Bankara Ramen - Avenue K KL

I must admit, I love Ramen and I'll never get bored of eating a whole bowl of this comfort food no matter how often I eat it. It's definitely an Ultimate Meal-In-A-Bowl! Ramen soup is definitely a fix that works especially when you have a hangover and your head is pounding so badly. 

Upon the entry way going through the Japanese curtains, we were already hit by a soothing fog of pork and garlic. Embracing the philosophy of "Cooking by Heart", Bankara Ramen has finally arrived to Malaysia almost a year ago after its great expansion of outlets spanning across Japan, Indonesia and also Thailand. They emphasise to serve the customers tantalising dining experience with imported ingredients, as one would expect if one was dining in Japan.

Here, the Tonkotsu Chashu has an opaque white colored broth. As known, tonkatsu broth is boiled for more than 20 hours dissolving all the great deal of collagen and converting them into a rich, creamy and warming broth. It is nicely paired with full toppings of their signature Kakuni, extra large serving of spring onion and few big slices of seaweed. There it is, thick and layered with tons of flavors in one pipping hot bowl.

The signature bowl is the Kakuni Bankara Ramen. It is a medium size noodle served with Chashu, bamboo shoots, dried seaweeds and topped with its signature braised pork belly. The noodles here are made in perfect hardness with untangle noodles. Here, the Kakuni Ramen is served with an additional slab of steamed pork belly. The massive slab of pork belly are slow stewed for long, long hours, going outstandingly well with the broth. The toppings cover all the texture bases from tender to chewy to meaty to slick. 

Shina Soba is a Chinese style inspired ramen with a lighter soup based pairing with Chashu and Japanese onions. Shin Soba has a lighter color which brings forth the refreshing flavor. Don't forget to add in an extra feature of the shop - Crushed  Raw Garlic into your superbly springy noodles. The plenty of mild garlic in the broth doubled up on the flavoring with a sharper, spicy element to the ramen.

During weekdays, they do serve special selection of diner sets for two or four pax, running from 6pm for Mondays - Thursday only. One small disappointment, most of the ramen bowls are not paired with ajitsuke tamago (marinated soft boiled eggs). They are only available in a separate side dish.

In current, they only have their first outlet in Avenue K and another upcoming outlet will be in Mid Valley real soon. With the ramen craze popping all over the nation, we are confident that Bankara Ramen is going to become one of the top ten list of ramen in town.

Bankara Ramen Malaysia

2nd Floor, Avenue K, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

03-21818618

Hubba Hubba at Ceylon - Invito Hotel Suites KL

With its adventurous tagline of "Hooked On Life!", Hubba Hubba at Ceylon features a contemporary chic design overlaid with a relaxed dining aesthetic to relieve the stresses. Under the same umbrella of SOUL Society Group which are behind brands such as Souled Out, Tujo and WIP, Hubba Hubba's offering is encompassed in its meaning of exclamation and excitement. Tucked away in Bukit Ceylon, Hubba Hubba is the new spot for great dining experience complemented by well-crafted cocktails and wine selections.

This latest eatery is transformation of restaurant into a playful party hub at night. It features wide, high ceilings, exotic pink container backdrops plagued with funky style graffiti.  

The bar also features an electric compilation of signature drinks including Martinis, beer towers and flavored teas mixing with crushed fruits and designed by the in-house mixologists.

Lets start our food journey over here! A generous portion of tender Sirloin Steak (RM48) served with black pepper sauce, brunoise mushroom, petite salad and sweet potato fries. Medium-rare is my preferred way to eat the boneless sirloin. Here, the steak met the utmost importance, keeping it tender, juicy and flavorful. And the huge cut definitely well-worth the reasonable price tag.

Don't forget to get your hot rods in Hubba Hubba too! In combination with the raw flames of charcoal grill, their latest introductory of Chargrilled Spicy Sweet Boneless Chicken (RM60) was a hit with us. Grilled boneless chicken thighs, lightly dusted with honey. The grilled skewers are made to be shared pairing with 12 mouth watering sauces. We were all fascinated to try out the different senses of taste, to the sensation in the taste buds!

The skewers are complimented with unlimited sides. The best part, they poured out a mixed bucket full of Sweet Potato Fries & Potato Wedges. The combination of both fries and wedges was perfectly balanced with great flavors of sweet, spicy and salty!

We also ordered one of their pastas, Creamed Fettuccine served with Mushrooms and Spinach (RM28). The pasta was prepared with a lighter and simple cream sauce instead of a heavy one. The sauce was thin, slight watery and with little flavor.

YES, they aren't kidding! They are offering the "10,10.10" deal - RM10 for beers, liquors and sangria for 10 hours, Everyday! We truly enjoyed our Peach and Watermelon Martinis!

It's definitely a marvelous spot to kick back a few impeccable drinks topping up with a vast array of scrumptious delights and not to forget remarkable service and friendliest vibes. It also has another outlet nestled in Menara CIMB, Sentral with memorable outdoor setting.

