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Review: J Tean Kitchen, SStwo Mall

>> Sunday, June 19, 2011

Venue: J Tean Kitchen, SStwo Mall
Overall comment: Interesting fusion bak kut teh, where you'll find "bak kut teh" meat in not only soup, but the dry version in pies & burgers too!
Halal: No

It was indeed my pleasure to attend this review at J Tean Kitchen. I stay really near to the SStwo Mall, but I've never really bothered dining there...I should actually spend some time exploring this place someday instead of eating home-made sandwiches & oats! :P

Some background of the founder
Founder, Mr James Tean or more popularly known as Master Tean, from Klang opened his first concept store on 2nd April 2011, at this SStwo Mall. This humble gentleman has been in the food industry for over 30 years! He has developed many outstanding products, among which are the "Life" brand chili sauce, acquired by KFC & is one of the major brands in Malaysia, & consumer packed "bak kut teh" spices under the brand names "Claypot" & "Tean's Gourmet", which are sold internationally in many Chinatowns across Australia, Asia, Europe, & the USA. *wow*

Back at J Tean Kitchen
The restaurant features a contemporary classic interior - something traditional, yet with a modern touch, in line with the quick-evolving society. The restaurant comes to live with a vibrant mix of white, red, & dark brown colors, giving the usual Chinese-style a modern twist. They even have an alfresco balcony seating with wooden shades & specially designed lanterns to give the restaurant a "Chinese-feel', especially in the evenings when it's lighted up.


J Tean Kitchen's Menu

You'll find tonnes of "bak kut teh" (pork ribs in herbal tea/soup) coffeeshops in Klang where Mr Tean comes from (and he may have grown up eating "bak kut teh"!), but don't be surprised that this creative owner has more than "bak kut teh" in store at his restaurant :)

Here are some of the food that we sampled:

J-Soup (RM4.90/serving)
- Signature recipe herbal "bak kut teh" soup that is individually served with puff pastry over the soup mug -
This is a light snack/dish where no meat is served with the soup, just mushrooms. I found the soup a little too salty for my liking. It was also thicker than the usual "bak kut teh" soup, so I personally didn't enjoy this as much as the pumpkin soup. I would much prefer the usual herbal-infused "bak kut teh" soup instead!

J-Pumpkin Soup (price unavailable) - vegetarian dish
This is a new dish & is not in the menu yet. I reckon it's an experimental dish, which I personally thought was way better than the J-Soup in terms of taste & "texture". It's more creamy than starchy & although some of us reviewers found that the mushrooms didn't go too well with the pumpkin soup, I personally liked it (I love mushrooms!). The soup had mushrooms in abundance! Expect some sweet, creamy soup with some mushrooms for chews, plus lovely puff pastry to dip into the soup. It's best eaten warm & it feels like the type of soup you'll long for especially when you're feeling down/under the weather.

Braised Pork with Buns (RM7.90/serving)
- Three (3) sumptuous braised pork in special thick gravy sauce served with buns -
This is a delectable appetizer. Tender braised pork with its juicy fats in gravy is just yummy! What more when it comes with steamed buns *drools*

Old Favourites Tean's "Bak Kut Teh" - Combi 1 (RM20.90/serving)
- Traditional popular Klang bak-kut-teh recipe, stewed with a perfect mixed herbal spices soup. Combi 1 comes with ribs, pork belly, & pig's stomach - 
I must say that for a restaurant as such, the "bak kut teh" isn't too bad, especially when it's accompanied by the garlic rice. You can taste the herbs & spices in the soup, but I felt it lacks some "umphh". I think it lacks "kam chou" 甘草/licorice (I didn't know "kam chou" 甘草 was licorice!), which gives the soup a slightly sweetish taste. I still feel that nothing beats the old restaurants/coffeeshop in Klang or KL where the soup is extremely rich with herbs, spices, & tender pork PLUS the oily garlic rice...oolala...I'm a creature of habit :D

