... kasian, kena go back to the end of the already long line...

This is what pisses me off (and undoubtedly, other people as well). Some people (in this case an Arab) just came and 'inserted' himself into the line after seeing some friends. I think, if some people at the back don't get the food due to this injustice... this guy will answer dearly to God for what seemingly is a 'harmless' (yet annoying) act...

Intai2 the Pak Arabs getting the food ready

Pak Arabs in action :) The bald guy @ the end was actually a USA PR [or citizen? not sure]... But now he's like stationed in Malaysia :) Sometimes I feel that he looks like a Harley Davidson rider...

 

Happily performing their duties...

After I got the food..... The line was getting longer. Sometimes... it extends very2 long until the padang2 rumput @ the back !!!

This is what people are after :) Sometimes yellow rice with chicken kurma...

Durra dates... the 'wet' version :)

From the back of the packet

Of course, air kordial balang. This is more Malaysian than Arabic :)

Tok Uban waiting for the clock to strike 7:33 pm :D