[Food Review] Mr. Dakgalbi, Jalan Bukit Bintang

Located in the heart of the city at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Mr. Dakgalbi is the first Malaysian branch of the international restaurant chain that spans a growing number of about 200 branches across the world. When I passed by their first outlet in Mont Kiara few months back, I'm totally hooked up as they specializes in preparing "dakgalbi" - a popular dish that originated in Korea, which is also my favourite Korean dish! It's time to get my cravings fixed :D

Simple yet catchy interior designs that they also have few pop arts on their wall. Perfect spot for an #ootd? :)

Upon arrival, we were served with their signature dish - dakgalbi for 4 servings (MYR 104) which also comes with 2 fried rice and 3 choice of yours ranging from ramen, udon, fish ball, potato and so on.

Dak galbi, also romanized dalk galbi, is a popular Korean dish generally made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a gochujang (chili pepper paste) based sauce, sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, onions, ggaennip, and tteok (rice cake) together on a hot plate. It is a local specialty food for the city of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, where dak galbi originates. The dish is also called Chuncheon dak galbi due to its origin.

Side dishes were served too: pickled radish, salad and kimchi.

You may also add on ramen or fried rice (MYR 6) to make it a meal.

More so than the sheer deliciousness of their dakgalbi, Mr. Dakgalbi is also known for offering patrons the novelty of having a chef personally cook your food at your table. Hence, you don't need to worry if you don't know how to cook but you also get to enjoy this masterfully executed culinary performance right in front of you!

Tonight, we're so lucky to have the CEO of Mr. Dakgalbi, Mr. Ahn to cook for us. He's so down-to-earth and he will also cook for customers most of the time despite he's the CEO. As you can see in the picture above, there is an metal cover around the hot plate to avoid oil spill over our clothes and aprons are also provided. Thumbs up for being so considerate (Y)

Around 10-15 minutes of cooking later, it's ready to be served! I've had dakgalbi for many times in various Korean restaurants before but I do really enjoyed this one in Mr. Dakgalbi. The chicken was very tender and well marinated, together with slight crispiness brought by the slice cabbage and potatoes, it's definitely one of the best dakgalbi I've ever tried!

It was sinful but I feel relieved at the same time as I was told that the menu content of their chili powder contains plenty of Vitamin A, B and C that could reduce stress by its spicy food, prevent skin aging effectively and most importantly, it could also help reduce weight! I couldn't help but just keep feeding it into my mouth :p

After you have finished 2/3 of the meal, you may now put in the fried rice and stir fry it together with the remaining ingredients and side dishes. Undoubtedly, I love the way they present the food and make it into "pizza rice" with an amount of cheese. Usually I would prefer to have dakgalbi with ramen but here, the fried rice is too good that I couldn't say no to them T_T

Apart from the ordinary dakgalbi dishes, they also serve side menus such as seafood pancake and Jaengban noodles (MYR 17) as you see in the picture above. Basically it's a type of cold noodles served with shrimp tempura, dried mushroom, fish cake, vegetables, egg and noodles in pot and it's ready to be served after tossing everything together.

Million thanks to Jessica and Mr. Dakgalbi who made these happened, it was an enjoyable night! For those who loves Korean food, I would definitely recommend Mr. Dakgalbi to you and you can get a taste of how it would be like in Chuncheon, Korea. They do serve dakgalbi for one person, couple set and even family set for 3 or 4 servings so no worries if you come alone or come in a big group. You may also purchase cash vouchers at 50% off from Groupon if you're interested to try out Mr. Dakgalbi. Cheerios!


Mr. Dakgalbi
No. 61, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur.


View Larger Map

Direction:
Take the exit from Low Yat Plaza where you will see Dell and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on your left. Walk straight to the alley in front of the exit and you will see Bank Islam by the end of the street. Mr. Dakgalbi is just right beside Bank Islam.

Operation hour:
Sun to Wed: 10:00AM - 11:00PM
Thu to Sat: 10:00AM - 12:00AM

Website: www.mr-dak.com | www.facebook.com/mrdakgalbi

Read More

---

Cosans Coffee @ SS15, Subang Jaya

Was invited to the grand launching and food tasting event at Cosans Coffee, an urban-sense coffee and sandwhich bar which opened at SS15 recently. They aim to spread their heritage to different places just like an unstoppable train which go across every town and cities, hence they operate their business on a franchise basis and I believe we will see another Cosans Coffee outlet very soon.

