Champ's at Centerpoint, Bandar Utama

Champ’s Bistro at Centrepoint, Bandar Utama.

How much would you pay for a bowl of Penang Hokkien Mee a.k.a. Har Mee in KL? In the hawker stalls around the city, it would cost an average of RM4 per bowl. But if you want some really luxurious har mee, you can expect to pay about RM20 per bowl. And that’s what I did. I have to say that for me, this is an indulgence, an occasional treat for myself. And for me to indulge in a bowl of Lusso (luxury in Italian) har mee, I go to Champ’s, Centrepoint, Bandar Utama.

Centrepoint Bandar Utama is home to many interesting food outlets, especially Pizza Uno & Bernard’s (These outlets would be featured in my up coming articles)

The Food

Champ’s is one of my Guinness joint. They also serve various kind of beers and they have a range of beer food to go with it. On the tap, they also have Kilkenny and tiger beer. Paulaner German beer is also on the menu.

Guinness Draft in All Its Glory !

As for food, the har mee seems to be the highlight here.It comes with 2 big prawns, 2 pieces of pork ribs, your choice of noodle (vermicelli or yellow noodle or mixture), thin slice of lean pork, vegetable (kang kong) cooked in very rich prawn based stock/ broth and lotsa of crispy pork fats (chue yau char), lard, shrimps and garnished with crispy shallots. The broth is rich with flavours from the pork and prawns essence and has a great homogeneous aroma and consistency. It comes with extra sambal (chili paste) at the side for you to add on if you fancy extra spiciness in your broth. Overall, the noodles were not over cooked, the broth was additive and spiciness..just nice. The intense flavour of this har mee goes well with my pint of Guinness. Really Really ‘Hitz the Spot!’ …ahhhh!

Apart from har mee, they also feature another house specialty; Chue Yuk Fun or Pork Noodle.

Chue Yuk Fun

This is another superb noodle filled with porky stuff. I guess pork is the way to go for Champ’s. By now you should know that this place is non-halal and not for the faint hearted and those with cholesterol issues. Set at about RM16.90 ++, you get your choice of noodles or vermicelli with ingredients like minced pork, slabs of pork ribs, pork slices, liver and intestine , lots of crispy pork fats (lard), chinese cabbage for that sweetness in the broth and parts I cannot identify! Nevertheless this is some kickass pork noodle and just like the har mee, it comes in very big portion. If you have a small appetite…do share. The broth is extremely rich. So rich that you might even get all ‘porked-out’. To me, this has to go with chili padi.

Chili Padi

And conveniently, this dish comes with a small saucer filled with mouth watering power packed chili padi (bird’s eye chili). Caution: the chili padi is filled with HEAT and unless you can take it…it is best to avoid it. For me, I have them with every mouth full of this wonderful pork noodle.

The other stuff we ordered tasted fine as well. The tau eu bak (soya sauce pork) Is a traditional Hokkien dish. The pork meat (semi lean) is cooked with black soya sauce till it caramelized entirely coat the meat. The texture of the pork is just nice and for this dish, it only works well with tender pork with a good balance of lean meat vs. fat ratio. Serves with sambal, this is another great accompaniment to Guinness!

Tau Eu Bak

Another surprise that I discover was the Fish-head Meehoon (RM19.50). Not something I would order at first glance but it was very tempting. Tried it and I must say, not too bad!

Fish Head Meehoon

They use Garoupa fish-head with some fillet and chunky bits, mushrooms, tofu, onions, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, ginger slices, topped with crispy pork fats (again), mee hoon (vermicelli) and all these drowned in a huge bowl of creamy soup made from fish broth, evaporated milk and possibly ikan bilis essence and fish sauce (nam pla). Well, I could only guess the ingredients that goes into making this fish broth so tasty but I reckon the extra kick of spiciness comes from the thick slices of ginger and the ginger juice that got assimilated into the broth during the cooking process. All in all, this is a must try too.

Seafood Spaghetti with Vongole and Shitake Mushroom

Next, we had the Fresh Shitake Mushroom Seafood Spaghetti. Like the Italians, the emphasis on fresh ingredients is the key to any good pasta. Regardless of any seasoning, you don’t really need them once you use ingredients like vongole (fresh clams), bacon slices, squid, shitake mushroom, coriander, bay leaf and base stock. That’s exactly what you get when you order this dish. A good change from the sinful noodle dishes they have here. This I suppose is the lesser of the two evils. Spaghetti was spot on Al-Dente. A great Italian dish with eastern fusion.

Baby Back Ribs

Also a popular dish based on what I observed from the orders on other tables, is the Baby Back Ribs. Huge portion of ribs marinated to perfection overnight and sprinkled with sesame seed and served with corn and pickled vegetable, the meat is tender and melts in your mouth. No wonder this is such a popular choice. With the tender texture of the meat, eating this rib is effortless.

