Tokio :: we love it!

The GBS girls loving Tokio. 

This is how much we love Tokio. Since my last review, we've gone back time and time again and tried out new stuff. And we never tire. Tokio is where we hang out when we have a 3 pm lecture or faculty meeting (as oppose to a 2 pm one, cause that would only mean mamak or CFC). You seriously can't rush a Tokio lunch. It is hanging out, catching up, brainstorming and free advice session at its very best. So anybody in need of any counseling can join us. Usually we're at the corner table. Females only for now please. We can't handle male problems. 

Tokio -- with the GBS girls

Nadia, Che' Nah, Me and Kat

I have 10 minutes before lecture and I am blogging on my phone. This was a farewell get together between the GBS girls of FOE for Dr Azura who will be moving north to a rocking university that is hopefully better than MMU in every aspect save its people. Because GBs only thrives here.

Cyberjaya's very own TOKIO

I should have blogged about this place ages ago, but the AES cameras planted by the roadside on my way back from work means I reach home 10 minutes later than usual; that's 50 minutes a week of valuable blog time down the drain.

Ning introduced me to this place because she thought it awesome. And I brought Nadia few weeks later because I concur! Here are the top 10 reasons why Tokio is the number 2 eatery in Cyberjaya, surpassed only by Saba' out of my loyalty to lamb kabsah not served by Tokio.

And in true Letterman style, begin drumroll...

Rasa Utara (ala Tun Mahathir~)

From left: Sheemz, Nadiaz, Ninaz, and Mizaz (the birthday girl)

This is a back-dated entry from the last Wednesday before Ramadhan Kareem, which we visited to celebrate Miza's birthday. We were checking out Shaftsbury Avenue in Cyberjaya and Rasa Utara seemed to be the most dependable place there compared to the other newly opened restaurants that looked like western bistro's awaiting their sijil halal certification.

Laksa. Sedap. Go for it.

The place is right by the escalator on the first floor and the deco was nice and simple. We managed to get a table right smack in the center of activity and ordered immediately--seeing as I had a 2pm class that afternoon and didn't want to maintain my reputation of always being late to class; a new Ramadhan resolution.

Nadia gives the Mee Rebus an A++

Everyone was pretty excited that day as I recall. It was--after all--Miza's 2046/52.46153 birthday, although she barely looks over 25. Miza's birthday celebration comes in 2 parts: this is Part I. Part II will have some sort of cake dish and will be held sometime during raya insya'Allah. The reason for the 2-part celebration is because Cyber is highly lacking in awesome restaurants, so to compensate we replace one big lunch at an awesome restaurant with lunch at 2 great restaurants instead. Yes, she's very special and we take good care of her.

Nadia ordered mee rebus and me and Miza both ordered asam laksa Utara (apparently Tun Mahathir's favourite dish--it said so on the menu). Asam laksa is healthy for you because it is entirely fish boiled in water with bits of veggies and herbs. My laksa had two big pieces of succulant fish in it (I think it's ikan kembong, I am not so good with fish names), which surprised me (with delight) somewhat.

Ramadhan buffet for buffet lovers.
Jangan membazir ok. Satu pertiga je perut untuk
makanan. Sepertiga lagi untuk air.
And yang lebihnya untuk angin. ;D

Nina didn't order anything. She already had her lunch with her Perbandaran Sepang office-mates and besides, there wasn't anything else in the menu that Tun Mahathir liked. I suspect she's on a diet.

Nadia's mee rebus tasted really good, and she was all over it with enthusiasm, a very rare scene to  behold. She usually has quite mild reactions to good food, something about people from Melaka which I noticed. She must have been either very hungry that day or northern food must really be her thing.

Await for Miza's birthday celebration Part II. We might come back here again and order the big fried fish entree in the wild bamboo tray like the table behind us. Those men were really packing themselves in for Ramadhan.

Rasa Utara
Shaftesbury Avenue, Cyberjaya, MALAYSIA 
not London or some other Western country

Cleanliness: A
Price: ~RM70 food for 3 people, drinks for 4. 
Satisfaction Level: A. Nadia gives it an A+
Service: A waiter was too good to be true
Atmosphere: A. Malay-style.

Al-Baraka :: Awesome ALGERIAN food

Nadia checking out menu!

I really wanted to get this down today, because it's the first place I have been to in ages that's (i) new and (ii) awesomely fantastic. Miza randomly picked it, with eye's half closed, and I just amiably went along without expecting much.

The menu looked pretty similar to the legendary Saba' restaurant --which I knew is Yemeni, but the walls at this restaurant were plastered with Algerian posters. And a quick chat with the owner at the counter confirmed it. It's all Algerian. 

