No Frills Dining at Kitchen Creatures, Centrepoint Bandar Utama

Of all the people in the world, Malaysians are probably the people on earth most comfortable with the concept of 'no frills' eating. We don't care if the service is crap, or if there are rats scurrying around in the drains while we're seated on plastic chairs on the road, waiting for half an hour for our roti to arrive - as long as the food's good.

It's with this in mind, then, that the darling and I venture into Kitchen Creatures in Centrepoint Bandar Utama, with their tagline of "no frills dining." Sort of like a more upmarket mamak or a hawker centre, I suppose, minus the filth and improperly washed plates, bowls and utensils :)


So ... what exactly is no frills dining? In their words, of course!


Drinks - Coke (MYR3.50) and Limey George (MYR6.80) - which was soda, ribena and lemon.


Fish n Chips (MYR13.00) was passable, being a bit soggy on the inside. I'm also not a huge fan of the "breadcrumbs" style - give me a proper beer batter any day!


My Aglio Olio with Shrimp (MYR15.00) was a huge disappointment. The shrimp weren't fresh and were not de-veined! We had to actually devein it ourselves before eating. Making matters worse was the pasta. Aglio Olio has to be al dente (that means firm but not hard for those of you who don't speak the language of the pretentious foodie :P), but what I got on my plate was the exact opposite. Mushy pasta = no thanks.


So overall, I don't like. Kitchen Creatures does have an interesting concept: pay for the food, and not the service. Sadly to me the food isn't good - it's mediocre at best, and so it doesn't quite live up to its' own definition of no frills dining.

Kitchen Creatures is in Centrepoint, Bandar Utama, and is located directly above the Starbucks.

Soupy Chinese Goodness at the "Soup Master" - Tang Shifu (汤师父) in 1Utama

Lack of updates last few days! I had two of my wisdom teeth extracted over the weekend - top was a straight extraction but bottom was impacted (i.e. growing sideways), so it needed a MOS (Minor Oral Surgery) and 3 stitches. So I wasn't really in the mood for blogging. Or doing *anything* for that matter. Don't worry though I won't give you any details or pictures, because those made even me light-headed when I saw them.

Luckily I didn't choose medicine as a career path. First patient into the emergency ward with an even slightly bloody injury and I'd be passed out on the floor :)

Ahem! Went to watch HOP (The Movie) with the gang. It sucks. Don't watch. We decide to go to a new (to us) place for dinner - Tang Shifu (汤师父)


The menu is predominantly different types of soup, and noodles in soup/broth. Lots of the items on the menu are full of different types of Chinese herbs, and if you're looking to improve your health, many of the soups have descriptions as to which ailments they fix. If soup isn't your thing they have some 'big fry' (大炒) type dishes, too.

Like this Steamed Cod Fish with Dried Scallops and Bei Qi (MYR25.90). The cod was nicely steamed and sweet, but the taste of the bei qi and the other herbs had only partially infused into the gravy. Possibly because of our suspicion that the cod fish is pre-steamed and not steamed upon ordering. Oh, and the slices are rather small - about 3.5" by 2.5" by 0.3" thick.


Since this is the so-called 'soup master' we also have to try a soup - we settle for the Dang Gui Replenishing Soup (MYR15.90), which was okay, but not outstanding. The soup had nice herby flavours without being too 'bitter' from overboiling.


If you're not interested in dishes + rice you can go for one of their many 'set meals' (which is basically a soupy noodle with some side dishes). The Mee Suah with Dried Scallop and Abalone Slices (MYR17.90) was okay. I'm not a big fan of mee suah though. Growing up, my mum would always cook it for me when I was sick, so along the years it's evolved in my mind as a "sick person's food." :P


The Mee Suah with Herbs and Rice Wine (MYR15.90) apparently did not have a strong enough rice wine base/content. Of course, both the ladies who provided judgement come from a kaki botol Hakka-cooking background, so your mileage may vary :)


Overall, the food was decent and reasonably priced. However to call themselves the 'soup masters' may perhaps be stretching the truth a little bit. Tang Shifu is located in 1Utama new wing, near Cold Storage and opposite the New York New York Deli.

Vietnam Kitchen - 1 Utama

In an effort to reduce food expenses I managed to con...vince the gang into dinner - that way I get to post more pictures without needing to pay for the food! Win-win situation all round. Anyways, Vietnam Kitchen was the food-place of choice, specifically the 1Utama branch.

First off, some drinks: Mango blended with White Jelly, and Red and Mung Bean with Coconut Ice (both MYR6.50). I must admit I didn't care much for the Mango which wasn't special, but I love the beany one.


The darling, GS and I share a "Set A" ($33.90) which comes with:

(i) Sweet and Sour Chicken. Quite a decent-tasting dish, if perhaps not quite representative of Vietnamese cooking.


(ii) Stir-Fried Bean Sprout with Salted Fish.


(iii) Stewed Pork Rib with Caramel Sauce. This dish was pretty good, actually. Pork was nicely stewed and the sauce was tasty without being too salty.


(iv) Tofu with Minced Pork and Mushroom. No picture. Because, well ... it's tofu. With some sauce. Couldn't get a nice picture of that no matter how hard I tried ;D

EC had the Sliced Chicken & Spring Roll Vermicelli (MYR11.90):


AS rounds off the food with a Mixed Vegetable Fried Noodle (MYR12.90).


Vietnam Kitchen has 5 outlets in Malaysia thus far. Having never travelled to Vietnam I can't vouch for the authenticity of the cuisine, but overall it isn't too bad a place to have some nice food at very reasonable prices. 3 Stars.

Delicious at One Utama

Wasn't feeling particularly hungry on Sunday night (no small thanks to a 'teatime' drink of a large A&W Root Beer), so decided to pop down to Delicious in One Utama.


Started off with the Garden Greens with House Dressing for MYR12.90. It's hard to justify paying almost $15 (after taxes) for what is essentially a pack of mixed lettuce that you can buy at a Supermarket for a quarter of the price, but I wanted some greens. House dressing wasn't anything special either.


The darling and I shared Mama's Beef Bolognese (MYR19.90). This is my favorite Delicious dish, and one of the best tomato-sauce based pasta I've ever tasted. The sauce is thick and meaty, and the generous slices of Parmesan cheese make it an extremely rich and siok affair.


Another thing I love about Delicious are the desserts - no stomach for it this time, sadly, but I will return to conquer a brownie ... or two ... another day!