DAMANSARA VILLAGE STEAMBOAT@ D'sara Jaya

Fancy having steamboat with extremely fresh seafood (still swimming) in a lush greenery and cool surrounding complete with beach resort style? Believe me, dining here is so relaxing with the sound of the man-made waterfall, it really feels like holidaying at a beach resort. Reality is, this place is located at Kg Sg Kayu Ara which is just a stone-throw away from Atria in Damansara Jaya and less than 10 minutes drive from my house! (Please refer to the map appended below).

If you have a big crowd, you can have more privacy by requesting for a private cabana. Sadly, due to small number of eating companion, I have yet to have a chance to sit in a cabana which would further enhance the 'steamboating at a beach resort' feel.

Picture courtesy of Damansara Village Steamboat

To keep the children entertained while the adults could eat in peace, it is very smart of them to have a man-made waterfall complete with a stream filled with fishes. Buckets and fishing nets are provided for the kids to fish! On my first visit, there was even a man making balloon sculptures which is free for kids. The excitement and the laughter from the kids made me feel like joining them.

Now, back to the food review. There are two types of ground chili paste served; the red and the green. And what I love most is the unlimited amount of fried shallots in oil that really enhance the taste of the food. As for the soup base, if not mistaken, you can either choose the clear soup or upgrade it to their signature Drunken Pot Herbal Wine Soup at a minimal cost. I have not tried the herbal soup yet as I still think clear soup is the best to enjoy the maximum sweetness from your ingredients.

Like any other steamboat restaurants, this place offers various types of steamboat sets, depending on the number of pax. On my first visit, I ordered the Standard set priced at RM18.80 per set (minimum 2 sets) that came with crystal fish ball, vege fish roll, stuffed beancurd, dumpling, fried beancurd sheet, quill egg, beancurds, otak tauhu, salmon ball, fuzhou vege ball, chicken ball, seafood beancurd and chinese cabbage.

And not forgetting the prawns, scallops and mussels. And also eggs, vermicelli and yee mee.

For our second visit, we decided to try the Seafood Package for 2 person. Priced at RM69 for 2 pax, I find this extremely reasonable. It came with the platter of the Standard Set (as above) for 1 pax as well as 2 whole flower crabs, 200g of tiger prawns and 500g of giant clams. The seafood here is extremely fresh as they were still swimming in the tanks before being served. The restaurant claims that all seafood are delivered fresh from Pulau Ketam daily.

Occasionally we will hear people scream when their prawns jumped off from the plate! I didn't manage to take a picture of the prawns before cooked for fear it might commit suicide by jumping off our table. I enjoyed savouring the prawns most, the sweet highly laden cholesterol roes from the head to the springy meat. Simply fantastic!

I love the flower crabs too. Surprisingly meaty and sweet. The sliced ginger and parsley added more aroma to the soup!

Hubby simply loves the giant clams which is huge with plump and juicy flesh. Cooking this requires lots of care and attention. I only cook a few at a time so that each time it pops open, I scoop it out immediate as it's simply a waste to overcook such good stuff!

On my fourth visit, we order the Seafood Package which can feed 3 - 5 pax priced at RM119. Similar to the above seafood package for 2 person, this set comes with the basic platter for 2 as well as choice of either a Silver Pomfret, Red Snapper or White Snapper. We tried the Silver Pomfret which was fresh from the fish tank! Being a non-fish lover, I still love this very much. Texture was smooth and almost as solid as scallops. Even the fish head and bones not wasted after simmering in the soup for extra sweetness.

The Giant Bamboo Clams is highly recommended too which is available in the ala-carte menu. I couldn't remember how much it costs but do try. The taste is amazing when the juices from the plump flesh burst in your mouth!

There are many other items in the menu such as sliced beef, enoki mushrooms, assorted greens and cooked food such as fried wantan and paper wrapped chicken.

Thinly-sliced BeefMy favourite Enoki Mushroom
Tung Ho aka Garland Chrysanthemum

We also discovered a good satay stall manned by a Malay lady at the side of the restaurant. Tender and well marinated, you don't even need to dip with the excellent satay sauce.

