Mexican Food: The Shepherdoo Restaurant and Lounge @ One City Mall

Hola!

In case you're wondering, I am working towards making my passion an even better and more useful passion - pairing my love for food with my passion for writing. :)

Today, I'mma be writing on a Mexican eatery where we had dinner at 2 Sundays ago - The Shepherdoo Restaurant and Lounge.

The outlet that we dined at was located in One City Mall. FYI, they also have an outlet at Centro Mall, Klang.

Some shots of their interior deco.
Basically, it was quite dark in the restaurant. I did edit the brightness of the photos below so that you won't be looking at nothing. lol

View from outside in

View of inside out. You get the picture. -.-

We got to the eatery about 6:00PM as we had a dinner slot booked at 6:15PM. Dinner crowd was fairly mild with only a handful of tables occupied. Also, from the pictures above, you'll see that they've got capacity for a huge group of diners as they have a section upstairs. Plus point! But it wasn't open when we got there due to the many available seats downstairs.

The menu looks rather torn heh.

As we were rather unfamiliar with mexican dishes, we took long enough before deciding on what to order individually.  Thankfully, food was served approximately 15 minutes later.

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Mum's order: Mexicana Gourmet Fajitas (Combo, i.e. all-in-one) - RM34.80

Dish description

Served traditionally on a sizzling hot skillet with mixed peppers and onions, tossed with The Shepherdoo's blend of spices. Served with sour cream, guacamole plus homemade salsa along with warm flour tortillas.

Verdict: The combo includes mixed wild mushrooms, chicken strips and flame-grilled beef. We were forewarned that it was gonna be a spicy order. Indeed, our tongues were flamed. LOL Portion of the fajitas was aplenty, and the 4 tortilla wraps (served in a covered flat pot which was a great idea to keep it warm!) was definitely not enough. We ended up picking from mum's fajitas to be savoured with our own orders.

The sour cream had a cheesy mashed-potato like texture. It was lacking in taste, but I'm definitely not complaining! This is because, when it is used as a topping for the fajitas and wrap, it worked well to complement the dish rather than it's taste overcoming the main. Guacamole was so-so, as it was lacking in texture. I'd prefer a guacamole slightly less smoothly blended and liquid. Also, the salsa was thumbs up!

Overall verdict: 7/10


Next up, it was the BF's order.
The Shepherdoo's Gringo Burger - RM23.80

Dish description

Juicy beef patty made from premium South American topside, turkey bacon, egg, lemon mayo and cheddar cheese. 

Served up in a toasted sesame seed bun with a side of cajun aioli, along with seasoned curly fries and crisp salad. 

(Note: For non-beef eaters, this is exchangeable for Chicken patties, upon request)

Verdict: I had a mouthful of this and thought it was quite a forgettable one. Portion wise was fine. But apparently their "seasoned curly fries" comes in the size of wedges. Heh! For me, a burger patty (be it, beef or chicken) should be juicy, thick and not dry. The Shepherdoo's beef patty was okay, nothing exceptionally juicy nor is it dry. Definitely incomparable to the excellent ones you can get at FatBoy's. ;)

Overall verdict: 5/10


Then came Daddy's order: Taco-Taco - RM23.50

Dish description

Fish wrapped in tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, chipotle aioli, sour cream and cheese. Served with a side of miniature nachos!

From the photos both above and below, you can judge for yourself on the portion for this dish.

I wouldn't be able to comment on the tortilla-wrapped-fish as it came only with 2 pathetic wraps and was definitely insufficient to feed Daddy alone, what more to share it with us. Heh But as you can see, the fish fillet was fairly small as compared to the reasonable size of tortilla wrap. The wrap and the fish fillet looked crispy-ly delicious though! Hmm, wish it was served in a bigger portion so we could all try!

As for the nachos, it was INDEED miniature as what was described on the menu. We couldn't resist from snapping up a piece or two each and Daddy was left with even miniature portion of nachos. :P

Overall verdict: For the price that you're gonna pay for this dish, I'd say, it's not worth the price at all! So, don't even bother trying. 2/10


Lastly, and the BEST ORDER OF THE DAY! Pasta ala Pollo - RM20.80

Dish description

Mexican rubbed chicken breast, char-grilled with caramelised pineapple and tomato relish on a bed of sauteed spinach pasta.

