1.
080808.
Beijing 2008.
We both decided to wear Chinese inspired outfits to the office.
Sadly, not everyone saw things the way we did. People wished us Gong Xi Fa Cai. Sigh. Everyone wants to be a comedian.
2.
Our workload that day had dampened our spirits. Practically everyone we knew had rushed off early to catch the opening ceremony of the Olympics, and soon, we found that we were alone and miserable in our respective offices.
“Can you tar pau some dinner back?” I called and asked him. I wasn’t in the mood to cook that night. I was tired and I was depressed knowing that I was going to miss him when he flew off to Manila the next day for a short trip. He was suddenly interrupted by a phonecall and had to hang up. I felt lonelier than ever in the quiet office, the sound of creaking furniture keeping me company as I worked furiously to complete the task at hand. A few minutes later, my phone rang, and despite its melodious ringtone, the sound was jarring in the quiet of the night. “Let’s go to Zipangu,” he said.
I could have kissed him then. But of course, making kissing sounds into the phone was something we did in our courting days 15 years ago. It can be quite unnerving for an innocent bystander to see a 30-something year old woman kissing her mobilephone (unless it’s an iPhone).
Zipangu used to be our restaurant of choice when we wanted to grab a nice meal. He used to prod me and say “Let’s go to Zipangu” when I least expected it. Memories are created from little moments, instances, snippets of conversation, thoughtful gestures, exchanged glances that only two people share even when surrounded by nameless faces, faceless names. Not flowers, chocolates or expensive gifts.
3.
Kaki furai(RM40)
“Honey, I’m home…”
Deep fried oysters bursting with flavour in a thin coat of crumbs. An apt beginning in regaining our happiness. I lost count – there were probably 6 to 8 pieces, all large enough for two bites per piece.
Teriyaki chicken in butter sauce (RM35)
Tender pieces of chicken (thigh, not breast) in a mild sauce that hinted of butter but didn’t overpower the flavour of the teriyaki chicken. A lovely combination of flavours that extended to the vegetables, all lightly grilled and enveloped in the sweet buttery aroma.
Foie gras maki (RM40)
The foie gras maki didn’t please as much, despite having such a pleasurable ingredient. It reminded me of a fat man with a tiny peni….uhm…male reproductive organ. I could barely taste any of the creamy fattiness of the foie gras.
Sashimi (RM90)
The sashimi was good. Thick slices and very fresh.
Going to Zipangu is like going home.
Total bill with 2 bowls of delicious garlic fried rice came up to RM233 (before tax), but with our Prestige Platinum card, we paid only RM134 (with tax). And unlike other high-end establishments, green tea here is complimentary.
Zipangu
Shangri-la Hotel Kuala Lumpur
11, Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Restaurant reservations: 1800 88 7881
Was it good? You didn’t really sum up the whole experience. I still have my Prestige card as well and thinking of which restaurant to go within the Shang KL.
Ooo… what’s the red rectangular strip next to the shiny teriyaki chicken?
And how do you get that benefitous Platinum Card, please? By eating plates of platinum-flecked sashimi? Ah… how I derive vicarious pleasure from your yumsome dinner with your sweetie.
Hi Rioj! Yes, overall, it was definitely good. But I think there’s a marked difference between the items on the ala carte menu and the set lunches. I find the sets ordinary. Oh you have the Prestige card as well? Try Shang Palace (non halal) as well. Great dim sum!!
Argus: That’s a carrot. Oh, to get this card, you gotta pay about RM500 (which gives you savings as well as freebies). Get it only if you’re a frequent visitor. Sadly, the sashimi doesn’t have any platinum flecks. 😛
*sniff* The Shang Palace here is halal. And the only dim sum restaurant in the city. 30dhs per plate of har gau. 10dhs per har gau. Ouch.
And there isn’t a Japanese restaurant, only Vietnamese. Somehow I am very reluctant to pay premium prices for Vietnamese food. Must be influenced by all those Travel&Living featured cheap eateries.
ur hubby is such a sweetie! I want to see chinese lemongrass.. why never post 🙁 … erm, what’s a fat man with a tiny pen..? (innocent look in her eyes.. :P)
zipangu is worth every sens spent :p
I wouldn’t have greeted you two lovebirds with Gong Xi Fa Cai. So not farny, rite. Maybe a Happy Chap Goh Meh though… *chuckles*
I didn’t know Foie Gras reminded you of peni….ahem..male reproductive organ! Hahaha!
Well, you should be glad you stayed in the office that day, there was a massive jam all over as everyone rushing home to watch Olympic. My usual 20 mins journey home took me more than an hour.
reminds me that i have a complimentary dinner voucher my friend gave me..aiyoh expiring soon..well i suppose i can afford rm134..
eh no foie gras as in the whole piece ar??
kat: I had to laugh when I read your comment on Vietnamese food. It’s interesting how prejudices are created by media (intentionally or otherwise). I think the same goes with, say, chinese food in the west where the top three things that come to mind are take-out, msg and chow mein.
cumi&ciki: Was going to post chinese lemongrass too, but hubby took bad photos of lemongrass’s upper torso. (He’s not a photographer; he has other talents). As for your other question, go watch one of those reality makeover shows. 🙂
babe_kl: In most cases, yes! 🙂
Kenny Mah: My arse is laughing now. 😛
Precious Pea: Well, not generally, but this one did. Can hardly find the foie gras wor. Wah, no wonder the roads in the city were clear when we went for dinner at 9.30pm! Everybody at home di!
