Yuritei Japanese Tea House @ Sentul Park Koi Centre

For my birthday, rif took me for a lovely lunch at Yuritei Japanese Tea House, located in Sentul Park Koi Centre (directly next to KLPAC). Since I’m pretty much a blind bat when it comes to Sentul, I just sat in the car admiring my birthday present from rif under the sunlight. *grins*At the carpark of the koi centre, a large, wooden Japanese door arch greeted us, and as we walked along the pebbled path, it felt as though we were entering a maze. Once we were inside, the scenery was breathtaking! I never knew such a place existed. What more, in the middle of KL city! The teahouse is mostly made of wood, with wooden floors and platform overlooking the pond, wooden tables and chairs, wooden ceilings and screen doors. We sat at the platform outside the teahouse, so we had a lovely view of the pond and its green surrounding. It was something I’ve seen in Japanese movies; only this time, I was experiencing it myself.We shared a plate of gyoza, something we tend to order whenever we dine at Japanese restaurants. One side of the dumpling was pan-fried till crispy while the other side had a slightly chewy texture. The minced chicken with vegetables filling was quite tasty; I enjoyed the crunchiness of the vegetables as it was a nice contrast to the chewy gyoza skin. My only complaint is the excessive oil, so if you don’t mind the few extra calories, douzo meshiagare! Like most times, I ordered the Chicken Katsudon set (RM25), a decision I came to regret 15 minutes later. The katsudon was over-fried, causing it to be dry and tough. It felt as though I was eating chicken jerky. I had to “drown” the chicken into my miso soup to make it slightly softer. Else, I would end up with dentures after the meal! Very disappointing.rif’s Salmon Cheese Fried Set (RM25.00) on the contrary was quite good. Freshly fried, the salmon and melted cheddar combo came enclosed in a lightly crisp bread coating. It was savoury, gooey and oh-so-moreish! This tasted so good, I contemplated changing my katsudon with rif’s salmon, whether he liked it or not...hehehe. But I didn't of course; I stuck to my dreadful cardboard-like chicken. Both the bento sets came with an adorable triangle-shaped rice, side dishes, miso soup and some fruits. Lunch came up to RM66.70, which we thought was a pretty good deal considering the generous portions. But the best part of the meal was the serene ambiance and gazing at the kois in the pond.

Ambiance: 9/10
Price: 7/10
Food: 6/10 (pork-free)
Verdict: The food isn’t great, but beautiful scenery more than makes up for it!

Yuritei Japanese Tea House,
Sentul Park Koi Centre,
Lot 268, Jalan Strachan Off Jalan Ipoh,
51100 Kuala Lumpur
03 4044 0422
11am - 9pm (daily)

And this is my birthday present from rif - a diamond Tissot watch with white mother-of-pearl face! *jumps up and down in excitement* Now I have a dress watch, so I can match it with all my formal wear. I think the main reason he got me this watch was because I tend to wear my chunky Guess watch (which he got me for my 21st Birthday) everywhere...even with elegant evening gowns! It looked terribly out of place...LOL!

Thank you rif, I love love love it!! =D

Mango Mania, Bangsar Baru

Mango Mania has been around in Bangsar for quite some time, but I only decided to try it recently. Usually, I'd insist on a long black in the evening but since I already had 4 cups of coffee at work, rif suggested Mango Mania instead. Located opposite EON Bank, it is quite hard to miss this bright yellow outlet. The mango madness (RM9.90) had a thick, creamy consistency without being gloppy. Its flavour is accented by the natural sweetness of the mango. While rif thought the sweetness was just right, I felt it could be a wee bit sweeter. It was a good smoothie, but it didn’t particularly wow me. I had the frozen mango yogurt (RM8.90) which came with small mango cubes in a martini glass. This, I really enjoyed. The yogurt had a smooth and creamy texture, and the well-ripened mango was fleshy and fragrant. It is 98% fat free, making it the ideal dessert for weight-watchers. While the ambiance is somewhat cosy and great for chats, the service has plenty of room for improvement. The waiter looked like he couldn’t be arsed to take down our orders.

Ambiance: 6/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 6.5/10 (pork-free)
Verdict: I have yet to try their other items, but the yogurt is pretty damn good.

36, Jalan Telawi,
Bangsar Baru
03 2283 6899

A Glutton's Curse

My answer to Joe's tag:

"As I woke up and starred at the mirror, I saw something unfamiliar. It looked like me, sounded like me, smelled like me, tasted like me, but something was not right"

I couldn’t quite comprehend what was wrong with the mirror image of myself. As I scrutinized every inch of my face and body, it was suddenly apparent. My cheeks were noticeably chubbier. And my tummy was protruding. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and quickly stepped on the weighing scale.

HOLY COW!!!!!! 10 pounds heavier??? That’s impossible. The scale is wrong. I readjusted the scale, and removed my pyjamas. It must be the clothes that weighed 10 pounds, I thought to myself. I stepped on it again. What?? Still no change?!?! This can’t be happening!!

I reached for my phone and dialed my emergency number - rif. He picked up the phone and I went, “@#!$!#@$!@$@!!!!!!! I’m 10 pounds heavier! What on earth happened?” rif narrated what had happened the day before.

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It was Tony Roma’s first ever buffet, with all you can eat beef ribs, chicken tenders, crispy batter fried fish, mash potatoes and salad. On top of that, there was also a FREE FLOW of Carlsberg beer, juice and carbonated drinks. rif said I went gaga and attacked one rib after another...like no tomorrow. The people at the grilling station started to quiver in fear. They were afraid they could not grill enough ribs for me. And the crew started an emergency stock take of their remaining cows in the kitchen.Two hours later, I had 10 layers of rib bones on the plate. 30 pieces of huge ass ribs. rif's mouth gaped open. He has never seen me eat THIS much before. The Tony Roma manager gathered all his best men. They were prepared to kick me out. rif and Shum thinks I’m banned from TR for life. I ate my last huge piece of rib, and passed out due to extreme gluttony.

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“And that my dear, was how you gained 10 pounds in a day!” said rif. “NOOOoooOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!,” I screamed in disbelief.

*Precious Pea is not available to do the tag as she's going overseas very soon*
I'm tagging Motormouth From Ipoh. Your tag goes like this:

“After too many Slippery Nipples the night before, I woke up with a massive hangover and was extremely late for an important meeting. In my haste, I found myself clad in nothing but a pair of daisy-print boxers in front of a board of CEOs.”