Deli Cafe and Bakery, Kota Damansara

We were at the mechanic shop as Bollywood Queen need to get something for her car..

While waiting and whiling away our time, I recalled there is a place for bread and drinks around this area..Just not sure where and what it's called..

But no harm asking right? So I tried my best to describe to taukay's wife...

Toast bread, kaya? Erm, name of place starts with D?

Oh, that's just behind our shop!

Man, am I lucky or what? hahaha..should have bought lottery ;p

And so we went to the back- it's passed lunch time but still packed with customers..

We were not keen on any of the nasi goreng/ lemak/ mee goreng etc..Just wanted a drink and bread.

Since they bake their own hainanese bread, we ordered a steamed and toasted kaya butter bread.

The wait was not long...

Steamed bread with kaya and butter..

Super piping hot, it was hard to hold and to take a bite. The bread was soft, yet had a lovely chewy, springy texture to it, giving a more solid feel to the bread rather than the usual airy types.  The kaya was creamy and smooth, the amount was just right to go with the bread. Yummeh!

The toasted bread was served soon after..

Browned toast with a nice thick cut of butter. I likey :). The toast had a light crisp exterior and charred flavour. Bread texture was lighter compared to its steamed counterpart, yet still lovely to sink my teeth into. Though I am usually partial to toasted bread, Deli Cafe's steamed version was simply delish and a notch up the crisp brother (my preference la!).

Definitely coming back to try the round kaya butter buns on my next visit :)

Deli Cafe and Bakery is located at 57-G, Jalan Sepah Puteri 5/1B, PJU 5, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

The Coffee Bar, TTDI

WF told me of Coffee Bar recently, her boss told her of the place, purportedly good for coffee and nasi lemak bungkus. But her boss has iffy taste, we were not too certain if we should try. Then again, she went there based on a recommendation of a customer, so maybe the customer's taste was better.hehehe.

Finally popped by on a Sunday morning, very quiet, we were the only customer for the morning. Though it's forte is coffee, none of us seemed to crave for coffee, and settled for teh tarik and milocinno instead..

Teh tarik was fine, not too sweet..

The Milocinno has very little hint of coffee, it was predominantly milo. 

Nothing fancy nor surprising.

We wanted to try the nasi lemak bungkus, but was told that the first batch was fully sold off, we would need to wait as they were still cooking the second batch.

So, we agreed to wait and while waiting, we were recommended to try the Chicken Curry Laksa (RM7.50)

Generously filled with shredded chicken, see ham, tau pok and beancurd, it does look inviting. However, taste wise was mediocre, the curry was not fragrant and had the 'powdery' feel to it.

Finally, we got the piping hot nasi lemak bungkus (RM1.60)

A rather small portion, I was immediately disappointed with the lack of banana leaf with the nasi lemak. I always prefer my nasi lemak bungkus wrapped in banana leaf- the aroma of the leaf permeated into the hot, steamed rice further enhancing the overall nasi lemak experience. The rice itself was ok, the santan's fragrant, slightly wet (i prefer dryer, distinguishable grain type). The sambal was chinese sambal type, with a lot of onions. The accompanying peanuts and fried ikan bilis was undeniably fresh, gives a nice texture to the nasi lemak. 

The Coffee Bar's Address located at 35, Lorong Rahim Kajai 13,Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur. They also offer western fare, cakes and pastries. http://thecoffeebar.com.my/

Ben's, Suria KLCC and Pavillion

I reckon I should blog about Ben's before it got too stale- the photos have been sitting in my album for some time now :p

The first time I noticed Ben's was at KLCC- it took over CPK and refurbished to a 'darkish' corner. Somehow, it didn't pique my interest at all, until Diha told me to check it out- she had a good time there.

And so I did went to have a look.

Went there for dinner (heard lunch's ultra pack), Ben's at KLCC has a relaxed ambiance and jazzy tunes in the background to sooth a hectic day at work. The spacing between diners was at a comfortable distance, compared to Ben's at Pavillion, which had a cosy, cheery concept, diners sitting rather closely to be able to hear next table's gossip..hehe..

