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Minggu, 09 September 2012

Iberico Ribs
Iberico Ribs

Sigh, it's been so long since I blogged that I reckon I have forgotten how to already. Here's my attempt in getting back into the groove and clearing that mountain of blog posts.

It is not like I don't eat out almost every day but honestly, it's getting harder and harder to find really good places to eat.

Instead, we gravitate towards old places we are familiar with such as Gu Yue Tien where dishes are always tip-top. It is heartening to see Places & Foods chose this place for his choice for this year's Time Out KL's awards (vote for it with this link). Hopefully it picks an award as the food here is always innovative and darn good, every visit I've been.

Foie Gras
foie gras mousse on toast

My friend CS had rounded us up for a dinner here. She had sampled the set dinner they had introduced to celebrate their eighth anniversary that is priced at RM880++ for 8-10 persons. Her raves got our tongues drooling hence we gathered here one rainy Saturday night.

We didn't meet the quota for eight persons, hence there was an extra portion, but that was easily eaten up.

salted egg yolk whitebait
wok-fried whitebait with salted egg yolk

The meal kicks off with an assortment of appetizers, ranging from the exciting to the ho-hum ones like deep-fried prawn dumpling and century eggs topped with a slice of pickled ginger.

All of us had our own favourites. I immensely enjoyed the crispy whitebait. Each fish was deep-fried to a golden crunchy texture that was coated with the immensely umami-tasting salted egg yolk. Curry leaves and chopped chillies gave it a slight fiery hit. I reckon if I could have eaten it all up by myself.

cucumber cups with chicken floss
cucumber topped with chicken floss

The cucumber cups with chicken floss was simple but tasty. I especially liked the crunchy texture of the Japanese cucumbers combined creamy mayonnaise with the savoury taste of the chicken floss. Kinda reminds me of those addictive floss buns I must always eat at Bread Talk.

The foie gras mousse on the deep-fried toasts were yummy too and topped with a piquant diced mango pickle to balance out its richness.

jellyfish and chicken
jellyfish with cold chicken on cucumber

The jellyfish appetizer with the cold chicken topped with the tangy chilli sauce was an excellent way to kick up our appetites for the main meal.

pork neck
sliced pork neck with cucumber

A crowd favourite was the pork neck slices wrapped around crunchy cucumber slivers. What made it yummy was the hot bean sauce that topped it.

crab balls
crabmeat balls

An old school appetizer was the crabmeat balls with a crunchy beancurd skin exterior. In the olden days, it would have been made from the pig's caul (fine net-like) but nowadays, it has been abandoned for the healthier beancurd skin. These delectable morsels are stuffed with fresh crabmeat, crunchy water chestnuts, celery and carrot with a light touch of five-spice powder.

Soup
braised seafood soup with crab roe

Since it was a rather cold rainy night, the slightly thick but aromatic soup hit the right spot. There were chopped up seafood and tofu cubes as we dug into our bowls.


Freshwater prawns
wok fried freshwater prawn with spicy sauce

I really enjoyed the next dish, the prawn that came with this slurpworthy sauce. It was piquant and slightly spicy, with  a thick texture. One could imagine a crab being cooked in this sauce that would have us licking all our fingers. This came with toast for us to dip and sweep up the sauce as daintily as possible.

The meat item was a choice between, the wok charred lamb rack or iberico pork ribs. I've always loved those ribs and it was delicious and so good that one did not mind messing up our fingers as we ate each long rib with our fingers.

hunan fish
hunan fish

Then came the steamed fish topped with a generous sprinkle of chopped chillies and garlic, cooked Hunan style. This was yummy as the smooth fish flesh goes well with the tangy (but strangely enough not spicy) chilli and garlic mix. It is served with blanched beehoon noodles, that soaks up the soy sauce, garlic and chilli topping so well.

Last but not least, we end with a refreshing dessert of chilled sea coconut with longan and snow fungus. There's a slice of lime underneath the glass that adds a tangy taste to the not overly sweet dessert. Thumbs up to my friend CS for the great recommendation and Frankie Woo of Gu Yue Tien for not dissapointing our fussy palates.

Gu Yue Tien
Lot 5A, Chulan Square
Jalan Raja Chulan
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2148 0808

(Non Halal. The set is available until end of this September. More pictures in the Flickr set.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Kamis, 06 September 2012

When the ultrabook class rolled out final fall, Asus led the charge, being one of many first on the scene and providing a potent ultraportable expertise in a slim and elegant design. The ultrabook arena has gotten a lot more crowded recently, however Asus has upped the ante with the Zenbook Prime UX31A-R5102F ($999.99 checklist), which boasts a surprising 1080p show and an Intel third-generation Core i5-3317u processor and compact Asus Keyboard . It is not the only ultrabook on the town with an Ivy bridge processor, and there's plenty of room for competition by way of battery life and port choice, so this time the race is not so simply won.

