Xtra Power?

As some of you might noticed, Petronas launched their new fuel recently. The Primax 95 Xtra is said to be inspired by Formula One technology (hey, Schumacher's driving the Petronas Benz after all!), and offer better savings in terms of mileage. Using RON 95? Sounds too good to be true - Exactly what I thought.



But I decided to give it a go anyways. Loaded the 155 with 50 bucks of this new fuel and gave a run to the Sepang F1 Circuit. No, not to race but to catch the Malaysian leg of the Formula One World Championship as well as Rain live in concert. I'm not sure if it was psychological but it sure felt smoother than running on your average RON 95 fuel. It's too early to tell if there's any savings, but in terms of power and pick-up I found it not bad, not RON 97 smooth but almost there. Kinda reminds you of ProJet's jet fuel back in the early 2000's. But I don't think it'll make you Schumacher though. Oh well, gotta get back to sorting tons of photos~

PEACE & God Bless,
Aris Tee

Croc Feast

Group outings are fun. The simple joy of having a meal out with family, friends or colleagues often doubles up as wonderful bonding sessions. But the increased number of people leaves certain restaurants out of the question. However, for a scrumptious group meal with an unbeatable lakeside view, you can never go wrong with Crocodile Farm Seafood Village.

The very name of the restaurant alone is enough to be a topic-starter. While I've heard stories that the place used to serve crocodile meat before, I'm not really sure how true this is. Crocodile Farm has been around for almost two decades, making it one of the oldest food places in Subang Jaya. Which is a surprise a few have still not heard of it. Located not far from Subang Jaya Medical Centre and a stone’s throw away from Holiday Villa hotel (there is a tiny junction with a sign board before you reach), the restaurant has a majestic view of Subang Ria Lake, especially at night. And you’ll rarely have any problems finding a spot there.

Their menu is rather extensive, so you’ll never get bored with choices. Served Chinese-style and like the name suggests, their specialty is seafood (no, not crocodiles!). For starters, you could try Four Seasons, which like the name suggests, offers four different items on a platter and is great for sharing.





Ours had a swerving of jellyfish, yam croquette, shark fin omelette and seafood treasure rolls. Everyone had white rice, so we ordered various dishes to go with it. First up was the Crabmeat Tofu, which was Japanese tofu, smothered with crabmeat and egg.



Thick and delicious, this is a must-try for tofu-lovers! For veggies we had a serving of Baby Kailan with Garlic, which came so fresh and green (not to mention crunchy!).



A nice fish dish is always welcome, so we had a Steamed Siakap.



Freshly caught, the fish was served in soy sauce, ginger and garnishing – simply wonderful and melts in the mouth. Poultry-lovers would enjoy the Crispy Roast Chicken, which is crispy like the name suggests, and comes served with chips and some seasoning dips.



The more adventurous however, may opt for the Black Pepper Venison Ribs, which is a restaurant specialty. The tender meat is cooked to perfection and is also available in boneless form, it is a must-try for any food-lover.



Onward to more seafood, we also ordered Kam Heong Prawns, which was simply exquisite.



The prawns come seasoned with various spices, curry leaved and deep fried with egg, resulting in a dish which was crispy on the outside, succulent on the inside and bursting with flavor - this is another dish not to be missed.

We didn't forget about dessert either. The restaurant offers a number of hot and cold desserts including fresh fruits, but we opted for the Lotus Pancake.



This popular dish is basically fried pancake with lotus paste filling. It comes also with red bean filling.

If you're already mouth-watering and feeling hungry now, I'll suggest you grab your family, friends or colleagues and head on down to Crocodile Farm Seafood Village today for lunch or dinner, because if you haven't been there till now, you don't know what you're missing.

Crocodile Farm Seafood Village
Taman Subang Ria, Subang Jaya,
47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel : 603 5635 1463

Wagyu in a Bun!

Mention the word Wagyu and thoughts of juicy tenderness, glorious marbling, and rich flavor come to mind. Got your attention? Well beef lovers, it's time for a celebration as Tony Roma's brings Wagyu beef to their current burger menu. Yup, Wagyu-in-a-burger. How awesome is that?

I was recently invited by the nice peeps at Tony Roma's to try their new range of premium Wagyu beef burgers, which was an improvement over last year's already amazing selection. However in an effort to avoid us from being hungry and/or an attempt to add some veggies, we were served a wonderful starter of their new Grilled Chicken and Roasted Vegetable Salad (RM29.90). 





