Bone and Pot Steamboat, PJ

When Bone and Pot opened it's doors last year at SS25, one could not help noticing it while driving along LDP at night.

While I did notice it, but was never really drawn to check it out..

Dragongirl however, did suggest for us to try it one fine (and rainy) night..we thought it would be a perfect timing to. And guess everyone else thought so too..it was packed and we had to wait for a table.

We ordered while we were waiting- a blessing as we got our food rather promptly after we were seated..

The condiments for the steamboat..

Btw, if you are a fan of steamboat sets- you'll be sorely disappointed..

You'll have to pick your choice of broth, fresh ingredients, vegetables, noodles etc...And pricing were also charge per broth and dish, which obviously costs much more...

Our broth was a mix of Corn&Pork Ribs, and Century eggs & coriander (RM16). I had a nagging suspicion that the base were identical- just that they popped corn n ribs in one side, while the other - with century eggs and coriander. I took a sip and I was right. I felt cheated already.

Saving grace though, was the fresh ingredients..

Enoki bacon roll

Enoki was fresh and had a wonderful texture against the bacon.

Beef slices..

This was just ok. A tad fatty and stringy..

We were, nonetheless, very satisfied with the cheese ball, prawn balls and pork balls..

Not your usual run of the mill freezer ready balls, these babies were freshly made from fish/ prawns/ pork base. It's fantastically springy, luscious to bite into. Only thing not so luscious was the price...each plate costs us between 6.90 - 8.90, rather steep for the portion (and size).

The yam, which we waited donkey years for (ok my exaggeration)- they were still frying it when I ordered- was so very scrumptious!
Aromatic, powdery soft and melt in mouth, this yam was worth the wait.

And of course we had our fill of vegetables and noodles.

Overall, I enjoyed the fresh ingredients they serve at Bone &Pot, but for 2 pax, we paid RM90 for our meal. Rather steep for some, I guess.

Bone & Pot Steamboat is located at 7, Jalan SS25/12, 47301 PJ, Selangor. Do note, there's a few Bone & Pot branches in PJ.

Xin Chun Seafood Steamboat, Kota Damansara

The rain has been relentless for the past few weeks..
It's cold, wet and dull, I guess it's a tropical country's version of 'winter'?

Though there's many who would lament about the rain, I for one, secretly enjoy the rain. I love the smell of rain, the sound of it pelting against my window pane and magnificent lightning that strikes just before a storm begins. That is, if I'm nice and dry indoors..hahaha.

And when it rains, most of us would seek some sort of comfort food..

In my case, steamboat tops the list to warm me up on a rainy day :).

I first heard of Xin Chun from SL. We were on our way to try it but a most unfortunate incident happened and we had to cancel. Year end came and most of us were busy going for hols and clearing last minute work, we just didn't thought of Xin Chun again.

When WF was hanging out at my place recently, it was another wet evening and we were both craving for something to warm us up. Xin Chun came to my mind.

It was freakishly packed when we arrive, but luck was with us, we got a table soon after.

Like any typical steamboat joint, Xin Chun offers 'ching thong' (clear soup base) or 'yin yiong" (mixed of 2 soup, the other being tim yam). Since it's our first try, we opted for yin yiong.

There were 2 sets to choose from - Ketam set (RM13.50) and Seafood set(RM24.50).

It was a minimum order or 2 pax per set, so we could only try one type. We went for the Ketam set. Quite substantial serving for 2, we decided not to order extra ingredients. The set also comes with the typical yee mee and vermicelli, with eggs.

I assumed that their ching thong was basically herb based, to my surprise, it was not. I cant tell what's the ingredients for the clear soup, it was a very familiar, seafood taste. WF said it might be shark bones, which may be the case as the soup was murky, and usually boiling fish/ fish bones brings such effect. I was actually enjoying this soup very much, it's rather satisfying slurping it down. Yums. The ingredients for the steamboat was very fresh too, which added to the sweetness of the soup.

As for the tom yam, both of us didn't like it. It was very spicy yet sweet. Just didn't enjoy it.

Xinchun serves dishes other than steamboat too. Dishes such as lala vermicelli, crabs (in different sauces) and pork ribs, to fill us up while waiting for the food to cook.

Xin Chun Seafood Steamboat is located at No 15, Jln PJU 5/3, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara , 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Xiao Fei Yang, Damansara Utama

Been a few months since Xiao Fei Yang opened it's doors to the PJ clientele, and it's business has never been better. Main branch is in KL which has been popular for years..

Specializing in steamboat, the main choices of soup were Mah Lat (spicy) and herbal..

Just order the raw ingredients you'd like to add to your steam boat and wahlah, you'll get piping hot food, readily soothing a hungry belly on a rainy day.