 Observant readers could notice that the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A-R5102F is equivalent in almost each respect to the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A-DB51 ($1,099 listing, 3.5)-the one difference appears to be within the mannequin number. With the elements and performance the same between them, patrons should decide between the 2 primarily upon sales pricing and availability.

 Design

 The UX31A-R5102F is well one of many sleekest and most visually spectacular ultrabooks on the market. A machined aluminum chassis provides stability the place most competitors are flimsy, and the two-toned metal on metal design is easy however stylish. Measuring 0.7 by 12.8 by 8.9 inches (HWD), the UX31A-R5102F is about the identical measurement as the Sony VAIO T13 (SVT13112FXS) ($799.ninety nine direct, four stars), and average in weight at 3.05 pounds.


 While details like a radial brushed end on the lid and a vertical hairline brushed pattern on the palmrest are visually interesting, the actual eye-popper is the impressive 1,920 by 1,080 decision display, which uses In-Aircraft Switching (IPS) know-how for richer colours and intensely huge viewing angles. This display joins the already impressive audio powered by Bang & Olufsen's ICEpower audio system,which give enough quantity to fill a room and is evident enough to have a few individuals gather spherical to take heed to a track or watch a video.

 The Asus Keyboard has been tweaked barely, switching out the steel keycaps seen on the previous Asus Zenbook UX31-RSL8 ($1,049 list, four stars) for matte plastic. The chiclet layout and shallow keystrokes remain the same, however an adjustable backlight helps you to work in whatever lighting conditions you find yourself in. The touchpad affords gesture support, however watch out as you swipe, pinch, and scroll, because a stray thumb can simply register as a second finger, causing some frustration. Because of a change in provider and improved drivers, however, the clickpad on the UX31A-R5102F has none of the inaccuracy or jumpiness that has dogged some clickpads in the past.


 Options

 On the UX31A-R5102F you will discover two USB 3.zero ports, Asus Keyboard , a media card reader (SD/MMC), a mini VGA port, a micro HDMI out port, and a combination headphone and microphone jack. Above the screen is a webcam that shoots 720p video. Wireless connections embody twin-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and Intel's wireless display expertise, WiDi 2.0. With a WiDi adapter, just like the Belkin ScreenCast ($129.ninety nine list, 4.5 stars) or the Netgear Push2TV HD (PTV2000) ($99.99 checklist, 4 stars), you'll be able to stream HD content material with out having to problem with an HDMI cable and plug adapter.

 Asus additionally includes two adapter dongles with the UX31A-R5102F: A USB to Ethernet adapter to offer a wired Internet connection, and a mini-to-full size VGA adapter for connecting an external monitor and different Compatible Components . Unfortunately, the one adapter most customers will truly need and need-an adapter for the micro HDMI output-is not included. You'll additionally get a protective nylon sleeve to carry the Zenbook in, and a separate little pouch for holding the adapter dongles.

The time has come for more moderately priced ultrabooks, and it looks as if each Windows laptop producer has one popping out this again-to-school season. Between the Dell Inspiron 14z, Asus Zenbook UX32A, Lenovo IdeaPad U310, and Sony Vaio T, ultrathin laptops have emerged bearing traditional arduous drives and ultrabook-grade CPUs at costs as low as $700. Toshiba's first ultrabook to be labeled as such was the Portege Z835; this 12 months, its line has fragmented with the addition of the Satellite U845 which has compact Toshiba Satellite Keyboard , a thicker 14-inch laptop computer that trades off worth for size.

 The entry price for the Satellite U845 is as low as $699 with an Intel Core i3 processor,Toshiba Keyboard but our evaluate model has an MSRP of $879. Laptops with Compatible Parts just like the Inspiron 14z, IdeaPad U310, and Sony Vaio T are all inexpensive for similar specs. Relying on where you buy the Satellite U845-S406, it could at present value as little as $779, however that's nonetheless not discount-basement: the truth is, it's middle-of-the-pack for -budget- ultrabooks. Notice: this isn't the same laptop computer because the Satellite tv for pc U845W, a equally named ultrabook with an ultrawide 21:9 screen and a unique chassis design, but it has the same processor and specs beneath the hood, just in a extra regular and generic design.

