Food: PLOY @ Changkat Semantan, Damansara Heights

Sorry about the lack of updates. Like the rest of the nation, we've been too busy with the election fever!

Honestly, before this review we had never known or been to Clearwater at Changkat Semantan. Thank goodness we made the effort to attend a review at PLOY, or else we'd have continued in oblivious bliss!

PLOY is billed as a Japanese-Thai inspired restaurant. I'm never the biggest fan of fusion food, but we'd heard some nice things about the place. So, we were excited to give their new menu specials for 2013 a try!

Getting right down to business, we started off with 2 salads. One was the Golden Needle Salad (RM 15), comprising tofu with avocado, brocolli and wafu dressing. If you're curious about what golden needle is, it's also known as dried lily buds (some of you may have had it with Chinese vegetarian stir-fries or noodles; it's got a slightly acid taste and is quite chewy when not deep-fried). Don't confuse it with golden needle mushroom, because that refers to enoki mushrooms! =D

We thought this salad was okay, something light and refreshing to start a meal. The slithery tofu was nice and smooth, and the stringy golden needles were an interesting addition.

Salad number 2 was the Tuna Wakame Salad (RM 23), consisting of tuna cubes, avocado and sesame  shoyu dressing. This salad was more substantial, with the addition of fresh tuna and seaweed while the sesame shoyu dressing gave it a distinct Japanese flavour. I thought it was well done, since the dressing was mild in flavour, not too strong. We preferred this salad.

After the salads came the other snack appetizers. We thought this Tempura Surprise (RM15) sounded unique, billed as seabass wrapped in oba leaf. If you don't know what oba leaf is, it's actually a big leaf commonly used when ordering sashimi to line the plate or bed of ice. In this case, it's been wrapped up with the fish and lightly fried in batter.

The Tempura Surprise (seabass) on the left & the Kabocha Tempura (pumpkin) on the right

While I did like the firm chunks of fish, the oba leaf was a bit disappointing, as there wasn't much flavour to it.

Continuing with the tempura dishes, next we had the Kabocha Tempura (RM 8.50), which was pumpkin tempura with salted egg. This is the kind of dish that has to be eaten fresh out of the fryer and piping hot, otherwise the pumpkin texture becomes hard to eat when cold, which was what we experienced. We were a bit disappointed with the salted egg, as it was just sprinkled on top instead of infused with the tempura batter. 

At this point, you might be wondering where the fusion stuff is, since everything so far has been quite Japanese. Well, there are also these Magic Puffs (RM 32), a luxurious-sounding combination of homemade puff pastry paired with goat cheese, truffle oil and wild rocket.

Alas, there must have been a blackout in the kitchen, causing a sudden disappearance of ballot boxes filling, because the puffs were actually hollow inside! The goat cheese, truffle oil, and rocket were all neatly placed atop the puff pastry, with nothing inside. The toppings had a nice earthy flavour, no doubt thanks to the truffle oil, but we felt pretty surprised since we were expecting something more inside the puff. Perhaps the chef still has something up his sleeve? =)

For something that looks a lot less Asian, how about the Smoked Duck Breast and Chicken Ham Pizza (RM 28), an addition to their Ploy-za range? The crust was extremely thin, so this is at best a snack, where you don't have to worry about being filled up by the pastry. The green base is not wasabi (thankfully!), but avocado, a running theme in their menu at PLOY.

But wait! Our favourites of the meal are coming up. There were some very bright spots, like the Crab in a Wrap (RM 28), which is a maki of soft shell crab with mango, avocado and spicy kani. Of all the dishes we tried that night, this was one of our favourites. There was plenty of that spicy kani which provided a great, spicy kick, and just the right amount of soft shell crab in each piece. The overall texture was well balanced by the avocado, leaving us sighing with contentment at every piece! =D

Nearing the end of the meal now, we were treated to the more substantial items on the menu, like this Godfather Special (RM 22), which was made up of a salmon don with ikura, avocado, royu and nori in crunchy tempura flakes and seaweed slithers. This, together with the Crab in a Wrap mentioned earlier, were our top 2 favourites for the night.

