Go Green

THE OPERA @ Sunway

This three-story club in Sunway is scoring tons of buzz over its unique "opera house" concept. Customers can chill out at "The Observatory," a semi-alfresco rooftop area, or sip cocktails in "The Long Lounge," a glass-paneled bar overlooking the road...

... or party at "The Theatre," the main room featuring nightly performances by acrobats and trapeze artists.

The food takes ages to arrive, but it's decent, especially since this is more of a watering hole than a proper restaurant. The Seafood Venezia comprised bruschetta topped with sauteed prawns, mussels and squid.

Asparagus & Brussels Sprout bruschetta. All the ingredients tasted fairly fresh.

Not Bad For An Old Fart (Whaler's Vanilla Rum, Mozart Gold, Mozart Black & White) & Chocolate Mojito (Chacaha Prata, Mozart Dark Choc, Mint Leaves, Lime Wedges, Soda).

Jack The German Motherfucker (Jack Daniel's, Jagermeister, Sweet Sour Mix) & Orange Chocolate Nuts (Vodka, Mozart Amade, Frangelico, Milk).

The Opera,

Sunway Pyramid.

TONY ROMA'S @ MidValley The GArden

I love ribs. Whether they're pork or beef, I can't resist 'em (but I prefer pork). Tony Roma's at the Gardens is an OK place to satisfy those rib cravings, but they deserve a special mention for their ultra-friendly employees.

Pan-seared salmon in sesame crust and garlic scampi butter, veggies and rice.

Ribs and sirloin combo with tomato pesto salad. A compromise, since we wanted both the ribs and a steak. No complaints about the taste, though the relatively small portion size left us wanting more!

I can't tell the sauces apart _ all of them taste corn syrupy. Btw, the "red hot sauce" is nowhere near spicy.

Grand Romarita and Long Island cocktails.

Tony's strawberry limonade with triple sec.

Chocolate Avalanche sundae martini.

Tony Roma's,

The Gardens.

BUBBA GUMP @ SunWay

Part of the "Run Across America" sampler: Mama Blue's Fried Shrimp and Hush Pups (a guilty pleasure of deep-fried balls containing shrimp, fish and prawns; must remember to order this by itself next time).

The rest of the sampler consisted of Bubba's Far Out Out Dip & Chips (spinach, roasted red peppers, artichokes and Monterey Jack Cheese with tortilla chips), spicy chicken strips (waaaaay too salty) and chilli shrimp.

"I'm Stuffed!" Shrimp, comprising shrimp stuffed with crab, baked with garlic butter and topped with Monterey Jack cheese. Tasty stuff, with surprisingly generous amounts of crab.

New Orleans shrimp, sauteed in garlic, butter and spices. Forgettable.

"Best Ever" Popcorn Shrimp. Doesn't live up to its title.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae. The desserts here are unbelievably sweet.

Mama's Bread Pudding. One mouthful of this is enough for a sugar rush.

Medal Margarita (Platinum Tequila, Cointreau and lime juice) & Pomegranate Margarita (Premium Silver Tequila, Pomegranate and Cointreau).

Alabama Sweet Smoothie (peanut butter, chocolate and vanilla yogurt) and Mama's Favorite (kahlua, vanilla yogurt, chocolate and amaretto).

Bubba Gump,

Sunway Pyramid.

THE LIBRARY @ Curve

A bizarre fusion creation of spaghetti with beef rendang. The rendang was thick and flavourful, comprising succulent, generously sliced beef tenderloin. But it seemed too oily and overly rich to be matched with the pasta.

Braised rabbit with creamy mustard sauce. The rabbit was OK, though somewhat tough and bony, but the sauce was bland and totally lacked oomph.

Chip & Fish, a creative reversal of fish and chips. The large chunk in the centre was actually breaded mashed potatoes, while the smaller pieces were butterfish deep-fried in beer batter.

Librarian's Margarita (tequila, mint leaves, pineapple, lime juice) & Librarian's Fling (gin, paraiso lychee, lime juice, strawberry puree).

Fucking Awesome (frangelico, mozart white, mozart dark, amarula, espresso, milk) & Quickly But Slowly (mozart black, milk, la clandestine absinthe).

The Library,

e@Curve.

CRYSTAL JADE RESTAURANT @ MidValley The Garden

We love the look of this place. Pretty avant-garde for a Chinese outlet.

The Peking Duck seemed like a good bet, especially since there was a reasonably priced half-portion on the menu.

The duck was fine, but it was wrapped in something akin to pita bread, instead of the soft, fluffy pancakes that we prefer.

Suckling pig (oily, with an overly strong aftertaste) and siew yoke (OK only).

Traditional stewed garoupa head and belly. Tasted alright, but it kinda reminded us that we hate the hassle of eating bony fish parts.

Yummy rice dumpling laden with conpoy, salted egg, pork & chestnuts.

Pan-fried vegetables stuffed with shrimp mousse in hot stone. Not bad.

Health Wines Lizard Flat Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (Adelaide Hills).

Crystal Jade Restaurant,

The Gardens.

CRAFT BREWS @ Mutiara Damansara

This comfy watering hole has opened near The Curve. Lotsa good grub & sparkling service.

The beers are the main attraction, so let's start this entry with drinks. Direct from Singapore's RedDot Brewhouse, we had the Monster Green Lager (brewed with spirulina) and English Ale (a ruby-red beer). RM17 for a half-pint, both were pleasantly smooth & not too strong-tasting.

Flying Dog's "Doggie Style" Classic Pale Ale and "Old Scratch" Amber Lager. Tasted like regular beer, but I'm really the wrong person to be giving any opinions on this, since I usually stick to wine and cocktails.

Skewers of roast pork wrapped with bacon. Succulent stuff, full of flavour.

Caramelized roast pork with onions, chillies and curry leaves. At first bite, this is sorta similar to Vintry's version.

Honey mustard pork back ribs. Tender and well-marinated, with an addictive sweet-salty taste that kept us munching tirelessly.

Caribbean Spice Chicken, marinated with RedDot Pilsner beer, peanuts and brown sugar. The meat was a tad too tough and surprisingly kinda bland.

Deep-fried eggplant chips coated in crispy salted egg batter. Ideal for snacking.

Tex-Mex Hickory BBQ Pork Back Ribs. Portions here are pretty hearty.

A big bowl of salad was meant to ease our guilt, but I'm not sure we finished it.

Craft Brews,

Menara Batu Kawan,

Mutiara Damansara.

Tel: 7722-3000