Ox-Tail Soup

If you don’t feel like having anything too heavy and just want a simple soup, you can go for the ox-tail soup. Chunky bits of Ox-Tail stewed with carrot, tomatoes and potatoes topped with Chinese parsley and sprinkled with spring onions, this is nice to go with some bread or buns to soak up the rich gravy thickened with the disintegrated potatoes and tomatoes and seasoned with spices and black pepper. For me, this dish lacks the heat and maybe more black pepper and spices like cloves, thyme and red shallots to spice things up a little.

Crispy Bacon

Once you are done with your main meals and if you still feel like picking on something so that you can finish up your last pint of Guinness, you can try the crispy pork belly. Pan-fried till crispy and sprinkled with sesame seed, this is a great sinful beer snacks and it works both ways…before and after meals.

Ambience

Outdoor seats are the most sought after spot. Always filled up, so you will have to go early after work and get there before the happy hrs rush up till about 7:30pm. TVs showing sports channel are strategically located to entertain you while you wait for your happy hrs buddies to arrive.

Special Guests

The MBA Gang

Jin Han with a satisfied look

Verdict

Overall, I must say that the food here is fantastic and quality is quite consistent. I have been there many times and I have not noticed any deterioration in terms of the freshness of the ingredients and the portion. Talking about portion, the servings are quite huge and most noodle dishes should be shared if you have a small stomach. No complains when it comes to the drinks and infact, Champ’s is one the places that serves good Guinness draft. Service is good and the staff there is quite attentive. You will see the owner, Richard, there most of the time, entertaining guests and friends. Definitely ‘Hitz the Spot!’ and I would recommend it for those who want to indulge….just like my group of MBA friends who, like me, appreciates great food and good drinks !

Location

Champ’s Bistro Address:
Lot F10, 1st Floor, Centrepoint,
Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
03-7722 5800
Open from 10:00am to 12:00am daily

Extras
GPS Coordinate : N3 08.299 E101 36.627
Map

Cottage Spices Malacca

Cottage Spices Restaurant, Malacca

Malacca is one of my favourite states in Peninsula Malaysia, the others being Selangor and Penang. Selangor is home to me now and Penang is a nice island with the best hawker food in Malaysia. As for Malacca, it is well known for their nyonya cuisine. It is usually very rich and cooked with a lot of spices. You simply have to try nyonya cuisine when you are in Malacca. As for their hawker food, they suck big time! I have yet to explore the popular restaurants recommended by many in Malacca. Most of the time, I just end up in the touristy Jonker Street for a beer and some snacks. I am not a big fan of the so called Chicken Rice Ball. It is not such a big deal to me. So during my last trip there for a Church retreat, a few of us found this restaurant Cottage Spices, by chance.We tried it and found that it is quite decent.

The Food

House Specialty

Herbal Drinks

Sambal Petai Prawns

For a start we ordered Sambal Petai Prawns (Prawns with Petai cooked in chilli paste). This dish is a no-brainer as long as the prawns are fresh and the petai not over cooked. The key ingredient is of course he sambal (blended chilli paste). It's got everything we expected and the spicyness is just nice and not over powering. Great dish. Instead of having prawns, you can order the sotong (squid) version too.

Curry Fish Head

Fish head cooked in thick curry stew with vegetables like okra (lady's finger), brinjal and tomatoes. Although not amongst the best that we had, the taste was well balanced and the curry is not too thick. The viscosity of the curry is essential as it is a great dish to have with steam rice. I can just have this with rice.. thats it ! And also, the vegetables were cooked to perfection, not too raw.

Nyonya Chap Chai
Chap Chai or mixed vegetables, this dish is simple and straight forward, just like a typical home cooked dish with no frills whatsoever. The vegetables in the dish consist of sliced carrots, chinese mushroom, vermicelli, beancurd skin, cabbage and topped with coriander. You can't really go wrong with these combination.

Bean curd in shallot oil
Bean curd or tofu steamed and drenched with shallot oil (oil infused with the aroma and flavours of fried shallots) and soya sauce sprinkled with chopped chinese parsley or coriander. Well, one can tell that most of the dishes here are quite simple and this dish is very common in most chinese restaurant. This provides a refreshing break from the rich and heavy dishes like the sambal prawns and the curry fish head we had earlier.

Onion Omelette

Eggs with onions. Nothing more to say about this dish. I guess we just wanted something simple. Period!

Cendol

It is almost like a tradition to have cendol for dessert in Malacca after a hearty meal. The best dessert you can possibly have to compliment your meal. This dessert is made with shaved ice topped with rich coconut milk and sweetened by lovely gula melaka (brown palm sugar). Other ingredients include red beans and cendol (strands of dough made from green pea flour and flavoured with pandan leaves extract). For me the highlight of this dessert is the gula melaka...the more the merrier.

