Revisiting Tao @ Sunway Giza

One of my requirement of a good buffet is when we get to order from the menu!

That means, we get to eat anything without having to queue for it.

Furthermore, it will be fresh and hot when served to our table!

I have been to Tao twice, and was glad to have better experience 

on the second visit than the first. Means improvement, eh?

This time, I was determined to get together few of my close friends

in the mission to try out as many dish as possible at this outlet.

And it was the best deal ever when we were there on a weekday! 

We paid RM48++ per pax for lunch buffet from 11.30am to 2.30pm.

Now tell me that it's a good bargain! 

Edamame, even more delicious when served with salt - a simple but must-have starter!

Abalone slices. Simply delicious! We had three plates of these. 

Sashimi lovers would be impressed by the variety of raw seafood
offered at Tao. We had salmon, tuna, octopus and prawns which are undoubtedly fresh!
I don't quite enjoy the octopus as it's a little chewy - very gum challenging!

We too had some Adegashi Tofu which I find simple but very tasty.

I love how the slightly fried tofu is still soft inside, and simple ingredients

like ginger, shallots and seaweed could make the dish so satisfying.

One of our regrettable order is the huge plate of Cheese Baked Scallops.
It do sound very tempting, and the look of it may have you blown away,
but the fresh scallops are covered by thick mayonnaise and the taste of scallops are barely there.

Fried Softshell Crabs and Tempura Moriawase are the two fried

dishes that one would bound to order in a Japanese restaurant.

Although these dishes may be quite on par with other outlets,

I find Tao's a tad too oily. 

If there is one dish that would makes me very happy,

that would be the Unagi - yes, Unagi, without the Don.

With their new extensive menu, I can now enjoy a wholesome dish of grilled unagi itself!

Steamed Cod Fish from the buffet line is one of the fastest to finish!

The aroma and natural sweetness is enhanced 

with slight garnishing of spring onions and ginger.

We had so many fish dishes and it all have been very satisfying except
for this one here. I forgotten the name of it, but it's some grilled fish,
and it wasn't very memorable.

Grilled prawns! My favourite! There are plenty of fresh seafood displayed 

on the buffet line. Fish (please please please don't forget the salmon), 

scallops (oh-my gawd), mussels (yuhmmm), prawns (slurrrpppp),

beef (nom nom nom...) just to mention a few!

Some are for teppanyaki and some to be grilled on the spot!

We had a plate of what I mentioned above, and I finished it before snapping a photo.

We were also tempted to order a dish comprising of some shell thingy.
Couldn't remember the name, cause it kind of disappoint us at the end.

Sushi is available from both the menu and buffet line.
One of our menu-ordered-sushi is topped with smoked salmon.
It's actually not bad, but I guess we were way to full to enjoy it fully.

Another sushi we ordered is tasted good.

Ebi tempura sushi topped with mango and avocado.

A refreshing twist! 

And irregardless of how full we are, there is ample of space

for free-flow ice-cream with various toppings!

..... not forgetting, chocolate toppings too!!! 

Verdict : One of the best buffet I've tasted. In terms of variety and quality,
Tao has improved alot over the years. I'd love to go there again soon!

Satisfied guests of the day : Vince, Rachel, Heeyang, Eric, CC and myself

Details for Tao @ Sunway Giza, Kota Damansara

Address : Jalan PJU 5/14, Kota Damansara
47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Contact No. : 03-6248 2826

Website : http://tao-cuisine.com/ 

yummylicious!

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Den Den Japanese @ Oasis Ara Damansara

In the mood for Jap after my review for Zen @ Sunway Pyramid! 

I was recently introduced to this nice place called Oasis Square.

What seemed to look like Setia Walk Puchong, is actually a place far more 

interesting and happening hidden at Ara Damansara!

It's such a beautiful place that I regretted for not bringing my DSLR during my visit.

Photos taken online - does not belongs to me. 

Photos taken online - does not belongs to me. 

Sunny boy used his iPhone and all the photos taken of me - has red eye on it!
My excuse - I've just glamorize glow in the dark lenses!!!

Infront of a Chinese Restaurant called Royal Flush

Another eye-catching building -Roulette (a bar)

I love how the lights shine when the water is shooting up!
Kind of reminds me of Mines Wonderland Musical Fountain when I was a kid

I was then brought to a Den Den, a Japanese restaurant - implying kind of a fine dining concept.

