Kobe Gyu Taku

In a district booming with Japanese eateries, this one specializes in grilled beef.

Couldn't resist the Tokusen Gyusashi, a luscious recipe comprising tender raw beef with a quail egg. A puny portion, but supremely satisfying in both taste and texture.

A selection of Wagyu rib-eye & short ribs for the BBQ.

Sizzlingly succulent stuff, with a full-flavored beefiness to thrill meat-lovers.

Beef organs _ such as the heart _ are also available for the yakiniku.

We thoroughly enjoyed the tongue, lightly seasoned with natural salt.

Bibimbap. A bit bland compared to versions at top Korean outlets.

Sesame and citrus-flavoured ice cream for a cold finish.

Wine is available here, but only by the bottle.

Kobe Gyu Taku,

52, Jalan SS15/4, Subang Jaya.

Sanuki Udon

First food post ever for Taman Desa. Amazing, right?

Curry udon, topped with three wonderfully runny eggs. Comfort food for a chilly evening.

Another three-yolk fiesta: tsuke men, or dipping noodles (the cold noodles are meant to be dipped into the hot veggie soup before being eaten _ something we didn't realize until checking it out on Wikipedia later!). Served with wakame and prawn & veggie tempura.

One of us played it safe with a healthy choice _ the wakame udon, with only a single egg.

The yakitori was beyond reproach. An assortment of chicken leg meat, skin, gizzard, liver & bishop's nose _ all of which were succulent and smoky.

A bottle of sake, just for the sake of it. Wait, make that TWO bottles.

Sanuki Udon,

Jalan Bukit Desa 5, Taman Bukit Desa.

Latest Recipe

This bright, spacious outlet is best known for its bountiful buffet spread, but its a la carte offerings shouldn't be overlooked.

Service is warm and attentive, despite the swelling crowds during peak hours.

Snow crab with marinated heirloom tomato & apricot balsamic dressing. A treat for those of us who adore crab meat, but loathe the messiness of shells.

Five-spices beef soup with quinoa & coriander leaves. Tasted nearly home-cooked, generously filled with tender beef chunks.

Peking Duck spring rolls, with turnips, cucumber, bean sprouts, bean curd & spicy plum sauce. Healthy, but less flavourful than regular rolls at Chinese outlets.

Crespelle di Funghi (mushroom-filled crepes in herb cream reduction with white truffle oil). Best shared; a carb-laden recipe that might grow a bit cloying by the end.

Hot smoked salmon with wasabi noodles, enoki mushroom salad and vinegar ponzu sauce. Refreshingly light and thoroughly satisfying, thanks to the succulent fish.

Venison satay. Not quite as meaty or flavoursome as the best roadside versions. Or maybe chicken really is the best ingredient for making satay.

Coffee cream on sacher biscuit & crunchy praline with banana crumble tart. A light dessert with decadent flavours, sweet and satisfying.

Orange mascarpone cream on almond florentine & warm date cake. The cream seemed a bit stiff and hardened, but everything else on this plate was well-prepared.

Cabernet Sangiovese, Col Di Sasso, Castello Banfi (Italy); Pinotage, Two Oceans (South Africa); Shiraz, Wolf Blass Bilyara (Australia).

Sauvignon Blanc, Marques de Riscal (Spain); Semillon Chardonnay, Two Oceans (South Africa); Chardonnay, Wolf Blass Bilyara (Australia).

Suzie Wong (citron vodka, cointreau, lemon juice, lime cordial) & Meridien (white rum, apple schnapps, chambord, grapes, mint leaves, lime, apple juice).

Latest Recipe,

Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur.

MED.@Marche-Live

Once upon a time, MED.@Marche was one of my favorite restaurants. But the place has faded with age; despite its refurbishment, it no longer looks as gorgeous as before, and its menu seems littered with letdowns.

Italian cooking is the current name of the game here, narrowing the focus from the restaurant's previous premise of Mediterranean with a twist.

The Pizza Genovese was a rare treat _ a crisp, cheeseless concoction with caramelized onions, anchovies, rosemary & olives. Seemed relatively healthy, without the usual mozzarella and tomato base. Plus, the mix of sweet and savory toppings turned out to be really tasty.

Duck prosciutto with toasted almonds & honey. Suitably gamy and chewy, with a rich, earthy flavor that was well complemented by the nutty and sweet accompaniments.

Alas, things went sharply downhill from there. The pan-fried King George whiting was dry and overdone to the point that even the saffron zabaglione couldn't rescue it. Ditto for the quail egg, which would have been preferable with a runny yolk instead.

The seafood linguine sounded interesting, since it came with cockles (!) alongside soft-shell crab, prawns, sugarsnap peas, verjuice & minted mascarpone. But the cockles were puny beyond reckoning, while everything else was basically bland.

Gnocchi with ragu of beef shin, broad beans, oven-dried tomatoes & gremolata. Plenty of tender beef, though blindfolded customers who chew on this might think it was simply a steak with mashed potatoes. The meat tasted one-dimensionally salty.

Seafood risotto, with yabbies, scallops, cuttlefish, lemon sole & black lip mussels. The rice was mushy and unpleasantly sourish, while the yabbies had nearly no flesh in them.

One saving grace is that there's a reasonable selection of wines by the glass that run the gamut from Australian to Chilean.

The cheapest of them cost RM30, but they definitely taste decent. Forgot to note which wines had been ordered here though.

An alfresco terrace is available for anyone who wants to puff some shisha.

MED.@Marche-Live,

Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Saigon Saigon Bar @ Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

HCMC Part VIII: This entry wraps up our Ho Chi Minh City series. It's been fun.

Caravelle Hotel's open-air rooftop terrace is wonderfully atmospheric, with an old-world charm that extends to its view.

The ninth-floor panorama is beautiful at night, with the Opera House, iconic post office, Notre Dame cathedral and other hotels all clearly in sight.

Good Morning Vietnam (grey goose vodka, lime juice, orange curacao, midori, cranberry juice, sugar) & Miss Saigon (grey goose vodka, rum bacardi, orange juice, cranberry juice).

Pineapple & Pepper Margarita (gold tequila, lime juice, pepper syrup, pineapple puree) & Saigon Breeze (grey goose, grapefruit juice, lime juice, triple sec).

I've run out of things to say, but I still wanna post a few more photos. Heheh.

Saigon Saigon Bar,

Caravelle Hotel,

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.