Signature Dish: J-Knuckle (RM38.90/serving)
- Pre-stewed with our special herbal spices recipe & slowly cooked until golden brown. Crispy on the outside & tender on the inside. Served with salad,  potato wedges & our special sauce (choice of char siew sauce/pumpkin sauce/salted egg sauce) - 
I felt that the Germans do a slightly better job in roast pork knuckles. The J-Knuckle skin that we had was not very crispy & the meat was not really tender. It was slightly dry & lacking in taste. Although the dish comes with their special choice of sauce, I feel that they could do better on the meat itself, so much so that there is no need for any sauces or dips ;) The 'char siew' (barbecue pork) sauce that we had was alright; nothing very spectacular or addictive...hahaha...I enjoyed the potato wedges & the coleslaw though :)

Signature Dish: J-Ribs (RM34.90/serving)
- The finest pork ribs, pre-stewed with our special herbal spices recipe, specially marinated with our special sauce & cooked until tender. Served with salad, potato wedges, & our special sauce (choice of char siew sauce/pumpkin sauce/salted egg sauce) -
This dish is recommended. Lovely pork ribs. The meat was nicely marinated & not dry although it was quite lean. I much prefer this over the J-Knuckle. The next photo says it all :D

Cheng Yi of FBB enjoying the pork ribs
It was "finger-licking-good" - best eaten with your bare hands!

Mouth-watering dish: Curry Ribs Pasta (RM19.90/serving)
- Spicy curry pork ribs that are delectable to your taste. Served with pasta (choice of spaghetti or fettuccine) - 
*thumbs up* I actually enjoyed this dish...not so much the pork ribs itself, but the pasta + curry + pork ribs as a whole. Juicy & tender pork ribs with spaghetti instead of the yellow noodles...ah, luxury :)

After having so many dishes, like what Cheng Yi said, we're all falling into "food comma" already...and there were more dishes heading our way... *gulp* I felt stuffed...

Drunken Chicken (price unavailable)
This dish isn't in the menu yet. I'm a great fan of drunken chicken, all because I love the taste of Chinese cooking wine :) J Tean's drunken chicken is actually above average (let's not compare it to home-cooked). The chicken pieces were tenderly bathing in delicious gravy of adequate ginger & Chinese cooking wine. The portion served was also quite generous. The only set back was that this dish tasted slightly too salty for my liking. Master Tean said it's because of one particular chef who somehow prefers salt-ier food (Master Tean has already advised the chef to put less salt, so I'm looking forward to less salty food at J Tean Kitchen!).

J-Pork Burger (price unavailable)
This was pretty good! Instead of minced pork made into a patty, they chopped the pork & made the patty. You'll get to chew onto the nicely marinated pork pieces in every bite. I like :D I felt that the burger could do without the mayonnaise as well. Perhaps "black-pepper sauce" like the McDonald's Prosperity Burger will do the trick! I can't remember if it has black-pepper sauce on the patty...


J-Chicken Burger (price unavailable)
*thumbs up* Tender & juicy chopped (not minced) chicken with burger buns! I like! I'm looking forward to order this from the menu in the near future as well...oh ya, this one was slightly pepperish. I guess by the time  the burgers were served, I have eaten so many dishes that my tongue & taste buds just malfunctioned!

J-Oblong Pork Burger (price unavailable)
This, believe it or not, was DA-BOMB! It's probably my favourite among all burgers & rank #2 among all the dishes that I sampled that day. The patty's same as the pork burger, but longer. The best & most brilliant part was the "burger bun" - Deep-Fried Man Tao! Awesome man...the crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside man tao that has a slight sweet taste goes SO well with the burger patty. Oh, I can't wait to have this on the menu!!

Must try signature dish: J-Porky Pie (RM19.90/serving)
- Succulent pork in special herbal sauce covered with puff pastry -
This was my favourite, #1, among the MANY dishes that we tried for the day! Why? It's the braised pork belly/肥猪肉! I tell you, "lou qu yoke" (Cantonese for braised pork) with dark sauce & fragrantly sauteed (炒香) DRIED SHRIMP plus belacan gave the simple braised pork in dark sauce an extra dimension - salty, sweet, spicy! It goes well with the puff pastry too! Ah..."heaven in my stomach"....

Tempura Radish Cake (price unavailable)
I give credit to the crispy batter, but I didn't enjoy this very much. I felt that the radish cake was slighlty "floury" - more flour than radish & a little "stiff". J Tean Kitchen served this with mayonnaise instead, but I provided my personal feedback that such a snack should go with sweet sauce (甜酱)/home-made chili sauce instead of mayonnaise.