This new salad consisted a mix of grilled chicken, zucchini, carrots, red peppers and chives blended with chopped greens. This comes served with tomato pesto vinaigrette dressing and toasted cheddar flatbread. How's that for a healthy start? In addition to the salad were their usual lovely and famous Fried Mushrooms.





We were also presented a serving of yet another popular dish, the Shrimp Scampi Pasta, which is famous for its ridiculous amounts of really fresh shrimp. But we had to limit ourselves as Wagyu beef burger was the main course. There are five types of Wagyu beef burgers to select from, and each has their own appeal. All come served with Tony Roma's wonderful French fries.

First up was the Steakhouse Burger (RM37.90) which already sounded delicious from its name. It consists of savoury grilled Wagyu beef topped with demi-glace, creamy Havarti and rosemary bacon. The burger is also lined with lettuce, tomato, red onions and pickles. Rosemary bacon was the key ingredient that made this one special.



The first thing you'll notice about the burger was how darn thick the Wagyu beef was. Smothered with melted Harvati cheese, it looked wickedly sinful. Slice the burger and it was immediately clear what the fuss was about.



Moist, juicy, and full of texture, the tender Wagyu beef used made a huge difference. Munching on this burger was akin to having a steak in your hands. The ingredients compliment the meat well, and makes for one really, really satisfying burger. Highly recommended!

Next up was the Big Stack Burger (RM34.90), which like the name suggests, was one heck of a huge stack! The juicy grilled burger comes piled high with crisp bacon, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and Dijon mustard.



This was another sinful offering, with melted cheddar spilling off the sides and crispy bacon calling your name. This combination makes for a different experience, and I must say this one is a must try as well.

Next up was the Wild Mushroom Harvati Burger (RM36.90), which was a real treat for mushroom-lovers.



Juicy Wagyu beef is smothered with melted Harvati cheese and wild mushrooms, making for a really awesome experience. The tender beef goes really well with the mushrooms and I'm sure this should be on the list of anyone who loves this wonderful combination.

Then we have the Fiery Cajun Burger (RM34.90), which was a colossal stack of a burger. When I mean colossal, I wasn't kidding.



This lightly-seasoned behemoth comes loaded with cheddar cheese and Cajun-seasoned fried onions.



The combination of crunchy and tender is something to behold, and fans of Tony Roma's Onion Loaf should definitely give this one a try. The sheer height alone should be a welcome challenge to burger-lovers.

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try the fifth and final Wagyu beef burger offering, but judging from the description, the Surf & Turf Burger (RM36.90) sounds like a real whopper. The combination of Tony Roma's own Kickin' Shrimp tossed in Remoulade sauce piled on seasoned Wagyu beef and topped with caramelised onion, melted Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickle chips sounds like a real winner!

And oh, I haven't mention that these Wagyu beef burgers entitle you to a 50% discount on any Tony's Milkshakes that are available (usual price RM9.90). Choose from Vanilla, Chocolate or Strawberry. I tried Chocolate and it was the bomb!



In addition to the ongoing Wagyu beef burger promo, patrons are also welcome to participate in Tony Roma's Burger Eating Competition to stand a chance to win RM2,000 cash! To participate all you have to do is order at least one Tony Roma's Wagyu beef burger and attach the receipt to the application form as proof. Recruitment starts from 11th April onwards. You may click on the poster thumbnails below to read for more info:

     

Overall I found the Wagyu beef burgers something fresh and undeniably a big upgrade from your usual run-of-the-mill beef burger. I might be a steak person (I absolutely love Wagyu beef steaks!, but I found having them in burger form is not bad, seriously. Tony Roma's Wagyu beef burger promotion will run from 11th April till 5th June, so I suggest you hurry on there if you do not want to miss trying this awesomely juicy treat!

Tony Roma's
Sunway Pyramid - 03-7492 1188
e@Curve - 03-7728 7833
Pavilion - 03-2143 3278
The Gardens - 03-2282 8243
Jalan Yap Kwan Seng - 03-2161 0200
One Mont Kiara - 03-6203 0580

Wonder Girls @ KLCC!

As some of you might know, the Wonder Girls are in town and they'll be performing at Twin Towers @Live 2011, a free, two night, outdoor concert to be celebrated at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) as part of the activities of the Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix 2011.