Mandy Fish! Ha, you didn't think fish can mandi did you?! A!

Fish Kabsah! You can't get this in Saba'! A!

Miza ordered Lamb Kabsah and I ordered Fish Kabsah simply because I've never heard anything like it before. I don't know what Miza's dish tastes like but she said it was delicious. Mine certainly was definitely delicious. And we both couldn't stop complementing our own dishes as we ate, which was funny. Heee~~ It wasn't that we didn't offer each other our orders, it's just that lamb and fish don't mix well together in our (and your) stomachs. If you had both meats, the stomach juices will only process the simplest protein (in this case the fish), so you'd be left with the lamb in your gut for days, which in time turns to toxin. There. Healthy eating tip for ya. I learnt that at a make-up workshop which I attended some 4 years back. The speaker was a nutritionist who was 40 but looked like she was 25. But then again if I had read the eating habits of the Prophet (s.a.w), I'd have found that out sooner: he (s.a.w) never ate fish with meat. Not only for the meal, but the entire day. And he's (s.a.w) never had stomach problems his entire life.

I highly recommend the place. Seriously, it's as good as Saba'--perhaps even better. Will definitely be back and try the humus, insya'Allah. Nadia said she's coming next time. She was stuck in the ACP meeting all morning. Poor thing.

Al-Baraka
Domain, Cyberjaya

Cleanliness: B+
Food: A++ Kabsah's awesome
Price: ~RM15 including drinks
Satisfaction Level: A
Service: B+
Atmosphere: B+ (good crowd)

p/s the old pictures got wiped out and these are recent pictures when I went there with Nadia December 4th 2012!  

Verandah Cyberjaya -- an awesome birthday treat

This was the birthday treat Nadia took me to a day before my birthday. Alhamdulillah for another year on this earth, Allah's Kindness and Generosity knows no bounds. 

I didn't think I would even put this entry down, but I know Cyberjaya has very limited eating spaces that's buffet-style, so I am pretending I am doing everyone a favor here. Fret no more, this is one awesome restaurant to take that special someone on her birthday. For his birthday, there's always that mamak place in downtown Cyber that has killer roti canai and teh tarik**.

You wonder how I got these pictures down? I just breezed by with my Galaxy S2 (currently away at the Service Center) and snapped. The waiters obliged me by smiling at the camera. Unfortunately they didn't make it into the picture. 

If I am making your mouth water looking at these pictures and you found through google this place is so expensive it's not worth it, I am dreadfully sorry. Promise once I hit millionaire status and we're friends or at least good acquaintances, I'll take you here for your birthday, insya'Allah. It's just food anyway.

Thank you to Nadia for the special birthday treat. May Allah keep our friendship forever.

Sushi bar which I didn't manage
to try because I was so full

The cod in white sauce was heavenly
and reminded me of the UK..

And the Prophet (s.a.w) after eating would read:

اَلْحَمْدُ لله الَّذِى اَطْعَمَنَا وَسَقَانَا وَجَعَلَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ
All praise be to Allah who gave us food and drink and made us among the Muslims.

                                                           

Verandah Restaurant, 

Cyberjaya View Lodge

Cleanliness: A
Food: A
Price: A++++
Satisfaction Level: A
Service: A
Atmosphere: A

**substitute the canai for capati for good health and the teh tarik with green tea, he'll thank you for it 20 years later.

Alamanda Food Court: Mixed Rice (give it a try...)

Nadia. My best friend!

I am 99.8% back to normal now. After the terrible headaches and neck pain I have been going through for a while now, I am nearly recovered. Nadia took me to this traditional chinese doctor who did some chi-repairing, and I must say, he was excellent. I know that soon I will be completely recovered insyaÁllah, but I do not want to forget the resolutions I had made while sick. So note to future self: remember your promises!

After the visit to the chi-doc, we stopped by Alamanda for lunch. I have aspired to minimize processed foods and go for all natural. The Mixed Rice stall in Alamanda was a good start. By the by, the chi-doc told me to cut down on the following for good health: kangkung, long cabbage, cucumber, soft tofu, watermelons, pineapple, bananas, cempedak and nangka (jackfruit). The pineapple part just breaks my heart. 

Yes. All this was for RM9. And it was good.

I had the ikan masak lemak (nice), brocolli (nice) and sambal petai (wonderful). Nadia had pretty much the same. And since her plate was pretty much cleaned out after, I am guessing her choice of lauk was good too. For drinks, we had all pure and natural young coconut juice. That must be the best part of our meal. For RM3.80, it was refreshingly sweet and fresh. Awesome. Go for it for sure. My uncle said that if you selawat on it 3 times and drink it from the shell, it will neutralize any bad chi (ilmu hitam) anyone's ever done to you, insyaAllah. So,  skip the coca-cola okay. At least when you're in Alamanda. 