Melaka Delight? - I forgot the actual name :S (price unavailable)
As I am not a fan of sweet food, this was way too sweet for me. It's gula Melaka with coconut milk & colored jellies & sago. I prefer the next dessert.

Golden Beach Dessert (price unavailable)
Another experimental dish with pumpkin & it turned out better than the gula Melaka dessert! I'm not a GREAT fan of pumpkin, but this was seriously more enjoyable :) The dessert was smooth, just nice in taste (not too sweet for a dessert 'til it "numbs your tongue"), & has some crunchy & chewy texture (water chestnut & sago). Very delightful :)

p/s: Prices of beverages range from RM1.00 for RO water to RM7.90 for a glass of smoothie


PerutBesi with Master Tean
I'm glad to have met this interesting business owner :) Wishing him successful years in this business!

All foodies with Master Tean & his team

Map to J Tean Kitchen

View PerutBesi in a larger map

I'm looking forward to head back there for their burgers & the J-Porky Pie. Oh, not to forget, the Curry Ribs Pasta as well :) Anyone interested to join me?


J Tean Kitchen
Lot G-58, Ground Floor
SStwo Mall
40, Jalan SS2/72
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: (+603) 7954 0819
Business hours: 10:00a.m. - 10:00p.m. daily


Ratings:
Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * *
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:






Porkilicious goodness,

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The Magical Musical 2011 - Gala Premier

>> Thursday, June 16, 2011

Date: 10 June 2011, Friday
Venue: Sunway Lagoon Amphitheatre

Thank you, AMBP for the pair of passes to the Gala Premier of "Magical Musicals"! 

Photo taken from: AMBP's contest website

I was really happy (probably ecstatic) when I found out that I was one of the 'winners' of the contest. I couldn't even recall participating nor could I recall what I did to win the passes! Hahaha...I think all I did was just to indicate my interest to attend the musical & walla! I got the tickets :D Hurrah!!


Photo taken from: AirAsiaRedTix.com

I must say that the musical was a spectacular one (it's my first time to a musical so I've nothing to compare it with)! Great casts & a very enjoyable performance. I'm too un-bothered to elaborate on what this musical is about, so if you want to find out more, head to this site: Magical Musicals.

One of the few set backs was the queuing up for the tickets as all of us winners did not know where the queue was! *grrr* We were informed through email that the ticket redemption starts at 6:30p.m. in front of Sunway Lagoon. However, the AMBP team were 'late' & there was no sign whatsoever to direct us to the actual place of redemption. Most, if not all of us stood blankly at one spot, in hopes that that's the actual line. It felt SO weird!


Anyhow, I was glad that after queuing up for half an hour plus, I got my pair of tickets to the Blue Zone (Apparently there are some Red Zone tickets, but I didn't get it! It's randomly given out...booo...the earlier ones should be given the Red Zone tickets...). Complimentary tickets means no-extra-goodies :( We didn't get any event booklet as well...only the Media Representatives got it.


I haven't been to the Sunway Lagoon Amphitheatre, so I didn't know that it was such a LONG walk from the entrance of Sunway Lagoon =.=" Some friends told me that there is a shorter route to the amphitheatre, but unfortunately, we were guided through the longer route. We even had to take the tram/train at one point to the amphitheatre area! I felt like I was at a night safari!


We were LATE, TIRED, feeling HOT, & SWEATY *pffft* What's better is that I didn't know there's no air-conditioning at the amphitheatre....oh, joy. Yes, I was as blind & ignorant as a bat.

We walked down the red carpet, greeted by Lite FM's DJs Zack & Sarah along with Mix FM's JD & Dilly. They were trying pretty hard to keep the crowd entertained, but I personally prefer to have the musical to begin on time instead...hahaha...


The amphitheatre was SO empty when we walked in...only when the show was about to begin that it was FULL!


The stage was nicely set :)

I was there for CQ

Let the musical begin!
We were serenaded to songs from "Moulin Rouge!, Mamma Mia!, Dreamgirls, Fame, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Footloose, We Will Rock You, West Side Story, Hairspray and even the latest television musical phenomenon, Glee." - taken from AMBP's website. The best part about attending a gala premier is the "special privilege" to snap photos during the show (since there are media representatives on the same night) :D

Nice lighting effects too...
I'm VERY glad that my 'lil camera could do such an awesome job even when I'm sitting in the middle (top) of the amphitheatre, not in front/bottom!