We were thoroughly enthralled by the combinations in this spicy bowl of rice. The crunchiness of the tempura bits, coupled with the crisp 'popping' texture of the ikura, and the creamy ever-present avocado (which I was getting scared of after so many avocado dishes but Wendy was still enjoying it) with the fragrant flavour of sesame oil, make this a bowl of rice we don't want to leave unfinished. Perhaps most suited for sharing with one other person, although we dare say there are some who could put down one bowl on their own. =P This is the must-order off of their new menu.

And to wrap up the meal at PLOY, we had a taste of the Pasta From Heaven (RM 28), a simple combination of sakura ebi angel hair in truffle oil. For this dish, we found the inconsistency between the 2 plates of pasta that were served a little strange. One had a healthy topping of mini fried shrimp, while another had just a few pieces, like as if it was placed there as an afterthought. One plate had parsley garnishing on top, while the other didn't. Hopefully something confined to just that night.

Taste-wise, it was not our cup of tea (or our plate of pasta, in this case!). Take note that this is a cold pasta, so don't expect a hot dish. We could taste the hint of truffle oil, but you're someone who's keen on a cold dish pasta (perhaps those the likes of those who like cold soba?), we wouldn't really recommend it.

Finally, the feast was over and we were completely stuffed, but you know what they say, there's always space for dessert - to wrap things up, we were treated to a trio of sweet treats by the kind folks at PLOY:

The Creme Caramel (RM 10.50) was a good try, but does not match up to my original favourite of those served in coffee shops in Ipoh. Still, should satisfy one who's craving for some creme caramel - you sure don't see this often in the Klang Valley!

The Sticky Date Pudding (RM 8.50) was small, but could be too sweet for many of you. Best shared.

The consensus on the desserts was that the best was the Durian Panacotta (RM 10.50), wobbly and delicate and full of flavour from the musang king durian. A delight for durian lovers!

All in all, we had an enjoyable time at PLOY that night, especially since the ambiance there is very chic and peaceful, even though it's just off the main road. While not every dish in their new 2013 menu struck a chord with us, the existing menu is already very wide on its own, making us think about when we're going dedicate one night to test the other interesting items on offer.

Chef Daniel, who came out to meet with us diners at every dish, acknowledged some of the inconsistencies that night and mentioned that they had a rare, untimely logistics issue with the kitchen that day and personally assured us that this was only one-off. All the more reason that we do not mind returning again, especially for that Godfather Special!

*The full set of photos can be found in our Facebook album here.

PLOY | Site

Lot G-02, Ground Floor,

WORK@clearwater, Changkat Semantan,

Off Jalan Semantan, Damansara Heights,

50490 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6 03 2095 0999

Opening Hours: Mon-Fri, 12pm-3pm & 6pm-12am; Sat, 6pm-12am

Food: An Afternoon Luncheon with DOLLEE - a Truly Malaysian Favourite

What I really craved when I was studying abroad in Australia, especially on those cold nights when I especially missed home, was some good hearty Malaysian food. I wasn't much of a cook growing up, having much preferred baking, so pasta and some simple stir-fries (oh and of course, maggi mee too!) were my go-to meals when I was there. Simple and fast did the trick.

A lot of times I relied on ready-made pastes and bottled condiments for my taste of home. There was quite an okay variety at the Asian grocery in the suburb where I stayed - mostly Japanese, Korean or Chinese stuff. Sure, bulgolgi and plum sauces, tom yam pastes were nice, but they weren't Malaysian to me. And when I say Malaysian, I mean fiery nasi lemak sambals, piquant curries, slurp-worthy laksas... yum.)

Which is why when I saw the well-rounded range from DOLLEE, I couldn't help but wish that they were around during the time we were in Melbourne. A Malaysian home-grown connoisseur of local flavours and essences, Dollee has today created a large variety of ready-made pastes and condiments through years of painstakingly perfecting its timeless recipes. 

At a recent afternoon luncheon, we got to see for ourselves just how easily Dollee recreates some of our favourite dishes.

We started off with the Chicken Curry Paste, where all we needed were some chicken, potatoes, and coconut milk. 

