Umai-ya Japanese Buffet @ Damansara Uptown

How to satisfy my constant craving for Japanese food?

Eric would say "Go for buffet la... you can eat as much as you want!"

And so he recommended his favourite Japanese buffet outlet - Umai-ya.

He said they serve the best buffet and wanted me to try it out.

There are currently THREE outlets : IOI Boulevard, Damansara Uptown & KLCC.

We went to the nearest - at Damansara Uptown (which I like for the envinronment too).

They charge RM58++ per pax for buffet lunch from 11.30am till 2.30pm.

First in line, Tempura Mori comprises of fried prawns and vegetables.

I wish I could only order Ebi Tempura coz I'm a fan of prawns but not fried vegetables.

Simplicity is the best. A simple lady's finger can be grilled for the aroma

and yet still preserve the natural sweetness and softness of the vegetable.

Okura is one new dish to be explored here!

One of the must-try dish is the soft shell crab and egg omelette sushi

called Kani Tama Maki (the word Kani always amuses me). 

I love the big chunk of soft shell crab and thick egg omelette wrapped

with moderate amount of rice and seaweed. Yuhmzzzz... 

Sashimi! It comes in pairs... and we get to order as many as we want!
There are salmon, butter fish, tuna, octopus, cuttlefish and seabass.
I always wondered why is the tuna here is brownish compared to
ones I used to have which is reddish in color?
Nevertheless, the sashimi served here are fresh... 

My favourite... Sukiyaki Beef!
As Eric do not take beef, the big pot of sukiyaki is entirely mine to finish.
The beef slices are purrr-fect and is one of the best I had!
The raw egg is not to be poured into the hotpot (this ain't a steamboat),
but is for the beef slices to be dipped for extra softness and aroma. 

Under the grilled section in the menu, you may find this small tiny fish

called Sishamo, which is a copelin fish. It is filled with tiny eggs in it 

with not much flesh to be found. So you could eat the whole fish, yes, the head,

tail, and whatnot. 

Next in line is the Saba Shioyaki which is a grilled mackerel fish.
This isn't one of the best dish we had that day, probably it is way too dry.

We too had some tofu - Agedashi Tofu.
These fried beancurd in some light soysauce topped with minced meat
and spring onions is a simple dish, but it is truly satisfying. 

Before I was convinced to try out Umai-ya, I did some research about this place.

And was told that the Unagi Tempura is one of the popular dish.

Sadly, this dish couldn't be found in the buffet menu.

So we ordered this from the ala-carte menu.

It was a well-worthy order as we were served thick slices of deep fried unagi!

One comment to improve this dish is probably the dressing. 

It somehow tasted like dark soy sauce. It would be perfect if the dressing is improved!

A fan of Umai-ya....

Ze World Best Instructor.. Baba Liow! :P

Although my preference for buffet would eventually makes me
end up in Tao @ Sunway Giza because they serve far more varieties,
still, I would come back to Umai-ya again for their innovations.

From the conventional twist of Agedashi tofu, to Okura, and something like Unagi Tempura,
I'm ready for Umai-ya to blow me away with their new creations soon!


Details for interested foodies.... 

UMAI-YA (IOI Puchong)

Block A, IOI Boulevard, 

Jalan Kenari 5, 

Bandar Puchong Jaya, Puchong.

Tel: 03 8075 1113

UMAI-YA (Damansara Uptown)

49A, Jalan SS21/37, 

Damansara Utama, PJ. 

Tel: 03 7726 4410

UMAI-YA (Suria KLCC)

Lot No. 428, Level 4, Suria KLCC

Jalan Ampang,Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03 2161 3939

yummylicious!!! 

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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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Five Senses dimsum buffet @ Westin Kuala Lumpur

Contradicting with my usual preference of a meal, Barry brought me for another buffet.

I do not usually opt for buffet as I'm a small eater, and I'm under the

impression that buffet are meant for people who go for quantity, not quality.

Still, it is my belated birthday treat so what do I have to complain?

Furthermore, Five Senses is located in the prestigious Westin Hotel, how bad could that be?

For dim sum brunch, we were charged RM70++ per pax. 

Not bad for a place that is reputed for their Chinese cuisine and dim sum 

- do note that this is a non-halal outlet.

What resembles the sight of the sun from afar... 

