Delicious, Muslim-Friendly Donburi in Sapporo Airport

I love Japanese food and it saddens me sometimes how I can't eat many of the delicious food that Japan has to offer. This is why whenever I discover a new muslim-friendly restaurants in Japan, I become very excited!

While waiting for our flight to Tokyo in the New Chitose Airport, we found a muslim-friendly restaurant called Donburi Chaya in the domestic departures terminal. I was elated! Never before have I tried an authentic Donburi in Japan! So, I embarked on a little adventure, trying to find this restaurant with a name that is written in a mix of Hiragana and Kanji letters. At last, with the help of the airport map and my rusty knowledge on Hiragana, we were able to find it!

The restaurant offers a lot of muslim-friendly meals, as most of the dishes in their menu are seafood-based. Having missed breakfast, we were extremely hungry, so we ordered a lot from the menu: salmon sashimi and tamago over rice, scallops, grilled fish and grilled squid. The plates and tablewares for muslim-friendly meals are treated separately from the general ones, they even had halal soy sauce, too! ( I could eat salmon sashimi with shoyu!!)

The salmon and tamago donburi that I ordered was simply delicious. It was served with a generous amount of fresh and thick salmon slices! The scallops donburi ordered by my mom was another crowd pleaer, too. It was sauteed with scallions and each scallop was very tender!

Both the grilled fish and squid came as a set, served with white rice and a bowl of soup. The two dishes are perfect for sharing! I especially liked the grilled squid, as it was cooked in a savoury sauce and topped with bonito flakes. It reminded me a lot of takoyaki, sans the batter!

I hope that there will soon be more restaurants like this around Japan, as I am starting to get bored of having to eat Indian food (don't get me wrong though, I love cheese nan and saag paneer with all my heart!) every time we go to Japan. If you're flying domestic from the New Chitose Airport, drop by Donburi Chaya for their fresh and authentic dishes!

Donburi Chaya
New Chitose Airport
Domestic Terminal Building 3F
http://www.new-chitose-airport.jp/en/spend/shop/s117.html

Halal Ramen in Sapporo

It's that time of the year again, it's time for our annual Japan trip!

This time, I visited Japan in summer. The perfect time to visit Hokkaido and enjoy the beautiful view of blooming lavender. In this post, however, I'll be writing about an exciting part of our journey to Hokkaido: food. Particularly, the halal ramen that we had in Susukino, Sapporo. 

If you're travelling to Sapporo, I highly recommend staying in the city center around the Sapporo station area. The area is near numerous shopping destinations (there is a huge shopping complex nearby, which includes a gigantic Daimaru, Stellar Place, Tokyu Department Store and a Bic Camera). More importantly, the Sapporo station is only two stops away from Susukino, a vibrant area of the city. 

In Susukino, nestled an authentic Japanese ramen restaurant called Ramen Horyu. After discovering the fact that the restaurant was established in 1957, I became even more excited to try their ramen! 

The inside of the shop was pretty small, with a capacity of around 30 people. So, we were lucky that we didn't have to queue outside. Summer evening in Sapporo was still pretty cold!

The restaurant have four selections of ramen that are muslim-friendly, served with two main types of broth: miso-based (not spicy and peppery-bean paste broth (spicy). I highly recommend the Genghis Khan in peppery bean-paste broth, which is a ramen served in spicy borth and generous slices of lamb meat. 

The ramen was servced with mushroom and slices of scallions. It was the perfect meal for a chilly evening! However, the portion of the ramen was a lot, despite us ordering the normal-size portion. Personally, I think that the normal-size portion can definitely be shared by two or three people! 

Ramen Horyu has one or a few more branches across Sapporo. However, the only branch that serves muslim-friendly ramen is this one in Susukino. If you're interested to come and have a taste of this delicious ramen, don't forget to save this address!

