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Review: Gossip Time 吹水時間 Restaurant, Taman Paramount (Part 2 - Steamboat)

>> Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Overall comment: Flavorful pork bone broth (both spicy & non-spicy) & I thought the portion was pretty generous for 2 persons. Most importantly, the meats were fresh.
Halal: No

I don't remember Taman Paramount/Sea Park area having any steamboat restaurants that are still in business. Being one of the very few players (if not the only player) in the steamboat arena in this area, Gossip Time truly stands a chance to prove itself & be THE restaurant to go to for a good steamboat meal.

Photos below show portion for 2 pax

For RM24.90/person (minimum 2 persons to enjoy a steamboat meal), you can opt for pork bone soup, special spicy soup or a mixture of both/half-and-half.


Each set comes with a mixture of seafood, meat slices (chicken, pork & fish), noodles (meehoon, yellow noodles or yee mee), beancurd, mushrooms, eggs, an assortment of fish/meat balls, & vegetables.


Additional vegetables are free of charge, but for the rest of the items, additional portions cost RM1.50 - RM25.00.


We loved the soup base as it is 'sweet' from the pork bones & doesn't even need any additional ingredients to give it a richer flavor. Having said that, the soup was really delicious once all the steamboat ingredients were added into the pot to be cooked *yums* This is what you get when the soup has been boiled for over 10 hours.


I actually liked the special spicy soup although it's quite spicy. To me, it has more "kick". It's not alike the Sichuan-style "ma lat" spiciness, but quite similar. The chili mix is cooked in-house by chef Heow & his kitchen team, so you can't get the exact same taste anywhere else. If you like a 'lil "kick" but can't take the spiciness, just go ahead to mix both the soup...haha...

One of the pork balls that I really enjoyed was the "exploding meat ball", which has minced meat inside the pork ball! You can add 6 more of these exploding meat balls for RM8.00.


I think during this rainy season, having some steamboat meal is just perfect. You can enjoy it from lunch hour all through the day, so sit back & enjoy a good meal at this homey restaurant ;)


Gossip Time 吹水時間 Restaurant
5, Jalan 20/14 Paramount Garden
46300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: (+603) 7872 9030/ (+6012) 503 8600 - Mr Kavin Heow
Business hours: 10:00a.m. - 10:00p.m. daily
FB: Gossip Time Restaurant


Spicy, pork bone soup *yums*

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Review: Gossip Time 吹水時間 Restaurant, Taman Paramount (Part 1) - CLOSED

Overall comment: Delicious prawn wantan mee & aromatic special curry chicken (with rice)! If you're a fan of spicy noodles, you won't want to miss out their "Spicy Noodle King" - TOO spicy for me! :D
Halal: No

Recently, many cafes & restaurants have been mushrooming in the well-established area of Taman Paramount. Having lived there during the earlier days of my life (and still popping by that area every now & then since our family house is still there), I somewhat know the demographics of the area & how it's slowly evolving in time.

Gossip Time is one of the newest restaurants in this area, opened only 3 months ago. For those who are familiar with Gossip Corner restaurant in Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata), Gossip Time is the branch, right here in Petaling Jaya :)


Managed by the owner, Mr Kavin Heow, this simple yet homey restaurant offers an extensive variety of local Chinese rice dishes & noodles. They're also introducing steamboat into the menu, which I will elaborate in Part 2 of my blog post.




Located in the well-known housing area of Taman Paramount, Gossip Time offers set lunches on weekday (11:00a.m. - 3:00p.m.) for those who are working & staying nearby at very reasonable prices (from RM9.90 - RM13.90/set) & ala carte meals during the rest of the day. The set lunches come with a bowl of 'soup of the day', a glass of herbal drink & a piece of fruit.


The dishes that I really want to highlight are their prawn wantan mee & the special curry chicken rice. These were 2 dishes that I felt were delicious & worth recommending above the rest :P

Gossip Prawn Wantan Mee - dry (RM8.90/small, RM9.90/large)
Gossip Time's wantan noodles are hand-made by Mr Heow's 70+ year old sifu. It's made fresh upon order & doesn't contain any boric acid, so it needs to be consumed fresh & can't be kept for more than 2 days. What we love about the noodles is the springy texture without the taste of boric acid & the simple minced pork taste that makes this dish very homey. You'll find the fragrance of sesame seed oil in this dry version as well.

