Fukuya, One Bangsar

fukuya

1.

Turning on my computer at home is like being in a new relationship.  “Will I get lucky tonight?” sums it all up.  And right now, it looks like my hymen is going to stay intact for a while longer.

The recent elections has taught us one thing – more power to the people.   With flexed muscles, bulging biceps and a boost of foolhardy egocentric power, I now propose a vote against my broadband service provider

I apologize for the lack of updates.  Blame it on them.  I’ll be glad to give you their number.  I hope you like elevator music.

2. 

When I travel, I rarely buy souvenirs for myself.  But wherever I go, I can’t resist one thing – hats.  I am not talking about the kind of hats those high society women wear to Ascot.  No, no, absolutely not.  My hats are far more eyecatching, I assure you and I’ve learnt to wear them with more finesse than an elephant can muster (which isn’t saying a lot, but I never did claim to be graceful).

Naturally, my green hat which I bought at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin came in useful on St. Patrick’s Day.  I need to find more “green” events to parade this hat, but for that day, we maximised the 10 Euros worth by rotating it among ourselves.

Anyway, there were a lot of Irish folk at Mont Kiara last Saturday as Malaysians renounced their nationality for the sake of a free beer.   The St. Patrick’s Day celebration, hosted by Guinness, saw lots of food, drinks and leprechauns with chinese accents.

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For more stories, check out Boolicious’ take on the event.

3.

Just hours before the partying, we were having a more subdued affair at the newly opened Fukuya at One Bangsar.  I must say that I went there with some apprehension.  When it comes to Japanese food, my first criteria is always freshness, and a close second is creativity, like in the pairing of foods and their presentation.  How can I not have high expectations of Japanese food, especially taking into account the extravagant prices we pay?  My first time at Fukuya (at Jalan Delima KL) was when we celebrated Paprika’s 23rd birthday.  A sweep of the billowing black curtains at the main entrance revealed a restaurant akin to a rich man’s home complete with  courtyards and secret rooms. But the food was so ordinary that we felt a little shortchanged. 

However, I do believe that everyone deserves a second chance.  Boo had tried the lunch kaiseki and had given it a glowing review.  Affected by her enthusiasm, I agreed to have lunch with her and Splashie Boy at the Bangsar outlet.  I ordered the Mini Kaiseki which seemed quite a steal at a little over RM50.  The appetiser came beautifully presented.  A delicately flavoured sea-urchin tofu that literally melted in the mouth, a grilled clam, a couple of rather chewy pieces of squid and plum-simmered ice fish made up the first course.  The soup was a very clear, subtly flavoured clam soup with a hint of flavour derived from the thinly sliced leeks.  My sashimi platter was a generous serving of thickly cut pieces of fish, and I thought the most outstanding one was what appeared to be white tuna which had a nice creamy taste.  The next serving was a beautifully paired combination of grilled salmon with pickled young papaya which resulted in a combination of sweet and savoury with a bit of crunch.  I loved the simmered dish – beef that literally melted in my mouth as I took every bite.  The tempura was crunchy and a delight to eat.  And the shokuji dish of noodles made for a simple ending to a meal that got me gasping with delight at every bite.  The dessert that day was fresh fruits and a lime sorbet that was very refreshing.

Fukuya is now a firm favourite for me as far as kaiseki lunches go.

Fukuya
One Bangsar, 63B Jalan Ara,
Bangsar Baru 59100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel : 603 2282 1111
Fax : 603 2282 5959

Operation Hours
[ Lunch ] Noon – 2.30pm
[ Dinner ] 6.30pm – 10.30pm

Also see SC’s review here.

appetiser

No. 1 – Appetiser

  plum simmered ice fish

Plum simmered ice fish – woooooo look at the eyes

soup

No. 2 – Soup

sashimi

No. 3 – Sashimi

grilled dish

No. 4 – Grilled dish

simmered dish

No. 5 – Simmered dish

fried dish

No. 6 – fried dish

noodles

No. 7 – Noodles

dessert

No. 8 – Dessert

The George and Dragon, Bangsar Shopping Centre

The George and Dragon

The dashing hero
(Coz heros are usually
blithe and dashing)
Heard the princess shapely
(Coz princesses are normally
shapely and blushing)
Her screams were piercing
(And how can they not
be piercing and shrill?)
The dragon looked menacing
(Far from the dragon
in Shrek if you will)
St George our mighty hero
Saves the lady, his princess
And pubs the world over
Cheer the hero’s boldness
And that’s how The George
And Dragon appeared
To celebrate drunkenness
Inebriation revered.

And what of our hero and his princess you ask?

big breakfast

A man’s appetite is wanton
So she hummed and she hawed
How could she reward his bravery
Akin to an applaud?

Could she heave her taut breasts
And make him delirious?
Or whisper sweet nothings
And render him breathless?

breakfast

A big breakfast’s the answer
With sausages galore
Pork bacon to tempt him
And mushrooms, signor?

toad in the hole

He was pleased with her offer
And reciprocated her efforts
“Do you like my hard muscles
Shall I take you?” he flirts

“Kind sir, if you please
That is just so complex
A toad-in-the-hole‘ll make me happy
I’m British, no sex.”

Coz the British, you see
Are a strange lot by far
With nonsensical names
For food half bizzare

By now you’re prob’ly curious
Did the fare make them happy?
Were they satisfied at all?
Did it make them all smoochy?

“The breakfast was tasty
But the toad was too plain
The sausages were scant
But I shall not complain.”

For The George and Dragon
Is a quintessential pub
With great beers and ales
And typical Brit grub!

.

The George and Dragon
Lot G130, Ground Floor
Bangsar Shopping Centre,
285, Jalan Maarof, KL

Tel: 03-2287 9316

My friends from Abu Dhabi may view the pics HERE.

Duck Noodles at Chun Heong, Lucky Garden, KL

duck noodles

Happiness is eating a simple bowl of noodles tossed in some dark sauce.

Happiness is slurping double-boiled soup flavoured with chinese herbs. Tender duck meat that literally falls off the bones saturates the soup with its essence.

duck noodles

Happiness is watching the steam fog up my glasses as I slurp up my noodles. The simplicity of which it is prepared, with just a sprinkling of chopped spring onions and sliced garlic, is a contrast to the complexity of its taste. Wolfberries add a natural sweetness to the taste of the soup.

Iced Milo

Happiness is ending the meal with a glass of Iced Milo (extra kau, of course).

Kedai Kopi & Makanan Chun Heong
Lucky Garden
Kuala Lumpur.

Open morning and afternoon.