Ramen Horyu Souhonten 

Minami 6 jo Nishi 3, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-city, Hokkaido

Halal Yakiniku in Tokyo

During my trip to Japan last December, I stumbled upon a cool Yakiniku place in Yoyogi that had such an authentic Japanese feel to it. The place is called Satsuma Tanden Yoyogi, a Japanese restaurant that serves Halal-ceritified Yakiniku. Of course, the most exciting part of visiting the restaurant is the part where I got to experience the taste of Japanese wagyu while actually being in Japan itself. 

The restaurant exterior and interior looked so amazing to me because it gave off the vibe of traditional Japanese restaurants, which made tourists like me feel like I was being adventurous (it is hard for moslems to be adventurous when traveling abroad because a lot of the 'authentic' food places or restaurants are not halal-certified!). I was really glad to see the restaurant's confidence in placing the halal sign right at the entrance. In the sign, it was also mentioned that it is Tokyo's first halal Yakiniku restaurant. 

From a wide range of cut choices, we settled for wagyu steak, which was greatly marbled and tender. What made the dining experience even more amazing was the savory sesame soy sauce that we used as the Yakiniku dip. The sauce was so good that we ended up buying two bottles of it to consume at home. We were so happy to find the soy sauce to be halal-certified as well because Japanese seasoning, especially sauces, are usually made with hints of alcohol or mirin (some sort of Japanese sweet cooking wine). 

The prices of the food can be a little expensive, but it all depends on the kind of cuts that you choose. The wagyu steak price could go up to about 2000 yen per serving! I would recommend getting the lunch/dinner set, as it comes with a choice of drinks, rice, soup and salad. However, I would also highly suggest you to splurge in the restaurant because it's seriously that good and we don't get to experience halal yet authentic Japanese Yakiniku everyday, do we?

Lunch @ Serai

It has been a must for my family to dine in Serai at least once, every time they come to Malaysia. Personally, I really love the restaurant too because of its pleasant ambiance (at least when it's not that crowded) and amazing food. The word Serai itself means lemongrass. I have a thing for good-sounding words and brand names that make sense, so I really love how the restaurant manages to name itself with a word that's so Malay and local but catchy and memorable at the same time, the word 'Serai' gives a great sense of identity to the restaurant!

If you ever decide to eat in Serai, which is located in numerous shopping malls such as Empire Subang, Paradigm Mall and Pavilion KL, here are some of the dishes that I would recommend most:

The first is called Middle Eastern Medley, it's a dish with a chunk of unbelievably tender lamb shank, drenched in a very middle-eastern sauce (not sure what you call those) and fragrant basmati rice. It's also topped off with crunchy cashew nuts that amps up your dining experience by creating a wonderful sensation in your mouth. Crunchy, tender and fragrant, these are the three words that I would use to describe this incredible dish!

Another amazing dish that I could not get out of my head is the salted egg deep fried squid. If you're an avid salted egg lover like me, don't hesitate and order a plate full of this delicious fried calamari all for yourself (I really did not want to share!). The consistency of the salted egg was just right, not to thick nor too creamy, which made it light enough to be eaten as a standalone snack without rice. The flavour of the curry leaves was so fragrant and it would definitely make you come back and want some more!

The third dish that I would recommend is the Serai Platter, which was a plate full of rice, fried chicken, honey squid and oxtail asam pedas. The entire meal is so humongous, but it would be perfect for one of those extra hungry days. I'm not a big eater myself and my friends would testify to that, but I remember finishing the entire portion all by myself because this dish is just that good! My favourite side dish in the Serai Platter would be the oxtail asam pedas, which was a tender oxtail that's bursting with savouriness and flavor!

For drinks and desserts, the two items that I would highly encourage you to try would be the refreshing Serai iced tea ( an ice tea with lemongrass sorbet and a stick of an actual lemongrass) and the Pavlova. The Serai iced tea is a refreshing beverage that tones and flushes down all the spices you've had in your meal. It has a unique lemongrass flavour from the sorbet that's fresh enough to be both your drink and dessert at the same time! 