The next thing that you'll notice in this noodles dish are the 3 gigantic wantan dumplings! Very tasty as it has 'jor hao yue' & it's served in a bowl of rich pork bone soup (boiled for minimum 10 hours). If you're a wantan dumpling fan, you won't want to miss this. It was a tad too salty for me, but some of them found the dumplings perfect.

Gossip Prawn Wantan Mee - soup (RM8.90/small, RM9.90/large)
You may wonder why no char siew. Due to health concerns when barbecuing char siew (and inhaling the fumes from the bbq process), Mr Heow isn't able to continue making his own char siew for the noodles. It's quite unfortunate, but his minced pork & pork bone soup, accompanied by the delicious wantan dumplings & springy hand-made noodles make up for the lack of char siew :) Thumbs up!

Curry Chicken Wantan Mee - soup (RM8.90/small, RM9.90/large)
Curry fans will love this...thick, fragrant curry soup with the same wantan noodles! You can opt for the soup or dry version. The curry doesn't have coconut milk, but uses fresh milk & has the aromatic lemongrass & curry leaves that's so evident *slurp*

Spicy Noodle King - dry (RM9.90/small, RM10.90/large)
Try this only if you can take really spicy food! We have spicy/chili pan mee, this is spicy/chili wantan mee! The chili mix contains 7 different ingredients, 2 of which are dried shrimps & spring onions & stir-fried to perfection. I found this noodles too spicy for my consumption...hahaha...my mouth was on fire after a few bites!

Bloggers in action...fuh! All for the best angle :P

Special Curry Chicken Rice (RM8.90/serving)
This was the special curry chicken rice that I would recommend. Each bowl of curry chicken comes with 3 pieces of chicken + 3 piece of potatoes, in a bowl of thick, moderately spicy, aromatic curry gravy. I'm not very much a rice person, so I thought this would go really well with bread instead of rice...haha...but give me 'nasi lemak' for the combo that I love :D

Special Satay Sauce Chicken Chop Rice (RM14.50/serving)
Ahah. This is SO Malaysian. I would never have thought of satay sauce on a piece of chicken chop. It may not look very appealing, but the combination is actually quite satisfying. The piece of whole chicken leg is pan-fried before getting covered with Gossip Time's home-made special satay sauce.

Mushroom Chicken Rice (RM8.90/serving)
This reminded me of my mum's home-cooked Nyonya-style ponteh chicken. The chicken & mushrooms are braised for 40 minutes before serving, while the potatoes are deep-fried first before adding into the pot of chicken to be braised together. It's certainly not lacking in flavor :) If you're craving for some home-cooked goodness, you can trust Gossip Time to satisfy your cravings.

Last but not least, during this review, we were introduced to Gossip Time's 'burger king'. This idea of a large-sized burger started from the Cameron Highlands outlet of Gossip Corner. As Cameron Highlands do not have any fast food restaurants apart from Mary Brown, Mr Heow came up with the idea of serving burgers at his restaurant up in Camerons. To make it different & special, the burger is served as a large size, where you can't get it anywhere else up on the highlands. This same burger is also served at Gossip Time in PJ, with the only difference of meat selection; Cameron Highlands' Gossip Corner is pork-free, whereas this PJ branch serves both chicken & pork burger!

Gossip Pork/Chicken Burger King (RM24.90/serving)
It's not just large, but tall i.e. 3/4 the height of the chili sauce bottle! I didn't find this burger very appealing to me since it's a piece of pan-fried chicken or pork amidst all the vegetables, cheese & mayonnaise, but the novelty of having such a large burger is quite a thrill. As the burger is so huge, more often than not, people will just eat them layer by layer.

There's also a bowl of curry for those who usually eat everything except the bun as there's nothing else to go with the bun. Very smart, Mr Heow! The curry is yummy, so you won't allow the bun to go to waste...wipe up every single drop of the curry!
*the burger in comparison to my hand...hmm..2.5x the size?

If you're a burger fan & you can really eat a lot + eat fast, here's a challenge for you! Finish the burger in less than 5 minutes & 21 seconds & you can walk away with a full stomach & without the need to pay for your burger :P

Wall of fame...haha...so many people posing with the burger king...