The Satellite tv for pc U845-S406 does have a backlit Toshiba Satellite Keyboard and all the basic ports (Ethernet, HDMI, USB 3.zero, SD card slot), plus a slightly larger-than-common 14-inch screen, nevertheless it weighs more than a Toshiba Portege R935 (the CPU-upgraded replace to the Portege R835 CNET has reviewed), despite the fact that the Portege R935 additionally contains an optical drive and a sooner processor. Much more oddly, some fashions of the new Portege are more affordable.

Simply put, Toshiba has too many laptops, however that is an argument for a different day. The Satellite tv for pc U845-S406 gives what amounts to, for mid-2012, a solid, normal set of ultrabook specs and features, however in a somewhat generically designed package, and never at a standout price. It does not stand out from its peers. I'd try to get one for as little as attainable and pay down for the entry-degree model. The sort of laptop computer ought to cost $750, not $879.

The perfect thing I can say about the Toshiba Satellite U845 is that it's clear and minimal - qualities you do not often discover in a Toshiba laptop, where shiny, textured metallic plastic and further LED lights are inclined to reign. Silver plastic on the underside and brushed aluminum on the top lid and keyboard deck like the Toshiba Satellite NB205 (Black) Keyboard are understated. Open it up and you get glossy black plastic around the display, a raised keyboard and huge clickpad beneath, and that is it apart from a single round power button.

 The Satellite U845 shouldn't be particularly light for an ultrabook (3.7 pounds) nor thin (0.eight inch), protecting throughout the tips for larger 14- and 15-inch ultrabooks set by Intel, but emerging as a heftier laptop computer than the common thirteen-incher. It is also heavier than the Toshiba Portege R935, a laptop computer that features an optical drive and a faster CPU - and, in some configurations, prices less on Toshiba Keyboard Cowl . Doesn't make much sense, does it? Welcome to the vast world of Toshiba laptop configurations. (There are four completely different Satellite tv for pc U845 configurations on Toshiba's Website, however more on that later.)


The Samsung Collection 9 NP900X3B is Samsung's prime quality offering in the 13-inch ultrabook category and is an updated model of the NP900X3A which was released in early 2011. It's expected that the Ivy Bridge model (NP900X3C) would be the similar aside from the improve to the new Intel platform.

 Overview

 The inside is dominated by the lithium-polymer battery, both sides of which is a loudspeaker. Then, surprisingly, there are two followers both serving the CPU. The 2 WiFi antenna are within the yellow area between the fan exhausts, the Intel WiFi card is adjoining to the top left nook of the battery and the SSD is adjacent to the top right corner of the laptop computer battery . The varied ports, excluding the facility socket, seem like immediately mounted onto the board.


 Ports and Features As is often the case with ultrabooks, the NP900X3B is just not generously endowed with ports. Altogether there is one USB 2.zero, one USB 3.zero, an audio jack, a gigabit ethernet port (for which a dongle is provided) and HDMI and VGA ports (which want special dongles). There may be also an SD card slot and excessive capability battery like Dell Laptop Battery . The SD card slot is below a flap on the fitting facet (but these considering this can be used for storage growth should be conscious that a card within the slot stands proud from the side of the computer. The ability jack uses an unusually small plug.


 Keyboard and Touchpad

 The Samsung Laptop Keyboard is of the increasingly standard separated key type. Travel is limited because of the slim profile of the computer however it is not uncomfortable to use. I'd have most popular to have small depressions on the top of each key to help centre my fingers, fairly the graceful floor, though hitting the edge of a key still causes it to register. As is widespread for the keyboards equivalent to Acer Laptop computer Keyboard on this size of notebook, some features are either absent or are accessed utilizing the Fn key. As is regular for a European keyboard like Compaq Laptop computer Keyboard , the left shift key's small to create space for one further key.


 The keyboard is backlit (a function I miss on the ThinkPad T420s) with 4 phases of backlight brightness. Whereas the backlighting is just not bright, and at full brightness there is some gentle leakage round the edges of the keys, it is effective. There is an indicator mild on the Caps Lock key and in addition on the F12 key which is used to show the wireless devices on and off. Unusually, Samsung have also offered an Fn Lock key with its personal indicator light.

 Different Fn key capabilities are F1, to enter the Samsung Easy Settings program, F2 and F3 to regulate show brightness, F4 to change show units; F5 to turn the touchpad off / on; F6, F7 and F8 for audio mute and volume controls; F9 and F10 for the keyboard backlight brightness corresponding to DELL Precision M6400 Keyboard; and F11 to enable the silent mode (it reduces the CPU pace to minimise fan exercise).