(smoking area)

Cozy environment with vintage furniture, perfect coffee spot in this neighbourhood :)

At Cosans, they have two types of coffee, Equarre and Carreau and they're available for sales too. I would prefer Equarre because the taste is very rich and less sour compared to Carreau. If you didn't know much about coffee, you may ask for recommendations. 

Cosans Latte @ RM12
Nothing much to shout out but it's very smooth to my liking!

Nutella Strawberry Frappe @ RM14
"Weird drinks", my first impression of Nutella Strawberry Frappe but it's not that bad after all. Rich nutella taste and creamy texture, recommended for those who loves strawberries!

Asianese Roasted Chicken @ RM12 
Roasted chicken with coriander, lemongrass, shallots and mesclun just made up the perfect combination. Apart from sandwhich, they do offer salad and cakes too.

Smoked Duckling @ RM15 
Wholemeal bread filled with smoked duck with melted mozzarella, confit tomatoes and arugula. This was rather disappointing as the smoked duck tastes bland.

Hanami Tea @ RM10
Hanami tea is actually Japanese sencha with cherry blossoms, inspired by the Japanese tradition of welcoming Spring, which also known as Cherry Blossom Festival. The taste is very light yet fruity with a slightly creamy texture and mild vegetal taste. Perfect with strawberry shortcake, white chocolate desserts or panna cotta.

During the event, there was a demonstration session by their barista who has won few awards before and this iced coffee was made by him. I've never knew that there are so many steps to make a cup of good coffee and now I've gained lots of knowledge about coffee brewing. Feels like a coffee pro now :P

With the smell of roasted coffee, warm and cozy ambiance, I guess I've found my new hang out spots! Now I feel like going back for their signature double mocha and a piece of Tiramisu, who's on? :P


Cosans Coffee @ SS15, Subang Jaya
No. 30 (Ground Floor), Jalan SS15/4,
Subang Jaya, 47500 Petaling Jaya.


View Larger Map

Operation hour:
Sun to Thu: 11:00AM - 01:00AM
Fri to Sat: 11:00AM - 02:00AM

Website: www.cosans.com | www.facebook.com/cosans.coffee

Read More

---

✈ Day 3 in Bangkok: Som Tam Nua, Siam Square

Awarded by CNNGo.com as the Bangkok's Best Som Tam in CNNGo's Best Eats 2010 Awards, Som Tam Nua at Soi 5, Siam Square is very popular among the locals and tourists as well. Be prepared for a long queue even if it's not peak hours :p As the name suggested, their signature dish is Som Tam and they serve authentic Isaan (Thailand's north east) cuisine. Being labelled as one of the must eat food spots in Bangkok, how can we miss this out? :)

Loving the modern interior designs at Som Tam Nua :)

Happy faces while waiting for our foods to be served ^_^

Thai dipping sauces 

Northeast style spicy soup with pork bone @ 97 Baht
An Isaan-style sour and spicy Tom Yam soup served with tender pork bones that are extremely hot and spicy that we quickly order our drinks just after one sip. However, it's very flavourful and addictive despite the spiciness of the soup.

Thai papaya mix salad @ 75 Baht
This two-floor restaurant has built a solid following on Som Tam alone that they are offering dozens of versions of the famous papaya salad dish and we picked this papaya mix salad at last. It comes with crispy pork skin, dried red shrimp, tomato, long bean, peanut, green papaya and not forgotten to mention that their ingredients are very fresh. It just has the right amount of sweetness, saltiness and crunchiness in it, the perfect choice for an appetizer. Yum!

"Som Tam Nua has got the art of papaya salad nailed, in more varieties than one can imagine." said Thai 101 publisher Mason Florence.