You can use either the ready boxed coconut milk, or instant coconut cream powder - both work the same :)

Ingredients (serves 6-8, prep time 20 mins):

• 1 packet Dollee Chicken Curry Paste
• 1.5kg chicken
• 2 potatoes, quartered
• 350-500ml water
• 200ml coconut milk or fresh/low fat milk

1. First, stir fry 1 packet of Dollee Chicken Curry Paste with 1.5kg chicken pieces and 2 potatoes which have been cut into cubes for approximately 5 minutes.

So, we added in the paste first to heat it up, and then in went the chicken!

At this point, my tummy started growling embarrassingly loud because the aroma from the spices began filling the kitchen. Too good!

2. Next, add 350-500 ml water, depending on how thick you'd like your curry to be, and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the meat is tender and potatoes have softened.

Dollee recommends to use a variety of chicken cuts, a mixture of parts with some fat and bone for a better tasting curry. However, if you'd like to use chicken breast instead as its less fatty/oily, then remember to simmer it for a little longer to get a tender, succulent bite.

3. Add 200ml coconut milk or fresh/low fat milk. Stir well and bring to a quick boil. Serve hot!

We followed the recipe to a tee, and we found the level of spiciness and the thickness of the gravy just right for both Adam and I. If you'd like something less spicy, you can always add more water or coconut milk in steps 2 & 3 above.

The result was a richly-hued chicken curry, robust in both flavour and spice. The chicken was tender and absorbed the flavours of the paste extremely well; plus, Adam & I loved how home-cooked the curry tasted, like mom had combined the spices from scratch. He even went for second helpings. Best part? It feels like an extremely laborious dish, but in actual fact, it's really very easy!

Next up was the Curry Laksa Paste, which was even more idiot-proof, if you can believe it. You may need more ingredients, but the steps are simpler.

Before starting with the laksa broth, choose your type of noodles and sides - whatever floats your boat! Lightly blanch the noodles, and set aside any other ingredients you'd like - tofu is a must have for me, and  we find that fish balls or even steamed chicken make a great addition to a bowl of laksa.

Ingredients (serves 5-6 prep time 15 mins):

1. 1 packet Dollee Curry Laksa Paste 
2. 1400ml water 
3. 200ml coconut milk 
4. 100g tofu puff 
5. Rice Vermicelli or Yellow Noodles 
6. Bean Sprouts 
7. Ingredients of your choice such as steamed chicken, cooked prawns or fish balls

1. Mix 1 packet of Dollee Curry Laksa Paste in 1400 ml boiling water.

2. Next, add 200ml coconut milk and 100g fried tofu puffs (here, we popped in our fishballs as well!) and bring to a quick boil. 

3. While the laksa broth is boiling, you can quickly distribute your blanched noodles and bean sprouts into bowls. We also had some lightly pan-fried egg plant and long beans as well.

4. You can top each bowl with more ingredients of your choice (some cooked prawns would work as well!). I like my laksas big and bountiful, so the more the merrier.

5. Finally, pour piping hot Curry Laksa Soup into the bowls of noodles and serve immediately for a tummy-warming bowl of spicy goodness.

Ta-daa!

We were quite surprised at the little amount of time it took; perfect for someone like me who is quite illiterate in matters of anything to do with spices and herbs. 

I loved that the outcome wasn't too spicy, because we could easily slurp down spoonful after spoonful of the tasty broth without suffering (I downed nearly every drop :p). I've tasted god-awful laksa-s before, where the soup was one-dimensional and lacked any real blend of spices, but I can assure you this was anything but. My mom has also tried making a packet at home for dinner one day and my family enjoyed the authentic soup thoroughly.

The curry broth was not as creamy as Adam would have liked it because he's more a Singapore Katong laksa kind of guy where it's santan galore, but that can be easily fixed by tweaking the amount of water and coconut milk used to suit his/your palate. It's absolutely versatile, and extremely easy. (I'm quite sure Adam also can make lor...)

Besides the two above, Dollee also has some pastes like Prawn Noodle Paste, Seafood Curry Paste (for some lip-smacking fish curry) and Meat Curry Paste (for red meat) under its belt. In addition, it also has a host of other Malaysian favourites like ready made Nasi Lemak Sambal, Hainanese Chicken Rice Paste and even Kaya (coconut spread). Sounds heaven-sent, especially if you're away from home... this can more than make up dinner for every night of the week okay. :D

Like I've said, the pastes are incredibly easy to use and taste good to boot - to those of us away, Dollee delivers a nostalgic taste of home; and for the rest of us, a hassle-free way to enjoy Malaysian favourites any day of the week.

