The Unlimited Flavours of The Ocean (Part I)

Apart from the normal choice of menu that The Apartment Restaurant and Bar offers, this April, they are featuring Chef Rafizi Shariff’s greatest passion in culinary, seafood. The Chef Series is The Apartment’s latest promotional menu that offers the culinary flair specially created to cater to guests seeking a tantalizing gourmet experience.

Lounge

With the modern spacious loft ambiance of the restaurant, it is nice to dine here with your partner especially that even during the noon, the place is filled with warm lights and you get the feeling of dining in a high-rise apartment away from your home.

The Unlimited Flavous of the Ocean (Part I)

The Unlimited Flavours of the Ocean (Part I) as themed for these new choice of menu, you can get a 4-course meal which includes the amuse bouche, appetizer, main and dessert at RM 79.90++. Also, with every purchase of the set meal, you can also a glass of Frontera Chardonnay wine at RM 15++ or a bottle for RM 75++. If you want to try just a few from the selection, the price ranges from RM 11.90++ to RM 39.90++ as a la carte.

So let us start from the appetizer down to the dessert.

Amuse Bouche Oyster Shot

Fresh oyster with lime and mango shot. RM 11.90. I am not a big fan of clams and oyster. But the way how the mango and lime killed the odor of the fresh oyster rocked this shot! Maybe next time, I will pour it into my mouth rather than a finesse-etiquette use of fork.

Seafood and Tomato

Slow braised seafood and fresh tomato soup. RM 16.90. With freshly squeezed tomato and herbs, this is a nice appetizer. Not the usual salty soup you will find.

Scallops

Pan seared scallops, green peas puree and fried sweet potato chips. RM 23.90. It was my first time to taste a fried sweet potato and it was nice. The fish was fried perfectly, oh wait, it was pan seared 🙂

King Prawns

Sautéed prawns, Saffron butter rice and young mango salad. RM 37.90. I guess the cost of the shrimp tossed this dish a bit far from your usual budget. Prawns are nice but I am more into protein meat.

Red Snapper

Pan fried red snapper with couscous and lemon butter. RM 39.90. This looks like a replica of sea creature on a sand. The couscous was a mimic of white sand, the leaves are from the sea weeds and the chicken-tasting red snapper in lemon butter sauce was great! This was my favorite!

Stuffed Squid

Baked squid stuffed with herbs rice, served with okra and seafood gumbo. RM 25.90. Did I say that one of two kinds of vegetables I do not eat is okra? Lady fingers have its own way of producing a slimy liquid which engrosses my taste buds. But even the okra was part of the dish or for me, being part of the plating, the squid stuffing was done nicely. It looks like it is the squid itself but with added carbs from the rice and herbs.

Brulee

Rich custard base topped with a hard layer of burn caramel. RM 13.90. Recommended serving is for two or I guess I have just been avoiding myself with too much sugar and fat. But I highly suggested this to be part of their main menu. Not that it is part of the seafood dish launch but the creme wasn’t too sweet nor bland, it was just enough. The added vanilla ice cream on top, though adding more calories to it, compliments the mild creamy and sweet taste of the creme brulee.

Buah Melaka

Palm sugar dumpling served with coconut ice cream. RM 12.90. This interests me because this is a local cuisine. I was hesistant to taste it because of the palm sugar, not that it was obviously sweet, but I just had my orthodontic braces adjusted yesterday and when I poked it with a fork, it was kind of hard. But nevertheless, the buah was very nice, very Malay in food profile. Much more when they added the coconut ice cream.

For more info on their branches, visit their website, http://www.atheapartment.com. The menu is available 11 AM onwards at KLCC and 6PM onwards at The Curve. Below are shots taken inside the restaurant and bar of The Apartment at The Curve.

Brand Spanking New at T.G.I. Friday's

Last March 15, T.G.I. Friday’s invited me to taste their new line of dishes which is mainly based on Tennessee cuisine. Alex and I went to Menara Hap Seng along Jalan P. Ramlee to witness the event. I have always been a fan of their classic and sumptuous ribs so I was actually excited to see that they are launching new dishes.

TGI Friday's Hap Seng

A few bloggers and some people from the local media were there to meet and be introduced to each other. After a few discussions, the meals were served and everyone shared and gave their thoughts. Personally, I like the BBQ, not just that the food profile is familiar to my liking , but it has this distinct sweet marinade which you will never find in other BBQ sauce. Also, the lamb meat from Osso Bucco is one of my bets. It is very moist and tender that I almost forgot that I had my orthodontic braces adjusted a few days back.

Interior

It is recognizable that most of the dishes are for not just for one serving, which is actually a good part. Dining has never been fun with yourself, so always make sure to tag along some friends or someone with you. Listed below are the nine new dishes, which I am sure, you will enjoy when you visit any Friday’s outlet nearby.