There's quite a range of fresh ingredients to choose from..

We did of course, ordered some sliced mutton, since the restaurant is named after some fat lamb, no? :p

Most unfortunately, I ordered the thick, sliced mutton which turned out extremely gamey and I really dont like it..

Thinly sliced beef fared way better..

Just dip into the boiling soup for a few seconds and it's good to eat.

The herbal soup served in Xiao Fei Yang was thick and strong , which can be rather heavy for some diners. Overall, I left the place rather unimpressed; the food was mediocre, the soup was just ok and pricing wise- quite steep. Not sure if I'll revisit.

Xiao Fei Yang is located at Damansara Utama, PJ, Selangor (main road, where 7 Eleven is).

Cameron Highlands, Part 2, Pahang

Totally slipped my mind on part 2 of Cameron Highlands..
Which was my other meals at Cameron... :p

And back to Cameron we go...
By the time we reached Cameron, it was almost lunch time.
There's a row of restaurants in the middle of Brinchang town and we settled for OK Tuck; a place where Vincent and gang always popped by for a meal.

Since we're up here, and Cameron's known for it's fresh veggies, we had a variety of local produce..

The Stir Fried Mixed Mushroom

A good mix of oyster, shitake, straw mushrooms and chopped vegetables was served piping hot. The dish was tasty as the sauce was very light- letting us savour the woody flavour of the mushrooms.

Vince and Steph wanted the stir fried bitter gourd with chicken and fremented black beans..Decent dish; the bitter gourd was fresh, just a tad bitter. The sauce was average though.
The stir fried brinjalThis was an excellent dish and my favourite. It had wonderful wok hei; the brinjal was slightly caramelised but still tender soft inside. A bit oily, but still a hit with us nonetheless. So tasty that we ordered 2 plates of this :)

The sweet and sour spare ribs was absolutely disappointing though..

Meat was dry, hard and lacked marination. Enough said.

The venision with ginger fared better

Meat was tender, served with lots of fat, juicy sprigs of spring onions. Pretty nice.

We were out and about in the afternoon...

And soon after, it's dinner time..

As predictable as can be; yes, we had steamboat :p

I mean, it's only natural for us to go for ta pin lou on such a cold weather right?

We had our steamboat at Strawberry View

I was very glad to see that there were plates and plates of fresh vegetables for the steam boat. Water cress, siu bak choy, mushrooms, cabbages etc were served with some meat and seafood to make the soup sweeter. Must be one of the healthiest steamboat I've had. The herbal soup was tasty, tom yam was not impressive.

Great way to warm our bodies (and bellies) on such a windy, chilly night :)

OK Tuck
26, Jalan Besar, Brinchang, 39100 Cameron Highlands, Pahang

Strawberry View Cafe& Restaurant
Lot KF/04, Kea Farm 39100, Cameron Highlands, Pahang. Nearby Equatorial Hotel.

Coca Restaurant, Subang Parade

Andrea, of Coca Restaurant, invited me to sample their dishes last month.

I got to bring along a guest, hence Dragon girl came along. While we make our way to Coca, we were expecting to try the famed steamboat. So, I was rather surprise when Andrea ran through our dinner menu and steam boat was definitely not one of them.

Many had the impression that Coca only serves steamboat, in fact, we serve a variety to Thai dishes..Andrea informed me

And looking at their menu, I can definitely attest to that....

We had huge glass of mango pineapple juice/ blend..Very refreshing.

Some appetizers to start the meal...

The popular pandan chicken Coca's version was absolutely scrumptious! The meat was well marinated, exudes a light yet lovely fragrance while the meat texture was extremely tender and juicy.

The stuffed prawns were huge...Stuffed to the brim with mince prawns, onions and mushrooms (and some other ingredients), these babies were very tasty and I was pleasantly surprise on how juicy it was although the prawns were deep fried.

The mains came next...

Squids with garlic and pepper..

The batter was very light, and the garlic pepper bits were delicious. Most unfortunately, the squids were chewy and hard. Such a pity.

Next dish, Steamed Siakap We were served with a humongous fish and it was prettily sprinkled with chopped chillies, garlic, lime and ginger. The fish was very fresh and sweet (they just took it from the tank), and the sauce was a killer! So, so spicy that it definitely was on par with the level of spiciness I have had in Thailand. The waitress did comment that the sauce looks more 'wicked' that normal.*wipes sweat*. Not for the faint hearted. We both enjoyed this tremendously nonetheless..