By the looks of the pasta, I'm sure your appetite is immediately turned on.

Verdict
Firstly, the chicken breast was well marinated and tender. It tasted like the good ol' Ayamas chicken (if not better) that I was very fond of during my primary school days where Sundays was always an Ayamas dine-in day. Whether or not it was Mexican-ly marinated, I can't tell. But one thing's for sure, it was tasty, VERY VERY tasty!

As for the pasta, it was pesto-kind. My parents were fairly unfamiliar with this pasta-style. But when they took the first forkfull of it, they couldn't stop nodding their head (indicating the extent of yummyness) lol. It was good, although when compared to the ones I've had at Italiannies (unfortunately they do not serve pesto anymore) this would be considered average. All in all, it was well al-dente. Good job!

With the salsa sides, it gave a tangy feel to this dish but it didn't boost any flavour to the dish; meaning, this dish would be great with or without it. Heh.

It was an instant crowd favorite. Daddy Mummy said that it was the most worth it dish that we ordered that night. Portion was great; even after generously sharing my pasta and slices of chicken breast with my parents and the BF, I had aplenty to feast on myself! A perfect way to say, "sharing is caring!" :P

Overall verdict: 10/10

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Food aside, I was pretty unimpressed with the service there. Well, not a surprising downside considering the country that we're living in doesn't really emphasize on a good-service culture.

There were no waiters to usher us into the restaurant nor anyone to help with getting us a table, or rather, checking with us on our reservation made until we walked way into the restaurant for someone to notice us.

Also, if you are an avid self-proclaimed food-photographer like me (ahem..), then this place is probably an eatery you may wanna consider bringing a spotlight. Otherwise, your food photos will not be Instagram-worthy and will turn out grainy. As you can see, the food photo for Mummy's order was extremely bright because we couldn't quite get hold of the angle of the flash (from the BF's Samsung S4) to shine towards the food. After a few shots, we finally got the angle right, and TADA! Pretty food photos for yall! ;)

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Location

A-GF-08, Ground Floor
Sky Park One City,
Jalan USJ 25/1
Subang Jaya, Selangor

Do not be misled by the "Sky Park One City". It is located at Ground Floor, NOT at the famous Sky Park area @ Level 10.

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Hungry bangry. Till the next time!

Cafe Hunting: Flat White in SS15

I am no coffee addict. Coffee keeps my heart rate at an increased rate that I can not cope. LOL In other words, coffee makes me feel sick.

Cafe hunting to me, is all about the breakfasts that they offer. Just last Sunday, we had a celebrative reason to feast, so we decided on Flat White as it was one that I've never been to.

"20 steps to awesome coffee. It's worth the climb!"

Flat White's cafe concept: Get the menu from the counter or lift your heavy heads from your phones to look at the menu on the wall.

Make your order at the counter and upon paying, you'll get a little tin box with your order number where food will be served later on.

Food was served within 15minutes. 

The BF ordered the Big Breakfast - RM23.

Verdict: Portion wise was fairly reasonable and filling. However, do note that they serve their bacons in beef and sausages ala chicken, which means, this is a NO PORK eatery.

It looked good, tasted great! Plus, their chicken sausages had some interesting tinge of spicyness to it that I like. Scrambled eggs and sauteed mushrooms were also thumbs up. Beef Bacon was fine. Their hash brown was a personal favourite by him <3 Overall verdict - 8/10

I ordered a Club Sandwich for RM18.

 

Verdict: Portion wise was good, with fries and salad as sides. The sandwich looked good, with ham, lettuce, tomato cubes, just enough mayonnaise and chicken thighs in between as fillings. 

BUT, as I sank my teeth into the first bite, I tasted fats in the chicken in the sandwich. A point to note, I, for one, cannot stand having fats in my chicken, or pork or whatever else. These fats send shivers down my spine and it gives me the feeling that the meat has not been cleaned properly.

Of course, I am not saying this about Flat White la. Just what I feel about "fats" on ma meat y'know??

