Maria's Restaurant & Café @ Metropolitan Square, PJ

Ever heard of this song by Santana back in the year 2000? 

♫ Maria Maria, she reminds me of a west side story.. ♫ 

As I purchased Maria's Restaurant & Café's Groupon voucher a couple of weeks ago, this tune was stuck in my head. Well, 'Ave Maria' by Kim Ah Joong managed to creep into my musical system as well but Santana seemed to have a better grip, holding its spot on my mind whenever my eyes are set on the word 'Maria'. 

Let's cut to the chase. 

Located just above Citibank & Old Town White Coffee, I had my lunch at Maria's.

All items are subject to 10% service charge. Check out their full menu. Yum yum.

Random pic of Maria's table setting along with their purple menu.  

Urk, my iPhone 4's camera doesn't do any justice to this restaurant's beautifully decorated interior. 

I liked what they have done with this place. If Maria's Restaurant was a girl, she'd be characterized as a non-pretentious individual & you'd definitely like to hang out with her. Yup, this place gave me a cozy vibe and relaxes my nerves. 

Fresh Pumpkin Soup (RM9.00)

If it's not the month of Halloween, I'm generally not a fan of pumpkins..

But 'tis the season to be jolly as this particular pumpkin soup tasted as if it was made with heart. It tasted homey and sweet. Although it might be a tad too sweet for my liking, I gotta give Maria's some credit for not serving us diluted soup (which is what I absolutely loathe when dining in a restaurant). 

Quality: Check! 

Fresh Mushroom Soup (RM9.00)

mMmm, nothing like a hearty bowl of mushroom soup to cheer up your day. 

Pity I didn't get the chance to taste the croutons. The soup was not as thick as the pumpkin version but it wasn't diluted either. Which meant that the pumpkin soup was really concentrated whereas the former was just right. I really liked this one. As a fan of mushroom soup, Maria's version has definitely secured its spot as one of the better ones out there for its stated price above. 

Grilled Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce (RM20.00) 

The mains were served with sauté vegetables and a couple of wedges were tucked beneath the meat.

I've read several reviews regarding this place prior to my visit at Maria's and realized that most diners recommended Maria's Honey Mustard Sauce over its Mushroom Sauce. Not wanting to challenge the people's choice, we too ordered honey mustard! 

Verdict? All of us liked it. I'm not a fan of chicken meat but this could be an exception. Along with it's accompanying sauce, the meat was pleasantly tender. The sauce was sweet but I wished there was a stronger punch of mustard in it (I friggin' <3 mustard). Overall, this was an enjoyable meal. If only the portion was a tiny bit bigger :p 

Pan Fried Canadian Seabass (RM58.00)

Premium white cod served with sake sauce. Wa wa wa, the dish's name alone has managed to successfully capture my undivided attention. Question is, does it taste as good as it seems? Yeh, pretty much. Albeit the slightly salty potato wedges, everything on the plate was spot on. What can I say? The cod was fresh and well prepared. Its skin was crisp yet the flesh tasted juicy. Come on, who doesn't love cod?! 

By the way, I would say that this meal is worth every penny as Maria serves a pretty generous portion of cod to their diners. Look at that slab of fish!

I know many restaurants that are extremely tightfisted when it comes to serving cod, leaving customers unsatisfied at the end of the day. *the portion can be extremely miserly at times! Which makes me sooooo angry* 

Australian Chilled Fillet (RM59.00)

Usually, I would prefer having a medium-rare steak but I opt for a medium one today. There were two slabs of steak fillets stacked on one another but I have to comment that one of it was medium-rare whilst the other was medium. Fine by me, as long as it wasn't well done. 

Quality wise, you can't expect it to taste like wagyu as the price would've been double or triple its original price. It tasted like an ordinary piece of steak that I bought from the meat department in  Coles while I was in Australia. (It is a chilled fillet after all.) 

Sorry, this is a miss for me. ý ý ý  

Apparently, the menu stated that the chilled fillet is served with red wine sauce. If that's what red wine sauce is supposed to taste like, I am a little speechless. In my opinion, it tasted like mushroom sauce... At least the chefs managed to get my order right-ish? 