And the stage was 'bursting in flames' during 1 of the songs!



I was really surprised to find our own locals as part of the musical...

Food, anyone?
As at many musicals/plays/shows, you'll find the "hot dog guy" walking around, selling terribly expensive food that people will still buy.

Dreamgirls
*bling bling* I like their glittery clothes!


They even sang "Umbrella"...


Finale
All of us got to our feet to dance & sing along...ah, it was fun!

I wouldn't mind going for another musical. Better still to win yet another pair or several passes to such shows! :D I really thank God for this first win of the year...woohoo! I'm looking forward for more to come!!


Happy feet!

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Family trip to Kuantan (Bayleaf Restaurant)

>> Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Venue: Bayleaf Steak House, Kuantan Garden
Halal: Yes

I just realized that the last time I blogged about this place was FOUR years ago (click here for the old post)! The style of my photography back then compared to how I capture photos these days are of VAST difference. I'm actually surprised & embarrassed that my photo-taking skills years back were quite bad....hahaha.

Back to Bayleaf, I reckon I rarely step foot to Bayleaf whenever I'm around in Kuantan since there are so many options here. Somehow I tend to end up at the same few restaurants as well! :P

This restaurant serves decent food at affordable prices, so no worries about quality of food & whether it is wallet-friendly :) They have a good variety of Western & Asian food here. Apparently, many foreigners drop by during lunch hour for the claypot loh shu fun! I've yet to try that. Aaron's dad treated us to dinner (again! so "pai se"...) & we had a good time indulging in the sumptuous meal. Thank you!!

Here's what we had that night:

Tempura Fish & Chips
Light, crispy batter coating the juicy fish fillet. Yums :)

Prawn Cocktail Salad
Quite an interesting presentation for a simple dish. It's basically prawn salad in a "cocktail glass" (or maybe not)! *hahaha*

Oxtail Soup
I was quite surprised that the oxtail soup is slightly spicy. I think they added some paprika or maybe chili powder to enhance the taste of the beef soup. The broth is flavourful & goes well with garlic bread.

Garlic Bread with Cheese
Yes, this is actually a side order. Quite a nice snack to have....haha..

Grilled Salmon with Spinach & Cheese
I find this a little bland for my liking. I still prefer the salmon at Fine & Relax Cafe in Puchong. This cheese & spinach sauce doesn't feel cheesy enough & is lacking in herbs for some added "umph" to the humble salmon. I guess they didn't really marinate the salmon as well...

Fisherman's Choice
It's every other basic seafood you can find on this platter (except crabs). If you're a seafood lover, this platter is definitely something you won't want to miss.

Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Sauce
The lamb chop was alright, but the lamb chop I had at Andes, Aman Suria, was very much better (I haven't blogged on the lamb chop episode yet)! Same goes for the mint sauce. Bayleaf's mint sauce was too diluted with lemon juice - quite sour - which isn't my cup of tea. I prefer something more minty...haha...

Hainanese Chicken Chop
According to my dad, such a dish best suits a "China-man" like him. You can't go very wrong with the basic deep-fried chicken chop & some oriental-style brown sauce. My dad said the one he had years back in KL was nicer (and he said he could also cook a better Hainanese chicken chop than Bayleaf's!).

Map to Bayleaf Steak House

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So, will I head back to Bayleaf again sometime soon? I guess so...depending on mood & feel :D I haven't tried the steak here because Aaron would head straight to Sherwood if he craves for steak. We usually have some 'favourite' spots for certain types of food in Kuantan. The place is small enough to spot some specifics, yet big enough to give you a good variety. Ah, me likey...


Bayleaf Steak House
B25, Lorong Seri Kuantan 25
25250 Kuantan
Pahang Darul Makmur.
Tel: (+609) 566 9812
Business Hours: 12:00p.m.-3:30p.m. & 6:30p.m.-10:30p.m.


Ratings:

Presentation: * * * *
Price: * * *
Environment: * * * 1/2
Taste: * * * 1/2
Service: * * * 1/2


Overall:






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