I digress, lets get back to the food instead, shall we?

Some mocktails to start...

Muddled Mary and Berry Freeze..

Mary's too spicy to my liking, berry was ok..

We had the soft shell crab salad (RM20.90)..

A lighter version of somtum, they were generous with the soft shell crabs and papaya. Not too sour nor spicy, the salad had a good crunch and eating it with the piping hot crabs does give a nice oomph to this dish.

I always have a soft spot for duck and I zoomed in straight for the Duck Confit Spaghetinni (RM22.90)..

And yes, in case you're wondering why the dish looks so familiar, Ben's owned by the same people who started Delicious. Alas, similar in look does not translate in taste- this was ultra greasy and salty.

The Portobello Mushroom Sandwich (RM22.90) fared much better..

The mushroom was juicy, filled with smoky, woody flavour. The accompanying side kicks were commendable too- the grilled capsicums was juicy, the rocket fresh and nutty and oozing melted cheese completes the picture. Yup, this is a vegetarian dish.

Ben's at Pavi had something that KLCC didn't...

Think it's perfect if you are in the company of introverts and shy people..haha

And the desserts- hits and misses..

The chocolate banana cake

Compact, dry, fudgy. I feel like I was eating Winnie the Pooh, and not in a nice way. Dont like it at all.

Blackforest was way better..

Dark chocolate mousse was fantastic with the moist cake, the meringue bits gave a bit of excitement to the else melting cake.

Not a cake person? Maybe you should try the Banofee Sundae..

Lots of bananas, vanilla ice cream, butterscotch, choc fudge, short cake with chocolate and roasted almond slivers. A delicious combination, what can I say?

I feel that Ben's food was not the main attraction (it's pretty decent, dont get me wrong), but it's the ambiance, target market crowd that draws in the like minded.

There are a few branches around town- Ben's KLCC, Ben's Pavillion and Ben's Bangsar Village 1. I heard that the menu differs slightly between these three branches.

Ice Room @ The Strand

We were having dinner at Kota Damansara, when my sweet tooth kicked in.

The dessert selection was almost non existence in the restaurant we were dining in, hence we popped by Ice Room for a quick fix.

Ice Room, as it's names suggested, serves snow ice desserts. If that's not your cup of tea, there's still a range of desserts, mains and snacks to choose from.

Both of us wanted snow ice..

There's the Tropical Mix Snow Ice (RM9.90)

Topped with a mixture of local fruits (and some non local ones), the vanilla based snow ice was drizzled with pureed fruit and syrup. The combination of the tangy puree, sweet fruits and chill from the fine ice makes each mouthful enjoyable.

The Durian Snow Ice (RM8.90) was a surprise..

I expected durian flavoured snow ice, but the real durian fruit pureed smothering this dessert catapulted it's aroma many notches up. The basil seeds added a slight crunch to this tasty treat. Yums.

Ice Room is located at 27, Jalan PJU 5/20E, PJU5, The Strand, Kota Damansara, 47810 PJ, Selangor.

Fat Spoon, Damansara Utama

What's new? Let's go somewhere new.

WF requested after our yoga class.

I was bushed, hungry and cant wait too long for my lunch. Too lazy to think of somewhere far to try exotic food, I thought of Damansara Utama, just a stone's throw away from my place and plenty of eateries that I can bet WF have never tried yet.

I chose Fat Spoon, and I hit jackpot, she didn't even realised it's existence..

Fat Spoon's entrance was easy to miss- the rustic look makes it hidden amongst the loud coloured counterparts.

The interior was an even interesting, slightly quintessential with different pieces of furniture that somehow fit well together.

We were warped back to 70s, but comfortably so.

Our menu was presented in the form of children books, which I thought was cute, but WF beg to differ. She'd rather look at the large board for the menu instead. Oh well.

Fat Spoon serves a selection of local dishes, with a mix of nyonya dishes and western snacks too. It was easy peasy choice for me- I went straight for Ulam Fried rice (RM11.90).

