Shiang Hai Japanese Vegetarian @ Malaysia (KL)

This is a new post by Fen.. Thanks for your contributions and keep more coming!
My first vegetarian place will be at the Shiang Hai Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant (香海日式素食坊）. It is located at one of the business shop houses near to the Sunway Lagoon.
My wife were roaming helplessly around that area just to find this restaurant and finally caught it in a pretty deserted corner of the shophouses there. The shop's signboard wasn't very easily noticeable as it's not the usual greeny or veggie logo kind of restaurant.

The air conditioned restaurant is a cosy corner with wooden tables and chairs, but not those low leveled japanese ones. Near to the entrance there was a small corner acting as a library with books on vegetarian and cookery.
We are first introduced to the sushi menu sets, followed by the differents kinds of fried rice and noodles.

Popiah Fried Rice

My wife ordered a very nice plate of fried rice Served in a "bowl" made of popiah skin. The first spoon of the rice caught my attention as the rice was presented at such a near-to-perfect temperature, tasty and not too oily at the same time. Surprisely, the popiah skin goes well with it. You need not add any chill sauce or green chilli because you will definitely not want to alter the taste anymore.

Tomato Noodles

I ordered tomato gravy noodles. At first, I was sighing away on why I ordered such a thick gravy noodles, as I thought that I would be sick of the taste in no time. But when the noodles arrived, they smelled good and I totally enjoy the noodles. However, there is "Chinese Lizard Tail" Vegetable (Also known as "臭菜") which my wife disliked. This veg is rather distinct in smell and some people do not like it. Overall, i think the noodles was great and filling.

Butter Chicken

We ordered a buttered mock meat dish which I forgotten which meat it was meant to be, rather normal.

In all, we spent around 18SGD for the 3 dishes plus drinks. Quite worth it for a vegetarian who craves japanese food. But wait, we didn't really have any japanese food, as the waitress seemed to forget the sesame sushi that we ordered. As we were already full, we left without it.
Nice ambience for families and quite popular as I could see people strolling in on this hot Sunday.

Location: 32A,Ground Floor,Jalan PJS 8/2,Mentari Plaza,46150 Bandar Sunway,Petaling Jaya,Selangor.
Tel：03-5621 1016，5621 1017

Fax：03-5621 1016

Wedding Review - Shangrila Singapore

This is a post contributed by Edmond. Thanks dude! Do send me more if you realised i've not posted on any places thats near to you. Anyway, if you have followed on my wedding reviews, I've last mentioned that My favorite was Shangri La and by looking at the pictures that Edmond sent me, I was drooling already. I recalled that there was bird's nest a couple of years back when i was invited my friend to her dinner. Perhaps over the years they have changed their vegetarian menu as well and may not be the best to date.
Anyway, Here's presenting to you Edmond's post on a wedding dinner he attending at Shangri-la Hotel.

Veg Ham and Mango Salad

Sound nice but there was only mango cubes and the salad was out of sight. The brown slices are veg sausage which may pass off as bacon pieces which I find too dry.

Double Boiled Flower Mushrooms and Cabbage

Very tasty soup with cabbage, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and wolfberries thats brewed for long hours.

Sweet and Sour Fish with Pine Seeds

The fish doesnt taste like our usual mock fish as this is softer and tastes good with the pinenuts.

Sauteed Veg Prawn with Asparagus in Spicy Sauce and deep fried bun

Oily is the only word I could think of when it comes to this dish. First the Bun was Deep Fried, then the oil got seeped through to the cracker below which is also oily.

Aparagus with Cashew Nuts

Lots of cashew nuts in this dish and its a wonderful and crunchy combination.

Veg Abalone and Kai Lan

Kailan is fresh and the abalone doesnt taste like the mock item but rather the abalone mushroom.

Braised Noodles

Not our usual Yee Fu Noodles as this has more gravy. Not too oily and saltish.

Mango Pudding

Last but not least, a yummy dessert that saves the day.