Damansara Village Steamboat Restaurant is located at:

1067, Jalan Jenjarum
Kg. Sg. Kayu Ara
Off Jalan SS23/10, Damansara Jaya
47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel : 03 7803 1832
Business hours:- 5.30 p.m. to midnight daily.
Website: http://damansaravillage.blogspot.com

Location Map:

PLUS ONE SHABU-SHABU @ 1UTAMA NEW WING

Continuing with my steamboat craze, the recently opened Plus One Shabu Shabu at 1 Utama New Wing caught my attention. This non-halal steamboat outlet offers 8 kinds of soup; Pork, Sichuan Beef and Chinese Herb priced at RM8 per pot, meanwhile the rest such as Coriander & Perserved Egg, Chiu Chow, Thai Tomyum, Fish, Corn & Carrot, White Fungus Papaya and Japanese Miso are priced at RM6 per pot. However, soup is complimentary if you opt for their set which I will be explaining further later on.

Drinks such as Iced Lemon Tea, Mango and Orange Juice are free flow. Appetizers were also served free flow and it came in three varieties. The spicy marinated 'Big Head Sprouts' was not too bad. I have no idea what it is called in English so someone please enlighten me. I always find it much nicer in texture as compared to their tiny cousin, the beansprout aka taugeh.

The pickled cucumber was a big NO-NO for me. Just couldn't find words to describe the taste....just big NO-NO for me!

Fried Sweet Beancurd Sheet was our favourite. Crispy with a hint of sweetness...very nice to be eaten like it is or even when softened in boiling soup. I think we had 4 plates altogether.

Now, back to the soup. Similar to the Ketam Steamboat I posted earlier, this place also offer one-per-pot concept. I do not mind at all, cos with so many variety of soup to choose from, this way, I get to try more variety. My Pork soup was recommended in their menu. I was fascinated when I saw a big piece of pork bone simmering in my pot of soup full of corns, red dates, wolfberries as well as slices of radishs and carrots. With so many ingredients inside, how not to be sweet?

As expected, Hubby being a fan of salted veggie (Ham Choy) opted for the Chiu Chow soup. The pot came with floating pieces of tomatoes, salted veggies, yam and bitter gourd.

The price is pretty reasonable for the ala carte dishes here and I was happy cos I spotted pork stomach in the menu!! I opted for the Pork Loin Set priced at RM28. It came with a plate of mixed set and a plate of pork loin. Quite a lot for one person and it consists of prawns, fried beancurd sheet, fishballs, fish fillets, chicken, enoki mushrooms, pumpkins, chinese cabbage and Yee Mee.

The serving of pork loin was quite generous too. Really worth getting the set as I saw from the menu if i order it separately, the mixed set costs RM19 whereas a plate of pork loin costs RM18. A total of RM37 whereas I just paid for RM28 for my set.

For Monday's promotion, a plate of 4 pieces of Shrimp Dumpling only costs RM1. The fillings were not too bad, it came with one big piece of prawns. Juicy and meaty. Very good!

We decided to order a few of their recommended homemade meat balls. No regrets as they were really good. You can see that it is freshly made and not those processed version normally served for steamboat. Really homemade feel. What I like about this place is that you can either order half (4 pieces) or full (8 pieces) serving. The homemade pork balls (RM4 for 4 pieces) are filled with diced mushrooms. The Homemade Beef Ball (RM4 for 4 pieces) scored a very high mark too..bouncy and tasty. Big thumbs up from us.

I thought this was the normal homemade fish ball until I sank my teeth in. It was so BOUNCY! I have never tried anything like this before. Only then I realised, this was actually Homemade Sotong Ball (RM4 for 4 pieces)!! Really good stuff and highly recommended. I have decided that on my next visit, I will just forget the rest and feast on all the homemade meat balls.

Enoki Mushrooms priced at RM6 per servings. A favourite of mine when I have steamboat...tastewise, I don't think I need to elaborate further on this.

Dessert was complimentary but sadly, only one serving per person. We had the Mango Pudding which was absolutely wonderful; light and silky smooth. Perfect dessert to cool our body after such steamy dinner. However, after the dinner, we felt quite thirsty although Hubby and I are MSG-tolerant.

The total damage came to RM67.85 including tax and service charge. Need to compliment on their excellent service too. So, if you happen to shop in 1 Utama and have any sudden crave for steamboat, do give this place a try.

Plus One Shabu Shabu is located at:
Lot F337-338, 1st Flr (formerly World of Feng Shui)
1 Utama Shopping Centre

Also check out other review here:

• Da Wheel of Life & Happiness

KETAM STEAMBOAT @ IKANO POWER CENTRE

I think I have caught the steamboat bug. I have been craving for steamboat for the past two months and after trying to recall how many times of steamboat I had so far...it was a shocking total of 8 times which included two homemade version. In fact I just came back from one very yummy and satisfying steamboat dinner which I will going to post soon. Please bear with me as the next few posts will be featuring on steamboat. I think just let me release the bug in my blog and who knows? I might be cured through spreading the bugs to you guys. Hehehe.