Nadia's

I wish all my blog-readers good health!

Alhamdulillah for good food and great friends and the health and the time to enjoy them.

Alamanda Food Court, 

Putrajaya

Cleanliness: B 

Food: B+

Price: ~RM10 per person including drinks 

Satisfaction Level: B++ 

Service: N/A 

Atmosphere: nice. but that's coz Alamanda's my second home.

Bayou Coffee House (small and simple lunch buffet)

Geng GBS :: Ida, Kat, Nadia, Azura, CHE NAH, Sarina, Lin, Miza and me!

Che Nah before anticipated
big speech

Okay ladies, enough with ordering food from a menu. This time we are going buffet. The occasion: Che' Nah is leaving us. She has decided to go off on a new adventure. She is getting off the GBS bus and getting on another one. A newer bus. A Nilai Bus.

For me, moving to a new place is always a positive change. Being a nomad all my life (the longest I have been at any one place is MMU for some incomprehensible reason), I am a pro-mover and I support Che' Nah fully in her decision (GO GO CHE NAH~~!). Because whether you're moving house, moving workplace, or moving country, migration always leads to the opening of minds and ideas, and consequently, a better and richer life. In all instances in world history where immigration occurs, the outcome is always positive. I mean look at all the Jawa's in Malaysia now. Seriously. Even in the animal kingdom migration is essential and successful. Just tune in to Animal Planet or watch the Little Mermaid to be convinced.

Lake in front of coffee house

The buffet place we went to is in Cyberjaya Community Centre, and even though I've been there numerous times in the past for some serious sports, I just noticed today that there is a very calm and serene lake right in front of the coffee house. Next time I am in a melancholic mood because someone else is leaving, I know just the perfect spot to write some angry melancholic poetry. They always come out better when one is feeling a bit passionate.

For the RM22 per person, the menu was not bad. There were 3 carbohydrate dishes (i.e., nasi minyak, meehun and mee goreng), 5 types of protiens (grilled hotdogs, lamb, beef, chicken and fish with choice of gravy), a little salad bar, kopoks, 2 types of fruits, jellies and mousse, and bubur kacang hijau (green pea porridge). Not bad right? Well, that actually depends on what your expectations were. If you compared the buffet to any hotel in KL 2 stars and above, the choice of food was, in simple English, a bit limited. But if you compared that with the number of dishes you cook and eat at home at any one time, definitely more than enough.

Armand's plate

Nadia's plate

My plate

Of all the food they offered, the mee goreng mamak was perhaps the best main dish, the bubur kacang hijau was the best dessert and the chicken wings, the best appetizer, although we highly suspect the chicken wings are pre-packaged Ayamas from your favourite grocery store. Also, the orange juice was not too sweet and very pulpy (diluted Minute Maid? that's expensive). For those 4 items alone, I'd say RM22 is an acceptable deal for Cyberjaya residents, the city of generous, inspired and ambitious intellectuals (--yes, I am encouraging everyone to migrate here). The place was also warmly decorated and comfortable and the equally ispired and ambitious waiters were really efficient in removing the fast-growing pile of empty plates from the table.

But of course, the food was not as important as the person we are celebrating it for. Che Nah was too overwhelmed to give us a proper speech after she saw the goodbye cake (it said: congratulations, we'll miss you! *sob*). Which was just as well, as it might have sent a few of us crying to the lake in kuch-kuch hota hai style, not such a good idea since it was raining so heavily outside.

Oreo Cheesecake from La Rizz!

Regardless of the food, the important thing is we managed to spend some high-quality time together. And we earnestly pray and hope that Allah will always preserve and strengthen our evergrowing friendship, even though we are miles apart.

Bayou Coffee House, Cyberjaya Community Centre, (right in front of the back entrance to MMU)

Cleanliness: B+

Food: B (only few items were really good)

Price: ~RM22 per pax including drinks

Satisfaction Level: B (choice of food a bit limited for buffet style lunch)

Service: B+ (waiters could have smiled more, only few waiters)

Atmosphere: B+ (warm and friendly)

Kak Long Panas, MMU (best malay food on campus :))

Nadia's catfish

Just got back from UM and had a really nice nasi goreng for linner (too late for lunch, too early for dinner). And as I rest my tired feet from 2 hours of lecture, I might as well just sit back and blog about yesterdays lunch at MMU's very own, Kak Long Panas, the place at the Centre food court, at the sportsplex. At MMU.

