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Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ashhryshoshedap: JB's XL salted egg pasta & belacan fried rice with 12K+ reviews — overrated or must-try?
Ashhryshoshedap had been on my radar for quite a while — all thanks to Jason Chen's review. If you're not familiar with Jason, he's a well-known Malaysian food critic, famous for his honest yet constructive takes. But honestly, if you haven't heard of him… where have you been? Now, let's talk about that name. I wasn't exactly thrilled by it. Saying Ashhryshoshedap out loud to my friends felt like baby talk, almost. A little awkward, a lot confusing. But hey, I'm not here to critique branding decisions. I came to Johor Bahru with one mission: to eat. To my surprise, the place was bigger than expected. There's even an upstairs dining area if you need more space. A little heads-up: you'll need to remove your shoes at the entrance, so maybe leave the holey socks at home. Browsing the menu was… certainly something. You have to scan a QR code to access it but navigating it was a nightmare. The categories were all over the place, and the quirky, chaotic dish names didn't help. We did have a good laugh, but it definitely took us longer than it should've to just place an order. Naturally, we went for the dish Jason raved about: Salted Egg Clam Spaghetti (RM29.90). Or, in its full birth name: Spaghetti Salted Egg Clam Creamy Bismillah Yummy (Sweet Creamy & Spicy). See what I mean? Price-wise, things leaned toward the steeper side, but the portion made up for it; the plate practically took over ¾ of our table. And the moment it landed, the unmistakable aroma of salted egg and curry leaves hit us hard — in a good way. The pasta was cooked beautifully al dente. But the mouthfeel made me certain that the brand used was Prego. A bit plasticky in texture, not exactly premium. Understandable, though, for a casual eatery. As for the sauce… it was intense. Think Super Ring snack kind of cheesy-salty-spicy. Tasty? Yes. But probably better suited as a dip than a pasta sauce. The salted egg and curry notes came through strong, but fair warning: it was paprika-heavy. My friends with low spice tolerance were sweating bullets with every bite, holding on to the table like Jack with that door in Titanic. Kelab Kopi Lama: Cosy JB kopitiam serves all-day buttery kaya toast, fresh kampung eggs & laksa Johor under RM10 The clams were fresh and juicy, but otherwise unremarkable. Next up: a crowd-favourite classic — Nasi Goreng Belacan (RM29.90). Or as the menu puts it: Nasgor Mantan TAK Move On! (Belacan & Spicy). Whatever that means. The presentation was certainly flawless. Plump, ruby-red prawns. Juicy cherry tomatoes. Crisp cucumber slices. It looked like a 10/10 dish — and it almost was. The first bite was nothing short of heavenly. The rice was fluffy, well-seasoned, spicy, savoury, and packed with umami. Absolute delight. My only complaint: the belacan flavour was painfully subtle. It tasted more like regular Nasi Goreng Kampung. Perhaps they used sambal belacan rather than pure belacan for the paste? But the real surprise was the generous amount of squid in the dish as I dug further into the mountain of rice. Fresh ones, mind you. I just wish they'd served it with a side of sambal belacan to really elevate the dish even more. One thing that I could confirm about Ashhryshoshedap: a total nightmare for those with a more delicate palate. The flavours were a punch on the throat, though for someone like me, it was spot on. While I wasn't a fan of the Salted Egg Spaghetti, the Belacan Fried Rice definitely stole my heart (and stomach). If you're planning to visit, make sure to never order one dish per each person unless you're a big eater. Expected damage: RM29.90 – RM80 per pax Nasi Lemak Al-Aisy: Underrated JB eatery serving fragrant nasi lemak with spicy sambal petai & fried chicken The post Ashhryshoshedap: JB's XL salted egg pasta & belacan fried rice with 12K+ reviews — overrated or must-try? appeared first on
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Australia's most acid-tongued food critic shows a rare softer side as he shares a powerful message after the death of his beloved dog Sailor
Notorious food critic John Lethlean has taken to social media to announce the death of his beloved dog and long-time companion Sailor. The veteran restaurant and food writer has appeared in major Australian newspapers and magazines for more than two decades, having garnered a following for his honest, engaging and often brutal reviews. 'It's taken quite a few months to process this, but Sailor's love of the water and playing with sting-rays got the better of her late last year and life just isn't the same any more,' he share to Instagram on Tuesday. He explained as a word of caution for anyone 'with a dog that won't stop chasing fish' that stingrays will naturally defend themselves and their barbs can easily be lethal to dogs. 'Like all good dogs, Sailor was nothing if not curious,' he said. Lethlean wrote in a Amazon e-book about his writing career titled 'Post Script' that he and his wife had treated Sailor like a family member. 'A childless couple with love in our hearts and enormous affection for most dogs, let alone our own, Sailor didn't share our attention with anyone,' he wrote. 'The three of us lived at very close quarters for five years... We dragged her bed into our bedroom every night when it was time to hit the hay and, when she inevitably got tired of sleeping between us, she'd jump off the bed and slip into her own. 'Just knowing she was there was comforting. I'd like to think it was reciprocal.' Lethlean no-holds-barred reviews have caused controversy on several occasions. His one-star review of legendary chef Cheong Liew's The Grange in 2008 contributed to its closure the following year. One of the pioneers of Asian-Australian cuisine, Liew had operated the restaurant for 14 years before and had been awarded an Order of Australia. In 2016, Lethlean's review of Adelaide Oval's fine dining restaurant Hill of Grace prompted them to call in their lawyers after he roasted the food, the service, the décor and the staff. He referred to one dish as 'brown mucoid gloop' and summed up the venue's efforts as 'out for a duck'. Lethlean also didn't hold back when the famed King Island Dairy announced it's closure last year. 'The cheeses have always been rubbish and this so-called brie I have here… completely devoid of any character whatsoever unless all you're looking for in a soft, white mould cheese is industrial salt,' he wrote. But, rather than shooting from the hip, Lethlean insisted he was methodical about they way he conducted his reviews. 'If you get a feeling from the start that there are some hard words that need to be said, you spend the next whatever hours in the restaurant making sure that you have evidence to support the kind of comments you are going to make,' he told Crikey. 'If something contentious is going in, I got photographs of it... before blogs had even been heard of. 'If I want to say something is oily, I make sure I've got a photograph of oily. If I'm going to say the tablecloths were stained and tatty, I take photographs of stained and tatty tablecloths.'
Washington Post
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
What's your ideal restaurant? Our D.C. dining quiz will help you find it.
What's your ideal restaurant? Our D.C. dining quiz will help you find it. So many restaurants. So little time. It's a sentiment I share with fellow diners in and around Washington, which is blessed with some of the best places to eat in the country. People often ask me what the best part of being a food critic is, and the truth sometimes surprises them: I love to play matchmaker. Yes, it's a pleasure to eat the work of talented chefs, but few things thrill me more than connecting readers with Just the Right Spot for a meal. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement I'm just one stomach, alas, and I can't be everywhere all the time. Time to launch an AI-powered clone? Not yet. Instead, we've created this quiz to guide you through the maze of the D.C. area's bounty and steer you to the best places to meet your dining needs. Answering a handful of questions should net you answers tailored to your budget and where and what you want to eat. Looking for something high-energy or low-key? The quiz can help there, too. Dive in below, and tell us in the comments: What's your new go-to restaurant in the area?