*

Dollee products are halal-certified.

In the Klang Valley, Dollee products are currenly available at these locations:-

• A'Han Nyonya Kuih (next to myBurgerLab in Seapark, PJ)
• Bake with Yen outlets

Overseas, Dollee products are at major Asian groceries near you in Australia, the UK (like Wing Yip), the USA, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Holland, Hong Kong and Canada for now.

For more information on Dollee products:
Email: dollee@synergiccircle.com

Site: http://www.dollee.com.my or like them on Facebook here

Food: Four Seasons London @ Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya

When Empire Shopping Gallery first opened, we used to go quite often. That's when we were writing about places like Opera (which has now closed - Tong Pak Fu has taken its spot), Serai, and even the Lex Firefly Flight Simulator and plaster painting at Plaster Fun House. But lately Empire has been just too out of the way for us, which is why we never even knew that there was this Four Seasons London that used to be tucked inside the supermarket area.

We say 'used to' though, because they have now expanded into their own shoplot, still located on the Lower Ground floor. 

Space doesn't abound here, but they make good use of whatever they have to put up nice decorations, with a very traditional yet slightly modern theme. Though the name is Four Seasons London, don't expect to see lots of Tower Bridges and London Bridges here.. =P

At Four Seasons, the specialty to try is the roast meat. Since there was only 2 of us, we had a Two Combination (RM 29) of Roast Duck and Crispy Roasted Pork (siu yuk). Other choices for the combination include Barbecued Pork (char siu), Roasted Chicken & Soy Sauce Chicken.

Portions here are markedly smaller than other chicken and duck rice stalls, but the emphasis here is on the quality. The evenly-sliced siu yuk had very crispy skin that crumbled sinfully in your mouth, and not a lot of fat; exactly what good roast pork should be like in my books. If the consistency of the roast pork can be maintained for every serving, we will definitely go out on a limb to recommend this roast pork.

On the other hand, the duck slices were really quite small, smaller than the average we're normally used to, though the flavour was all right. We enjoyed the duck, but found it a bit dry. The sweet duck sauce it was served with was great though, especially drizzled over rice. In the end, we still prefer the duck at Village Roast Duck in Bangsar Village, and wouldn't be coming all the way here just for the duck.

Other sauces are provided, but nothing we fancied with roast pork or duck. The ginger condiment was very good, but alas, we didn't order any chicken! In future we'd definitely order a portion of chicken just to have it with. It's that good. =D

Don't mind roast meat, but don't feel like partnering it with rice? Swap it out for some Plain Noodles (RM 5.80 - pricey for plain noodles, if you ask us) instead. These "wan tan" noodles had quite a nice and springy texture - obviously nothing like the ones in Hong Kong, but still, good enough, with just enough sauce. This is the kind of noodles that goes perfectly with roast meat!

We decided we wanted to try the wantan dumplings as well, so we got the Dry Noodles with Wantan, which gave us the noodles above with a small bowl of 4-5 wantans. We were not so impressed with these though, because their prawn and pork filling didn't mesh well together. Too much pork, we reckon. I like prawn wantans and I like pork dumplings, but if you can't do the mixture well - well then, that's not the same as 1 + 1 = 2! For us, it was more like 1 X 1 = 1; neither here nor there, turning out just so-so in the end. You can get a full bowl of these wantans for RM 10.80, but we wouldn't recommend them.

So, for a quick and simple meal at Empire Shopping Gallery, Four Seasons London is an option to keep in mind. There is a more substantial menu - stir-fried meats and vegetables, as well as a dim sum menu, but we would most probably return for their siu yuk, which we really liked. Since they've been able to expand into their own shoplot after just a couple of years, they must have a pretty strong following now. =)

Four Seasons London

Lot LG30, Lower Ground Floor,

Empire Shopping Gallery

Jalan SS16/1, 47500 Selangor

Opening Hours: Daily, 10am-10pm

Food: Three Little Pigs & the Big Bad Wolf @ Bangsar Village

The entrance into the big bad wolf's den... from Village Grocer.

