Grilling at BibiWok

Of late, my friends and I have been patronising this Thai BBQ Steamboat joint in Puchong called BibiWok. The place is spread over 2 stories, with the 1st floor being the BBQ Steamboat area and the ground floor, the Nyonya-Thai restaurant.

What's great about this grilling joint is the all-you-can-eat buffet items that you can order straight from the menu. A godsend for lazy asses out there. But you've got to grill your own food. Not to worry though, they make it simple enough by giving you butter-coated (or is it margarine? oh nevermind) banana leaves to place on the hot grill. So there's no chance of food getting burned or god forbid, melded to the hot plate.

BUT what's even better is the little pot of kick-ass tom yum soup that you can do your steamboating in. The soup is a combination of clear broth and freshly blended green goodness (kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, etc). And I have to say it's a really nice change from the usual red tom yums.

Outstanding buffet items include the fresh, thick cuts of squid (my fav), crispy fried dumplings, lamb slices and scallops. They used to serve those yummy straw mushrooms, but they took it off the menu recently. Dammit. Anyways, never order the mussels. Those were bad the last two times I tried it.

For dessert, there's watermelon, chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream.

You have to order your own drinks but they are decently priced. So it's all good.

VERDICT
BibiWok
At RM28++ per person, it's not a bad deal. You get your BBQ and your steamboat at the same time. And the ingredients are all pretty fresh (well 'cept for the mussels). Plus, you also get buffet items like fried dumplings (fried to order) and mango kerabu. But the clincher is still the awesome tom yum.

Pork free.

No More Churros, Thanks!

I had mad cravings for churros (Spanish doughnuts) after seeing them on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.

So when Molten Lava erupted in One Utama (ok, well maybe like a pimple would), I was like Yay 'cause I could finally satiate my curiosity.

'Cause in my mind, playing like a broken record were visions of ze churros, generously piled and generously smothered by icing sugar, accompanied by a nice thick cup of chocolat.

But alas, what came out of the Molten Lava were 4 miserable pieces of churro, accompanied by an even more miserable bowl of a sorry excuse for chocolate.

Sigh.

One bite and all dreams were crushed.

I guess some things are better off as ideas when you can't get the real thing -- or when the real thing disappoints as well.

VERDICT
Molten Lava
Somewhat pricey for something so simple. But if you enjoy the greasy smell of fried doughnuts, then give it a go. If not, I'd say you'd be happier with some Big Apple or Krispy Kreme.