The Pink Sage Diner, Solaris Dutamas.

Pink Sage Diner just moved from Jalan Dang Wangi, downtown KL, to this new upstairs lot above Papa Rich, at Solaris Dutamas.

The overall ambiance was one that was minimalist but comfortable.

Read the menu, and Lamb Burger caught my attention.

When it arrived, I was utterly disappointed by the lack of presentation, the fact that they served processed fries, and the unforgivably poor quality buns. The price was not cheap either. It was more expensive than the basic burgers at Chili's. It costs me RM23++.

I expected a whole lot more.

The Mozzarella Pancake however, was (sort of) the saving grace. And I heard from the table the pasta with sun-dried tomatoes was better than expected. And, they served Illy gourmet coffees.

But that was it. Sorry boss, but I left your restaurant feeling half empty.

Yee Sang. A messy Malaysian ritual.

Overeating is probably the most popular of countless Chinese New Year traditions.

Second comes the Red Packet or Ang Pow that promotes greed among kids.

Then, arguably third, is Yee Sang - the Chinese-style Raw Fish Salad that includes in its countless ingredients the crunchy munchies made from flour, colourful fresh and pickled vegetable strips, pomelo pulps, jelly fish strips (optional), salmon sashimi or (originally) raw mackerel slices, and/or fresh abalone slices (optional), and topped by finely crushed peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, sour plum and sweet sauces, sesame oil and/or vegetable oil...

The tricky part is the 'tossing' or 'lo hei' of a Yee Sang dish, as demonstrated in the following video.



It is a ritual performed by family members and close friends before a reunion dinner, or any meal within the 15 days of Chinese New Year, standing up, with chopsticks in hand, muttering well-wishes and auspicious phrases as the raw fish salad is tossed.

The higher the ingredients go, the better the luck for the year.

Being Julia Child.

Someone once told me that destiny is in your hands. A cliché, but absolutely true.

"Just look at the palm of your hands," he said matter-of-factly. "The lines have never stopped changing since the day you were born."

Now if you've not watched the movie 'Julie and Julia', I'd say you should.

It's inspirational, well, at least to me it is, very. And it can be life-changing for you, that's if you want it changed, of course.

And in searching over Google to learn more about Julia Child, I came across Julie Powell's blog - The Julie/Julia Project, and clicked on it.

Amidst her profanities, I came across a paragraph that expressed Julie's observation on Julia's life-changing moment:

"Julia Child began learning to cook when she was thirty-seven years old. She started because she wanted to feed her husband Paul. She started because though she’d fallen in love with great food late, when she did she’d fallen hard. She started because she was in Paris. She
started because she didn’t know what else to do."

In changing her life, Julia succeeded in changing the lives of countless people in the way they lived, cooked and ate.

So believe me when I say that destiny is, in more ways than one, in your hands.

Bon Appetit.

Jaya Noodle House. Since 1975.

Jaya One is but one of many commercial areas in PJ that offers an excellent variety of restaurants. From Chinese cuisine to Tex Mex, to that Belgian beer place, Japanese and Vegetarian, you name it they have.

One shop you don't want to miss out is this place.

Betty's Midwest Kitchen.

If you're thinking of pigging out, there are, honestly, lots of fabulous restaurants and amazing kopitiams to go to across KL and PJ.

You can opt for the economical ones, the medium priced ones, and the unashamedly pricey ones. But they're all good ones, I would assume.

Betty's is from the medium priced category, with an added 'value-for-money' tag.

Basically, their pork ribs does not cost an arm and a leg. They cost around RM20 to RM30. The portions, are not small either.

And the quality is consistent throughout. From the starters...

To a variety of burgers...

To the country-style fried chicken...

Right down to their 'Dog Food'. (The pet name for a bowl of dripping wet, cheesy fries).

Their desserts, however, are rather disappointing.

Where is this place? Bring out your Garmin and key in A-G-40, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Tel:03-7880-0196.

Closed on Mondays. Business as usual from Tuesdays to Fridays: 11am-10pm. Saturdays and Sundays: 10am-10pm.

Sentul Curry House, Jalan Ipoh.

Yes, it's Southern Indian cuisine. It's rich like crazy, and tasty as hell.

Getting there can be a breeze if you know Jalan Ipoh, on the way to the Sentul police station, almost across the road from Dynasty Hotel where the famous Bak Kut Teh restaurant is.

The address: Lot 239, Section 8, Batu 2, Jalan Ipoh, KL. 03-4044 0563/4.

When you're here, you'd have to work your way along the food line – first the rice, yogurt salad, then move on to the curries, the vegetables, the fried this and thats, and then some more...

The Curry Lamb Shank, good for its tender meat and tasty marrow, is a must. Share a plate if necessary...
The appetising Curry Fish Head is also a must-have. Now, if you're still not sharing your food, you must be darn hungry.

And there's plenty to go around, the Curry Fish Head, as you can clearly see from the size of their woks. The lady says she cooks 3 to 4 wok-ful a day, depending on the number of walk-in customers.

Last but not least, the refreshing Mooru. It's like you must drink Chinese tea when you're eating Bak Kut Teh, you need this cooling yogurt drink that's loaded with slices of onion and chili, plus fresh spices and what nots; or face massive heartburn.

Hoe Fong Chicken Rice.

Despite the fading signboard, the oil-dipped fried chicken still appeals to many. Though it's still heavily debated if they're really all that great.

Some say the quality and taste remain the same, decade after decade. I'd say it's really alright if you've not been around to try out other places much. This is definitely so-so for me.

But I'd give credit where credit's due. Kudos to the hunchback with a cleaver. Rumour has it, she used to stand straight and tall, like the KL Tower, till all the chicken-chopping action, and postmenopausal osteoporosis, got the better of her.

Last but not least, if there's one thing that'll get me to return here, apart from seeing the hunched old lady with those expert hands again, it will surely have to be the oil-dipped fried chicken liver and gizzards. They're heaven sent.

Too bad I can't say the same about their new addition to the menu - Penang Lobak (deep fried seasoned pork rolled in soya beancurd skin, a dish originated from our up north state in Penang).

The address: Hoe Fong Chicken Rice. Along Jalan 21/17, Seapark, Petaling Jaya. (Across the road from Sun Fatt Kee).