I still remember the days when Bangsar Village was just Bangsar Village (without the 1 and 2), there was this little restaurant tucked in the corner which was accessible from the grocery store called Delicious. Now after what seems like just a blink of an eye, Delicious has become a household name, and a new place called Three Little Pigs & the Big Bad Wolf (or TLP for short) has taken it's place!

Though the name is rather long (and obviously taken from the well-known children tale), there is actually a purpose for it, as the afternoon session, 8 am - 6 pm has a slightly different menu compared to the after hours session from 6 pm - 11:30 pm. We like this amusing play on the names; it's the first time we've seen a restaurant actually make an effort to distinguish between their day & evening menus. =)

Although TLP appears to have quite a big lot from the outside of Bangsar Village, on a weekend you'd be hard pressed to get a seat, especially during those busy brunch hours! But if you're like us with just a party of 2, your chances of getting lucky are higher. =D

A hearty American breakfast seems to be all the rage these days, and customers seem to be more and more discerning in the quality of food as more outlets aim to please. Just the other day we were at Plan B where I had their big breakfast set, and although there was nothing wrong with it, it just lacked that little bit of extra 'oomph' that other places have. Couldn't quite place my finger on it. But anyway, back to TLP...

On the other hand, breakfast at TLP was a little better, though a little on the pricey side. One thing you'll notice about their I'm So Hungry I could Eat A Wolf! platter (RM 28), is you don't have to choose between a sausage or bacon strips - you get both! If there's one thing I can't stand about most big breakfasts around town, it's the lack of protein. I know bread and baked beans and eggs and mushrooms are all cheap, but would it really hurt to give an extra sausage? Or a bit more bacon? 

The other items on the plate were also nice. The eggs were done perfectly sunny side up with a very runny yolk while the mushrooms are very juicy and succulent. The sausage looked run-of-the-mill, but we were pleasantly surprised with its juiciness when we bit into it. My favourite routine? Break the runny egg yolk over the rye bread, take a bit of sausage, bacon, and mushroom, put it all on a fork and swallow in one mouthful! Breakfast at its best. =D Wendy still prefers the signature breakfast at Red Beanbag though.

As with all other non-halal restaurants, the ability to serve pork is an advantage that must exploited to its fullest! While there's nothing wrong with a spaghetti carbonara with turkey ham and chicken, it just isn't complete without the saltiness of pork bacon to enhance the flavour and balance the cheesy taste. 

Understanding this, TLP unabashedly ensures that they pack The Wolf's Favourite (RM 27) full of bacon strips and button mushrooms with the crowning glory of a poached egg for added effect. The combination of bacon & egg was great and we loved that they didn't scrimp on bacon. This is one of the best carbonaras we've had so far this year, on par with the one we get at Ante Kitchen & Bar on a good day. 

But if you think TLP only knows what to do with a pig, think again! Their cake range on display that day had Wendy intrigued (who had been craving cake... again). Thankfully, we were very impressed with our choice - this Pandan & Gula Melaka Cheesecake (RM 14), which layered yummy pandan sponge cake in between the cheese unlike traditional cheesecakes with a thick cheese centre and a minor biscuit bottom. The sponge was very well done, not dry at all, and we liked the light cheese tinged with gula melaka. Pandan and cheese don't sound like a good combo, but we did enjoy this for its light and fluffy texture. (On a side note, is it just us, or are cakes getting terribly pricey everywhere?)

Don't hope for much from the coffee art though. Perhaps, they were just extra busy that afternoon. Either way, we paid more attention to the coffee itself - the Caramel Latte (RM 11) may not have been the best in town, but was just right by my standards, milky and not too sweet.

TLP is definitely the kind of place that's here to stay. I've tried a little bit from the Wolf's dinner menu, and I can safely say it's just as good. Seems like TLP takes the advice from the three little pigs' mother very seriously; "The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can!"

Three Little Pigs & the Big Bad Wolf | Facebook

(accessible via entrance in Village Grocer)

Lot G1A, Ground Floor,

Bangsar Village, No. 1,

Jalan Telawi Satu, Bangsar Baru,

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +6 03 2283 2270

Email: info@pigsandwolf.com

Opening Hours: Daily, 8am-11:30pm