However, if after having a big meal and you still have some extra space left in your tummy, go for the Serai Pavlova, which by far is one of the best Pavlovas I've had. The creamy dessert is topped with a generous serving of whipped cream that's not too sweet and the Pavlova texture is crunchy outside while remaining chewy and marshmallowy inside. Simply delicious!

Serai's pricing can be a little bit pricey, most rice-based dishes are around RM20-30 per plate and the Middle Eastern Meddley was around RM40. However, the quality of food and the serving size are definitely worth the price. Do come and visit Serai for birthday lunches or family dinners, but don't forget to make a reservation as the place is always flocked with hungry bunches like me!

Caught Up in Serai

I was in Paradigm mall the other day, on my way hunting the first book of the Game of Thrones series (which I failed to find in two bookstores). I was walking around, enjoying the window-shopping and buzzing crowd around me until I heard my stomach grumbling, calling for me to feed it with good food. I am not much of a rice eater since my mind has been much indoctrinated with the thoughts that eating rice would make me fat. However, last Saturday, my rice craving was just so overwhelming to the point that I just had to chow down a good portion of rice with delicious side dish. That was when I decided to eat in Serai, a local restaurant which my friends have highly recommended to me for its good food.

Serai's ambiance was a really nice one, my typical favorite restaurant environment where its bright, sunny and just full of life without getting too annoying. Too bad I didn't take a pic of the restaurant interior because I was too hungry. The hungry me couldn't decide what to eat and asked the waiter for his recommendation and he highly recommended the Serai Platter and said that it's everyone's favorite. So I entrusted him with my lunch choice and I personally chose the Serai ice tea as my beverage.

The Serai ice tea came first. It was so gorgeous and appetizing, I couldn't wait to gulp it down my thirsty throat. The ice tea came with something like a gelato or a sorbet with which I think is lemongrass flavoured and also shreds of mint leaves. After a few minutes, then came my Serai platter, it was so appetizing in the eyes of a hungry person like me.

So beautiful! My Serai Platter consisted of a generous serving of steamed white rice, ayam berempah, honey squid and spiced oxtail (WHICH IS MY FAVORITE, IT'S SO GOOD OMG)! I was so mesmerized by it, I even took an aerial pic of the dish. The oxtail is so rich and soft, it melted in my mouth cause I didn't event have to bite it much!

SO SO GOOD! This dish is priced at RM25 and for light eaters, you can definitely share this with another person. 

Although I doubt that it'd be enough.

Hello there, Mr. Potato!

I'm still pretty much melancholic these days. Of course, a girl's best friend in perilous sadness is none other than food and lots and lots of retail therapy. I found a long twisted potato in Bukit Bintang last Saturday and when my eyes caught them I knew instantly that I had to get them! The last time I saw this delicious carb-loaded greasy treat was when I was in Dubai a few years back and they were the bomb! So, of course I had to get them. I must!

The potato was unexpectedly super duper longgg! Thank God, my brother was tagging along :D

Yup, look at my face. I was a happy child; eating the long potato right out of the stick and no, I didn't finish them all by myself of course! And being a self-proclaimed cheese maniac that I am, I had to order one that's drizzled with cheese flavoring goodness. However, I do think that they could use a little bit more seasoning there! If I'm not mistaken the name of the stall is Tea Chansii, they're located somewhere in the middle of Fahrenheit88 and Lot10. They were actually quite good but the one I had in Dubai was sooooo much better! :(

+Wondermilk

Met up with lovely friends today who came all the way from Medan! After a filling meal in IKEA (meatballs, of course), we went ahead and had our share of dessert in Wondermilk Damansara Uptown.  I've already been in Wondermilk for a few times and really love the ambience as well as the atmosphere of the cafe. The cupcakes? they're fine although personally I don't find them terribly addictive in any way but yesterday's carrot cupcake that I had was rather nice. The milk, however, was to die for. It all made sense to me then why they named the cafe Wondermilk instead of Wondercake, it's obviously because their fresh flavored milk taste immensely good. So, so good.