lotsofcravings: Oh, you can afford more than that, I’m sure. Aren’t you going for some kaiseki meal or something? 😛 😛
i also missed the opening. but managed to watch a recorded version, only to find out that the dvd ran out of space right before the flame was lit.
potong stim nyer! or in your case, so the foie gras maki! hehehehe….
wanted to buy my fren BD din and i suggested shang (have not decided which restaurant yet) and today i read your post.. hmm, maybe it’s zipangu afterall..hehe
So you missed the opening ceremony huh? You can watch them online ^^
While the rest were stuck in jam, you and Tim were enjoying your meal. Doesn’t that sounds much better? 🙂
Hairy: Awww. Never mind, I’m sure there’ll be repeats on RTM1 and 2 six months later.
sc: Cool! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
jason: Well, technically, we were both in the office while everyone else was stuck in the jam. We only had dinner at 9.30 that night. 🙂
Really? I thot they only know eggrolls (whatever that is) and sweet & sour/kungpao pork/chicken/fish.
Nothing to do with anything but just to let you know the lemon chicken here is sooooo good I had it at a Chinese and Filipino restuarant and its nothing like the soggy chicken which BTW tastes miles better on its own when still crispy doused with an acidic made-with-real-lemon-concentrate excuse of a sauce usually found in tai-chows back home the fried chicken manages to retain its crispiness with just a light coating of tangy lemon juice to tantalise the palate simply delish and definitely more-ish must be all the fresh lemons they find here.
That’s what you get for watching 4 episodes of GG back to back… 😀
the sashimi look so good….
argh!! i want them now, now, now ~ >.<“
looks like we were both feasting instead of watching the olympics. whats a fat man with a small peni? is that some kinda pasta? poor kat, the shang palace here is HIGHLY unHALAL, one of the FEW establishments in hotels that remain so. that itself makes the prestige card a worthwhile purchase.
hey, goddess of the blogging realm, when argus comes, maybe we can bring her to zipangu, but sit at the sushi bar and use two cards. its been done before. or maybe i should facebook you this plan, lest the shang spies pick up on our little plan.
as usual, i stand in awe at the brilliance of the post and pictures. i can only hope and pray that God will be kind enough to me and one day bestow upon me such talent.
as for foie gras, i prefer the foie gras wintermelon…. rather than wasting it like a fat man’s small peni? (i am just dying to know if that is an incomplete word. penitentiary? peniless? (oh, that has two Ns). peni….hmmmmmmmmmm.
good food clears the head and calms the mood huh. That place looks fantastic! I actually re-read the blog entry and paused at each photo. darn!
Lovely shots!
You are so fortunate to have a place like this to go to and call it going home.
*finger on lip*…wat kaiseki meal..my wallet doesnt have that many pieces of wat you call it?..cash…
lifeforbeginners just directed me towards your comment where your arse is laughing. wow, i didnt know you had lips in so many places.
do u, like, lug ur DSLR everywhere, even to the office?? T__T
nipples: I heard you loud and clear.
LL: i understand the comments about the foie gras maki, sometimes the main actor gets lost in all the action of tasting. Could you tell me if any of the sashimi pieces were cooked, ie flambe because I see some charred marks on the meat and the fish meat with the skin looks too white to be raw. Any other signature pieces from the Zipangu chef?
“30 something year old woman” – guffaw! Heh heh better use that as much as you can, while you can! 🙂
No foie gras with wintermelon? Mmmm… Think I need to make a trip to Zipangu soon!
kat: Slow down, Rory…here’s some punctuation marks for you – .,;! Btw, your description of the lemon chicken is divine!! Yeah, over here, got too many things going on in the lemon chicken. Btw, I love doing GG marathons. We are such GG chicks.
ling239: go get some, girl!! 😛
fatboybakes: Yes, we must bring Argus to our favourite Japanese restaurant (with discount). LOL. Your idea is brilliant!!! You really shoulda been an accountant or a tax agent. Your talents are wasted on a baker.
daphne: Awwww…Well, next time you come, we shall do some japanese, k. 🙂
Chin: Thanks!!
Cynthia: I call many places home, actually. Home includes a couple of malls too. 😛 😛
lotsofcravings: It’s all about prioritising dear. You should ask FBB to give you some money-saving tips.
fatboybakes: wanna see?
Jun: Of course! Dontcha? 😛
Henry Yeo: alas, not all of us are blessed with such discerning palates, that can microscopically dissect and identify cooking methods employed by chefs. Us plebs go for one thing. Taste. Apologies on being unable to enlighten you. (btw, fish was raw lah)
Paprika: LOL…not much time left hor….I shall try to use it as much as I can over the next coupla weeks!!
ya la, ur pics are all really very inspiring…
and I begin to notice your posts all becoming very hamsap nowadays.. hehehehe
Brader, where got hamsap wan? *angelic look*
offering to display all your lips is HARDDDDDDDDDLY one of the qualities of Gabriel…… bernsy is right, you’re careening down that slippery slope…..
emm, did i read it right? you have to pay RM500K to get the prestige card????
btw, this card , only worth it if you eat out a lot right?
LOL. You got me there, fakeplasticdreams. it’s 500 ringgit. Have duly corrected the error. 😛 Yeah, it’s only worth it if you eat at the same place a lot.
Mannnn..!! i need to come home real soon..!! i’m going crazy for good and affordable food..!