Hubba Hubba at Bukit Ceylon

1, Lorong Ceylon, Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur. (Invito Hotel Suites)

017-7867611

South Sea Seafood Restaurant - Kg. Baru Subang

Want to have the typical Chinese seafood but with a view overlooking the airport runway and exclusive selections of wines, hand picked from various wine cellar around the world ? Here, South Sea Seafood Restaurant provide you one of the finest dinning with aquarium seafood experience. When you step through the entrance, you enter a spacious, air-conditioned indoor and al-fresco dinning spaces created. It's suitable for both classy dinning purposes as well as for celebrating your special occasions over here. 

This newly refurbished restaurant is located on the outskirts of the iconic Subang airport. The restaurant features Balinese and Thai interior decorating ideas, well-designed to give you that perfect dining experience. It gets really crowded especially during peak meal times. We came here during dinner time and it was pretty busy inside and out with patrons. Reservations are recommended.

At South Sea's they craft dishes only with the fresh seafood from the aquarium and prepared with a dedication and paired by an enviable selection of unique wines. They showcase their wide selection of fresh seafood such as spider crabs. lobsters, clams etc in the various huge aquariums. Workers will fish out those seafood once you've made your order.

We are able to order the fresh seafood from the aquarium. The menu offers several standard cooking chinese cooking styles and complement them with a bottle of wine or fresh beer. What else distinguish South Sea from the typical chinese seafood restaurant? The impressive in-house wine cellar definitely sets them in high spirits with great choices of whites, reds and even champagne.

First, we had the Kung-Po Prawn Mantis. The Mantis Prawn was flavorful, well prepared with nice fragrance and decorations.

We also ordered one of my favorites, Stir-Fried Squid with Salted Egg. However, the dish didn't meet the standards. These squids were soft and not-chewy texture. We definitely expected well-seasoned chewy squids with crunchy texture outside.

Same goes to the well-decorated Signature Seafood Tofu with homemade sauce, the dish portion was a little small and nothing much to shout about.

Be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes or more especially for their famous dishes. We had the rich and creamy Seafood Otak-otak with homemade spices wrapped and grilled on the sizzling plate.

After finished all the dishes, here came the last one, Stir-Fried Crabs with Seafood Soy Sauce. Their basics were pretty standard, which did not really impress us.

The restaurant caters mid-to-upper class consumers, not forgetting they are also pork-free to target our Muslim friends. Overall, it's not a truly memorable feast. Considering the steeper prices of the dishes, we would definitely expect a higher quality food with slightly bigger portion as well.  Perhaps, we should come back to splurge for their signature dish, Spider Crab which would cost minimum RM 1k and above.

Come for the pleasant restaurant environment, the food and services require further attention and improvement. 

South Sea Seafood Restaurant (Subang Airport)

No. 229, Jalan Dua A, Kampung Baru Subang, 40150 Selangor D.Ehsan, Malaysia.

Phone: 03 7846 5813

Sangkaya, Jibril - SS15 Subang Jaya

In Malaysia, Thai street food needs no further introduction, they are simply fabulous. Thais adapt a unique tradition of delectable desserts that often play on the indigenous flavors of coconuts, fresh fruits, pancakes and sticky rice.  Nuts about Coconuts? Originated from the land of coconut curries, Thai coconut ice cream (I-dtim mat phrao) is a brilliant one that one can be whipped up in no time!

The little back alleys of Subang SS15 are always filled with various surprises. Sangkaya's coconut ice-cream stall is definitely a treasure tucked in a back alley sharing the same row with Oregi Restaurant. Now, you no longer need to travel all the way to hunt for the famous must-eat coconut ice cream in Bangkok's Chatucak Weekend Market. 

Here is the classic Thai coconut ice cream made with coconut milk rather than cow's milk that sweetens up most of the hottest evenings. Sangkaya's extra coco-nutty ice cream (RM10) only take few minutes to assemble. The diary-free ice cream has an additional creamy texture that makes you feel excel milk based ice creams!

You can opt to jazz it up with different flavors and toppings, people love it sprinkled with chopped peanuts,cornflakes and served in tiny coconut bowls. However, in my opinion it is perfect as it, not overpoweringly sweet and refreshing. It could not be simpler and it could not be better!

Many of us will just end up dropping by or take away a bowl of coconut ice-cream at the Sangkaya's coconut ice cream stall. Out of nowhere, you should push the fake brick-wall open. What's most secretive hidden behind this small ice-cream shop is a lounge, cafe named Jibril. Jibril is the "speakeasy" cafe that gives no hint of its entrance.  Lounge but no booze? Jibril is a non-alcoholic lounge or cafe, highlighting its specialty mocktails and coffee.

You can either indulge your coconut ice cream in this dark lounge, or order from Jibril's food and drinks menu. Jibril also takes pride of its affordable and unique food menu. Will definitely return for dinner to try out their signature Salted Egg Butter Chicken, Meatballs and Ribs!

For the interior, Jibril has done an amazing job of creating authentic 'speakeasy' and low-key environment. They modeled the lounge in a vintage, dimly lit atmosphere. You can simply relax,chill and soak up the unique and classy atmosphere.

With so many speakeasy-style bars all over KL, Jibril stands out as a perfect blend of atmosphere, environment and people. A great cafe that offers food and non-alcohol drinks which can be shared with everyone.

Sangkaya Coconut Ice Cream, Jibril Lounge

25 Jalan SS15/4B, Subang Jaya, Selangor. 

Mon-Thurs:12pm-12am; Fri: 230pm-12am; Sat-Sun: 12pm-12am