There are many flavors of the milk available for you to try but I personally love the butterscotch and vanilla flavor. If you ever find yourself contemplating between caramel and butterscotch, that seemed to taste rather similar, please choose the latter.

Saturday Goodies!

Went on my routine Saturday 'adventure' with le bro to Pavilion (again). This time I've been craving for Pizza for the entire week and my tummy has been yearning for a good plate of churros for a while now.  Due to my lack of where-to-eat-a-good-pizza knowledge, we just decided to lunch in the most seemingly Italian restaurant we could find in Pavilion, which was Capriciossa that nestled nearby the food court area. To be honest, our visit was better than we expected. I ordered a half-half pizza, a combination of two different pizza toppings in a pan, barbecue chicken and smoked salmon. The latter was a tad bit disappointing due to the strong fishy smell but I was rather pleased by the delightful barbecue sauce of the former topping.

After the meal our tummy still grumbled and craved for something sweet. Of course it's time for us to have a good dessert and churros was the only thing that came in mind. I've read several reviews about the churros they're selling in one of the bars in Pavilion called La Boca and most reviews that I read were promising. So we went ahead and tried out the authentic spanish 'doughnut' that was served with chocolate ganache and dulce de leche or better known as caramel sauce. My expectation for a good churro has always been sky-high because the first churro that I tried in Disneyland (by far still the best) were so succulent. However, the churros they serve in La Boca was appetizing although it still couldn't match those that they sold in Disneyland! The dulce de leche was simply delicious and the churros were chewy. I wished the dough was a little bit thicker, though. 

Burgers and Big Hugs

My visit to the burger joint that's located in Subang Square, SS15, earlier today was not only satisfying for the tummy but also inspirational. The name 'Big Hug Burger' itself is inspired by the power of a hug that can transcend all differences among us. 

We were greeted by the warm and cheerful owner of the Big Hug Burger herself, Ms. Aidelle. 

She elaborated about the concept of her 4-month-old burger joint that was one of her lifelong dream that was conceptualize over three decades ago. Big Hug claimed to promote openness, closely-knitted family while offering burgers that are made of top-knotch ingredients at the same time. 

My friend and I ordered two different burgers that was absolutely mouthwatering, one is the house's specialty, The Big Hug Burger, and the one that I ordered was a newly launched menu called 'The Dancing Cow'

This uber-awesome mega goodness with cheese oozing out of is named after the burger joint itself, THE Big Hug Burger and yes, it's with a capital 'THE'. The burger was carefully crafted with fresh ingredients and fried chicken chop that still tasted really moist despite the frying. The tender chicken was perfectly paired with secret sauce, fresh veggies, pineapple, loaded mozzarella and cheddar, all stacked beautifully between the homemade super soft buns . If you find yourself not knowing which one to order, I'm highly recommending you this one. Careful though, it comes it a humongous size. Like, seriously.

The other burger that we ordered was this unique and flavorful baby called 'The Dancing Cow'. It's a newly launched addition to the menu and this burger served with yet another fluffy and almost cotton-like charcoal bun. And in between that fluffy goodness, lay the juiciest beef patty, beef bacon strips, cheese, fresh veggies and also two other ingredients that's rather bizarre to be found in between a burger, PEANUT BUTTER AND SAMBAL! For your information, I am a big and rabid fan of peanut buttery stuff. And Lord, this burger had me in the first bite. Highly recommended for those adventurous soul and foodie like me! Don't you worry because all of the supplies that are used by the Big Hug Burger are certified Halal!

Aside from their mouthwatering burgers, Big Hug also offers a free all-you-can-eat snack bars for their customers to enjoy while waiting for the food and free flow drinks, too! Their lemonade is homemade and is made from freshly squeezed lemon juice with added honey, very refreshing!