The first place that I am going to post is the Ketam Steamboat Restaurant which has opened in the Ikano Power Centre few months ago. Introduced by WMW, we headed there one night together with Teckiee for dinner. This place is very spacious and located at the Lower Ground Floor of Ikano Power Centre, the same spot where Ben's Cafe used to be. Eventhough it was a weekday, the crowd was quite good but when I revisited the place last Sunday, it was crowded! I was lucky to get a table almost immediately as I noticed those that came after me have to wait for their tables.

What differentiates this place from the others is the menu. It caters to all individual with different taste. Now I know why WMW loves this place so much. For those who don't fancy anything fishy, this is the perfect place to go as they do offer noodle set with your preferred choice of meat. If you like the usual steamboat stuffs, you can opt for the combo set. In short, you will be spoilt with choices, even for those who don't like seafood.

Apart from the combo / noodle set, you can order extra serving of your favourite steamboat ingredients at very reasonable price.

Chilli paste and fried shallots are served unlimited here. If you want something spicy, go for the blended green chilis.

Another thing special about this place is that everyone gets their individual pot of soup. So, if you are fussy person who doesn't like people wash their chopstick in the soup, this would be an ideal place. For the soup based, you can either have clear soup or Tom Yum Soup. While WMW and I opt for clear soup, Teckiee tried the Tom Yum which I find it too spicy for me. I notice Teckiee having a hard time finishing her order due to the spiciness of the soup. I also saw that there is a curry chicken noodle set in the menu, so i guess with that, you will get curry-based soup.

WMW had the Sliced Lamb Noodle set priced at only RM9.80. It came with vermicelli and yellow noodles and of course the thinly sliced lamb, some fried beancurd sheets, chicken balls and veggies. Like WMW said, it's like ordering a bowl of noodle soup, but only differece is that you have to cook it yourself.

Since I was craving for steamboat so badly, I ordered the Sliced Lamb Combo Set (RM21.90) which came with a plate of the usual steamboat ingredients such as fish paste, fish ball, quail egg, stuffed beancurd, fried foochuk, fish, prawns, variety of greens and noodles. Pretty good as all their ingredients were very fresh. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

My set also came with generous portion of thinly sliced lamb. Very fresh and it didn't have any strong smell at all.

This is my pot of soup...with the ingredients floating on top, that means, ready to be eaten! Yumz..

WMW ordered the Veggie Balls (6 pieces for RM3.80) which is one of my favourite too.

So the next time if you are clueless of what to eat while you are at Ikano, do give this place a try.

Ketam Village Steamboat
Lower Ground Floor
Ikano Power Centre
Mutiara DamansaraPetaling Jaya

Also check out other reviews here:

• Eat First Think Later
• Masak-Masak

THE FINAL VERDICT

We were told by The Star that the award presentation for the winners of the Drive For Food Contest will be held tomorrow. Few days later, we were also told that both our videos didn't make it to the Top 5. Yes, you hear me right. It didn't make it to the Top 5. The message was then relayed to the rest of my team members; WMW, Jackson and Teckiee. Each couldn't believe what they heard and WMW was actually hoping that I am playing a prank on them.

I was not sad nor disappointed. I was more to 'upset' as we are one of the few that really produce a video based on the objectives and tasks as stipulated by the organiser. So why give us a specific task to do when we are not judged based on that? But I guess, judges decisions are final, so I just can't wait to see who the winners are.

Anyway, am very grateful to all of you who voted for our videos, some of you I understand even voted several times a day using different PCs. Not forgetting my friends who forwarded my emails to their friends to help me draw votes. And of course, those who sacrificed space in their blog to help us promote our videos. Lastly, our dear flogger friends for your support, your recommendation as well as your votes. Am really touched, really!

Lastly, a special thank to Boolicious and Splashie Boy for their advice and support, they are so sweet to be there on that day to flag us off and even escorted us out from Batu Caves to the trunk road.

And to my teammates, although we didn't make it, I really enjoyed this exhausting trip. You guys are the best!

Thank you thank you thank you!

EZI CHEESE from BEE CHENG HIANG

After sending my precious SnowPea off for grooming at a petshop in SS2, I ended up walking into Bee Cheng Hiang, a famous barbequed meat shop originated from Singapore. I usually patron this place once a year to get their barbequed meat for Chinese New Year so I had no idea why I ended up there that day. Perhaps it was fated for me to discover their new product which came in the form of individual wrapped bite-size snack.