The house specialty, Thai Curry Crab was next... One huge crab that filled the plate, this thai curry crab looks somewhat different from those I have sampled in Thailand. Though the crab flesh was succulent and compact (again, freshly taken from their tank), I did not like the sauce. While the curry crab sauce I had in thailand was creamy and sweet spicy, Coca's version had very pungent curry flavour (the curry powder's imported from Thailand). The eggs were also not as smooth (the versions I've tried previously was smooth like custard). Served with deep fried mantau.

We had some Seafood Tomyum

It was very sweet and not too spicy. In fact, the soup was a tad too thick to tickle my fancy. I felt like I was drinking diluted gravy :(. The prawns were fresh but the squids were not.

Green Curry Chicken

I enjoyed this dish tremendously. Really good and lip smacking. The chicken meat was very well marinated and tender; and I love the aubergines. I was informed that Coca replaces coconut milk with yogurt and evaporated milk for it's dishes and frankly, I could not really taste any difference. This green curry still tasted wonderful without the extra cholesterol from coconut milk.

And of course, for a more balance meal, we had a plate of vegetable.. Cooked in fish sauce and sugar, this was slightly sweeter than the conventional chinese stir fry.

Andrea offered desserts, but Dragon girl and I were so stuffed that we had to turn down the offer :-(. The gracious hostess was also very open to our comments (good and bad) and I find that a really positive way to improve their food standard.

Overall, we had a good meal, shall pop over to try other dishes in the future. :-)

We noted that Coca now serves fresh seafood, and the tanks near the counter attracted many children's attention.

Coca Restaurant is located at Lot G28, Level G, Subang Parade, 5, Jalan SS16/1, Subang Jaya, 47500 Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03 5632 8766. Coca also has another branch in One Utama.

Restaurant Hau Xiang Lai Steamboat and Teo Chew Bah Kut Teh, SS2

Many shops sells hawker fare in day time while at night, it's converted to tai chow place (chinese stir fry).

Hau Xiang Lai had the same concept, the only difference was, they serve bak kut teh and dishes by day, and steam boat by night. I did get to try on both occasion, and decided to combine both my lunch and dinner there in 1 post....

Their BKT was cooked in teo chew style, hence, the soup was lighter in colour, and not as thick.The BKT(RM14) was average, the broth was thinner in flavour; it had generous servings of mushrooms and foochook. The meat (the usual choice of lean, fatty, ribs, stomach, intestines) was not as tender as I like it, but it's still fine. I'd prefer my BKT a tad more bitter, Hau Xiang Lai's was too mild. Guess it depends on preference as my friend CW loves teochew BKT..

We also tried their fish head with black bean sauce. It's just mediocre, in fact, SL find it somewhat fishy. Quite large serving for RM20 though.

As for dinner, Hau Xiang Lai is converted to steamboat restaurant, guess it's a pretty comfortable place to have steamboat as it's with air condition. The servings are charged according to per pax, I cant recall how much per pax, but it's about RM16 per person. You can also choose to take some ala carte orders (additional ingredients) for the steam boat.Price ranges from RM2 to RM10 per plate. We liked the fish taufoo, sui kows and porkballs.The choice of soup base includes cheng thong (light soup), tom yam and BKT . We had cheng thong and tomyam, was ok.

Overall, the food in Hau Xiang Lai is average, but no complaints. Just average.

Restoran Talipon, Kuchai Lama

I've always heard that Restoran Talipon is a place that serves cheap all-you-can-eat steamboat buffet at RM18.80.

Somehow, never had the urge to go until one fine day, gary was feeling really carnivorous and he wanted meat. Lots of it. ._."

So off we went to Talipon, rather early actually, just before 7pm and it's already packed with customers. We took our seats and soon, was off to take some food to cook..

The selection was ok, marinated meat, some seafood, lots of balls ( fish balls, sotong balls, veg balls etc..hehe), vegetables, desserts and cooked food section (ie, fried bee hoon, curry chicken, finger food etc).

Gary had his fill with loads of meat for grilling While Candy and me took other stuff for the steamboat..Slather the hot pan with margerine and cook, cook, cook! The pan was very hot, so the meat was cook quite quickly...The steamboat (pot?) on the other end, took it's sweet time to boil....sigh..We had to wait quite a while for the steamboat food to cook, luckily there were some side snacks/ dishes we could eat while waiting..

Though food was abundant, I find the food quality just mediocre. The only thing I enjoyed was the bak kwa and lamb which I had loads.. But then again, it's RM18.80, what can I say? Guess this will be the place for very hungry-feeling carnivorous-dont mind the quality-average tasting food customers. Quite a mouthful eh? ;p

Restoran Talipon is located at Old Klang Road. Drive pass Pearl Point (on your right) until you reach the next traffic light. Turn right, drive on (road goes slightly uphill). You will see Restoran Talipon on your left, just before a traffic light junction.

