Ireland Potato, Berjaya Times Square

I've been meaning to try out the Ireland Potato for the longest time since I saw it at the Mont Kiara kiosk. A wonderful way to spend a nice weekend out is to just wander about Berjaya Times Square- looking at everything and nothing,whilst holding a cup of warm, creamy, calorie rich carb. Mmmmm......irresistable.

The shop was empty when I made my order. The 2 Malay fellas manning the shop were a little blur, they had to kick and shake the machine that "putar" the "kentang" a bit. Kinda funny, huh. So it made like a "grenggong grenggong" sound. I had to stop myself from laughing aloud, since they looked tired, it was late and they had lost whatever sense of humour left.

I've been thinking of their slogan for a while:
" In Ireland, there are 2 things in the world that can't be joked: 1.marriage 2.potatoes."
Is it me or is this somehow wrong? Should there be an addition of 'about' after the 'joked'?  Must one day ask some Irishman. However, actually I should just ask someone from Hong Kong instead- since Ireland Potato is a franchise that originated from Hong Kong.

My snack order was Special Cheddar Cheese Potato. The cheese was gooey and salty, and I had to shake the bacon bits on the mash myself cos the blur staff just stood there with a "huh" on his face. At first was a bit apprehensive...what kind of bacon is so red in colour? Coloring overload! After a couple of mouthfuls, I regretted not pouring out half the shaker into my cup as it tasted so much better with the bits. Just a lovely juxtaposition of taste and texture.

These things are a force to be reckoned with. So unassuming, you'd think...'eh- its only a snack'. Turns out to be rich and filling but so addictive that I could NOT stop eating. I ate it while walking, while talking, in the lift, in the car..and suddenly realized to my surprise that every last bit had been eaten.
                                             wow, and I thought I'd take it home.

Btw, that logo is cute- it looks like a cross between a Halloween pumpkin and a Chia Pet!

Isenbin Taiwanese Desserts, SS2

There are soooo many Taiwanese dessert shops now that its just a matter of wading through them all one by one. Was in SS2 in the afternoon while sending my laptop for repair and decided to try out their signature 'Dau hua'. No other customers in the small shop. Service was prompt and very polite.

Decided to take the desserts home instead of having it there and then. This is where I need to be fair to Isenbin - perhaps it would have tasted much better in the shop, freshly made? It wasn't that long a drive though...maybe 15 minutes to reach home...but....anyway, the takeaway dauhua desserts came in large portions. We bought one hot and the other cold - with shaved ice. Other than that, the ingredients were the same: consisting of dauhua, yam and sweet potato oee ( these looked like little nuggets) , matcha , pearl, colourful baby oee. Unfortunately the dauhua was rough and heavy. The oee had a strange taste though ...was very chewy. Like little elastic gumballs.

I found their dessert to be similar to that of Snowflake's, which I do not enjoy. Have tried out Snowflake in SS15 and never understood the long queues in the shop. I'd much rather just wander a few shops down the road for Chatime or Arisen's delicious desserts.

Vin’s Restaurant Bar, Damansara Heights

 It was dark by the time we headed for Vin's in TTDI. Luckily there was a parking space right in front of the restaurant but it was a tight squeeze. Rather lively inside this neighbourhood restaurant cum bar with a good mix of locals and expats.

For starters we had:

wild mushroom soup RM12.50

pretty good, flavourful and not of the canned variety

brandy prawn RM18.50 

Crunchy bread topped with juicy sauteed prawns in a brandy with spicy mayo dressing? The prawns were bouncy and fresh, couldn't detect any brandy.

Mains were:

pasta carbonara RM25.90

extremely creamy. The "carbonara afficionado" found this really filling. Be prepared not being able to eat anything else if you order this.

the black angus RM54

US ribeye with gravy. yum. yum. yum. Tender and tasty.

Desserts:

chocolate lava RM16.90

the sort of choc pudding cake where you plunge your spoon in and out oozes dark chocolate goodness. Made a delightful mess by mushing it with the cold vanilla icecream

steamed treacle sponge cake pudding RM15

slices of sponge, tasting remarkably of a local brown sugar cake or possibly something my Mum can bake, smothered in  glorious custard as all British desserts should be.

I think 90% of the desserts were eaten by me alone. So sorry.

Along with the red wine that O and WC had, the gregarious waiter brought verte absinthe to our table.Good or bad, I can't drink- all it takes is 1 Cosmopolitan and my face turns beetroot. Most unflattering. But I had to taste the absinthe. It was too difficult to look away from that mysterious emerald green housed in an antique looking slow drip absinthe fountain.

What if I went "crazy and criminal" like those French writers of old? How gloriously romantic! How vain yet gloriously romantic! Not sure if I'd look good with a green fairy stuck to my head ala Albert Maignan's Green Muse, though. Absinthe does taste pretty nice; especially if you're partial to the particular taste of liquorice.

It was a great enjoyable night, food and company was wonderful. Will return.