The burger joint is also equipped with so many toys, props and huge teddy bears that exceed my own size! I fell in love immediately with this place. Definitely a cozy place where you can hang around all day with families and friends. For a set the average price is around RM20++ whilst a la carte would cost you roughly RM14-RM17. Considering the superior food quality, unique flavor and generous portion, the price charged for their must-have burgers are in fact affordable and they also make the spent calories worthwhile.

Visit the Big Hug Burger for an exhilarating dining experience!

Big Hug Burger

Monday- Saturday 12.30pm-4.00pm (Lunch) and 6.30pm-10.30pm (Dinner)

Closed on Sunday

CT-G-03, Subang Square

Main Entrance Lobby

Jalan SS15/4G, Subang Jaya

47500 Selangor, Malaysia

A Day In Publika

Publika has always been the spot for my little rendezvous with Anin. I love the artsy feel and the niche boutiques there, they're just so unique and you can find really good stuff if you're willing to browse patiently!
We've been trying out different restaurants and today for brunch we decided to eat in Ben's. I was facing a major dilemma, trapped in between macaroni and cheese or pesto spaghetti, both looked so appetizing. In the end, I chose the latter. Anin had this cheeseburger which patty was just so juicy and indescribably delicious!

We shared this Berry Pavlova for dessert. It was heavenly. The berries and cream were so fresh, two thumbs up!

My entrepreneur lecturer always told us this; "cheap thing no good" in his typically thick Manglish. The same goes for the food in Ben's, the price tag is enough to break my heart.

Best Teppanyaki, Ever!

I have been avoiding rice for a long, long time. To be honest, I didn't even remember the last time I had a good portion of rice or beef for my meals. And yes, I avoided rice and red meat for dietary purposes! However, I really had to break my not-so-strict diet regimen for a plate of this highly recommended teppanyaki that I'll be talking about. 

This teppanyaki that I had was cooked before the customers. Watching the chef cooked our teppanyaki in front of our eyes was a spectacular view. I could savor the decadent smell of juicy beef oozing with savory goodness from my seat! Yum! 

I knew that the dish was going to be good. What I didn't' know was that it was THAT GOOD! Yes, just one bite and I was like HOLY SWEET MOTHER OF GOD! Well, perhaps my judgment was slightly biased and exaggerated due to the fact that I missed eating rice and beef so badly. But seriously, it was by far the best teppanyaki I've ever had!

Being a veggie lover that I am, I was super delighted to see the huge amount of veggies that they served. They also gave a generous amount of beef! In case you're wondering, I didn't finish the whole thing haha! I left more than half of the rice because I was super, duper guilty! 

For dessert, I shared this sweet goodness called "Fuji Snow" with my friends. It's something like Es Campur. So cooling and flavorful, a perfect treat on a typically hot and strikingly sunny day!

I swear it was so worth it! I can't wait for my next visit :3

If you're up for a good portion of teppanyaki, visit them here:

Teppanyaki Sdn Bhd
PUB-S1, 2nd Floor, 
Sungei Wang Plaza
50250 Kulla Lumpur

First Pavlova Experience

Food and I, we have that love-hate relationship that never seemed to cease.

Most of the time, I'd freak out just because of one packet of undersized Apollo swiss roll but when cravings take over, I will stop at nothing. Let me repeat that, nothing. Period.

So, after having a so-so wraps that tasted like rubber for lunch, my tummy still begged for something satisfiable.

 A pie. 

I have been crazy about pies lately and one of my favorite ones is Starbucks' shepherd's pie. Much to my dismay, they were out of stock but still, I had to get it somehow.

 Even if it means that I have to go to Sunway Pyramid and it'll cost me extra 20 bucks for transport. 

Just for a stupid, fattening pie.

So, I decided to have an early dinner at Delicious, one of my favorite restaurants and ordered their lamb shank pie. I remembered reading a good review of the dish by a food blogger.

I was shocked because the serving portion was gigantic. I'm pretty sure that the waitress gave me a questioning look as if she was trying to say "You sure you can finish 'em?"

The uppermost part is a super thick layer of mashed potatoes and underneath it was juicy, tender, delicious lamb and gravy.