And it amazed me to hear a strange but familiar language from people
who are seated on my left, right, and opposite!
They are speaking Japanese!
Yes, this place is where Japanese go to when they yearn for some home food.
I was sooooo proud then to be dining here.

Appetizer was a trio smoked platter of smoked duck, s
moked salmon and marinated smoked lean chicken.
It was an okay dish - I love the duck,
but other two.... it does not impress me that much.

Salad with marinated raw salmon with avocado.  

It was a good salad to start with, but perhaps they could tone down a little on the dressing.

It's too flavorful to my liking. But I do love the avocado though! Yumsss... 

What's next on the serving is a hot pot of somewhat taste like a seafood curry.

This dish.. me love!!!

There are crabs, prawns, and mussels all perfectly cooked in this Japanese curry,

which is not too thick, but just nice to be dipped with the baguette.

On a side dish, we ordered Cheese Omelette in a thick gravy. 

This dish makes me think twice about the Japanese patron here.

Is it me, or is it Japanese egg dish is supposed to be weird?

I could hardly taste the cheese, and the taste of the gravy seemed out of place.

Despite having to carry my stomach to move around (that's how full I was),

Sunny boy insisted on having dessert.

And so he ordered waffle with blueberry topped with vanila ice-cream.

I warned him that nothing could beat Gelare waffle but he proceeded with the order.

With just a mouthful, I proved him wrong... :)

The waffle isn't that bad, it's just that, Gelare will always, always, be the best! 

To be honest, I would want to visit Oasis Square again for the environment.

But not for Den Den. 

With this said, can anyone tell me why are there so many Japanese eating there?!!

Perhaps we are all too used to the customized taste of Japanese food 

that we didn't realize that the real authentic Japanese food could be different!

For those who are interested to check out this place.. details as below..

Address : Bistro DenDen @ Oasis Ara Damansara,

Central Piazza, Oasis Square, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

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Zen Japanese Restaurant @ Sunway Pyramid

It's gonna be a night of forced diet today.

Mum has left for the night to great aunt place in Serdang.

Leaving me behind, alone, lonely, food-less at home.

Hunger makes me think about food, particularly Japanese - my favourite!

And recently someone asked me where to get good Jap near Klang.

To be frank, Klang offers nothing but bak kut teh.

So the first thing that came into my mind is Zen @ Sunway Pyramid!

It's just 15 minutes drive away from home - IF I'M THE ONE DRIVING!

(Vvroooommmmm!!!)

Reminiscing my visit there although it has been a month or two back... 

Do enjoy the simple and almost-forgotten reviews... :)

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I love the choice of salad in Zen. 

We ordered the salad with snow crab which is simply delicious!

Love how the aromatic miso dressing jive with the crunchy leafy salad with juicy crab meat...

For appetizer, we were introduced to Zen's cheese baked scallop with Japanese mushrooms.
I remember that this dish is quite pricey - around RM14 per piece.
But it was all worth it looking at the succulent scallops drowned in the
generous portion of my favourite mushrooms.
I could have both myself - but mum always say... "sharing is caring"... :)

And how could one skip the sashimi section in the menu??!!!

For a new sashimi lover like me, we made a good pick 

for variety of sashimi - from salmon, tuna, to octopus.

Zen do serve one of the freshest sashimi I've tasted.

One of my must-have dish in a Japanese restaurant - unagi!
I love how thick flavorful unagi melts in my mouth..
We ordered an Unagi Roll and oh-myyy... the unagi is superb!

Mini Sukiyaki pot with seafood - it makes me wanna sing!

This hot pot with simple yet delicious ingredient like prawns, 

scallops, tofu, mushroom, vegetables are then cooked with miso soup. 

Served hot, this dish completes our dinner with a warm warm tummy... :)

Feeling satisfied with the sukiyaki... singing... 

"It's all because of you... I'm feeling sad and blue.. 

You went away.. Now my life is just a rainy day..."

 I guess this blog post didn't really help me tonight.

Dinner is three beautiful pears given by the office for the Health Week. 

Am looking forward to visit Zen again.

Heard they've got buffet too! Hoorray! 

yummylicious!

Address: 3 Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Phone:+60 3-7492 4922

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Gen @ 10 Japanese Restaurant @ Sunway Putra Hotel, KL

When comes to buffet, I'm the best customer ever!

Coz I eat like a little kitten and all-I-can-eat worth only 10% of what I'm paying.

This time I'm bringing business to Gen 10 at Sunway Putra Hotel in KL.