If you are in the midst of turning veg and have been invited to a friend's wedding, do note that most places do provide vegetarian options for you, and all you need to do is to ask if your friend can cater that for you :)

Location: Shangri-La Hotel Singapore

Wedding Review - Crown Hotel @ Airport

Its the time of the year again. Was invited by my good friends to attend their wedding lunch at the airport's hotel. Interesting and cool.

Starter

Fried Spring Roll and mushrooms wrapped in beancurd skin.

Soup

Gwen and I love this soup totally. It was brewed for long hours with many ingredients and tonics. The old cucumber is really soft and tasty.

Vegetables & Lor Han Chai

Both vegetables aint too bad, not oily and healthy.

Location: Changi Airport Terminal 3, Crown Hotel Ballroom

Merryland Vegetarian @ Johor Bahru

This post is contributed by Uncle Stanley. He and his friends are frequent traveller to our neighboring country Johor Bahru and this is another restaurant that he likes dining at.

The nice menu. Some dishes start from RM10, which is ard SGD5. Pretty reasonable.

Tofu

Serving is reasonable for 4 pax. Tasty and the tofu is smooth.

Assam Fish

Sour and aint too spicy, sadly the fish slices are not a lot for the Small plate. One thing i like about mock fishes is that most of these are made with beancurd skins that that wrapped in layers and covered with a seaweed. They do not really taste too mock which most people dislike.

Chili Kangkong

My favourite of all times. If you realise most of my posts would have this dish. I wonder if it is truth or a myth that the old people say our legs will turn wobbly if we eat too much of this vegetables.

Cereal Prawns

I like this dish as well. Though I've long forgotten then real taste of prawns, I do not mind these as substitutes. I love how the oats taste!

total of 4 dishes and rice and tea costs only RM50.

Merryland has opened 2 outlets in JB itself. So its one of the places you can consider dining. May not be easy to find for those who do not drive in though.

Locations:

1. 42-44 Jalan Dedap 4 off Jalan Johor Jaya[same street as "The Store"
departmental store cum Supermarket.
Tel: 07-3540387

2. MERRYLAND Vegetarian fast-food
16 Jalan Pingai, Taman Pelangi
Tel:07-3319697

Operating Hours: Till 9pm daily

Ru Lai Vegetarian Food @ AMK

There are 2 stalls of the same name located in the hawker centre. I have no idea if they are owned by the same owners though. The special part of this stall is that it only sells Dry Mee instead of our usual vegetarian Fried bee hoon. I was really surprised as there are queues at this stall. Even my sister raves about it and at one time she went almost every other weekend for breakfast.

Stall Front

The owners sell nothing but only Dried noodles. I'm calling it dried noodles as there isnt any wantons or veg minced meat in this dish.

Dried Thick Bee Hoon $2.50

I decided to try this for breakfast as I usually will have this thick bee hoon in laksa. The ingredients comprise of mushrooms, vegetables, Mock duck slices and the fried goose. I guess the draw for this is the fried goose which many people like it in their bee hoon. Some call it "crispy", which is basically made of beancurd skin. Nothing exceptionally special about this, as the sauce mix was just okay. I personally liked the yellow bean soup that is simmered over long hours.

Location: Blk 226D, Ang Mo Kio Street 22, Food Centre, Stall #01- 105

Opens till early afternoon, daily.

*Do note of Long Queues on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month*

Vegetarian stall @ Bedok

Hi everyone, apologies for the late post as I have been busy of late. Anyway, here's a new post contributed by Steve. Thanks Steve!
Steve has tried the dishes from this stall and find the food affordable and good.

Ba Kut Teh $3

Comes with rice, this ba kut teh soup comprises of quite a lot of ingredients including tau pok, beancurd as well as veg mutton balls. The Soup is tasty as well!

Other recommended dishes: Seafood Soup

Location: Blk 59 New Upper Changi Road (near Bedok View Secondary School)
Inside Coffee Shop.
Opening Hrs: Till 9pm, closed on alternate Mondays

Sin Sheng Huat Vege Restaurant @ Malaysia (Johor Jaya)

This is contributed by Uncle Stanley . Thanks so much Uncle Stanley! If you do travel to Johor Bahru, there is some cheap and good food in Johor Jaya, which is located near the popular shopping mall Jusco. This stall is operated by a couple and been around for more than a decade. Most dishes shown below are at only RM3.00. (which is equivalent to Less than S$1.50)

Shop Front

This restaurant itself has a couple of vegetarian stalls inside, whereby they serve meals like Nasi Lemak, Mee Rebus or the Cha Siew noodles. There are also stalls selling Carrot Cake, Steam rice cakes and Roti Prata.