Chicken Wings (RM8.90/serving of 4 pieces)
Oh yes, how can I forget this snack. These chicken wings were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The moisture is locked within the golden brown, well-marinated skin of the chicken wings. Tasty snack!

After looking through the mouth-watering noodles & rice dishes, you may wonder if the drinks here are equally good. Frankly speaking, they are, especially the unique fresh juices with yakult/Vitagen & we actually enjoyed their premium Ipoh white coffee.

Orange Yakult (RM5.90/cold serving) & Ice Ribena with Longan (RM6.90/cold serving)
I thought the fresh juice + some cultured milk is a great drink for digestion & health. You don't just get the goodness from the fresh fruit juice, but the active good bacteria from the cultured milk.
On a hot day, I think the ice ribena with longan is refreshing as well, although I found it somewhat too sweet.

Green Apple Yakult (RM5.90/cold serving)

Premium Ipoh White Coffee (RM4.90/hot or cold serving)
It's not from those 3 in 1 packets. I'm not very much a coffee drinker, but I thought this was quite good. Coffee lovers out there, if you try this, let me know your thoughts ya...

I love the classic look of white coffee in such tea cup + saucer :)

Honey Lemon (RM4.90/hot or cold serving)

Lime Juice - with sour plum (RM3.90/cold serving)

Residents of Paramount Garden, you now have 1 more option for brunch, lunch & dinner! Those working/staying nearby, do give this place a try & let me know your thoughts. Mr Heow is very friendly & open to feedback so that he can improve. Being a chef himself, he takes pride in serving only the best food & drinks to his customers, so you can let him know your feedback to keep him encouraged & improving each time :D

Look out for Part 2 of my blog post on their steamboat!


Gossip Time 吹水時間 Restaurant
5, Jalan 20/14 Paramount Garden
46300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: (+603) 7872 9030/ (+6012) 503 8600 - Mr Kavin Heow
Business hours: 10:00a.m. - 10:00p.m. daily
FB: Gossip Time Restaurant


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


Overall:





Looking forward to taste the gigantic wantan again,

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Review: Celebrate Christmas & New Year at Utara Coffee House

>> Sunday, November 15, 2015

Halal: Yes

Christmas is just a month away! Many hotels & restaurants will be busy celebrating the occasion with a variety of beautifully prepared food, drinks & performances to keep the diners well satisfied. With the much festive hustle & bustle, I reckon many would not be aware that the reason for this season is actually to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This is a season to remember God the Father's love for us & the hope that He brings into our lives by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to earth for our salvation. Oh, what joy! :)

The Utara Coffee House at Armada Hotel Petaling Jaya will be treating their diners to a sumptuous buffet as diners celebrate this special occasion with the warmth of family & friends. Specially thought through by Executive Chef Chew & his team, each dish is sure to satisfy any festive cravings.

Chef Chew with his beautifully designed spread

Lovely carving! I wonder how much time was used to carve this...

The Utara Coffee House will be offering their diners both Christmas & New Year's Eve Buffet Dinner on 24th December & 31st December 2015 at the below rates:
* Inclusive of party packs & live music performance (1st set@7:00p.m, 2nd set@8:15p.m.)

RM80.00++/adult
RM60.00++/senior citizen
RM40.00++/child

Among the many dishes featured in their buffet spread are:

 Salmon Coulibiac
Carefully poached salmon, wrapped with crumbly puff pastry with red peppers, herbs & spices. Those who love salmon will enjoy this :)



Tiger Prawn Ceviche with Avocado
I always thought that ceviche means 'raw' meat, but this tiger prawn ceviche is poached before serving with chopped avocados (added lemon juice to reduce oxidization) & onions. Somehow it still tastes like those sweet prawn sashimi that you get at good Japanese restaurants :P *yums*

Dubarry Soup with Cheese Batonette
This was my favorite that evening! I could have a few bowls of this warm, hearty cauliflower soup! Yes, dubarry is cauliflower! The soup didn't need any thickening agent as it's cooked with potatoes, leek & onions as well, which gives the soup a natural 'thickness'. The soup has to be cooked fresh daily as cauliflowers cannot be kept overnight. The green dollop that you see on top of the soup is the essence of brocolli, which adds more intensity to the flavorful soup. Loved it!