Barry intro-ed me to this place coz he said they serve one of the best buffet!

Let's see what the picky eater says.... :)

 I love the big mirror hanging in the lift...

Hot ocha comes in a Japanese teko.

Self-service. Just wonderful.

Wide selection of fresh ingredients displayed for teppanyaki section.

I tried everything except for the chicken coz I don't take lean meat.

The salmon, mussel and beef is highly recommended!

Everything is cooked just perfectly fine! Not too raw nor overcooked.

Don't forget your vege! Take some cabbages and alot of straw mushrooms.

It's my favvvv....

There are also a section for noodle soup.

Looking at my tummy's capacity, and the availability of noodle soup just anywhere,

I decided to skip this section - which proves to be a good choice coz other

sections seemed to have more tempting food waiting !!!

The grill section. Fish, chicken, beef, corn, 

you name it, you have - okay not all, but, it's good enough.

Eggs and mushrooms - when these two combined, I'll be eating heavenly.

Chawanmushi - a very common appetizer that I could get anywhere,

but I just had to have it!

The egg is smooth, and a little watery - the way I like it.

Japanese appetizer, sushi, sashimi, assorted tempura and my teppanyaki.

To be frank, I wasn't too sure about Barry's claim that they serve good Jap buffet.

Coz the selection is too limited in the sashimi area.

Oh ya, did I forget to mention that they don't have a common unagi dish?!!

Or even temaki?!! 

The food they serve is good, but it is lacking of variety.

And I hope they could improve in having fresher sashimi for their customer.

Dessert area - heaven!!!

Was blown away by the sights of tiny little cup of colorful desserts.

Took some cakes, puddings and ice-creams.

Best thing about this place is the VIEW!!! It is overlooking the KLCC.

Barry kept emphasizing the environment before actually brought me there.

Our mood was instantly improved just by looking at the beautifully lighted twin tower.

Such a romantic place... :)

For two of us, the bill come out to a total of RM250. 

Not bad looking at the view, selection of food, and the quality of the food itself.

yummylicious!

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Marutama Ramen @ Fahrenheit 88, KL

Just like how people go gaga over bubble tea,

we may noticed that ramen shops are mushrooming at the Klang Valley now.

As for myself, I've been loving this Japanese noodle for years,

I've tried a few places and still looking for one specific exquisite taste - Dusukoi-alike ramen.

That place holds a special place in my heart,

coz that's when I fell in love with ramen.

Recently, I have heard much about Marutama Ramen.

There are two franchise at Klang Valley itself,

one at Fahrenheit 88 and another at Empire Gallery.

Curious to find out what all the buzz is about.

Went to Kota Damansara to pick up Rachel Lee on Sunday,

then drove all the way to the heart of KL just for a bowl of noodles at Fahrenheit 88.

Looking thru their menu, I observed that the ramen broth is made of chicken soup.

Was doubting if it's gonna taste as good as the usual pork broth ramen.

They offers choice of spicy and non-spicy too.

We ordered spicy Kakuni Negi Tamago Ramen (RM25) 

which came with a slice of roast pork (cha siu),

two pieces of pork belly, seaweed, spring onion, and seasoned egg.


Added with free flow of fried garlic and sesame, the ramen broth taste heavenly!


The noodles is springy, and kinda taste like wantan mee texture... (aiks!),
well in a good way.


Cha siu and pork belly is soft and tender, and with fats as it should be,
but if I get to choose, would prefer leaner meat tho'.
 

Karashi Ramen (RM18) + Kakuni Pork Belly (RM7)

Ramen's seasoned egg is always my must-have-add-ons-item.
Marutama's seasoned egg is done perfectly.

Am missing it while blogging now...

Aji Tamago (RM2)

We also added another bowl of seaweed.

Taste so good being soaked in the broth.

Rachel enjoyed every bit of it.

So do I.. kekeke!

Aosa (RM6)

Another side dish we had that day as the sourish pickle raddish.

Wasn't very impressive this one.

Namuru (RM5)

Facebook eat first, we eat later... :P

My long drive to KL is worth it.

Although many would say that Marutama serves the best ramen,

I may not agree entirely as there are many more ramen outlets to try out before

I could make such judgement.

My ramen hunting so far has been good at Mai Ramen @ Jaya 33.

But I wonder where they moved to as the outlet there is closed.

 Hokkaido Santouka @ Tokyo Street, Pavilion on the other hand was great at first, 

but it disappointed me during my last visit with Alex.C seven months ago.

