Restoran New Formosa, SS2: Happy birthday, Legs!

She's blessed with beauty that rivals that of Aphrodite, enviously endless legs, brains no less and is a domesticated lady that will make any husband proud. Very proud.

To cut it short, she used to be my Girl-Next-Cubicle. (how i miss u nao, Legs!)

We celebrated her birthday last week!



Anyway, Legs has been dying to go to New Formosa Restaurant since last year. And the birthday girl got her wish. :)

We braved the rain and horrendous LDP traffic from all corners of KL to get to the eatery located in SS2 right after working hours.

Deciding what to eat was a gargantuan challenge. See what I mean.

"I'm thinking."

"Ermmm, still thinking."

"I see you think, I also don't wanna lose. Me shall thinks too..."

"So... what to order ah...?"

.

.

.

.

.

.

Which led to these:

1. Fried Butter Eel

You can't go wrong with butter. And unagi.

A beautiful crossover of flavours and texture, if I may say so.

Spot the sprinkly stuff atop the fried eel pieces? Those were fine biscuit crumbs stir-fried with aromatic fried curry leaves. I whacked so much daun kari that I thought a pottu would grow on me forehead soon. Legs was secretly singling out the fiery fried cili padi to eat. Seriously, damn syiok getting the kick out from those booby traps.

2. 3-cup-Chicken (三杯雞)

三杯雞 is characterised by the use of basil (九岑塔) as its key ingredient. Basil is an acquired taste. Either you love it or you hate it.

In this 三杯雞 dish, the distinctive smell of this pungent herb thoroughly permeated the dish, lending its signature scent to the chicken pieces which were tender and not overly done. Its smell was most alluring, gently wafting through our nostrils. Not to forget, a bowl of rice would be most lovely to ladle the heavenly gravy over, thank you.

3. Braised Mee Suah

Forgive me but I really could not recall how this carbo dish tasted. And it's one of their signature dish. The horror. :x

All I remember was lapping up the mee suah which really warmed up my tummy in the chilly room. I do recall thinking it was not bad because of the katsuo bushi (bonito) broth. Have a go at it yourself k?

4. Stir fried String beans (四季豆)

Do not underestimate this plate of greens. It was so nicely done that we openly professed our love for it. Lightly stir-fried Szechuan style with preserved radish, it wasn't greasy at all even though the picture deceivingly looked so.

5. Enoki mushroom with lala and 蒂皇苗

Personally, this was a disappointment. The 蒂皇苗was the saving grace as it was fresh and crunchy. We were told that there were lalas, but could only find minute bits and pieces of the morsels inside.

Daughter of God commented:"They must have blended the lala in this dish. So hard to find."

5. Caramelised Fried Yam

We had this delightful dessert to clean the palate.

Hot! Hot! Hot! And they take the plunge.
Ice cold!

Wispy strands of caramel still clinging onto the plate...

As Legs put it,

"Crispy on the outside, soft in the inside. Delish!"

And here, I'm proposing.... anyone want Legs as their food model? Call me ya.

Happy belated birthday, gorgeous!

And what better way to end this post with a good ol' fashioned group photo. :)

New Formosa Restaurant

46, Jalan SS2/24,

Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7875 1894

Vintage draws: Part 1

I'm an old soul in certain ways.

Vintage and antiques,
I find pleasure in adoring.

Stained glass.
Absolutely, absolutely in LOVE with them.

I'd look at those in my bedroom, tracing the intricate designs on the colourful slates till I fall into deep slumber. It's inexplainable how much comfort I find in them.





Mosaic tiles are another favourite of mine.

Sharing some that I traced my steps on in Ipoh and Taiping, Perak.

These black and white ones are rather contemporary.

I like these because... they're identical to the ones at grandma's.

Very coffee shoppish. Kopi kau, satu! :)

Blues... blues..... blues~~~

Randomly placed orange pieces but still so pretty.

During one of my previous Penang trip, I found some lovely mosaics too....

Earthen and light grey paired with blush pink mosaic...

Note the 3D effect. Charming.

Monotone yet psychdelic.... intriguing.

There were so many others that i regret not taking now.

Well, there's always room for a next trip. :)

Foh San: Oh Screwww!

A rustic sight that greets upon welcome...

Hustle and bustle -
A common sight, given its multitude of years of steaming in dimsum vapour.

BUT WAAIIITT!!!

This is what you would not expect from Foh San.

To the undiscerning eyes, how'd you like some screw beef rice?

I really do wonder how screwed beef tastes like. hmmm...

Now now... let's get back to the more virginal creations, shall we? *winks*

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Okay, these are what you'd actually expect from Foh San.


I thought this friendly auntie deserved the honorific 1st photo coz..
she was kind, not haughty and ALSO didn't treat us like flies...


Her pretty wares. Ouch. Sounds. so. salah.
But they look so yummy la. All of em.


Ta-raa~ I'm addicted to these so much I come back for 'em everytime.

Bouncy balls to die for.
Though the more apt word should be springy, I presume.

Deep fried prawn dumplings with dubious cum-looking sauce.

Yummy dumplings filled with "kuchai"

Siew Mai. You don't go dimsum and don't eat this.

Har Kow. Again. You don't go dimsum and don't eat this.



Flaky egg tart that didn't impress. Unfortunately.



Buns. I grabbed.
.
.
.
.
.
.

for takeaway.

Polo buns.

Meh... wotcha thinking, perv? :x

Mmm... you might think its looks are nothing fancy schmancy like those tediously pleated har kows. nothing fantabulous. erm, perhaps even to the extent of bordering on P.L.AI.N.


Was it THAT good?


Warm, soft and pillowy exterior...


... with fresh and tasty fillings to boot!

Pineapple as base, with a mixture of well marinated meat and mushrooms.

Skeptical on initial sight, but a convert upon first bite.

You really really really shouldn't miss these lovely buns.


Next,

So sweet and dainty...

After you so gently peel off their leafy garments...

... you'll find that it's lotus paste wrapped with glutinous rice layer.

Let's just say if you're wearing dentures, steer clear.
Texture-wise, bukan main-main/ calang-calang sticky.

I tried talking while chewing and it made me sound like a warbling gorilla.

Overall, NICE.
just. very. sticky

I guess it still made a nice workout for my jaws.

Now, if only I could lose my double chin with that.....


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An appetiser to the beginning of the year. Apologies for the long absence. Cheers to all~