One of Maria's waitresses seemed to be in a rush to clear our plates though,.. my mum was chewing on what's left on my plate (snow peas) and a lady walked over & said "Excuse me", picked the plate up & walked away without any signs of hesitation while mummy was still holding her fork with a snow pea stuck on it. 

Mm seng muk. 

Lemon Cheese Cake (RM9.50)

On a lighter note, I really enjoyed this dessert! Was looking forward to Maria's tiramisu but it wasn't ready yet :( 

Was aiming for their moist chocolate cake too but the crowd seemed to prefer lemon cheese instead.  No regrets tho'! It was a real joy to eat. The cake wasn't too sweet and the cheese tasted light. The lemon wasn't overpowering either so everything came together really well. 't was gooooood. 

Maria's Restaurant & Café

Lot C131A, Center Wing, Level 3

Metropolitan Square

No. 2, Jalan PJU8/1

Bandar Damansara Perdana

47820 Petaling Jaya

For reservations: 03-7725 2313

Yours truly,

Jx

Selera Jaya 223 @ PJ

Selamat pagi semua! (Good morning to all)

Today, let's go back to basics to remind ourselves the reason we're called 'Anak Malaysia'.  

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Malaysia's national dish,.. Nasi Lemak! 

What exactly is 'nasi lemak'? If this word is directly translated from Malay to English, nasi lemak would mean 'fatty rice'. Fatty in the sense of rich or creamy. 

Technically, the rice is cooked in santan a.k.a. coconut milk & pandan leaf a.k.a. screwpine plant which allows the rice to be fragrant and "fat". 

Traditionally, nasi lemak is served with cucumber slices, roasted peanuts, small fried anchovies, hard boiled egg and not forgetting the most important element, SAMBAL (spicy sauce)! 

Okay, enough with the history talk. 

Let's grab ourselves summa dat fatty food @ Selera Jaya 223! 

Selera Jaya 223 

Yeah, it's really packed at night. (btw, this is 10 p.m.) We 'tapao-ed' our supper so I didn't manage to snap any pictures of the food court's interior. There are many other stalls selling different varieties of food such as fried rice, noodles and mutton soup.

Note: Some might find this place a little dodgy so try not to flaunt any branded items to attract unnecessary attention. I like to come here when I'm all sweaty & disgusting-looking ;)

VOILA! Back at home with our goodies.

6 packets of nasi lemak, 5 sticks of otak-otak. 

GUESS HOW MUCH THESE COST? RM12! That's like 4USD for 6 packets & 5 sticks! Probably enough to feed 2 hungry men or 3 hungry women or 1 hungry American :) 

1 packet = RM1.50 whereas you can purchase 5 sticks of otak-otak for RM3.00. 

We bought 3 packets each of red labeled & blue labeled fatty rice. Red & blue are sold from different owners hence, different taste. 

Yatie's Nasi Lemak (red label)

Suri's Nasi Lemak (blue label)

THIS. IS. THE. SHIZZNIT!

Okay, I only took one nasi lemak picture so this is how it looks like inside the banana leaf :) 

Are you salivating yet? 'cause I am currently lau nua-ing!

A packet of fatty rice mixed with peanuts, anchovies, egg & sambal. Such a beauty. 

Before you say that this meal looks unappetizing, I would like you to close your eyes and try it. Just trust me,.. close your eyes and EAT IT. You'd want 2 more packets when you're done with the first spoon. 

Verdict time. 

Red- Yati's version is my favourite. She knows me well. The sambal is SPICY and I LOVE SPICY FOOD. However, there weren't any traces of cucumbers in it. The rice wasn't as fragrant as one would imagine but the sambal won me over anyways. Last night's sambal was sweeter than usual too, weird in a good way as the sweetness is supposed to be Suri's trait. 

Blue- For those who can't challenge the heat, I recommend Suri's fatty rice. The sambal is supposed to be sweeter (but for some reason it was a tad salty last night.. I really do not want to know the reason) and the gravy is wetter. Similar to Yati's, Suri's nasi lemak lacked the aromatic fragrance and cucumbers as well. 

Otak-otak

Traditionally wrapped in banana leaf as well, otak-otak is supposed to be a 'cake' made of fish meat & spices. 