Classy entrance

Five Senses serves variety of dishes from their buffet line to served dimsum selection.

What greeted us on the buffet line are plenty of desserts...pastries... kuih-muih... chocolates...
Now behold sweet tooth!
As here you may find your candy castle!

When we were seated, Barry has already reminded me about the

Char Siu (barbecued pork) and Siu Yuk (crispy roast pork).

He claimed that it is one of the best one he have tried so far! 

It was indeed... very delicious! Soft pork belly meat with crispy skin... uh-la-laaa!

The char siu with sweet sauce and roasted duck is very recommended too!

One of the reason I love dining here is that we do not have to move an inch from our seat.

The staff would go table by table to offer certain dimsum that is ready for serving.

One of our must-have dimsum dish is the Lor Mai Kai (steamed glutinous rice with chicken).

My personal preference for lor mai kai is that it should be equally "wet".

I hate it when lor mai kai is only wet on top, then plain, white, and dry at the bottom.

There is also Freshly Cooked Porridge at the buffet line.

Choice of fish, prawns, pork slices, oysters, century eggs, salted eggs, and

many more that you could choose to dump into the porridge which will

then be cooked and served at your table.

Braised Chicken Feet isn't my favourite but this served at Five Senses are not bad.

I would prefer the Pai Kuat (steamed pork spareribs with black beans).

Dimsum is only complete with Char Siu Bao (barbecued pork-filled buns).

I love the filling in this one, but would comment that the bun is a little too thick on the outside.

Fried stuff like the Wu Kok (fried yam puff with barbecued pork filling), 

Salad Ha (fried prawn dumpling), Char Siu Sou (barbecued pork pastry),

are the BEST in the fried selection! It will get you hooked!

As we were busy enjoying our dimsum, I forgotten to take photos of 

Har Gow (steamed prawn dumpling), Siu Mai (pork and prawn dumpling), 

and Chee Cheung Fun (steamed rice roll with prawns / barbecued pork). 

It was all delicious! I love the sambal that was served with the chee cheung fun!

We had only a number of dimsum that day as both of us are small eaters. 

We hope to come back soon to try out the rest of the dimsum selection!

Ze bozz Barry!

Looking forward to be there again one of these days!

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Dog buffet @ Eternabii Grand Opening

Lexie's 1st Birthday is coming and it calls for a celebration!!!

For this unusual birthday celebration, I have decided to settle with an edible cake 

for dogs - Lexie, Leah, Queen Queen, Vin Vin and others.

There is no better option than getting the cake from Eternabii Pet House, 

the newly opened pet shop at Setia Alam.

They wow-ed me during their grand opening few months back.

Can't believe I've not blogged about it!

This is the very first pet shop Grand Opening that offers 

soooooo muchhhhhhh foooood for our furry friends! 

You should see how excited the dogs were, 

with their tails wagging, sniffing everywhere, and drooling all over!

Say no more, look at the photos!

Cheese cake, yogurt cake, carrot cake and sponge cake all for the doggies!

Mini burgers, snacks, cupcakes, cotton cheese cake, yes, for the dogs!!!

The canine friends were all excited to mingle around.

Some are even overtly-friendly that they went doggy-humping each other.... 

*whhaaaaa!!!*

Personal portrait of dogs that could sit still for at least a moment to get a quick snapshot.

Lexie is on the top left - all furry - not groomed! 

Looking at the joy Eternabii gave to our furry friends,

I hope a good birthday cake can help to cheer up Lexie's birthday celebration.

At the meantime, anyone who is interested in Eternabii, they do offer

services such as grooming, boarding, and day care.

Find out more at their Facebook page here : https://www.facebook.com/Eternabiipethouse

Not like I have commission for this recommendation in my blog,

it's just that, I feel safe whenever I send Lexie over to them.

Why?
Because Eternabii do not cage up the dogs during boarding.
The dogs will be put in an open space in the shop to roam around,
to play with others, to pee and poo freely without getting spanked (oopsss),
and well, provided only if your dog is not violent, spayed (preferably),
no kutu (of coz!) and not into doggy-humping so much.
Hahahaha!

With so much freedom given to them, I believe
they will make Lexie feels like home when I'm out from town for a few days.

An advice to find a good pet shop for your loved one....

Always find a happy pet shop with a true pet lover, 

then you can be assure that your canine will truly be in good hands! 

Cheers!

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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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