Fried chicken @ 98 Baht
Two words to describe the fried chicken, juicy and crispy! According to people's food review, it is a must order dish in Som Tam Nua as the fried chicken are very well marinated and not too oily. My favourite dish of the day and I personally think that it's one of the best fried chicken I've ever had :p

Hot and spicy crispy fish @ 95 Baht
The fish meat was nice and soft with crispy skin topped with mint leaves, onions, dry chilies and various spices but do look out for strong sharp bones. 95 Baht for a whole cooked fish are really very cheap and it's definitely worth it!

Som Tam Nua, a popular hideout among the locals and tourists due to its affordable prices and good quality of food. If you're in Siam Square and looking for good Isaan cuisine, Som Tam Nua would be your perfect choice. I'll definitely revisit the place in the future if I go to Bangkok again, I just can't get enough of their fried chicken! It's fingers lickin' good! (Y) By the way, here's a small tip for you guys, if you do not know what to order, just order everything with the star sign which indicates their signature dishes. Happy hunting!


Som Tam Nua
392/14, Siam Square Soi 5,
Rama 1 Road Pathumwan,
Bangkok 10330, Thailand.



View Som Tam Nua in a larger map

Transportation:
BTS Skytrain Sukhumvit line to Siam station and get off at exit 4. Look out for Bangkok Bank on your left (with some constructions taking place on the right - 27th December 2013) and turn into the alley beside it. Som Tam Nua will be on your left hand side 30 metres ahead or you'll see the orange signboard (refer to the first picture) with a crowd standing outside if you walk down to soi 5.

Operations hour: 10:45AM - 9:30PM daily

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous posts of Bangkok:
Wat Pho, Temple of the Reclining Buddha: www.yuhjiun09.com/2014/01/day-1-in-bangkok-wat-pho-temple-of.html
Asiatique The Riverfront: www.yuhjiun09.com/2014/02/day-1-in-bangkok-asiatique-riverfront.html

Read More

---

[Beauty Review] Mary Quant Action Lashings Lengthening Mascara

I'm not really a makeup person but ever since I did my first eyelash extension back in December last year, now I understand why people couldn't live without makeup and what they mean by "naked face". The power of makeup (Y) Thanks to Manoah and Mary Quant, I can have my long and pretty lashes again! Introducing the Mary Quant Action Lashings Lengthening Mascara, which promises to lengthen your eyelashes delicately yet sharply, while protecting your lashes damaged by frequent uses of curlers and makeup with their waterproof effect.

Started in 1970s, Mary Quant Cosmetics was founded by a fashion designer, who is also known as "the inventor of the mini skirt" and the brand was actually named after her, Mary Quant. For her, cosmetics are part of fashion and she aims to "bring fashion to the face", a combination of makeup and fashion that expresses who you are. Even their brand symbol "the black daisy" which you can see on their packaging, it symbolize the freedom Mary Quant gave to women, and of the Mary Quant brand which continues to defy convention to create new forms of beauty.

"Everyone is copying my Stick and Crayons, but they can't copy my colours," said by Mary, and it's true that for many people Mary Quant is synonymous for colours. She also proposed the idea of "no-rules makeup" which means makeup to be enjoyed based on one's favourite colours and mood at the time. Their cosmetics just have a mysterious ability to complement any outfit, in any era.

Mary Quant Action Lashing Lengthening Mascara comes in 7 shades: 01 Ebony Black, 02 Barewire Grey, 03 Ivy Green, 04 Laurel Green, 05 Brighton Blue, 06 Bohemian Purple, 07 Lac Rose. And I've got mine in 05 Brighton Blue! Bright and daring colour, perfect for parties or raves? :P

Mary Quant's original two-sided coil and chip brush, which features short raised bristles on one side, and the oil gel formula that gives the mascara its elasticity, together create the sharp, spectacularly long lashes. "Anti-colour fading effects" and "waterproofing effects" have also been enhanced, enabling the maintenance of beautifully upward-curling eyelashes and thoroughly preventing smudging on the lower eyelid.

As the name suggests, the lengthening effect is superb where it lengthen my lashes immediately as you can see in the picture above. I always thought that this type of coloured mascaras are very hard to show on Asian's black and thin lashes but surprisingly the colour is very pigmented and long lasting. I really love the outcome as the brighton blue colour is very outstanding. On the other hand, this lengthening mascara is very easy to remove despite of its waterproof effect. (Y)

So what do you think of my brighton blue lashes? Mary Quant Action Lashings Lengthening Mascaras are priced at RM 109 each and Mary Quant cosmetics are currently available at The Muse by Watsons, Sunway Pyramid only. Cheerios!