Photo below is a shot of the amout of "fats" that I picked out from the chicken fillings in my Club Sandwich. And yes, I picked them all out, little as they may be, they are equally as disgusting for me. :3

Overall verdict: I spent too much time picking out the fats, I ended up with cold hard toast. 4/10

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Overall impression

The cafe was fairly quiet for a Sunday brunch hour. I liked that the crowd was mild and quiet kind with students coming in for coffee and study. But they have such heavy chairs, I ended up creating noise pollution whenever I was getting up to get serviettes, etc. LOL

Also, the barista and staff were not really friendly nor welcoming. It felt like my presence as a customer was not noticed at all. I am pointing this out because if you compare their service here with other Cafes, be it around Bangsar, or PJ area, or even Subang la... most cafes have really friendly staff who'd shout a loud "Welcome" as soon as you step into the cafe. :)

All in all, I would not be making a return visit anytime soon nor recommend it to anyone wanting to try out some good brunch place in my neighbourhood. But if I do make a return visit, Big Breakfast will be my to-order item. Also, I've read reviews that their Nutella Cappucino is real good stuff. Try it if you're dining here!

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Location

73, Jalan SS15/8A,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor

It is located directly opposite Asia Cafe at SS15, same row as Starbucks Coffee. The sign is fairly easy to spot, a black and white "Flat White".  Also, it is located at Level 1.\


Till the next yum-yum, xx.

Thai Food: Bua Thai Cuisine Bistro (Damansara Uptown)

Those of you who follow me on Instagram/ Facebook/ (better yet) reads my blog would know that I have just gotten back from Thailand.  To be honest, food in Thailand was the least I expect to enjoy during my trip after a few research and feedback that I got from friends who recently visited Thailand. I expected right.

To my surprise, however, I was able to find much better tasting Thai food in my homeland, Malaysia.

So, here is my write-up on a recent visit to one of the many Thai eateries in Petaling Jaya - Bua Thai Cuisine Bistro; all thanks to a friend who got us a Groupon voucher. ;)

It was a weekday dinner threesome for us ladies. 

A shot of their entrance
(The bicycle is for delivery of food within the vicinity of Uptown, I'd suppose)

 An outdoor dining experience for those who smoke

The indoor dining area

Thankfully, we were the first diners there for the evening @ 7PM. Doubts filled our thoughts on whether the food would be good. Hmm

The lady owner approached us whilst we were still browsing through the menu at the entrance. Then we proceeded in and she helped with some recommended dishes in a friendly manner.

Ordering process was quick and she left us to decide on what to order for drinks whilst she keyed in our order and went off in to the kitchen to prep the food.

Decided on a Pandan Lemongrass drink - RM3.50

Verdict: Was soothing and refreshing but wished the lemongrass taste/aroma was stronger. Also, we couldn't spot any hint of pandan. Portion of the drink was just right. Lasted us until the end of the meal. Hah! 7/10

We were served with our food sooner than expected, which was a good thing 'cus we were all starved from work!

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First dish: Mango Salad - RM12

Verdict: The mango was sour and had a tinge of sweetness to it. This mango dish has a good mixture of crunchy raw onions, peanuts and had a nice deco of mint leaves. Definitely a good way to kickstart our appetite! The portion looked small initially, but as we dug into it, we realised that there was more than it looked. 8/10 :)

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Next up: Jasmine Rice - RM2.50

I'm a sucker for carbs. Chinese saying of "饭桶" is the perfect description for me. Can't imagine myself living in western countries where rice is considered a luxury. Thank goodness they've potatoes which I love.

Verdict: Ordinary plate of rice with a slight hint of fragrance. The eatery may have mixed normal rice with the aromatic Jasmine rice. Just my wild guess. 6/10

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Then came our star dishes for the evening.

Kangkung Belacan - RM12

Verdict: Compared to the Thai-style Kangkung dish that I had in Thailand which tasted sweet for some reasons; I am glad we picked this. The paste used to stir fry the Kangkung tasted just right for my tastebuds. But, I wished it came in a bigger serving or maybe because it was tasty to my liking I wished I had more to savour heh. Then again, if you are looking for a spicy kinda Kangkung belacan, I guarantee you, this is NOT. 7/10

Next, it was the Tom Yum Goong (Seafood) - RM18

Verdict: This was DA BOMB. I loved it! Loved the way it was served, the taste and fragrant, the tomyum-ness was top! BUT, yes but, I think their definition of seafood is somewhat distorted because what we found in the soup was mostly Oyster Mushrooms, handful of fishballs, some sliced sotong, tomatoes and 2 fairly sized prawns. Hmm, I'm assuming the chef expected the 3 of us to share the 2 prawns? Or perhaps one has to sacrifice for the enjoyment of the other 2. We ended up with the latter. Lol!