Ambience

Nice and cooling inside, it was like an oasis for us with the extremely hot weather in Malacca. Layout is simple and the lunch crowd was easy. Simple decoration with interesting pictures on the wall. One particular picture that kept us busy while we wait for our food was the picture of spices. It put our knowledge of spices to the test. Of course, no prizes for naming all the spices though!

Spices Pic

The Counter

Special Guests - SFX RCIA

Verdict

It was a 'no-fuss' lunch and everyone kinda enjoyed it. The portions were just right and the taste was acceptable to all considering such a big group. It is a place that we would return. Although for me, it didn't really hit the spot but it was simply just comfort food.

Location
Address:

G26, Jalan PM5, Plaza Mahkota,

Bandar Hilir 75000 Melaka

Malaysia

Tel: 06-2835040

H/P : 019-6679797

Map

Extras

Website : //www.cottagespices.com.my

Business Hours : 12pm – 9pm

Close on every Tuesday (except public holidays)

Kura Japanese Restaurant, One World Hotel

Kura Japanese Restaurant, One World Hotel.

Kura in Japanese means a traditional storehouse built with thick mud brick walls, used for storing produce or family treasures. Lets see if we can find any treasures there!

Kura is another Japanese restaurant by the Rakuzen group. Located in One World Hotel, Bandar Utama, this outlet is tastefully designed using ‘honey comb’ like wall features. The interior is not your typical traditional Japanese house but yet it accentuate a sense of cosyness with a blend of modern design with traditional elements. They have a teppanyaki corner where they use iron griddle to grill or pan fried food. There are also rooms for private gatherings and in total the whole restaurant sits about 165 persons.

Front Reception

Entrance

Private Room

Common seating

The Food

Kura has quite an extensive menu ranging from teppanyaki to sushi to sashimi and the ever popular bento sets for those who can’t quite decide what they want at one glance. It is a good idea to go with a big group as you get to order a common pool of food and sample them without over eating. I was so tempted to order my usual sashimi / tempura bento set but decided to try another highly recommended chirashidon set. So in the end I order the Sakura Chirashidon Zen (assorted seafood on sushi rice set). My friends ordered the Sushi Udon Set, Rokkaku Bento Set and the Grilled Salmon Set.

Chirashidon

Sushi Udon Set

Rokkaku Bento Set

Grilled Salmon Set

Wasabi presented in a unique way

For the common ‘to share’ spread, we had the stamina roll (advocado & omelette roll topped with whole roasted eel) , the dragon roll (fried king prawn roll topped with advocado) , tempura moriawase, spider roll (fried soft shell crab roll topped with flying fish roe) and the tempura advocado roll. All the bento set comes with the standard miso soup, chawanmushi (steam egg) , salad and sometimes Japanese rice (depending on your combo). We also had the warm 'goodness' sake which was quite good as a starter.

Stamina Roll

Dragon Roll

Tempura Moriawase

Spider Roll

Tempura Advocado Roll

The 'Goodness' Sake

Ambience

The gathering there was with a group of friends so we booked a room for ourselves. Service there was quite efficient and they have ‘call buttons’ on every table to get the staff there to attend to us. The interior design was nice and the room gave us the privacy we needed and also the license to be a bit rowdy without strangers giving us any stares. As for the location, being housed in a hotel next to the shopping mall, parking is not an issue unless there are major functions going on in the hotel. You can just walk over to One Utama Shopping mall right after a heavy meal to do some shopping.

Special Guests

Verdict from my guests.
My dinner companion Ezzy, Hanny, Kit & Bonita. Their comments - Service was good. Location is not too bad. Lets talk about the food. Food presentation was quite pleasing. My Sakura Chirashidon Zen was okay but somehow I felt that we have had better ones at their Rakuzen outlets. According to Kit, the grilled salmon was a bit over done and the wasabi was not to our liking. It was mild and we have to drown our sashimi in it to get the kick. Nevertheless, in general, everyone agrees that the stamina rolls, dragon rolls and spider rolls, which we shared, was the highlight of the night. Another dish we didn’t get to order was the Wagyu Houba Yaki (wagyu beef grilled with Miso on Hoba Leaf). I heard this dish is really good. Too bad we miss out on this. You can try it when you check this place out and let me know what you think.

Location

Address -

Kura Restaurant

One World Hotel

Bandar Utama

Petaling Jaya

Tel : (03) 7726 9660

GPS Coordinates : 3.147597,101.617817

Extras

Opening hours

Mon – Thurs 11:30am to 3:00pm
6:00pm to 10:30pm

Fri, Sat, Sun and Public Holiday 12:00noon to 11:00pm

Food - Pork Free. Advisable to call to make reservations if you want private room