For more information, please visit
Website: www.maryquant.co.uk

Read More

---

Samsung Galaxy Life Adds Awesomeness To My Life

I bought my Samsung S4 since last year July and I'm still in the midst of exploring the phone. Yes, I still discover new features or apps everyday and this is why I love my Samsung S4 so much ♥ So when I was fiddling through Play Store the other day, I came across a new app, the Samsung Galaxy Life. I just couldn't get my eyes off when I saw the words daily deals (cheapskate mindset :P) and downloaded it without hesitation.

So basically Samsung Galaxy Life is an app that Samsung created to reward Galaxy users offering daily deals with discount coupons in the form of barcode or vouchers, selection and reviews of apps, exclusive content from experts and so on.

There are 7 pillars under Samsung Galaxy Life: Live, Entertain, Learn, Play, Connect, Work and Surprise. Hop over to the "PLAY" pillar immediately as I was so stressed out due to studies recently and this super deal "Buy 4 Get 2 Free from Escape Room" caught my attention. I've always wanted to go to Escape Room and this offer just comes in the right time. (Y)

Escape Room is Malaysia's first ever REAL escape game started in July 2013 which provides you an interactive gaming experience where players are physically inside a mysterious world of intrigues puzzles and codes. You'll have to engineer an escape in a tight race against the clock in 45 minutes if you've accepted the challenge. At their e-curve outlet, there are 6 different themes of room available: Pirate Ship, Prison Break, The Mummy, The Mysterious Room, The Abandoned Factory and The Slaughter House.

The process of redeeming the offer was quick and convenient that I just have to show the voucher on my phone to the cashier for them to verify the redemption. Just one click on the phone without printing it out and you're entitled for the Buy 4 Get 2 free deal, yay or nay? :P By the way, only redeem the voucher when you're close to the point of purchase as it will expire 60 minutes after it's redeemed. After redeeming the voucher, we're off to the adrenaline rush game in Pirate Ship themed room!

*sneak peak of what'll be happening during the game* 

 After 45 minutes of searching for clues and answering riddles, we failed to escape from the room. We got stucked at the last clue and it was so close...

The "we were so close..." face and we'll definitely come back and challenge again!

After all, it was a great experience and I highly recommend it to people who loves to answer riddles, solving complex puzzles or just looking for a challenge, this is the GAME for you. Hop over to Play Store now and download the Galaxy Life app to enjoy more deals and apps recommendation. I'm looking forward for more travel and fashion deals in the future woohoo... Thank you Samsung, my life companion ♥


Download Samsung Galaxy Life here: http://bit.ly/GALAXYlife (FOC!)

Read More

---

[Food Review] Kyochon Chicken, 1 Utama

1. We promise to never, ever serve fast food.

2. We promise to use 100% natural ingredients.

3. We promise to use only the freshest, healthiest chickens.

The 3 promises made by Kyochon Chicken to their customers. They are not a fast food restaurant but a Korean restaurant which serve chickens only. Founded in 1991, Kyochon Chicken being the number 1 selling fried chicken from South Korea with over 1,000 restaurants around the globe has finally opened their first outlet in Malaysia in December 2013. Being the best chicken brand for 11 consecutive years in South Korea voted by their customers, I just can't wait to try it out :p

Seasoned Wedges @ RM5.90
American red potatoes seasoned with butter are used to make these wedges and these are great! Not too soft or overcooked, the wedges are very crispy and cooked until golden-brown as you can see in the picture above.

Natural Sparkling Yuza Fruit Tea @ RM5.90
The Yuza fruit tea is actually made by Korean oranges with lemons and definitely no artificial colouring added into the drinks. It's quite refreshing and a little bit sweet but no worries if you do not take cold drinks, they have hot teas in house too. Sodas and mineral waters are also available here.