I was one of the lucky 2 that got a taste of the prawn. For the benefit of my friend who didn't get a taste of it, yes, it was fresh :P

Do note however, there was a slight fishy taste in the fishballs.

Photo below is our own serving of the Tom Yum Goong.

Each of us had at least 3 helpings from the huge pot which was *thumbs up*! This pot of goodness is not meant for the weak-hearted. For someone who enjoys and needs her daily spicy dose, the spicyness level for this pot of goodness is 8/10! Spot the dried chilli in my bowl of Tom Yum Goong. I was sweating whilst enjoying this dish! And yes, this is way better than the Tom Yum Goong that I had in Krabi, Thailand.

Overall verdict on the Tom Yum Goong (Seafood) - 9/10

Finally, the long awaited dish, Pandan Chicken - RM15

The last dish took quite a while to come out from the kitchen. But, the owners took the initiative to come to our table several times to inform us that it may take longer time for this dish to be served; understandably due to the fact that the chicken is wrapped in pandan leaves hence it needs longer time to cook?? Haha

Verdict: My dinner dates commented that it tasted like any ordinary chicken. For me, the chicken thigh was quite juicy although we couldn't taste the pandan-ness in the chicken, which very well means it defeated the name of the dish. Still, the chicken was well marinated and tender. 7/10

Also, when we ordered this dish, I requested for chicken breast but was advised against it by the lady owner as she had tried the recipe using chicken breast and it turned out less juicy and hard. I liked that she explained it rather than agreeing to my request and gave me chicken thighs instead when the dish was served. :)

When we were done with the above dishes, we were stuffed to the brim!

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Even so, it was dessert time! God made us ladies for a reason - to always have tummy space for dessert! :P

In our case, it was dessertS. 

First up, Red Ruby - RM6

Verdict: Loved the generous amount of Jackfruit slices. But we thought that the amount of ice shave in this dessert was too much causing the sweetness to be diluted. 4/10

BTW, can anyone tell me what is the red coloured little round balls in this Red Ruby dessert?

I didn't know that it was a famous Thai dessert prior to this. How did I found out? Through the handful of likes I got on FB (which I seldom get for food photos on FB) and also a comment from a friend telling me it is her favourite thai dessert!

Next, we also ordered the Pumpkin Glutinous Ball - RM6

Verdict: We enjoyed this dessert more as compared to the Red Ruby. This is a hot dessert filled with LOADS of Sago. The amount of coconut milk in the dessert was just nice. But the pumpkin glutinous balls seemed to lack texture. It was too soft and perhaps a lil more pumpkin taste would have made this a perfect dessert to end our night. 7/10

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Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience here at Bua Thai Cuisine Bistro. The prices are reasonable and the portion of its dishes are satisfactory. The total bill came up to RM95+ for the 3 of us. We definitely over-ordered but it was worth the bloated tummies because we got to try a variety of their dishes. All thanks to the Groupon voucher! :D

Bua Thai Cuisine Bistro
70G, Jalan SS21/62, Damansara Utama

It is located at the same row as Jojo Pan Mee at Damansara Uptown, i.e. facing the road from NKVE headed towards Sprint highway's direction. It is located at the row behind OCBC bank. Also, this shop is next to QQ Noodle House (if this serves as any help lol). 

Dinner crowd comes in around 7:30PM to 8:00PM. But fret not, as the crowd isn't big at all. It is a cozy place for a nice catch up session with friends/ family, or even a simple Thai dinner date.

Got my tummy growling after drafting this post. Time to head out for dinner! ;)

Best Massage in Krabi, Thailand

Oh hai! Spending ma Friday night blogging away...

I'mma be sharing about my virgin massage experiences in Thailand; well, in specific, Krabi!

TIP!

If you're on a beach getaway and intend to try out the local massage; be it, Traditional Thai Massages to Aromatherapy Thai Massages... DO NOT, I repeat, do not, get your skin sun burnt.

