NBrew, Mid Valley Megamall

The deal: RM10 for RM20 cash voucher for gelatos, yoghurts and specialty pasta at NBrew.

What we got:

Gula melaka avocado gelato (small: RM9) and cempedak gelato (regular: RM10.90)

Liquid nitrogen ice-cream was a newly-introduced concept in Malaysia, with several stores popping up last year selling this alone. While not an entirely new product, merely gelato made in a different way, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the interesting method of preparation, and was left wondering what a liquid nitrogen ice-cream/gelato tastes like (although I keep telling myself it really wouldn't taste much different).

I've read (invited?) reviews raving about the gula melaka avocado, which is why I opted for this flavour, but in all honesty, I thought it was kinda meh. Avocados are great in salads, sure, but not so much in gelato. The cempedak gelato fared better in terms of taste; it smelt and tasted good, and I'm glad we took two scoops of this instead of the avocado one.

Would I say liquid nitrogen ice-cream/gelato in general is a must-try? Not really. It's not crazily different from your usual ice-cream or gelato, but if like me you've some sort of curiousity that won't be satiated until you try it, go ahead. After all, it doesn't hurt to try something (sort of) new.

Tax: None.

How much we paid: RM10

Manmaru Homemade Udon, Mid Valley Megamall

The deal: RM10 for RM20 cash voucher for food and drinks at Manmaru Homemade Udon.

What we got:

Kamo seiro udon (regular: RM15.90)

I love udon. If I had to choose between ramen, soba and udon, I'll almost always choose udon (except when there's cold soba, because cold udon still seems a bit strange to me). It's been two months since I've last had udon, so the voucher was very timely.

I got the kamo seiro udon, which was udon served in hot water, with duck broth in a separate bowl. I know they call it 'gravy' on their menu, but I thought broth would much better describe its consistency. There were four or five slices of duck, which were tasty. The broth tasted somewhat herbal-y but I found it a little too salty.

Niku udon (regular: RM14.90)

My partner got the niku udon. The beef slices were tender and the broth was less heavily flavoured compared to the duck one, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We also thought the noodles were firmer in texture compared to udons we've had in other places.

Tori karaage (RM2/piece)

 Yasai kakiage tempura (RM1.80/piece)

The tori karaage was less oily than the ones we have at our usual udon place, and the kakiage had less flour coating as well--which means we could taste more of the veggie, with us deceiving ourselves that this was 'healthier' (though we know it likely isn't). 

After our meal, we washed it all down with a cup of cold green tea (RM1.50).

Tax: None.

How much we paid: RM20