Restaurant Loong Foong, Tmn Mayang

Jem left for HK yesterday to start his new working life there.. wonder how many years he'll be in HK. Or would it be for good? Irregardless of your choice, wish you all the best and have a great time there mate!

So, before he left, a group of us wanted to buy him farewell dinner. He wanted steamboat in PJ, and A.lee suggested Loong Foong (not to be mistaken with the yummy roasted duck shop at Tmn Paramount, also named Loong Foong) at Taman Mayang area. We ordered mixed steamboat (of tomyam and clear soup base) and some extra dishes.

As it was near CNY then, we had yee sang first..

Nothing to shout about, the yee sang was just average.. Next, we had stir fried noodles wrapped in eggs. A.lee did the ordering and I did not noticed what he ordered, so when this dish was served, I thought he ordered nasi pattaya..After we broke the egg 'parcel', the wonderful aroma enamates from the piping hot noodles. Alas, the noodles tastes rather bland and not very exciting at all :(

While the waiters started heating the steamboat, pouring in the soup and bringing out the raw ingredients, the marmite pork ribs was served..This was pretty good (sorry for the sad looking photo), the meat was tender, while the exterior had a nice coat of sticky marmite and a sprinkling of bird's eye chilli which added an extra punch to the else plain marmite ribs.

Finally, the soup was boiling and we dunk a whole load of raw ingredients into the soup.And we wait..

I was actually quite disappointed with the steamboat as I had higher expectations. I was told by a friend that Loong Foong was one of the pioneer of yin-yang steam boat, hence I thot I would get some wonderful, rich broth, delectable steamboat. But nah, the clear soup was way too clear for my liking.. was like boiled water :(. Tomyum soup was so-so. Ingredients were ok, I dont find anything unique about it either.

What Julianne thinks?

Average and forgettable

Restaurant Loong Foong is located at Taman Mayang. Faces the LDP (some 1.5km frm Kelana Jaya LRT), just next to the St Ignatius Church. Corner shop. The same turning you take to go to Kg Chempaka.

MK Restaurant, Bangkok

MK is a franchise chain in Thailand which is popular amongst the local. It is similar to Bar BQ Plaza (which can be found in Msia, it serves with grill plate and soup around the plate), but we were told by locals that MK is more popular than BarBQ Plaza... The restaurant was freaking pack, we were ushered to the second floor immediately. Seems to me we were the only tourist there and though the waiters cant speak much english, they were unperturbed with our presence..kekekeke.

As usual, we ordered more than we can eat, and me being too engrossed with the food and all, have forgotten to take any pictures!! :(. Only managed to take 2 shots of what's left of the food..Am so sorry mates..

We ordered the beef platter, mushroom platter, sides such as fishball, dumplings, veg, vermicelli, marinated pork etc. Most unfortunately, their famous pork set were sold out :(, so were their bacon :(.. MK also serves a few variety of dimsums and roasts (such as roast duck, char siew and roast pork aka siew yuk). We ordered a plate of roasted pork and it's yummy! crunchy skin, tender meat and smothered with some thai sauce.. oishiiiii!

We prepared to dunk everything into the steam hot pot (somewhat like steamboat, but MK had theirs built into the table..) the moment the platters were served.. With these fresh ingredients, the clear soup soon turned sweet and fragrant.. I must say that MK's hot pot is one fabulous pot, so yummy, that we cant stop. One of the contributing factor would be MK's "secret" sauce.Wonder what's in it.. spicy, sweet, sour..there's chopped coriander, sesame seeds, lime juice.. but I donno man.. Just dip the steaming hot food into this sauce and chomp! aahhhh, pure satisfaction.. In fact, I prefer this sauce compared to BarBBQ Plaza's.

After we have gorge ourself silly, while sipping our drinks, there were a sudden burst of loud music.. and the waiters and waitresses stood in a line and started dancing.. As we stare at them, agape, the locals continued chatting and eating.. After 5 mins, their dancing stopped and everyone clapped, the locals were clearly used to this. I pity the waitress who were dancing in front of us.. she was so shy as we stared at her throughout the whole 'performance'..hahahha. We were told by locals that this dance was included some years back, when MK's business was fledgling(with such stiff competition).. they decided to add in 'entertainment' so that the patrons wont get bored while eating there! Clearly it worked, MK's business is fantastic now..

What Julianne thinks?

Terrific, filling and addictive.

I didnt take down the exact address of MK.. It has many branches. I had mine opposite Siam Paragon. I saw another MK at Isetan (the one near Pratunam), highest floor(level 5 or 6), guess u can try it there too.