Baked Capon with Bread Almond Roulade
This year, the Utara Coffee House wasn't able to get any halal-certified turkey, so they went ahead with capon a.k.a. big chicken. The capon that we had that evening was tender, juicy & herbilicious. I usually don't fancy the stuffing, but the bread almond roulade was very delicious. The stuffing is actually 'seasoned' with mirepoix, a vegetable stock cooked with carrots, celery, leeks, & onions.

There are 3 sauces to go with the baked capon (and the smoked chicken): giblet sauce, brown sauce & cranberry sauce
I especially liked the giblet sauce although I'm not a fan of 'chicken innards'. It was very, very flavorful & didn't have that liverish taste. I guess the well-balanced portion of bay leaves, sage, rosemary & thyme helped to rid the usual unpleasant taste of giblets.

Smoked Chicken with Cranberry De Glace
If you're not a fan of baked capon, go for the smoked chicken slices; chicken breasts smoked with hickory dust for that smokey flavor. It goes well with the sweet & sourish cranberry de glace.

Roast Duck Ripieni with Calvados
The duck is deboned & coarsely chopped before being rolled with the fats & skin + diced apples & herbs (thyme, sage) + apple cider vinegar for the punch, then baked. Oolala...there's smoked duck breasts for those who prefer smokey slices of duck too.


The duck goes best with the apple sauce!


Swiss Crab Pudding
This is my 1st time having a swiss crab pudding. I must say that it's quite interesting. You'll find crab meat in every mouthful of the dish, along with generous portions of mozarella on the top & medium parmesan on the inside. The 'pudding' has celery, onions & bechamel sauce too. Very rich!


Roast Beef Tapenade with Champignon
You'll find this at their carving station. The roast beef is served with mushroom duxelle & black olives for some extra flavor.

Whole Lamb Leg with Garlic Sauce
Tender lamb leg, also available at the carving station. I love lamb, so this was just yummy. But I prefer my lamb with mint sauce more than garlic sauce. The lamb is marinated with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, sage & oregano.

Louisiana Pumpkin Rice with Whole Pumpkin
Rice lovers won't be disappointed at this buffet spread. This is fragrant steamed white rice with pieces of pumpkins, topped with an assortment of nuts. It can be paired with a variety of mousseline as well.

Mousseline of Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Potato, & Carrot
All freshly pureed :) I think such mousseline goes well with meats & even rice, if you don't mind the extremely soft texture.

It's quite a wide spread of meat & mains, but dessert-lovers will not be disappointed as well.

Yule Log Cake
I love the details on the yule log. The chocolate cake is slightly too sweet for my liking, but those with sweet tooth will not mind the sweetness & chocolatey taste at all.

Christmas Pudding
I love the balance of spices in this pudding :) I guess if you love cinnamon, chocolate & cream, you'll love this. Feels so 'Christmasy'...


Assortment of Cakes
Cakes & berries? Gotta have 1 of each!

Glass Dessert Tiramisu
This was my favorite for the evening. What's not to like when it comes to tiramisu? I could have a few glasses of this dessert although it's quite sweet as well...haha...


Lemon Meringue Pie
Interestingly, these mini lemon meringue pies have a crunchy-sugar feel. I didn't expect such texture from a lemon meringue pie, but it was quite 'fun'...haha...just thought that it's somewhat too sweet for my liking. I would have appreciated a more sourish taste from those fragrant lemons.

Sugar high!

I was really stuffed with all the meat & sugar-filled desserts! Super high!

The Utara Coffee House will have a Christmas & New Year's Day Hi-Tea Buffet as well:
* Inclusive of party packs & live music performance (on 25th December only)

RM70.00++/adult
RM50.00++/senior citizen
RM35.00++/child

Have a blessed Christmas with family & friends!


For reservations, please contact:
Utara Coffee House
Hotel Armada Petaling Jaya
Lot 6, Lorong Utara C, Section 52 46200 Petaling Jaya Selangor.
Tel: (+603) 7954 6888, ext 4557
FB: http://www.facebook.com/HotelArmadaPJ


Love,

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