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“Someone left a box outside the house gate for you! I think it’s a bomb!” my mum called me when I was at work. I wasn’t expecting any parcel that day and I’d like to think that people don’t hate me that much to want to harm me. Long story short, mum instructed the maid to place the box on the road…and use a stick to open it. LOL!

There was no bomb. Instead, it was a bowl with an invitation from Kim Chew Communications to attend the Merdeka Makan-Makan Food Trail in Jaya 33. I thought the invite was clever, despite my mum freaking out initially — PR agencies are getting more and more creative these days!

The food trail was a carefully planned eating spree comprising six restaurants in Jaya 33 – Shyet Li’s, Nagomi Japanese Restaurant, Deutsches Haus, d’Italiane Kitchen, Vietnam Kitchen and Vintry. Each restaurant prepared a few special Merdeka dishes which are available from now until 15 September 2011.

At Shyet-Li’s, we sampled the kunyit fried chicken, sambal sotong, beef rendang served with nasi lemak, fried egg, kangkung and keropok ikan (RM19.90), on top of a few of their best sellers. I can’t give an overall rating for this as I only managed to sample the chicken, which was tender enough. Cendol (RM4.90) is also on offer.

At Nagomi, we sampled two popular set meals; Miso Tori Itame (RM22) and Teppan Seafood Set (RM59). Every set meal comes with complimentary salads, Chef special dishes, desserts and fruits from the buffet bar.

The chicken, cooked with mixed vegetables and bean paste sauce, didn’t wow me. I enjoyed the seafood set, which featured teppanyaki king prawns, cuttle fish, fish and vegetables. The prawns were plump, juicy and richly flavoured by the creamy topping.

We then moved on to Deutsches Haus for a feast of Honey Pork Knuckle (RM59) and Sausage Platter (RM88). The knuckle came with streaky bacon, a generous serving of sauerkraut and potato ragout. This tasted decent, although I would have preferred the skin to be crispier and lighter.

Of all the variety of sausages, I liked the Nunberger and Thüringer sausage best. Both had a strong flavour and went well with the garlic and Habanero mayonnaise.

I would have stayed and eaten more of this apple strudel, but we had a pretty tight eating schedule so I had to leave 2/3 of it behind. *For every RM60 spent in Deutsches Haus, you get a complimentary scoop of premium ice cream.

At d’Italiane Kitchen, we tucked into Butternut Shrimp Soup (RM18.90), Puttanesca Pizzinis (RM20.90), Pemento Lamb Cutlet (RM62.90), Broiled Sesame Cod (RM78.90) and Steamed Pudding with caramelized orange (RM18.90).

The soup was delicious – thick, creamy and aromatic with chunks of shrimp, I finished my portion…as well as the portion meant for photography.

I didn’t care much for the pizzini/pizza, which tasted a bit bland for my liking. Then again, I’m someone who loves strong flavours so you might feel differently about this.

Between the lamb (main picture) and fish, I enjoyed the former. Cooked to a lovely tenderness, the meat – rimmed with fat – had a juicy centre. I’ve never been a fan of sesame, unless it’s used in Chinese cuisine. The fish was cooked just right and given an oriental touch with the sesame seasoning, but I wasn’t a fan.

I was however, a fan of the steamed pudding. Simple, yet decadently moist, this reminded me of the spotted dick pudding.

Our next stop was Vietnam Kitchen, to sample the Vietnamese Seafood Salad (RM12.90), Lemongrass Fish Fillet (RM20.00) and Braised Pork in Coconut Juice (RM19.90). I don’t care much for Vietnamese food unless it’s pho, as they tend to be very ‘ch’ng’.

Vietnam Kitchen’s braised pork made me eat my words. This was very delicious (despite its rather plain outlook). The meat was melt-in-the-mouth tender, from the layers of creamy pork fat. I liked how the coconut juice added a sweet touch to the meat.

These salad and fish paled in comparison to the pork. I found the lemongrass flavour too strong for the delicate fish and salads were never my thing.

The last stop of our food trail was Vintry, for their signature dishes – Spicy Caramelized Roast Pork (RM9 per 100gm), Deep-Fried Pork Strips (RM12), Honey Fried Cheese (RM16), Blue Cheese Pork Burger (RM26) and Fried Korean Noodles (RM18). For this Merdeka promotion, Vintry is offering a 20% discount on the dishes mentioned above.

Despite feeling ridiculously full (that’s usually the case when I go for buffets), I still managed to squeeze in the honey fried cheese, pork belly, roast pork and a bite of the Korean noodles. The fried cheese had a crisp outer later and melted centre; delicious when eaten piping hot.

But it was the roast pork (siew yuk) that stole the show here. Crackly skin with alternating layers of meat and fat, this was very moreish. I could have eaten 200gms of this…if I didn’t eat anything else before.

I love food reviews like this and was pleased that this PR Company treats bloggers and media fairly. The review comprised a small crowd of 3 medias and 3 bloggers. Thank you Kim Chew Communications, for extending the invite to me. I had a really good time.

Think you can out-eat us? Go prove it. Otherwise, just go and try the special dishes created for this food trail. This makan-makan promotion ends on September 15, 2011.

Shyet-Li’s Kopitiam

Lot No: PG-16

Tel: 03-7960 3563

Nagomi Japanese Restaurant

Lot No: PG-02B

Tel: 03-7956 2330

Deutsches Haus

Lot No: PG-01A

Tel: 03-7960 5736

d’Italiane Kitchen

Lot No: PG-01B

Tel: 03-7956 3684

Vietnam Kitchen

Lot No: PG-02D

Tel: 03-7957 1126

Vintry

Lot No: PG-02C

Tel: 03-7960 6737