Wonder if they have improved since?

Another small ramen place is Ton Chan @ Wisma Cosway

This is the BEST... for Vince. 

Am planning to visit Ippudo. Heard that they are popular among the Singaporeans in the island.

 Menya Mushashi is another place I wanted to try out.

Nor forgetting Kayvin's review on Ikuzo ramen - this I must not miss!

Anybody interested in ramen hunting with me?!!

WARNING : You May Not End Up FAT, But You Will Definitely Gain Some Weight!

 yummylicious!

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Tao Authentic Asian Cuisine & Sushi @ Sunway Giza

My dear readers, I would like to declare that I AM OFFICIALLY BROKE! So if any of you want to food-hunt, please do not invite me because I will be very tempted to join! I would need to ikat perut for the rest of the month because of the food spree I had recently. *sigh*

Today we had buffet at Tao Authentic Asian Cuisine & Sushi @ Sunway Giza. This is the meal that have ripped off what is left in my purse.

About Tao, we had buffet lunch which is from 11am - 4pm, but we arrived late because buddies are working half day. As this is a buffet lunch, the food displayed outside is self service. But what attracted me the most is that we are free to order as many dishes / plates we want from the ala carte menu which offers alot of varieties!

The waitress is kind enough to introduce us the TOP TEN dishes in the ala carte menu. In total we had about 20 different dishes including ala carte and from buffet line.

I took tons of photos but had just uploaded a few photos featuring either the best or worst dishes we had. Fair rite?



Buddy Chew ET came back from Doha and we bring him around to fulfill his craving for food! It is actually because of him that we went to Tao..

Sashimi - Chew ET said the scallop is not so fresh but the rest is okay.



Abalone - In my opinion, the slices of abalone is thick and juicy, accompanied with the sauce that makes it so flavourful till the last bite! This is actually my favourite dish and we had two plates of it.


Grilled oyster with cheese. For those who love oyster, I bet you would like this dish! The cheese is very creamy and thick. And guess there is some salad underneath the layer of cheese too.



Salad cheese prawn which is another favourite of mine. The prawn is big and crunchy. If there is just a littleeee bittttt moooore spaaaace in my tummy, I would have order another plate of this dish.



Grilled scallop. I'm not very sure what is the topping but it sure taste like a combination of cheese and otak-otak! Although the topping is delicious, I have trouble tasting the scallop because it was overcooked and thus shrink into a tiny miny 'something' (because it does not taste like scallop).



Self-picked teppanyaki ingredients and cooked on the spot by the chef. Barry and Alicia picked the ingredients and I think this is actually not bad!



Tako - big disappointment to me because the crust was so hard that when I tried to cut it, it rolled from the table to my bag on my lap! Creating a messy stain on my Longchamp! I seriously would prefer the tako kiosk in Jaya Jusco or wherever it may be. There is no filing inside this tako too. Not even a small tentacles of a octopus!



One of the top ten ala carte dish! This lamp chop is yummy and I just hope there is more flesh than the bones.



Self-picked assorted seafood. I love the grilled prawns. The teriyaki chicken is not bad too. The rest is just so-so.


My choice of soup ended up to be another disappointment. Abalone soup as claimed, but abalone is no where to be seen. Instead, there are chunks of chicken and a quail egg. The soup does not taste like it have been boiled with an abalone... :(



Steamed lala - my choice too. I am not very good at locating good food because this dish proves that I have failed in ordering food. First of all, a steam lala should have lala. This plate of lala is so tiny meanie that I could not taste the supposedly-fresh-seafood. It was cooked with too much chilli making the gravy very hard for us to telan.



A bowl of fruits to call it a day.
And not to mention, Joyce self-proclaimed "JY's tomato choco fondue!!!". I saw the chocolate fondue mountain and could not stop myself from looking for something to dump inside the mountain! Look left, look right, nothing... nothing... (talking like Russell Peters and his Indian accent)... yeah nothing... No strawberry, marshmallow or whatsoever.. so I find whatever I could at the salad bar which is the baby tomatoes! Cucuk everything in the satay stick and yessshhhh there it goes inside the mountain of slurp slurrpyyy!!!

Well now I am broke because we spent RM70 p/pax... but I have got a very satisfied tummy! If there is gonna be a next trip to Tao, I will fill my stomach with the abalone slices, grilled prawns, ebi tempura, lamp chop and the cheese shrimp!

Yuuummmmmylicious! :)

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