Sal Sal Strips, 5 pieces @ RM10.90
Boneless chicken breast strips coated in special rice batter... om nom nom! Definitely the best chicken breast I've ever taste! I didn't know these were chicken breast strips until Ridley told me because the meat are so juicy and tender. I was told that they only use the freshest ingredients and healthiest chickens but not frozen ones, which explains the tender chicken breasts. Thumbs up (Y)

Honey Stick, 4 pieces @ RM21.80
Honey glazed series are one of my favourites actually although it's not the best-seller ♥ Marinated for 24 hours in their special seasoning, then fried to perfection and coated with natural honey sauce. Sweet, sticky and it's highly addictive!

Chicken feast... gahh! As you can see in the picture above, there are two types of chicken, soy wing & drumette (upper one) and stick (the lower one) comes in different sizes: small, medium and large. For more information and prices, you may refer to the menu on their website www.kyochon.com.my.

Original Soy Wing & Drumette, 10 pieces @ RM19.80 | Original Soy Stick, 4 pieces @ RM19.80
After trying the honey sticks and sal sal strips, I thought the original soy series would be less flavourful but I was wrong! It tastes so good that I couldn't describe the crunchiness and crispiness of the chicken especially coated in their exclusive soy garlic glaze. That was awesome and now I know why it has crowned as the best seller of Kyochon Chicken ♥

Besides, little did you know that Kyochon Chicken is the first to use soy garlic glaze in their chickens and it's definitely the must-have dish when you visit Kyochon.

Red Wing & Drumette, 10 pieces @ RM19.80
Glazed with the original hot sauce made from Korea's hottest red chili peppers, surprisingly the red series are actually their 2nd best seller. It's truly spicy but it tastes equally good! Besides, I personally think that their red sauce are quite special and addictive because you can taste a little bit sweet in addition of the spiciness. Recommended only for those who can take spicy food!

Korean Butter Rice @ RM4.00
The butter rice are complemented by a soft creamy complexity, yum! You may give it a try if you're sick of the plain cooked rice.

Dakgalbi Grilled Chicken @ RM25.90
Juicy and flavourful grilled chicken, what can I ask for more? It would be a great choice if you do not fancy fried chickens.

The Dakgalbi Grilled Chicken set also comes with a small bowl of kimchi fried rice and surprisingly it tastes good where I just couldn't stop myself by putting it into my mouth repeatedly. (Y) If I'm not mistaken, they do not sell this kimchi fried rice individually.

Jjimdak Steamed Chicken @ RM21.90
Compared to other dishes in Kyochon, this Jjimdak Steamed Chicken are rather common that it looks like something my mom will cook at home. But nonetheless it tastes good as well.

Now you must be wondering why Kyochon unlike any other Korean restaurants but only sells chicken and this concept is actually because of Koreans like to eat chickens as snacks (which explains why they hand-cut their chicken wings, separating wingettes from drumettes) and pair it up with alcohol. You would know why if you're a k-drama fans :p

After all, I had a great dining experience at Kyochon Chicken and I just can't wait to be back for second round to enjoy my honey glazed chickens while listening to my favourite Korean songs ♥ If you think Kyochon Chicken is just like another KFC but way more expensive, then you're wrong. They do not serve fast food, everything they make is cooked to order only. As I've mentioned earlier, they only use the freshest and healthiest chickens but not the frozen one and marinate for 24 hours before they cook it, so you can see why sometimes they closed down their shop in the evening saying that they've run out of stocks.

At Kyochon, they highly believe in quality which means no growth hormones and no drugs. They use less batter and grease than other fried chicken brands to let the natural flavour of their chickens come through. Besides, their chickens are cooked in canola oil which is trans-fat free and proven to be healthier for the heart and their double fry technique actually makes the chickens less oily. Or I should say it's not oily at all, not even the oil residue on the plate. Well I did not get paid to write this post but I just simply believe in them and the quality of ingredients that they used. I would rather pay more and wait 15 minutes for a good quality meal and tender chickens. (Y)


Kyochon Chicken (opposite of Cold Storage)
LG 311, Lower Ground Floor,
One Utama Shopping Centre,
No. 1, Persiaran Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Operation hour: 10:00AM - 10:00PM daily
Website: www.kyochon.com.my | www.facebook.com/KyoChonMalaysia



View Larger Map

Read More

---