What's a meal without a scrumptious dessert? Since I've been curious about Delicious' pavlova, I decided to order one. 

Berrilicious Chocolate Pavlova, as the name suggested, it's a chocolate flavoured pavlova with a  meringue-like texture topped with strawberries, shaved chocolate and fresh whipped cream at the center. It's crumbly, delicate and melts in your mouth. Purrr-fect! The pavlova isn't as sweet as I imagined it to be, which is good! 

On top of that,  it tasted the best when eaten together with the cream, shaved chocolate and fresh strawberries in one big bite. Dreamy! *drools*

That was, by far, the best dinner I've had for weeks. I highly recommend the pavlova!

The only part of my outing that I liked the least was the bill that nearly made me cry.

Macaroni Au Gratin

What an unproductive day! Well, not really. I went out with mom earlier today to buy some materials for my dress and to a tailor to get my measurements done. Yes, I'm tailoring a dress for my dearest friend, Ocha's birthday! Then my day became unproductive. 

Suddenly, my mom asked me to try cooking macaroni and cheese for buka puasa. For your information, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE macaroni and cheese. Kraft's dinner mac n cheese has been a bestie of mine since childhood! But now, it's time for me to cook a homemade one from scratch. Challenge accepted! 

The main ingredients for today: elbow macaroni, flour, cooking cream, grated cheddar cheese (the stronger the better!), butter, salt and pepper

This is how I did it: 

1) Melt the butter in a saucepan

2) Whisk in flour

3) Gradually add the milk and stir continuously until it thickens

4) Add grated cheese, salt and pepper

5) Add boiled elbow macaroni

6) Mix thoroughly

Then what I did next was to pour the creamy macaroni and cheese into a casserole dish! 

Add generous amount of mozzarella cheese between each layer and top it with more mozzarella cheese and cheddar. I like 'em really cheesy. Then, bake in a preheated oven just until the cheese on the top layer is all runny and gooey.

Ta-daa! My homemade macaroni au gratin/macaroni and cheese is ready to be served!

Bon appetit!

Chocolate Cupcakes!

Mom said she's craving for some cupcakes and told me to bake some yesterday for buka puasa. Initially, she wanted peanut butter-chocolate cupcakes but we ran out of peanut butter! Therefore, I decided to change the frosting into chocolate frosting. To be honest, I have never tried to make chocolate frosted cupcakes so it was really like a gamble for me. On top of that, I was fasting yesterday so I couldn't taste the frosting's sweetness, consistency and adjust it to my liking!

My all-time favorite baking website is Joy Of Baking. They have dozens of simple dessert recipes worth trying!

So here's how I baked the chocolate cupcakes yesterday:

The basic cake ingredients: butter/margarine, white sugar, eggs and flour (sifted with salt and baking powder). If you mix these ingredients together, you'll be able to make a basic butter cake!

Another key ingredient for a chocolate cake is of course cocoa powder. Normally, I'd use the pure 100% cocoa powder

When you have all of the ingredients ready, you can start mixing them all together. But remember to preheat the oven first and there's an order/sequence that must be followed when mixing these ingredients:

1st. Butter and sugar together

2nd. Eggs 

3rd. Flour and liquid 

(in this case it's the dissolved cocoa powder) in turn, ending with the flour

After the batter has been mixed thoroughly, pour them into paper lined muffin tins and bake them in the pre-heated oven for approximately 15-20 minutes. When you're cake is ready, cool them down before frosting them! If your cake is still hot, the frosting will melt into butter!

And for the frosting, I followed Joy of Baking's recipe, which is basically just a mixture of butter, icing sugar and molten chocolate.

Chop the chocolate compound into small pieces and melt them. Be extra careful if you're melting them in a microwave instead of a saucepan because your chocolate might get a disturbing burnt taste! Furthermore, make sure that you're using a heat-proof bowl!

Grate some chocolate using a cheese grater above your frosted cake as a finishing touch and for an extra chocolatey goodness!

:)