Soon Kueh

The normal soon kueh usually comprise of bamboo shoots which are cooked with shrimps. These days the vegetarian soon kueh comprise of Turnip instead. Looks really Yummy!

Mee Rebus

Lots of ingredients given for this plate of mee rebus!

Wanton Noodles

Noodles are chewy and there are quite a lot of ingredients to go with.

Curry Noodles

Thunder Tea Rice

The Hakka Lei Cha (Thunder Tea) Rice set is a really popular dish in Malaysia. It does has a strong tea taste which may not suit some tastes.

Nasi Lemak/ Curry Rice

No garlic,onions nor shallots are used in the preparation. Mixed Vegetables Rice is also available at the stall.

Location:29 Jalan Dedap 23, Taman Johor Jaya, 81100 Johor Bahru,
Opening Hrs: 6.30AM to 9.30PM
Tel: 016-7117250

Driving Instructions:

From the usual Tebrau Highway it will be join to Jalan Pandan. Then, you will find Carrefour. Tkae the New Flyover and continue to see Tesco as well as Jusco.
When you see Aeon @ Tebrau City in the distance, keep to the 2nd left lane so that you can then turn right into JALAN JOHOR JAYA.
Then you will see the Bowling Alley, turn into that area which is DEDAP. It is located along the road.

素GOOD Veg Stall @ Raffles Place *CLOSED DOWN*

Rejoice! Vegetarians who are working at the Raffles Place area, there is a new veg stall operating at the Mei Hua Foodcourt at the golden shoe carpark. Is written as 素Good which I would interpret it as Vegetarian Good. Something really good about this is that this is not your typial mixed vegetables economical rice stall, but a place where each and every set meal is cooked on the spot and served pipping hot!
Also, there are pamphlets available to create more awareness.

Hotplate Tofu with Rice $6

All dishes is served with a bowl of rice and the serving is quite big. Clare ordered this hotplate tofu. Comprises of lots of vegetables and tofu and served with an egg on the bottom of the hot plate. This is similar to the dishes available at most tze char places. The gravy goes really well with rice and wasn't too saltish as well. If you are a small eater, this plate alone can serve 2 people. For vegans do let them know that you do not take eggs.

TomYum Vermicelli Soup $4

I was craving for something soupy so decided to try a vemicelli soup and they gave me a choice of clear, herbal and tomyum soup to choose. I decided on tom yum. Aint too bad, as there are many vegetables in the soup. I like the texture of the vemicelli as this is not the type that would dry up the yummy soup. May not be your thai version of tom yum, as this soup was made from the tomyum base, but it does create a sizzle in me.
A pretty interesting concept and its good to see crowds. The only drawback is that the waiting time may be a little long for rushing workaholics. Do go early on prayer days, which is the 1st and the 15th of the lunar month. I certainly want to try other dishes on my next visit. Let me know if you want to join me for a lunch!
Location: 50, Market Street Stall # 9, Meihua Food Court, 01-32 Golden Shoe Carpark
Opening Hours: Daily till late afternoons, Closed on weekends

Yuet Sum Hin @ Malaysia (KL)

This is a post contributed by Choon Soon. Thanks Choon Soon! He has travelled to KL and ate at this place which does serve quite recommendable dishes. So if you do travel to KL, this is somewhere you can go!
This place is located at a relatively quiet street on the road exit off Four Season Hotel and in between the Eu Yan Sang Building and Berjaya Times Square. I personally been there twice and one of the food that my friends and I like most is the Ma Po Tofu (Spicy Tofu).