And I am glad I did. The rice was simply aromatic with the fresh herbs, rice was fluffy and encased with wok hei. I felt that the fried kunyit chicken was rather unnecessary (which incidentally was rather bland), the rice itself (and the sambal) was sufficient to satisfy me.

WF, who wanted noodles and something soupy, opted for Fat Spoon Noodles (RM8.90)

Not exactly the way we envisioned it to be, but WF enjoyed it nonetheless. The flat noodles were smooth, the broth sweet and it's generously laden with mince meat and prawns. Though she liked this dish, we both felt that the Ulam fried rice was nicer :p

Ended lunch with red velvet cake (RM9.90)

The cake was moist, the cream cheese was silky smooth- I wished there was more of those cheese frosting! Wonderful way to end the meal :)

Feeling smug that I managed to solve lunch in such a short and sweet way, WF brought me back to reality with " Where's next week's lunch? ". darn.

Fat Spoon is located at 73, Jalan SS21/1A, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya.

Vivo American Pizza & Panini, Tropicana City Mall

I can be very bias sometimes..

I tend to make a hasty decision for not dining at a place with it's outlook. That does not mean that the restaurant is dirty, smelly etc..its just a 'feel' that I get. No chemistry I guess, hah. Weird, eh?

Sadly, Vivo was one of such restaurant. When I saw it opening its doors at The Curve a couple of years back, I never had the urge to want to try it.

But recently, Vivo opened a branch at Tropicana City. I was there to catch a movie and while cracking my head on what to have for dinner, I recalled Ms. D persistent effort to convince me to try the food in Vivo some time ago.

Hmmm, why so insistent?

Curiosity got the best of me, we went to Vivo without much hesitation..

Power juices seemed to be popular..

We tried a couple..

Cant remember the names of these, but one was thirst quenching while another was a tad too sour..

The Green Tea latte was a nice way to warm the belly in preparation of the food..The slightly bitter green tea (powder) was balanced by the tame milk.

Ms D said the baked seafood pasta was worth trying..

And so I did.

The pasta was tongue scorching hot when it was served. The top layer of cheese was wonderfully burnt and melted, clinging on to the spaghetti underneath. The tomato cream sauce, - rich and gooey complemented the mild flavour dory fish slices and pasta. A rather satisfying dish, you should give it a try if you prefer creamy based pasta.

The pizza, on the other hand, came with some quirky flavours..

SH wanted to try the Funghi (Mushroom) pizza, and so we ordered one.

You get to choose to have it thin crust or the normal pizza base. Ours was thin.

I was surprised that Vivo was very generous with their ingredients. Loads of mushrooms accompanied with a scattering of feta cheese and almond slices. So far, it sounds normal right? The quirkiness came with the sauce used for the base of the pizza. Rather than the usual tomato base, they opted for pesto. Not that it's bad (the worst base I've tried was caramelised ginger sauce base for a duck pizza..ewww), it's just acquired taste. So this pizza got a mixed vote, some of us enjoyed it, while others don't.

Amy opted for a more norm pizza..

Topped with salami, chicken slices and lots of vegetables. Pretty decent, I liked the fact that the capsicums are bursting with juices when I bit into it.

I've tried their chicken tenders too (which I didn't take a picture of, sorry!), which is great to snack on. It's like a cross between A&W fried chicken batter with Chilli's chicken crisper.

I must admit, there were some items in Vivo that I did enjoy. Vivo is has almost similar clientele akin to Pizza hut's. But if I had to choose between these 2, I'd rather do Vivo.

Vivo American Pizza & Panini is located at Tropicana City Mall, L1-55, First Floor, Tropicana City Mall, No. 3, Jln SS 20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Bayu Timor, Taman Megah

I'm craving for fruit rojak, LastoftheDragon exclaimed after our not so strenuous morning swim.

I named a couple of stalls where we could do takeaway fruit rojak but she seemed to have something in mind.

What about Bayu Timor?