One might beg to differ, but this isn't my favourite version of otak-otak. It tasted so processed :( AND WHY IS IT SO RED? As red as a male dog's thingy. YERRRRR.

Anyway, my hubby & many other friends are able to bag 5 pieces of these red sticks into their stomachs without any hesitation but I. Just. Can't. Do. It. 

Since I know many others who're able to enjoy the otak-otak without any complains, you should give it a try. If you don't like it either, we must be long lost twins, triplets, quadruplets etc.

Be sure to give our national dish a go whenever you're visiting Malaysia. To all locals who are currently overseas, fatty rice will always be here waiting for you.

Selera Jaya 223

Jalan 223

Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Waze the place if you're not too sure of its location!

Anak Malaysia,

Jx

Hokkaido Sushi @ One Utama, Pickle & Fig @ TTDI.

Rise & shine! Good morning, folks.

I hope you're not feeling the Monday Morning Blues. At least the morning sun wasn't as beaming bright as it was a couple days back. By the way, is it just me or was the air a tad polluted this morning? *chokes*

Just in case you're feeling a little dull this morning, perhaps you could head over to one of these two restaurants after office hours. Nothing like a hot cup of green tea or a well-blended smoothie could soothe the nerves of a soul. 

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Let's start off with Hokkaido Sushi @ One Utama, PJ.

For those of you who were raised in PJ, we have something in common! One Utama Shopping Mall was and STILL IS my second home. Before the renovation & mall extension of the 'new & improved' Old Wing commenced, I could've been one of the best tour guide/talking directory/information counter you would ever know. Muahahaha. I'm sure many of you can relate.

Anyway, Hokkaido Sushi is located at the lower ground level of Old Wing. Yep, the same floor as Mcd's, Pizza Hut & KFC. 

Instead of a massive queue at Sushi Zanmai, you may opt for Hokkaido Sushi instead. Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm puh-retty sure that Hokkaido Sushi & Sushi Zanmai's menu offer similar items. Different names, same menu. But of course, each foodie item listed on Hokkaido Sushi's menu is charged a ringgit extra compared to Sushi Zanmai's menu. *All these statements are based on my observations* I hope Sushi Zanmai hasn't hiked up their prices :p

Cha Soba (RM8.80++)

Cha Soba a.k.a. green tea soba noodle (cold) was my pick of the night.

I'm really going against my ritual meal here as my usual order would've been Niku Udon (Beef Udon). 

Did I regret it?

Yep. I guess I'm a meaty-soupy-udon kind of girl.

Let me paint you a picture of how this cold soba noodles tasted. This is actually my second time ordering soba noodles and yet, Soba-san & I still refused to be the best of friends. Boo.

I thought I didn't mind my noodles cold, but BOYYYY WAS I WRONG. Blame it on my Chinese genes, we love our bowl of piping hot soup. We like our food hot, hot, hot. 

Anyway, a bowl of dipping sauce, seaweed, spring onions and omg-i-don't-know-what-that-tasteless-grazed-white-stuff-is-maybe-it's-sengkuang-aka-white-turnip was served alongside the noodles. Frankly speaking, I thought that if the condiments were mixed with soba, everything would've tasted better. It didn't. 

The seaweed and spring onions didn't help one bit. I wasn't a fan of the dipping sauce either. 

All in all, I would only recommend you to order this if you scorched your tongue and all your tastebuds have gone haywire. This is simply not my cup of tea. 

Tsukimi Ramen (RM7.80++)

Tsukimi ramen a.k.a. Ramen noodles with egg. Wow, doesn't this bowl of noodles look "appetizing"? Priced at only RM7.80, tsukimi ramen is not served with meat. I'm not a fan of this dish either, but my hubby seems to click well with Tsukimi. 

The broth tasted like artificial seasoning and it wasn't shoyu-based. I only had a sip of the soup and I was worried that my hair would fall off.  Everything else in the bowl was very ordinary. 

As the broth is the most important element for me, this dish was a let down in my opinion. Sorry!  

Gyuniku Enoki Roll (RM12.80++)

Gyuniku enoki roll a.k.a. grilled beef & golden mushroom roll. I ordered this side dish to go with my very plain cha soba. For three beef rolls, I wouldn't say that this dish was price worthy. I would've enjoyed it  better if the beef slices were thicker. The golden mushrooms were a tad overpowering and unfortunately, the beef stood behind it. 