Mapo Tofu

It has a different flavour as what we ate in Singapore most of the time. In Singapore, the spiciness of the dish comes from chilli flakes where as in this restaurant, I think it actually comes from curry powder and hence the colour. This is the top dish I would recommend in this store. Goes well with rice!

Buttered Mushrooms

Another dish will actually be the Butter Mushrooms. The texture and its taste is actually like cereal mushrooms but it is done without it and the curry leaves are really fragrant. However it would not be suitable for vegans. If you are a keen and avid lover of mushrooms, not too bad, but can be fattening.

Spicy Assorted Mushrooms

The last dish I ordered will be Spicy Assorted Mushrooms. Well, it is a bit of spiciness but what I am really looking into are its mushrooms, and this is the wet version comparied to the earlier fried ones.

Other recommended dishes are: Kang Kong, Seaweed Soup and Fried Dumplings.

I did not manage to take down the price of each dish, but it is still quite affordable as it only cost around SGD$5 to SGD$6 per pax for 4 of us and we ordered 3 dishes and 1 soup with rice. It also comes with side dishes like braised peanuts and also served with tea and wet tissue. I personally think it is one of the few places that charges reasonable rates in KL so far.

Location:
No.8 Jalan 1/77B, Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah off Jalan Pudu (55100 Kuala Lumpur)

Tel: 03-2148 4681

Thanks Choon Soon! I look forward to your next review soon.

Rong Xiang Vegetarian Stall @ Geylang East

One of the days after swimming at geylang east swimming complex, I decided to try my luck at this nearby foodcentre and I was happy to find 2 stalls.

Decided to eat at the Tze Char stall. They do serve the normal mixed vegetables rice as well, but most customers order their tze char which i reckon must be not bad.

Salted Fish Fried Rice ($3)

I've been craving for this fried rice for a long time as my coll loves it. Other than Yuan Yuan, i personally like this salted fish fried rice as there are many ingredients within. (Note: The drumstick is additional) Ingredients comprise of vegetables, tofu and lots of mock salted fish. After being a vegetarian for so many years, I've long forgotten the real taste of salted fish, but I like how this salted fish taste, which wasnt too salty either.

There are many other tze char dishes which i would love to try, and prices start from $2.50, which I think is reasonable.

I like it that they do have english on the menu listed.

Location: Blk 117 Aljunid Ave 2 Stall # 01-16

Opening Hrs: Till 3PM, daily

Recipe - Sushi

My apologies for this late post as I've been busy launching my new E-Shop on Facebook. It has nothing to do with vegetarian food but a new hobby i've picked up.

Anyway, its been some time since I last shared a recipe. I'm quite satisfied with the feedback of my sushi creations and would love to share it here with you today.

(For 10 Sushi Rolls)

Ingredients:

Short Grained Rice (Or Sushi Rice) - 600G

Carrots - Shredded

Avocado - Cut into Strips

Japanese Cucumbers - Cut into Strips

Dried Seaweed

Rice Seasoning -

a. Rice Vinegar (Or Sushi Vinegar) - 6 Tbsp

b. Salt - 2 tsp

c. Sugar - 2 Tbsp

Method:

1. Cook the Sushi Rice

2. In a mixing bowl, stir all rice seasoning together. Add this mixture seasoning evenly into the cooked rice. Allow the rice to cool before assembling the sushi.

3. On a rolling bamboo mat, place 1 seaweed on it. (Note that the rough side of the sushi is facing you as this is where you will place all ingredients on)

4. Place a spoonful of sushi rice and place in the middle of the seaweed and spread evenly. Add more sushi rice if its not enough to cover.

5. Allow an approximately 1cm space from all 4 sides to avoid spillover when you roll.

6. Place the ingredients which you want in the middle. E.g.: Carrot Strips, Cucumber Strips.

7. Then, gently with both hands, roll up the seaweed to the middle covering the ingredients with the bamboo mat.

8. Press firmly.

9. Continue to roll till the end. Press Firmly again.

10. If your seaweed doesn't stick well, dap a little bit of water over the sides to close up your roll.

Note: If you like beancurd sushi (Inari), all you need to do is to wet your hands, place a handful of rice in your hands and roll into a ball. Place the rice ball into the beancurd pocket. (Inari Pockets is available in most supermarkets)

There are quite a number of demos which I've seen on Youtube and I totally love it!