While I was pretty sure the bottom layer is a piece of barbequed meat, the upper layer looked like something soft and off-yellowish white in colour. I was shocked as it looked like a piece of LARD to me. Out of curiousity, I grabbed a packet of it and headed to the counter. I was told that it's CHEESE! Phew....now that sound so much more edible isn't it? Pretty interesting so I bought a packet which is priced at RM8.50 per 100 gram.

The cheesey side

The meaty side

Tastewise, the thin slice of cheese didn't manage to give a cheesey taste to the dried meat. I love the barbequed meat though, tasty and soft. As I mentioned earlier, this not-so-cheap bite-size snack costs RM8.50 for 100 gram (approximately 7 - 8 pieces). I think the next time when I eat my barbequed meat with bread, I will put in a slice of cheddar cheese to see if it tastes the same. Hehehe..not bad idea eh?

Anyway, if you are interested to try, check it out from Bee Cheng Hiang outlet nearest to you.

Pan Mee @ Taman Sri Sentosa, Off Old Klang Road

I have always been a big fan of Pan Mee as my mum used to make it at least once a week. It was something I looked forward to whenever I know Pan Mee was being served for lunch. Now that my mum is no longer around, it became my turn to take over the kitchen, so occasionally I stilll cook it at home. I like mine torn into pieces using hand instead of the long strand using noodle machine.

A friend of mine who doesn't take Pan Mee told me one day he discovered a gem offering good Pan Mee in Taman Sri Sentosa. He said the Pan Mee is really good, but somehow, I wasn't too interested as Taman Sri Sentosa is not a place I would venture into. There is nothing wrong with this place, it's just that it sounded far to me. Then, this place was featured in a local food program in 8TV called "Ho Chak" and it looked really good. What made up my mind to give this place a try was when I read Boolicious post on it. The photo of the pan mee which she took was imprinted in my mind for the whole day so I made up my mind to make a visit the very next day.

This place is quite easy to find as it's located right in front of a wet market. There is a big signboard right in front of the shop, if not mistaken, it says 'Hand Pulled Noodle'? There are few tables outside the shop but all occupied!! Luckily there was an empty table inside. I have waited a day for this and I didn't want to wait any longer.

While waiting for our order to arrive, I saw this article from the Chinese press pasted on the wall. Before cooking the dough, it is cut into smaller pieces and handpulled to make into a long strand.

A tub of fiery hot chilli paste is placed on every table together with unlimited amount of fresh limau kasturi. Chilli is a must when I eat Pan Mee.

There are two version of Pan Mee here, either dry or soup. Hubby was so accommodative to order the dry version for me to snap a photo as he opted for soup version earlier. The delicious looking bowl of Pan Mee was loaded with minced pork, sliced wood fungus and mushrooms, fried ikan bilis, sweet potato leaves and drizzled with black sauce.

Toss toss toss the pan mee and its ready to eat but wait! Look at how long the noodle was! The black gravy was tasty. Hubby gave a thumbs up for this.

My soupy version of Pan Mee came with the same ingredients as the dry version, minus the black gravy. The ikan bilis stock was good and gave me a homemade feel; flavourful and tasty. The longer you soaked the minced pork and ikan bilis, the soup even taste much better. Not a drop wasted!

As for the noodle, I simple love it. It was smooth and silky yet retains its chewiness (QQ). The fact that it was long doesn't make it any difficult to eat. My only complain is that my small portion was too small...should have opted for big portion. Sigh...

There are also a few types of side order such as porkballs, otak otak and pandan chicken. For this round, I only get to try the porkballs which tasted pretty normal stuff that you can get from the wet market. No complain as it goes very well with our delicious bowl of Pan Mee.

The Pan Mee is not cheap though, RM4.50 for small and RM5.50 for big. Couldn't remember how much was the pork balls, but Pandan Chicken is priced at RM4 each or 3 pieces for RM10. Price is steep considering the location of this shop, but I vowed to return again for the Pan Mee and also the Pandan Chicken. As we were leaving the shop, they were frying the chicken, and oh wow...the aroma just filled the air.

Pan Mee Stall 28
Jalan Seri Sentosa 9A
Taman Seri Sentosa
Off Old Klang Road Kuala Lumpur
Tel No: 016 - 288 3911
Closed on Monday

Also check out Boolicious review on this place here. Direction to this place also available on her site.