It was pretty tasty. The sauce reminded me of home-cooked food.... *closes eyes to savour the familiar taste* .. WHY does this sauce taste so familiar? Ahh!.. Finally I was able to recall. Thick soya sauce. That must be it.. 

My grandmother fries bullseye egg with thick soya sauce. Freaking delicious when it's not too oily. 

So, verdict on this side dish: One can live without it. 

But if you haven't tried something like this, you can always order it for fun  :) 

Salmon Salad Maki (RM4.80++)

Eeep. The salmon filling was too salty for my liking. I reject! HAHA! I must be ordering all the wrong dishes today!! Everything seemed to be a let down. I must say that the food served in this restaurant is really not that bad. *Learn from my mistakes people, don't order the dishes above unless you want to challenge my tastebuds*. 

Inari Sakura Ebi (RM4.80++)

Sakura prawns with sweet beancurd wrap. As written in my previous Mikan post, I am not a fan of inari. This plate of sushi contains mayo, sakura prawns topped with very stingy amount of fish roe and wrapped with inari. Maybe inari fans can give this a go. You can hardly go wrong when mayo is involved, right? Another let down would be the taste of the sakura prawns. As it was deep-fried, I couldn't taste the microscopic-sized prawns well. 

OVERALL, I think that Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant is an affordable japanese eatery. Although every dish ordered today was a miss for me, I now know 'what's Hot & what's Not' in the menu. Just to relate, Thomas Edison didn't successfully invent the lightbulb on his first attempt. Despite failing many times, he didn't take it as a failure. Instead, he knows the 100 over elements that can't be used for the creation of a lightbulb. 

Hokkaido Sushi 

LG101, Lower Ground (Old Wing)

1 Utama Shopping Centre

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Next up! Pickle & Fig @ TTDI, KL. 

This is definitely a place where friends can enjoy one another's company and chirp the night away. P&F is known for their healthy smoothies, containing only pure ingredients. I didn't manage to take a picture of P&F's interior but I do recommend giving this cafe a try! It's nice, quiet & spacious. 

Blue Healer (RM10.00)

Mmm, I loved this. Really refreshing and SOUR! Blue Healer contains a blend of blueberry, blackberry, banana & apple. Suitable for individuals who absolutely love drinks that make their eyes squint! 

Goji Me (RM12.00) 

Something different from your everyday smoothie selection, Goji Me. The beautiful orange drink consists of strawberry, pineapple, goji, apple & yogurt.

Nachos (RM12.00)

Hmm, I can never turn nachos with melted cheese down. Nachos & cheese are like bread & butter. The combo goes really well together. In this case, P&F's nachos are a definite MISS for me. Sorry, I didn't enjoy it. The nachos were a tad burnt and there wasn't enough cheese to go with. The salsa drizzled over the nachos were too dry to be considered a 'salsa'. Kudos to them for adding olives in, but the appetizer needs a lot more effort to be saved. More cheese, maybe?

Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese (RM19.00)

Smoked salmon & cream cheese?!?! COUNT ME IN! I love focaccia bread! They even served capers in the sandwich! Although all the elements seemed to sound majestically delicious put together, the sandwich only tasted alright. Maybe 'cause smoked salmon & cream cheese sandwich is already widely available in most cafes. Unfortunately, P&F's version didn't shine enough to make a stand in this dog-eat-dog-world. On a side note, I love their wedges! Thinking about it makes me hungry. 

 Rotkraut Pastrami (RM19.00)

This is the bomb diggity! Beef salami, basil pesto, mozzarella & butter spread in wholemeal bread. It's different! I've never tasted anything like this before so it's hard to describe..Hmm herby, cheesy, beefy is all I can say. What a bad description, Jess. I've only had a bite of this and my day has already brightened up. Definitely a thumbs up and a must try when dining @ Pickle & Fig. 

There are MANY OTHER smoothies & sandwiches available in this cafe! Can't wait to try every one of them. 

Pickle & Fig

26, Jalan Tun. Mohd Fuad 2

Taman Tun Dr. Ismail 

60000 Kuala Lumpur

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pickleandfig

Cheers to a healthy start,

Jx