Alexis @ Mid Valley

For previous review of Alexis, click here (Feb. 5).

Stumbling in too late, we missed the cut-off time for ordering main courses and settled for a limited selection of light bites.

Steamed garlic clams with chardonnay sauce. A generous serving, though there were a few clams that failed the freshness test.

Kalamata olives. Not a fan of olives (too much hassle), but these tasted OK.

Prawns in chilli-infused extra virgin olive oil. Deliciously dip-worthy.

Cheese platter. A decent spread of well-chosen cheeses; no complaints here.

Too little food, but we had our fill of booze, including a Bellini cocktail (champagne, peach schnapps) and Black Velvet (champagne, guinness).

Peach fix (vodka, peach schnapps) and liquid gold (tequila, orange wedge).

Bombay Alexis (bombay sapphire gin, citrus fruits) and Bloody Mary.

Alexis,

The Gardens.

Shun @ Subang

Has there been a management change at Shun? Our latest visit left us wondering what happened to the restaurant we once liked.

Special toro sushi. This looked somewhat sad and was really bland.

Shun Special Wagyu steak.  Tasted more like regular beef.

Seafood motoyaki in honeydew shell. The grease content exceeded the seafood.

Shun No. 1. Chicken wrapped around seafood and avocado. Rather blah.

Even sake couldn't save the day! Hopefully things will be better the next time.

Shun,

Subang Jaya.

Tel: 5637-9185

Tai Zi Heen @ Prince Hotel

We had trouble satisfying our dumpling cravings this year, with many places either running out of stock or not serving these carb-laden treats for dinner. Thankfully, Tai Zi Heen rescued us before we lost hope.

The Hong Kong-style pillow-shaped dumpling was alright, but the absence of pork was sorely felt. No choice though, since this is a halal restaurant. 

A Sambal Unagi dumpling showcased Tai Zi Heen's flair for experimentation. The eel added a melt-in-your-mouth feel that made this a success, though it tasted more Malay than Chinese.

Man cannot live on dumplings alone, so we also ordered other dishes. 

The deep-fried prawn roll with salted egg yolk and chicken sausage was OK; not too oily but it lacked a distinct eggy taste.

Four varieties of siu mai, topped with baby abalone, scallop, tuna and chicken rendang. Not as exciting as it might sound, though not bad either. The first three were well-prepared but somewhat forgettable; the chicken rendang siu mai tasted exactly as one might expect.

Sang Har Meen (pan-fried crispy egg noodles with river prawn, topped with prawn roe and egg gravy). Decent but nowhere as good as the one at Soo Kee. Blame it on the gravy, which should have been more flavourful.

Tyrell's Old Winery Cabernet Merlot (Lower Hunter Valley, New South Wales) and Prosecco di Conegliano (Italy).

Tai Zi Heen,

Prince Hotel & Residence.

7atenine @ The Ascott, Jalan Pinang

Click here for previous review of 7atenine (May 13).

Organic beef sashimi with pecorino cheese shavings, olive oil, marinated Spanish onions and pasilla chilli powder. Terrific; the sashimi was smooth, subtly flavoured and went really well with everything else on the platter.

Thirty-six-hour braised chilli con carne with edamame beans and corn bread. A slight letdown; it was OK but tasted like ordinary chilli con carne.

Chilean seabass topped with coriander pesto accompanied with spicy tomato jam and zucchini puree. Can't go wrong with Chilean seabass. The puree was interesting _ smoother, softer and creamier than mashed potatoes.

Foie gras burger with 120-day grainfed beef, melted onion and purple potato chips scented with truffle oil. Utterly decadent, but would have been better if the beef had been medium-rare instead of well-done.

The 7 Island (gin, rum, tequila, vodka, f&n strawberry) and St Dafoe Ginger (sparkling wine, ginger marmalade, mandarin vodka).

7atenine,

The Ascott, Jalan Pinang.

Tel: 2162-7789

Bom Brazil Churrascaria

A moment of silence for this place, which recently closed down. The concept here hadn't changed through the years: all the skewered meat you can eat, similar to Bossa Nova, Carnaval Churrascaria and Halia.

Sadly, the food quality had deteriorated sharply in recent times.

The salad buffet was still decent though. Lots of tasty, healthy options.

But the beef cuts were a letdown. Too salty and not succulent enough.

Chicken & fish. Hard to go wrong with these ... but again, too salty.

Brigadeiro, a soft, sticky Brazilian candy covered in chocolate sprinkles.

Tarramater Paso Del Sol Merlot 2003 and Caipirinha.

Bom Brazil Churrascaria,

Changkat Bukit Bintang.

Chinoz on the Park @ KLCC

KLCC sometimes seems like a culinary wasteland for those seeking great food, but Chinoz is one of the outlets here that can provide relief.

Scallop crudos and avocado with hazelnut oil dressing and sea salt. A sublime, succulent spread _ perfect for whetting the appetite.

Freshly shucked oysters with citron vodka granita. Not especially exciting.

Black Spider Roe Maki (soft shell crab, tobiko and habanero chilli). A nice presentation of well-prepared ingredients, but the taste was strange. Imagine eating a maki with chilli sauce.

Basil tomato gnocchi with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and aragula. Not as light and fluffy as we would have preferred, but still tasty and filling.

Slow-cooked beef short ribs with garden veggies. Very tender meat in what appeared to be a healthy recipe with surprisingly scrumptious vegetables.

Bling Bling (tequila, pineapple, basil, apple juice & lime) and Bloody Mary.

Red Or Dead (southern comfort, campari, lime, cranberry juice) and Whiskey Squirt (bourbon whiskey, peach, Grand Marnier, soda).

Chinoz on the Park,

Suria KLCC.

Tel: 2166-8277

The 39 Restaurant @ PNB Darby Park

The 39 Restaurant boasts an impressive setting, with panoramic views of the city from the 39th floor of PNB Darby Park. It serves upmarket Malay cuisine, less intensely flavoured than traditional kampung cooking.

A special mention to the staff here who set sky-high standards for friendliness and efficiency. We decided to eat in air-conditioned comfort indoors...

... but customers can choose the open-air loft outside if the weather is kind. 

Addictively crunchy crackers to munch on before the main meal.

Tenggiri otak-otak (spicy mackerel loaf with mango kerabu and peanut sauce). Firmer but less savoury than regular otak-otak. The highlight of this platter was the mango kerabu, which was memorably piquant.

Rusuk Kambing Kurma (braised lamb rack with kurma, ghee rice and pineapple curry). The lamb was magnificently tender, falling off the bone with the utmost of ease. It blended perfectly with the rice and curry, making this our favourite dish of the evening.

Patin Tempoyak Cili Padi (simmered catfish in fermented durian paste with salted duck egg, bittergourd and rice). The strong taste of the tempoyak complemented the fish pretty well. A decent version of a classic recipe.

Kaseh Puteri (avocado, kiwi, vanilla ice cream and milk) & Cinta 39 (tea, lychee, lime, lemon, mint and basil).

The 39 Restaurant,

PNB Darby Park.