Santouka Ramen, Pavilion

There seems to be many ramen shops mushrooming in Klang Valley these few months. One of the famous one is of course Santouka. Originated from Japan, Santouka specialized in Hokkaido style ramen. A few moons ago I went to Pavilion for a Moet & Chandon event and I came from work without having anything to eat. So, I decided to try out the famous Santouka Ramen in Tokyo Street at Pavilion.

I ordered their popular and limited Tokusen Toroniku Ramen. The toroniku chashu made from pork cheek meat is only sold in limited serving. If not mistaken, only about 50 or 100 bowls will be sold per day. This is due to the limited supply of pork cheek. A pig only has 200-300g of usable pork cheek meat.

I heard many people complained that the soup here is a bit too salty. Instead of turning away from it, I know I came to the right place because Hokkaido style ramen is saltier than other style of ramen in Japan. If you prefer less salty ramen, I recommend you Yamagoya Kyushu style ramen in Duta Solaris. I'll blog about it in another post.

The good thing here is that they will put the sides for the ramen in a separate plate. You have a choice to add in as you eat but I like to put everything in.

Ramen-ya or ramen shop in Japan will always have gyoza available. So, Santouka is also following the tradition. I found that the gyoza here is a bit too small for my liking but the filling is quite juicy.

Albeit, the ramen here is a bit pricey but what I ordered is a premium part of a pork. It's still cheaper to go to Singapore or fly to Japan to have a taste of authentic Hokkaido style ramen. If you happen to come to Pavilion, why not give it a try? You might start to love the salty taste of Hokkaido ramen.

Address:
Level 6, Pavilion KL
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (03) 2143-8878

The Soundform Fluid Bar by Glenmorangie

Two weeks ago I was in The Gardens for the launching of the Soundform Fluid Bar by Glenmorangie. If you have no idea what is Glenmorangie, you can read it in my previous post. Arrived there earlier than the stated time. Which is good because I get to go for the whisky tasting session without a crowd. The tasting was led by Glenmorangie brand ambassador, Ben Ng. That night we were tasting Glenmorangie Original, Lasanta and Astar.

As with any liquor tasting. We first started by looking at the colour, then whisk a bit of the aroma. Whisky is a bit different after the visual and smell, before we taste it, we put a touch of water into the whisky and smell it again. Notice a different flavour of aromas. Then take a sip, and a second sip. The first and second sip will have a different taste.

The Original

The Original was put in an old Bourbon cask for 10 years, while The Lasanta was put in old Bourbon cask for 10 years and then shifted to old Sherry cask for another 2 years hence a darker colour for the latter. The limited Astar was put in old Bourbon cask but the duration is a secret.

The Lasanta

The Original is the lightest and easiest to take in, while Lasanta has a rich taste of caramel to it. The strongest is the Astar, which boast alcohol level of about 57.1 %. It has kind of a burning sensation in my throat at the first sip but it gets warm and cozy on the second sip.

After the tasting session and loads of finger food. It's time to launch the Soundform Fluid Bar. The SOUNDFORM Fluid bar was designed by renowned architect and interior designer Philip Michael Wolfson for Glenmorangie, and it was inspired by the sonograph reading of the sound of Glenmorangie whisky being poured into a crystal glass. If you passed by North Atrium of The Gardens, you'll get to see it physically. Yesterday was the last day it's on display.

After that we all continued with free flow of Glenmorangie and party through out the night at Vertigo, The Gardens. It was so much fun and we were so happy camwhoring. I once again can't stop drinking it. But we all practice drinking responsibly so I stopped drinking an hour before it's time to go home. I was very much sober when I leave Vertigo. =P

Tiger Asian Music Festival 2012

I know I'm quite late in posting about this great concert that was attended by a 40,000 strong audience. Luckily I got to be in the VIP area thanks to Tiger and found some place to sit and breath easy. The best part is of course the free flow of Tiger beer all night long.

I was dressed for the occasion as in beach wear. So, a Hawaiian shirt will be very suitable. I had a bit of wardrobe change there because I got to get a LANSI T-shirt. So, I wore it on the spot.

Met Kate and Shannon.

 

Emily was my guest that night.

The concert opens with Beyond in the first performance. Brought me back to my primary school years.

Video here is Beyond's Wong Ka Keung and Paul Wong singing one of their hit song back in the 80s, "喜欢你". For more videos from Tiger AMF 2012, subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Paul took off his shirt when it's time for his solo act.

 

He sang "Can't Bring Me Down" during his solo act.

 

It was a fun yet hot concert. Lucky the rain never did come down even though the sky is showing signs. Looking forward to another Tiger Asian Music Festival next year.