In fact they should be performing any moment now. I wasn't able to take the day off as I'm still on probation, hence the ability to write this entry. Earlier on I asked the boss for a later shift as my friend invited me to their photoshoot at 1pm. Later on the organizers switched it to 8pm. So you could imagine how emo I felt knowing I couldn't make it to see them AND work a shift that ends at midnight. But despite being sad, I hope the fans would give them a warm welcome and cheer them on, after all this is their third performance in Malaysia in less than a year! And I heard they're actually the headliners. Is that awesome or what?!

My friend was nice enough to send me this shot on location through her iPhone (:



Other performers tonite include Yuna, The Azenders, Bunkface and American rock band Hoobastank. The following day will have Joe Flizzow, Mizz Nina, Colby O’Donis, and the Earth, Wind & Fire Experience featuring Al McKay. The concert is free, but there's also a “Fan Zone Area” for those who buy grandstand tickets. Grandstand ticket holders not only get to be at the “Fan Zone Area” at the Twin Towers’ concert but also be able to enjoy the big Formula 1 race this Sunday and Rain’s concert right after. I happen to be going on race day so I'll update on that later.

Wonder Girls Forever!

PEACE & God Bless,
Aris Tee

Clear Insight

So how are first impressions of driving a hybrid car? Took the Honda Insight for a brief spin recently.

The hybrid vehicle market is still a young one here in Malaysia, with the Toyota Prius making waves while others closely catching up. Hot on Toyota’s heels is Honda with their second-generation Insight, and I recently had the opportunity to do a short test drive of this hybrid car.



Upon approaching the Insight one thing was apparent; it was a real looker. The sleek lines may take function over form, but it seems wind tunnel tests carved in rather neat proportions.



The front and rear headlamps take on a modern hexagon theme while the deep front bumper and corporate grill gives it an imposing look.







Four colors are available - Dyno Blue Pearl, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl and Premium White Pearl. Black Pearl and Premium White Pearl look sleek but personally Dyno Blue Pearl (pictured here) is just wicked!!
Upon stepping inside, you are greeted by a futuristic cockpit area with a dashboard akin to a spaceship, yet it still carries familiar Honda DNA, especially with the steering wheel.



Tapping on the pedals brings the engine to life with a soft purr. Driving slowly around the corners lets you appreciate the silence of the Insight’s electric motor-assisted 1.3L i-VTEC engine.





Acceleration is smooth thanks to the Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) and if you flick the ‘ECON’ switch the car converts to economy mode, at the expense of 4% less engine power (honestly you can't really feel the difference). The digital speedometer seemingly ‘floats’ like those numeric countdowns usually seen before a 3D movie and it’s really cool when seen in motion. The dash area behind it glows a bright green when you’re driving economically and progressively changes to blue whenever you drive vigorously. However, the difference in pickup wasn’t really that noticeable. In ‘ECON Mode’ there is also a ‘Scoring Function’ as form of feedback to your driving style. The car ‘rewards’ you with green ‘leaves’ if you drive responsibly and when continued over a period of time you may even score a ‘trophy’. It is also interesting to note that the engine switches off at each standstill and restarts every time you accelerate (with assistance of the electric motor). Sure gave me a shock at the first junction. The transition is almost seamless and by running only on motor during traffic lights and traffic jams, unnecessary petrol wastage is prevented. The Insight also gains battery charge each time you brake and this is clearly shown on the dash (it also shows when the electric motor is assisting the engine).



Even when driven enthusiastically uphill the Insight was smooth and felt like the equivalent of a 1.5L vehicle. And with the motor assisting it almost full-time, expect wonderful mileage from this hybrid.

The interior also feels spacious thanks to the large amount of glass area, including a neat window on the boot due to the high rump.





This adds to safety and gives you a clearer view of your surroundings, not to mention they are of heat-absorbing glass for added comfort. The Insight also comes with twin front airbags, six (yes six!) cup holders and in-car entertainment unit that includes a USB jack. The car should comfortably seat a family of five with enough boot space for three golf bags.





The Honda Insight is now available for booking with a RM98,000 on-the-road price (with insurance) with 5-year Honda warranty, making it the cheapest hybrid currently on sale here. Road tax costs only RM70 and with the government offering no tax charges for its hybrid status I believe it is a good deal. Booking fee is RM1,000 with deliveries taking approximately a few months. I admit I've already fallen in love with it myself!