During our recent trip to Krabi, we did some homework on the best massage in Ao Nang.  Of course, TripAdvisor would lead you on to those premium ones that a budget traveller cannot afford.  Then again, if you scroll down the list, you'll be able to spot one - Let's Sea, Let's Relax.

The name itself was quite peculiar and sounded lame initially, but the reviews were great! We tried to locate the official website for the massage parlour but to no avail. We thought, it's okay! It shall be an adventure of locating it. I mean, c'mon... Ao Nang can't be THAT big right.....

So came the day when we arrived at Krabi.

Got to the hotel and in the midst of checking in, the front desk personnel requested for us to choose between a traditional Thai massage complimentary with our stay (included therein the Living Social voucher that we bought for our hotel stay) vs. a traditional Thai dinner.

My instantaneous choice was: GIMME MY VIRGIN THAI MASSAGE PLSSS~

Decided to have our complimentary thai massage at Ao Nang Cliff Beach Resort's Infinity Spa on that day itself, later in the afternoon.  In between, we walked out to explore a lil into the streets of Ao Nang - food hunt and island-tour hunt.

Guess what!? The BF managed to spot Let's Sea, Let's Relax in no time! Best of all? It was located right across our hotel.  How great!

A day view of the sign

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Complimentary Thai Massage @ Infinity Spa, Ao Nang Cliff Beach Resort

Overall, I'd describe my virgin massage experience (aka pain level) to be quite hard, even though I had requested for my masseuse to give me a light session.  Mainly because my body is not used to it.

I loved the fact that we had a feet scrub thingy before entering into our designated room.

I also loved the fact that we were placed in a super dark room that was conducive for dozing off (but due to the pain, there was obviously no dozing off for me haha).  Also, we had to change into this traditional clothing where we learned how to wear the huge giant pants in a comfy manner! The masseuse helped us tie it firmly yet so comfortably.  My body was in love with the material. :D My masseuse's grip was firm and yes, it was strong and some parts were mad painful.

OKAY, I'll just admit that I'm not used to it k! :3 Next!! Show you some photos first...

A shot from the inside looking out

Light warm tea after the massage session

Nice surroundings. So zen~

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Let's Sea, Let's Relax [a.k.a. AttA Rak]

A night view of the outlet

After our complimentary Thai massage above by our hotel, we spent the next day getting a good tan on our 4-Island Tour.  When we got back to Ao Nang that night after an eventful dinner, we decided to check out AttA Rak on its service offerings and what the prices are like, y'know, in case they went over our budget.

What we found out:

Opening hours: Opens at 10AM & their last session is at 9PM
A basic traditional Thai massage is priced at THB300 for a 60-minute session

The receptionist spoke fairly good English. She advised us if our skin was feeling prickly and painful just by touching it, Aloe Vera Refreshing Massage would be more advisable as compared to the traditional Thai Massage and the Aromatherapy one.

We were contemplating whether or not to get a massage there and then. But decided against it and come back again the next morning.  The receptionist also shared with us that evenings are usually their busy period and rooms may be full then.  On the contrary, mornings are usually the less busy time (presumably because tourists would rather go island hopping and do beach activities then).

We returned the next morning after a wholesome breakfast.

The entrance

This is what greets you downstairs :)

Foot wash with salt before entering the room

Slippers on!

... and the massage begins!

We took the Aloe Vera Massage for Sun Burn with Pure Aloe Vera - THB700 for a 60-minute session.

Overall, the masseuse was extremely good! Loved the amount of pressure she placed on my body.  They mean it when they call it a full body massage. Hahaha Was dressed only in underwear (a SUPER comfy cotton and disposable one provided by them) and the massage even included a lil part of my butt. HAHA

The aloe vera smells really good, cooling and refreshing! As she was approaching my extremely sun burnt shoulders, the massage became more gentle. After that, she even asked if I was okay with having aloe vera massage on my face as well. See what I mean when they say it is a full body massage? haha

Now, time for some other photos of the place...

A view of our room

Sweet tea and icey cold towel to cool ourselves before our session. Nice!

Warm tea after the massage sesh :)

Enjoyed this experience the most! If I ever return to Krabi again, I'd definitely make a return visit to this place!

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Okay, goodnight nao! Weekend tomorrow... So I get to stay up! Heh!