1. Osso Bucco
   Fall-of-the-bone tender lamb shank slow roasted with roasted vegetables and plum tomato sauce served over Cheddar Cheese mashed potatoes. RM 36.90
2. Championship BBQ Chicken
   Roasted half chicken grilled to perfection an topped with Championship BBQ sauce. Served with crispy onion rings and Cheddar cheese mashed potatoes. RM 28.90
3. Caribbean Wings
   Fire-grilled Caribbean-seasoned chicken wings glazed with an intense Tropical Spiced Sauce. RM 16.90
4. California Club Sandwich
   Mesquite smoked turkey breast, crispy beef bacon, turkey ham and Monterey Jack cheese on toasted ciabatta bread with tomatoes, shredded ROmaine lettuce, guacamole and mayonnaise. RM 24.90
5. Cobb Salad
   Diced, grilled chicken breast, crisp bacon, avocado, Cheddar cheese, hardboiled egg, black olives, tomatoes and crumbled Bleu cheese atop a bowl of fresh salad greens. Served with your choice of dressing, Ranch, Honey Mustard, Bleu Cheese, Low Fat Cilantro Lime, Caesar, Oilive Oil & Vinegar. RM 28.90
6. Garlic Spaghetti Vegetali
   Spaghetti gently tossed with extra virgin olive oil, fresh broccoli, tomatoes, radicchio, arugula, garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese and garnished with a crispy basil leaf. RM 19.90. Add chicken at RM 5.00
7. Bistro Shrimp & Asparagus Pasta
   Sauteed shrump summered with lemon sauce and garlic, tomato, asparagus and basil tossed with spaghetti and Parmesa cheese. RM 29.90
8. Grilled Snapper with tomato cucumber Vinaigrette
   Chargrilled snapper filet topped with fresh flavorful tomato-cucumber and basil vinaigrette. Served over savory rice with steamed broccoli. RM 32.90
9. Chocolate Cinnamon Crisps
   Crispy wonton squares with melted chocolate in the center and cinnamon dusted on top. WIth butterscotch topping and vanilla ice cream. Served with fresh strawberries. RM 12.90

TGI Friday's Brand Spanking New

Along with the new dishes, they Friday’s is also running a contest, “Brand Spanking New You“. To participate, just enjoy your dine at any Friday’s restaurant and fill out the contest coupon providing how would you rate your favorite lifestyle. Among these experiences include a trip to Universal Studios in Singapore, sky diving and flying lessons, a complete makeover package, being a DJ or pop star for a day, an all expense paid shopping trip, and many more!

Not to mention that I forgot to charge my speedlite batteries, for some good karma, after the lunch was served, they prepared another set of these meals outside so I took the advantage of taking shots of their new dishes using natural sunlight.

Euro Deli Matterhorn

I once saw on Jason’s post that they went for the biggest and baddest burger in Malaysia. So ever since, I was curious how this burger looks and tastes like in person.

Vange promised that she’ll treat us because it was her daughter’s birthday last week. And so, I suggested, the Matterhorn Challenge! Considering the fact that Ron, Alex and I go to the gym regularly and looking at Vange’s built, we’d finish a burger each! Ergo, we went!

We decided to order just one. Why? Because the net weight of the whole burger including all the condiments, garnish, breads and patty is a whopping 2.7 kilogams! The burger takes more than an hour of cooking, well, obviously that the whole more-than-an-inch pork patty needs to be baked. So, a few German sausage is enough to fill in our starving stomachs.

Sausages

After more than an hour of waiting and voila! Even the guests beside our tables were taking pictures of the burger! There’s no way that a man could finish and win the Matterhorn challenge. Oh well, someone did before. If you are interested to join the contest, just sign the waiver and eat the whole thing in 45 minutes! You’ll get your burger for free, 100 RM prize, a picture on their Hall of Fame and additional points on your Gluttony sin.

Matterhorn

As expected, we were not able to finish the whole burger. We only consumed 3/4 of it!

Slice it!

The patty is ok. Well done. The bacon was awesome! And the rest comes in grandeur size but seeing and tasting this burger is more than fulfilling enough.

4 Tips to Jumpstart Weight Loss

When doing an intense workout such as P90X or attending any group exercise class routines require intense energy. Successful weight loss comes down to how much intake in your body and how much is your output – while in the process of increasing the energy and calories you’re burning.

I have listed some 4 basic changes you can do to maximize your goals without having too much impact on your daily routine and lifestyle:

Do not drink any colored and tasted liquids.

Sodas contain a huge amount of sugar which your body doesn’t really need on an hourly basis. Not to mention it contains phosporic acid and carbonated water, which may induce hyperacidity.

Instead of having instant juice or a Coca-Cola or Pepsi, grab a clean and refresing water. You will be amazed how much weight you will lose if you stop drinking colored liquids.

Labels are important.

When you’re at the grocery, take some time to read the caloric content of the food you’re picking. Take consideration if it has high amount of sugar, fats and sodium. Some may be tricky because they will show a decent amount of caloric content but you would be surprised that it one pack maybe already be 2 to 4 servings. So in basic arithmetic, that is 2 or 4 times more on the label!

Look at the example at the left. A pack of this contains 2 servings. It brings 500 calories and 220 of it is solely from fat. You would want to avoid those food that have trans fat because those are very bad cholesterol.  I usually prefer looking at the % Daily Value because the nutritional content of each individual is different, percentage makes it more appropriate in doing your own calculations.

Also, do not ignore micronutrients. These are beneficial not just in your holistic nutrition, but also in transporting the macronutrients. If you can do good mental math, based the percentages from your required daily intake. Usually, these labels are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Eat smaller and frequent meals.

If you’re used into eating 3 to 4 times in a normal day, increasing the frequency to 6 to 7 a day won’t hurt much. As long as you divide the servings into 2 to 3 servings from your normal ones.

Your body needs more energy when you’re eating more frequently thus, making your metabolism faster. Besides, you would rarely feel food coma when you’re doing this.

 

Healthy snacks are better.

DO NOT EAT JUNK FOOD. I could not stress how much important this is. Did you know that 5 pieces of potato chips is as equal as to eating a cup of white rice? Not to mention that it takes harder to burn, because you’re not just consuming carbohydrates and additional sodium, but also, the fat from the cooking oil.

Munching on healthy nuts, fruits and fresh vegetables are more considerable than overloaded sugar of cookies and candies. Just make sure you’re eating these healthy snacks in moderation.