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
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