Miza's catfish

I am not so sure why Kak Long is panas (hot), because usually the dishes are warm, but perhaps its the place, because it is a bit hot there, open space and all. If we compare the food at Kak Long's with erm...let's see, the only other similar Malay place on campus, HB3, then Kak Long is definitely first place. HB3 recently created a stir with their maggot-filled fish and since we're lacking in competition, I guess it can go 2nd place.

Sheemz's veggies. Yay~ no catfish
for me today. Maybe tomorrow.

Kak Long serves a variety of Malay dishes. Chicken in yellow coconut milk (ayam lemak), chicken in soy sauce, cillied fish (usually 2-3 types of fish), local salads including jering, cilli with fermented prawns (sambal belacan), and some dishes to order too. But, somehow or another, we always end up getting the cillied catfish. Why huh? Am I subtlely implying the other dishes are not as good? y  e  s.

The cillied catfish is crunchy, and delicious. And it only costs around ~RM5 with rice and vegetables. We do get tired of it though, some times, and when we do, we order the Pari in the claypot. And when we get tired of that, we go back to the cillied catfish. Or the mamak place at FCM. Its a pretty straightforward cycle. Of the eating habits of rocking MMU lecturers. 

And, by the by, cillied catfish is scientifically proven to get you Professor within 10 years.  

Cleanliness: C- (sit first, then someone comes and cleans the table)
Food: B (ok lahhhh..)
Price: ~RM5 per pax.
Satisfaction Level: B
Service: B (I don't get it why the guy there calls me kakak)
Atmosphere: B (hustle and bustle)

Garden (fundamentally female~)

Of course we had to sit next to the grand
piano because it was a grand birthday. 

Garden. The noun is missing an adjective, so at first, I was not really sure what type of garden to expect. But it was in this mysterious Garden that we celebrated Nadia--my bestie's--birthday today.

We soon discovered the Garden is positively female. I am guessing, the entire interior design team is too. A problem may arise if your guy is one of those strong, macho, non-sensitive types, --it's better to eat somewhere else. You'll probably have to drag him kicking and screaming into the restaurant cause there's a 100% chance he'll feel like he's shedded his pants for a dress. A beautiful white and flowery one..

The decoration was excruciatingly lovely. There is a white grand piano in the middle of the floor, below an antique-looking chandelier. A white lamp-post stood near the little stairs. Creeping vines and flowers were everywhere, ceilings were painted sky blue and clocks of every shape and kind covered the walls that kept reminding me of the ACP meeting I had to attend to at 2 o'clock.

Too many clocks puts pressure on the chef.
We're guessing there's only one.

I ordered the Kung Pao Chicken Shanghai noodles and Nadia ordered Pasta Fiesta. Both came in enormous, over-sized, heavy ceramic plates that made the food looked insignificant. But even though the Garden was beautiful, there's something definitely lacking with the food. A little love and a lot of flavour. The chicken on mine was undercooked and the soy sauce and dried chillis were not fused well. The marinara sauce on Nadia's pasta tasted like a modified version of Lingham cili sauce. And much as we're crazy for Lingham with jemput-jemput, on pasta it doesn't taste that good. Desert was ordinary. For the RM9 price, I felt ripped off by exotic Charlotte.

Although it was lunch hour, there weren't a lot of customers and with all the clocks hanging on the walls showing London time, you'd think the food would be served quickly. They didn't. We did get complimentary mushroom soup to make up for it but, it tasted Pizza Hutty.

Kung Pao Chicken Shanghai  noodles. No.

Lemon tea and Jasmine tea. Yes.

Exotic Charlotte. No.

British Strawberry. Overpriced but Yes.

With all these shortcomings on the food, I'd still recommend you to go, at least for drinks. Experience the beautiful overgrown wonderland yourself, why not?

Great place for serious mother-daughter bonding, make-up & hair tips sessions, and girls day-or-night out. There's tables with swings for chairs, draped in vine--where you can swing all day like Jane from Tarzan as you sip flowery Jasmine tea. And if your Tarzan swings with you, doubt not his blossoming love.

Garden, Alamanda, Putrajaya (in front of TGIFs)

Cleanliness: A
Food: C- (mediocre and overpriced)
Price: ~RM35 per pax (including drinks and dessert)
Satisfaction Level: B (the beautifully decorated place made up for the lack in food)
Service: C+ (friendly waiters but long wait)
Atmosphere: calming, girly, very girly, extremely girly, pick one.

p/s Free food on weekends starting 19th November. Go.