VeganBurg @ Jalan Eunos

I was very excited when I saw this pamphlet in the goodie bag during the veg-vibe magazine launch.

It has been a really long time since I sat down in a fast food restaurant and munch on a burger. I was very happy that someone has stepped up and did it - opening a whole new vegan burger restaurant right at our doorstep.

Today is the soft-launch of VeganBurg and I can't wait to try it. I called the confirm the opening date as the website initially wrote the launch date in Oct. I was surprised that the lady on the phone was not only polite, but she even bothered to check my blog and follow up on email. Thanks Joey for that little thought. Anyway, not everything on the menu is available as of now, as the official opening date would be in October.

*from opposite the cafe*

I was still wondering if they repainted the building, as the cafe uniform and the logo matches totally.

*upclose - Cafe Exterior*

*Interior*

Interior of the cafe was furnished with custom-made furnitures. I was told that the theme was to follow that of a industrial-safari style, which could probably answer the reason of the colours (Green, White, Brown) combination used. The cafe was pretty quiet and airy perhaps due to its high ceiling. There were not much seats, which i guess because it is not the official launch yet. I guess going there in the evenings would be a better choice as the ambience would be better. If you do drive there, do note that parking may be a problem as there isn't much parking lots nearby.
There are only 3 types of burgers available at the moment. Hence Shan and I tried the 2 types that do not contain onion/garlic.
Interesting Serving tray that gives you certain information about veganism while waiting to be served.
Here comes our burger sets. Rather interesting concept that our burgers and fries are served in a mess tin. I quite like it as the staff handling the food to you would not accidentally touch the food since there is a handle. In addition, its easier to throw once you are done eating. However, I wonder if this would scare the army boys away.

Tangy Tartar Set Meal $9.85

I'm not sure if there would be a change in the price as the website stated this at a dollar more. For a set, you will get a burger, fries and juice of your choice. I had the cherry berries juice which tasted sweet-sour. The set is huge! It is highly recommended to share a set if you are a small eater. This burger comprises of a soft patty covered with specially made batter and deep-fried. I was surpised that the patties do not contain gluten, dairy, GMO, preservatives and transfat, yet it could still taste chewy on the inside and cruchy on the outside. The fresh lettuce and alfafa goes well with tartar sauce as well. The organic wholemeal burger bun was soft, but would be better if toasted. The best of the set that wow me and shan was the seaweed fries. It was served really hot (which made the wait worthwhile). The potatoes are soft and the seaweed taste was not overpowering. Note that the chef has confirmed this does not contains any onions/garlic!

Cracked Pepper Mayo Meal $9.85

Shan had this cracked pepper mayo whereby the bread organic ciabatta made with sunflower seeds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. I could taste the sweetness in the bread. The patty was spiced in black pepper and lightly pan-fried and served in mayonnaise. I was not exactly able to differentiate the differences in the patties as they may be of the same ingredient but cooked different in various sauces.
The rest of the burgers would be ready by October.
All in all, a new experience for me and I would definitely return for the fries when i have the time. If you ask me about the service, I would say extraordinary, as they are willing to go the extra mile to ask what else is there to improve. May not be your usual $2 economical rice fare, but for once in a while indulgence, for the environoment and for the support of local vegetarian/vegan market, why not? They do catering and delivery as well. Please call for more information. Parents, your kids will love you this once and instead of the M word, they may say: "Papa, I wanna go Vegan Burg for lunch!"
(Note: they do not start that early for morning breakfast though)
Diet: Vegan
Location:

Locations:
1. 44 Jalan Eunos Singapore 419502
Tel: 68446868


Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm, daily

2. 50 Market Street #01-28D Golden Shoe Carpark
Singapore 048940
Opening Hrs: Mon-Fri 11am - 8.30PM
Sat & Eve of Public Hols: 11am - 2.30PM
Closed on Sundays/Public Holidays
Email: order@veganburg.com
Website: http://www.veganburg.com/