Nothing in the deep recesses of my mind could recall that Bayu Timor serves delicious rojak. Since I have not been there for years, why not pop by and rekindle my faded memories of Bayu?

It was a late sunday lunch but the restaurant was still fairly packed.

We chose to seat at a mix of bench and rattan chairs, surrounded by decors and carvings- for the uninitiated, most of the furniture, decor items are for sale in Bayu Timor. So if you like the chair that you sat on, you can actually buy it too :p

Food came surprisingly fast.

The Rojak (RM6.50) serving was super huge..

After my first bite, I finally understood why LastoftheDragon was craving for this particular rojak. The ingredients were very fresh- chopped fruits and vegetables were juicy and sweet (sour for those mangoes :p). The crunchy condiments- fish keropok, fried yau char kuay- were crackling good. Doused with thick, spicy prawn paste and liberal amount of peanuts- I must admit, this was one superb rojak. Excellent value for money too.

I ordered the Indonesian Fried rice (RM19.90 for set meal), since it was only available on weekends.

Again, I was happy with this choice too.

The fried rice had sufficient wok hei, the grains of rice was nicely separated, wrapped in wonderful aroma of the greens and herbs. The sambal was delicious and the chicken was tender and well marinated.

My set was served with some kuihs..Which was the only disappointment in this meal...both kuihs were dry.
Bayu Timor Restoran&Kafe is located at13&15, Jalan SS24/8, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 78042962.

Indulge, Tropicana City

Unexpected events cropped up and I didnt felt like updating my blog..

Felt sort of tired, and needed a breather..

Slightly charged now, so I'd better write :p

We started off with the intention of catching a movie at Tropicana City. Well, it's always not too wise to try doing a impromptu movie session, there were no tickets available :(

Oh well, change of plans led us to Indulge for an early dinner.

Indulge has a cheery setting, filled with bright yellow furnishings to brighten up a mediocre day..

We had soft shell crab salad (RM20) ..

Not my first choice- I ordered foie gras with duck salad (at a very reasonable price)...but was promptly informed that it was an 'old' menu item and is no longer available :(

So BQ asked for this salad instead..

Was pretty good, I like the dressing- honey citrusy mix- goes very well with the greens. The soft shell crabs were crisp and juicy, a not so healthy accompaniment to the salad..

BQ wanted duck, so she got her Duck confit (RM30)

BQ enjoyed this dish, the duck was tender and well marinated, the sides salad of walnut, grapes and tomatoes gave a refreshing contrast to the else rich sauce and meat.

I took the boring choice of crispy skin salmon with mash (RM28)

Quite a generous cut of salmon; the skin was indeed crisp and slightly salted while the flesh was moist with beautiful pinish center. The smooth mash was excellent with the creamy sauce. My only gripe was slightly under cooked vege.

Dapheny who joined us later only wanted dessert, so she had a bread and butter pudding with raisins(RM8)

Compact, thick cut of B&B pudding served with warm custard. Though compact, it was still springy and slightly spongy, soaking in the sauce sufficiently for a delight in every mouthful.

The creame brulee (RM9)

The paper thin layer of caramelised sugar was in good proportion to this very sinful dessert. Velvety in texture, it's thick and extremely eggy- only for those who enjoys a rich version of creame brulee.

Overall a pleasant experience, will pop over to try other stuffs in the future.

Indulge is located at Lot L1.12, Level 1, Tropicana City, PJ.

Kokopelli Travellers Bistro, PJ

Somewhere cozy, somewhere central in PJ, somewhere ok for kids...

We decided to meet at Kokopelli, figured that it's not too crowded and good for catching up. Ben came with baby Rei and Aki, such cute and well behaved kids...lucky lucky Ben :).

First, we had to settle the babies tummies- a simple baby pasta(RM5.90) for them. Simple tomato based pasta- maybe a tad sour for Rei..

We started with some chicken rissoles(RM8.90) and fried calamaries (RM12.90)

The chicken rissoles was scrumptious- real crunchy, yet the filling was creamy and substantial. The tomato sambal goes so well with it that we had to ask for more :p

The fried calamaries was quite nice but paled compared to the chicken rissoles. Slightly oily, but good to snack on.

