Easter tale of the unrisen muffins

Since a group of us had to turn up at the crack of dawn to prepare for the Easter morning service, I had grandiose ideas baking muffins the night before and carrying in a basket of lovely muffins to feed the hungry hordes on duty at the ungodly hour, thereby earning their everlasting gratitude :p But alas, it was not to be! Instead it's 1300-13-1300 for breakfast.

A Blessed Easter to those who celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Jesus is risen but my muffins are not! )):

Trying out Tex-Mex @ Frontera Grill, Jaya One

This is a belated post for the other Makan Sister's birthday celebration.

How swiftly time passed! Last year we celebrated Sister's birthday at Marmalade. This year, I rounded up the usual suspects for a makan session. Yahoo messages began popping up all over the screen but nobody could decide where to go eat. Arghhh! as usual. Because it was a work day, we decided to dine at Jaya One, easy to get to for everyone with ample parking space. Since A has mentioned in the past about wanting to try Frontera Grill, so Frontera Grill it was.

Before I get on with the food, allow me a little out of topic rant. It was raining cats and dogs the night we got there. The open courtyard at Palm Square and corridor connecting the blocks were flooded! There were buckets placed all over the place and the poor janitor was frantically trying to mop up the walkway. With the predilection for torrential rain in this country, there should have been proper drainage if one is to have an open courtyard in the middle of the building complex. Aiyo, not so 'Jaya' one la. '

Service at Frontera was friendly and prompt. A lady came to take our orders, since she sounded knowledgeable about the house specialties, we gave up trying to squint at the menu in the dim light and went with her recommendations.

Tacquitos de Pollo (RM19.95)

With the infamous after work traffic made worse by the thunderstorm that night; by the time everyone showed up it was late. We started off with some munchies to stave off the hunger pangs while waiting for the mains. Tacquitos de Pollo came highly recommended. It was a must try. Ok lor, try lor. The menu described it as ‘Frontera chicken hand-wrapped in corn tortillas, then flash-fried. Served with salsa verde and sour cream.’ We made short work of it in couple of minutes and left wanting more. But then hunger was a fine sauce.

Spicy Prawn Diablo, RM29.95

The Spicy Prawn Diablo was served with Mexican rice (which tasted like Tomato Rice to me) and a side of salad. The prawns were tasty with the spicy marinade. My grouse was the prawns were 'wee little'.

Chicken Enchiladas RM28.95

Chicken Enchiladas was again served with Mexican rice and refried beans. I have nothing against what Frontera served but I just don't like refried beans! That is the brown mush at the right of the enchiladas. The enchiladas did not make much of an impression on me.

Fajita Platter Chicken RM31.95

The Fajitas must be everyone's favourite for the night. But then, what is there not to like about Fajitas?

Cheesecake Chimichanga

We eschewed the traditional birthday cake, and just stuck a candle on the desert, Cheesecake Chimichanga. Essentially cheesecake wrapped in tortilla, fried and drizzled with strawberry sauce. Unusual desert, but I'm not sure I like my cheesecake fried. So, it won't make it to my re-order list.

Other than the company which is always good :) On the whole, the food wasn't particularly memorable for me. Frontera Grill is touted as 'the' place in town for original Tex-Mex food. Perhaps my Malaysianised tastebuds could not appreciate it. I was told Frontera serves a more than adequate BBQ ribs. Should I dine there again, I will order those. We skipped those because we had non beef eaters at the table that night.

Frontera Bar & Grill
18-8-2, Block L, Palm Square, Jaya One
72A, Jalan Universiti, Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7958 8515

Langat Seafood Restaurant and Beer Garden - A great find off the beaten path -

My first visit to the restaurant was during a dark and stormy night. I am navigationally challenged at the best of times and could only hazard a guess that we were heading somewhere beyond the Ampang area. The last stretch of the journey was a bumpy ride through a dark and forbidding forest. If it weren’t for the fact that I was in the company of good friends who brought me there, I’d be mighty worried. It was precisely the kind of setting where the villains bring their victims to finish them off and dump their bodies deep in the jungle.

Subsequent visits in broad daylight made a mockery of my overactive imagination. Langat Seafood and Beer Garden is nestled in a forest clearing about half km from the main road, Jalan Sungai Tekali at Pekan Hulu Langat. There is nothing forbidding about the place in daylight. Quite the contrary, the view of the pond at the back of the restaurant and lush greenery all around it makes serene surroundings for a nice meal.

The owner of the restaurant used to operate a pay fish pond for anglers. He later opened a seafood restaurant at the site. How strategic! The restaurant itself is a typical Chinese ‘back to basic no frills’ restaurant. At the front the restaurants are huge tanks to hold fishes meant for the table. Try to snag a table at the balcony; it has an excellent view of the pond.
Alright, on to the serious business of eating! So, what’s good here? Fish! duh

Deep fried Tiliapia with ginger shreds and soya sauce

The 'fei chow yue' ( tilapia) was deep fried to crispy brown perfection, drowned in oil and soya sauce. It definitely will not make the top 10 healthy eating tips but absolutely delicious.

Steamed tofu with dried shrimp and onion topping

In my opinion, it was the onions strips that really made this dish. The onions were caramelized till just a tad burnt, together with dried shrimps (har mai) fried until crunchy and drizzled with a little sesame oil; made a perfect topping to an otherwise bland tofu dish.

Sambal sotong with petai

I have no comments on this dish as I don't like petai, but it was polished off by my petai loving friends, so I guess it pass muster.

Wild boar curry

The wild boar curry was another of the restaurant's specialty, with good reason. The meat was sliced thin and cooked in a dry curry style. It was such a hit at the table that I forgot to take a picture until it was half eaten.

Claypot Brinjal

'Kuan sui!' (Hot water!) The contents in the claypot was still bubbling when the waiter placed it on the table. My favourite dish for the meal was this. The skin has been stripped off and the brinjal pieces were simmered in oyster sauce and garlic until soft. I liked the texture of the brinjal which was soft and smooth; the pulp soaks up the gravy which makes every mouthful flavourful.

'German' Pork Knuckle

'They do pork knuckle here, do you want to try it?' my friend asked. Boy, do I want to try it? I love porky dishes, 'Bring it on' I replied.

The knuckle was deep fried until golden brown. I could eat just the crispy skin alone. The meat was tender and falls off the bones easily. I later came to know that the knuckle was first simmered in stock to tenderise the meat and hung up to dry before deep frying. My only complaint was that the knuckle was a tad too dry. It would have been better if there were more gravy to go with the meat.

Good until the last morsel!

We had 13 diners at the table. The bill was RM220+ for the above plus another vegetable dish. Very reasonable.


LANGAT SEAFOOD AND BEER GARDEN (non-halal)
Lot 100, Jalan Sungai Sop
Batu 14 Pekan Hulu Langat
Selangor
Tel: 03-9021 7215, 019-228 6037

Look for the restaurant sign on the map. The map provides excellent directions to the place. Map credit to the Tip Corporation Sdn Bhd.

Psst... RM1 chicken at Dragon-I

A little bird told me that Dragon-I is having a promo for Soya Sauce Chicken for only RM1. Valid for month of April, for dine in only. Available from 6-9pm only and you need to have at least 3 and above diners. Read the fine prints here.



If you are going to be around the vicinity anyway, can consider dining there. After all, any manner savings is welcomed.

Now.. if only the offer applies to their 'siu loong pau' ...