Category Archives: Location: Bangsar

Mizu, Japanese Fine Dining, Bangsar Village

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mizu
It has been 12 days since my last Japanese food post. I still love Japanese. I just don’t have many friends who appreciate Japanese food as much as I do (hint: if you like Japanese food, feel free to apply for position as “friend”. Interviews will be conducted within a week of application. Knowledge of Japanese is not essential but will be an advantage).Y Y Y Y Y

The following conversation takes place all the time with the Makan Club:

2005

Bouncing Barbie: What’s for lunch today? (Note: Same question every day)
Lyrical Lemongrass: Let’s go for Japanese!
Pretty Pui: Ewww!! I hate Japanese food!

2006

Bouncing Barbie: What’s for lunch today?
Lyrical Lemongrass: Let’s go for Japanese!
Pretty Pui: Ewww!! I hate Japanese food!

2007

Bouncing Barbie: What’s for lunch today?
Lyrical Lemongrass: Let’s go for Japanese!
Pretty Pui: Ewww!! I hate Japanese food!

I suppose you get the picture.

Y Y Y Y Y

A window of opportunity opened up one day when Pretty Pui wasn’t around:

Bouncing Barbie: Japanese? *wide grin*
Lyrical Lemongrass: Hai dozo! *wide grin*

Y Y Y Y Y

We had heard of the cheap set lunches at Mizu in Bangsar Village, and because budget is always a factor, the decision to go there was a no-brainer. Finding the main entrance was a little more difficult. A dark narrow passageway (where I half expected ninjas to pounce on me, but that would be a different restaurant) eventually led to a modern setting with water features, sleek furniture and open-concept kitchen.

unagi

Barbie’s grilled unagi set came with huge, juicy looking grilled eels served with rice, miso soup, chawan mushi and pickled vegetables. I thought the serving was quite substantial and could easily feed two people. This was good value at RM26 (US$7.50) for the set. The accompanying chawan mushi was rather disappointing though. It was watered down and too plain for my liking.

Service was extremely fast. Perhaps it was because I whispered to the waiter that we were in a terrible hurry (which wasn’t a lie). Our lunchtime is normally from 1.00pm to 2.00pm and we had risked going to a fine dining place just to satisfy a craving. No, we are both not pregnant, but thanks for asking.

salmon ikura don

My salmon ikura don (RM28/US$8) is what I would term sushi in a bowl. The ingredients were there – vinegared rice, strips of seaweed, raw salmon and fish roe. I love biting into ikura (fish roe) and feeling the juices burst into my mouth as they trickle down my tongue and throat. The slightly salty taste of the ikura went well with the vinegared rice, while the thick-cut slices of salmon, drenched in soy sauce and wasabe, provided a full-bodied taste to the rice dish.

We made it back to our office at 2.15pm. I think that’s pretty good timing.

pickled vegetables

Also check out:

Mizu

1st Floor, Bangsar Village I, Bangsar, KL.

Tel: 03 – 2283 6988

Sunday Brunch at Saravanaa Bhavan, Bangsar Baru

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We were in the mood for a healthy vegetarian brunch today. A week of overeating had put my system in a turmoil and I needed to set it right. I am certainly not advocating that vegetarian meals are always healthy. The preparation of these meals also matter.I have always enjoyed indian vegetarian meals. Growing up, mum would make it a point to cook a vegetarian meal at least once a week, and so I got acquainted with “baby food” (as my Makan Club always calls it) at a very early age. My friends call it baby food for a very simple, and obvious, reason. A lot of these vegetarian meals are mashed up with the various ingredients until they are unrecognisable. “You mean that’s spinach??” is a normal reaction to a popular mashed spinach dish cooked with onions, garlic and a dash of tamarind juice. The Bald Eagle stopped eating eggplant after seeing it all gooey and slimy in another popular vegetarian dish.

Saravanaa Bhavan is part of a chain of restaurants around the globe with locations in India, UAE, Singapore, USA, Canada, UK, Oman and of course, Malaysia. In the Klang Valley, there are three outlets: Bangsar, Masjid India and Jalan Sultan, PJ. I am only familiar with the Bangsar outlet, having frequented it quite often for a quick and pleasant vegetarian meal.

curd vada
For our starter, we ordered the curd vada, which is essentially a lentil “doughnut” immersed in yoghurt and garnished with carrots, parsley and crispies. Don’t be misled by the word “doughnut”; the vada is a savoury dish.

parattha
The Parattha (RM3.50/US$1) is a South Indian bread (like roti canai) served with curry.

tomato and onion uthappam

I love the Tomato & Onion Uthappam (RM4.50/US$1.30), a thick rice crepe cooked with a generous portion of onions and tomatoes. If you don’t like onions, I suggest you stay away from this dish! The onions lent a sweetish taste to the otherwise sourish taste of the uthappam. It was thick and fluffy and went well will the dhal and chutney served on the side.

onion rava thosai
The onion rava dosai (RM4.50/US$1.30) is made from wheat and rice and cooked on a flat surface to obtain a crepe-like texture. This is filled with cooked potatoes and onions.

rava kichadi

The Bald Eagle is a creature of habit. A big fan of Rava Kichadi (RM4/US$1.20), he makes it a point to order this dish everytime we visit Saravanaa Bhavan, and today was no exception. The rava kichadi is made of roasted sooji and cooked with onions, tomatoes, carrots, green chillies and green peas and sauteed with flavoured herbs. This dish is served with chutney and sambar, but it can also be eaten sweet with a dash of sugar.

bru coffee with fresh cow's milk

My favourite drink when I visit an indian restaurant is Bru coffee with fresh cow’s milk (RM2.50/US$0.70). To learn the art of drinking coffee served in this manner, check out my post on Anjappar’s.

Also check out:

Saravanaa Bhavan
52, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar.
Tel: 03-22871228

Opens daily, 8.30am – 11.00pm

Sunday Breakfast for One

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nasi lemak
The Bald Eagle left last night for Athens to pay homage to his favourite football team, Liverpool FC, as they meet AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League finals on May 23 (May 24 in KL).

So Sunday breakfast turned out to be a lonely one. I was in Bangsar this morning, and came across a tiny stall (it’s more of a table, really), at the junction of Jalan Telawi and Telawi 4, with packets of nasi lemak piled high.

nasi lemak

A packet, wrapped first in banana leaf, then in brown paper, contains rice cooked in coconut milk, fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, a quarter of a hard-boiled egg and yummy sambal which has the right balance of chilli and sweetness. All for RM1 (that’s approximately US$0.25!).

My husband is half way across the globe to his destination right now, but I bet the food on his flight doesn’t taste half as good as my humble nasi lemak.