The roast chicken (RM22.90)

The chicken was rather dry and bland. The mash and accompanying sauce was just average.
The moussaka (RM20.90) came piping hot..

Good to share, I think it'll be too rich for one person. The moussaka was laden with loads of cheese, the top was baked till golden brown with a thin crisp layer. The eggplant was sliced too thinly though, we could hardly taste nor feel it.

The lambshank (RM32.90)

Quite a large portion, the lamb shank was tender and had absorbed the marination deep into its meat. The bread was redundant though, the sauce was only sufficient for smothering the mash.

The famed char kuay teow (RM10.90)

For a halal version of CKT, I must say that Kokkopelli's was tasty. Slightly spicy, which was nice actually. Still, it's plainer compared to those non halal CKT with sliced waxed sausages :p

We finished our meal with some of Kokopelli's desserts..

Sago Cream and Sundae.

Both were sadly forgettable.
Was glad to catch up with everyone..and SL, for such a long wait for that meal we owed ya! :p

Kokopelli is located at 6, Jalan Bukit, Section 11/2, PJ. Faces 32 Square.

Subak, Bukit Lanjan, KL

Bollywood Queen always have me in mind whenever she comes across a new place to eat.

XOXO girl!

So obviously, when Farid introduces her to this new makan place, it didnt take her long to bring us there :)

When Bollywood Queen drove us there..deep into the Bukit Lanjan area, I thought she was bringing us for a ride. It was rather in the 'jungle' area, when sudden we see it, Subak, perched at a higher ground surrounded by trees and lots of greens.

We were there for dinner, when it's all dark. And the first impression I get? It's reminiscent of a restaurant I went in Bali, called Tepi Sawah.
The warm, cozy setting makes me feel at ease immediately, and the well mannered, friendly staff adds more brownie points to this place.

We took our seats, got comfortable and let BQ do most of the ordering...

Our drinks...

BQ's teh tarik which she absolutely loves..

Amy and I had Blue Coraco (or sounds like that)

Looks pretty but I didnt like the taste..

Compliments from the chef...Rice sheet with veg filling. A refreshing piece, reminds me of what I had at Bobby Chinn's, sans truffle oil and fresh mushrooms.

Our starters was served soon after..

Ibu Yati's Gado gado (RM10)Though the portion's rather dainty, I find it absolutely scrumptious! It's the peanut sauce that got me hooked; it's extremely aromatic, almost like eating freshly roasted peanuts. Very good stuff.

For soup, we had Pak Ajelan's chicken soto(RM10)..The soup looks murkier than the usual soto I had, but it's delicious. Subak's very generous with the ingredients, there were lots of nasi impit, shredded chicken, beansprouts etc. Well, not that the ingredients swayed me over, the soup was good enough pull for me to order this again on my next visit.

Mains up, I wanted to try the Balinese Fried rice with seafood skewer (RM25)..It looks very much like what I had in Tepi Sawah, bali . And tasted lovely too! The fried rice had good wok hei and nice aroma to it. Seafood grilled was fresh and sweet; and I liked the plum acar, goes well with the fried rice.
Sizzling honey spring chicken (RM32) was a hot affairSizzling alright..the chicken was served on a bed of summer vegetables- squash, zuchinni, brussel sprouts and new potatoes. The chook was tender and moist; the creamy sauce goes nicely with the sides. Though tasty, I still prefer the asian dishes we had that night.

And how can we end the night without desserts?

BQ chose the tantalizing Glutinous Rice Tapai with Vanilla Ice cream. (RM8)One of the fusion that works. The vanilla ice cream complemented the pungent, fermented flavours of the tapai. A good combo that has to be savoured slowly..

Overall, we had a good time at Subak. I guess for those who miss Bali and want a break from the bustling city; Subak may just be the answer for a few hours of unwinding :)

Subak is located at Lot 3213, Jalan Penchala Indah, Bukit Lanjan, KL. Click here for Subak's map n directions