Posts filed under 'Food'
i have chanced upon a secret. and a very deeeeeelish secret it is :P
it’s common knowledge that Delicious (1 Utama, Bangsar Village 2) has great desserts, right? and i’m sure most of you also know by now that Delicious is also the proud parent of a new line of delis called D’lish.
the concept of D’lish is fast and healthy; great for the busy and overworked who constantly find themselves calculating in their head the quickest possible solution to the lunch-hour dilemma. with D’lish, you can forget about your usual grab-and-go lunch of sandwiches (bleahhhh) or nasi bungkus (bwarghhhhh), because they’ve brought to the jaded lunching crowd a whole new array of lunch possibilities ready to go in under 5 minutes :)
salads? check.
soup? check.
pasta? check.
sandwiches, but of courseeeee? check.
pies and quiches? check.
nasi kerabu and nyonya mee siam? check :P
the best part is that the heavier stuff like the soups, pasta and rice already come packed in nice and neat microwavable bento boxes, which you can just grab and pay for. no need to wait for them to cook everything, or for you to get back home or to the office and discover that your lunch is one big mess of soggy condensation. wanna eat at the cafe itself? no problemo, the staff just pop the bento boxes into the microwave oven and you’ll be lunching in 2 minutes flat.
BUT ALL THAT IS NOT WHAT I’M HERE TO TALK ABOUT.
i’m here to talk about the besteststestststs part of D’lish, which is :
THE DESSERT
#2 one day’s array of cupcakes at Dlish
#3 sigh dont these look divine!
i’m always on the lookout for new dessert places, and ever since D’lish opened i’ve been a huge fan of theirs. the stuff there is just on par with the excellent quality of desserts from Delicious, not to mention that the opening of D’lish in Mid Valley solved my long-existing problem of never knowing what to eat at Mid Valley. (er.. but now that Gardens has opened..)
Delicious, always more famous for their chocolate cake and banoffee pie, was never well-known for their cupcakes. but what with the cupcake craze that hit KL last year, i suppose they decided to cater to that craze with D’lish - and believe you me when i say they did an extremely good job out of it. they ditched the whole pretty-looking, bad-tasting formula; and instead focused more on developing new combination of flavours using the old Delicious recipes, with only minimal effort being put into the aesthetics.
the result? some of the most scrumptious cupcakes i have ever had.
#4 Raspberry Cheese Cupcake with White Chocolate Curls. even though raspberry is not quite my thing, this cupcake actually made me like raspberry.
#5 Double Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache and Marshmallows. sigh. this is pure heaven in a paper cup. PURE HEAVEN.
#6 Flourless Orange Cupcake with Marzipan Orange and Sticky Date Cupcake with Butterscotch Frosting. the topping on the former just MAKES the cupcake :) the latter is not bad, but pales in comparison to many a sticky date pudding out there.
#7 Rocky Road. several times i’ve gone into D’lish and seen people buying up the whole tray of Rocky Road. my friends all love it, and i do as well, but it can be a little overkill after the first several bites.
#8 Baked Banana Cheese Cupcake with White Chocolate Curls. the name itself just draws you to it like bees to honey (oh hahaha i just watched Bee Movie it’s so bloody funny hahaha please go watch it!), and i absolutely LOVE the combination of the banana, cream cheese and white chocolate. sometimes i eat this and the texture is a little bit off, ie too hard, but other times i eat it and it’s fluffy and just nice :)
#9 Banana Cupcake with Butterscotch Frosting. ooooooooh this is one of my favourites :)
#10 Chocolate Banana Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting. surprisingly i think this is the only cupcake in D’lish with peanut butter. there is a peanut butter bar very much like the Rocky Road though, but i have yet to try that. anyway this cupcake is yummy :) not fantastic, but still yummy. the staff say it’s a popular favourite.
i never got around to blogging about D’lish despite always wanting to. but today i went there for a late dinner and discovered something that made me decide i absolutely HAVE to blog about this place NOW.
because between 9pm and 10pm EVERYDAY, EVERYTHING in D’lish is 50% OFF.
NO JOKE. SO ONE CUPCAKE IS NOW ONLY RM 3.25 !!!!!!!!!!!!!
that was just such unbelievably good news to me, i was practically bouncing off the walls. then i started wailing at the waiters for not ever telling me beforehand despite me being a regular. eh RM 3.25 for one of D’lish’s cupcakes is extremely worth it okay. if you’ve tried any of Delicious’ or Dlish’s desserts, you’ll know what i’m talking about. if you haven’t, well GO TRY ONE and you’ll totally agree with me. i promise :D
okay so yeah that was the good news i wanted to share with the world, that D’lish cupcakes (and everything else they serve) are actually 50% off after 9pm :P as a lover of all things sugary and chocolatey, i just had to spread this bit of joy. forget that Starbucks latte lah… you can buy 4 cupcakes with the money you would have spent on your coffee. that said, i heart Starbucks and always will.
sigh. cupcakes.
D’lish
- Ground Floor, Mid Valley (opposite Starbucks)
- Ground Floor, Bangsar Village 1 (next to Village Grocer)
10am - 10pm daily
November 15th, 2007
when i tell people that my new workplace is at the Asian Heritage Row, they always think that it’s such a job perk to be working where all the clubs and bars are. that was what i thought too at first - that we could hit the clubs after an extra couple of hours at work, or that all our meetings would be held at the nearby bars.. but no no no, let me tell you what the best perk of working at the Asian Heritage Row is :P
it is Bisou!!!
i pass by Bisou every day on the way to work, and i’m always very attracted by the window display of pink and white cupcakes. yet, it took me one whole month before i finally went to check out the place! seriously, i think i would have been a much happier intern had i gone into Bisou sooner, because their cupcakes really and truly are the best cure to work-blues!
Bisou is a little shoppe that does cakes, cupcakes and cafe-like food such as salads, sandwiches and pot pies. it’s actually run by the same people who started Bijou, that poolside cafe/restaurant at Mont Kiara Damai; not that you couldn’t immediately tell, because the names and deco scheme are so similar! meaning ‘kiss’ in French, Bisou is supposed to be the more flighty and fun of the two, and according to their flyers, is set up to ‘bring out the naughty side in all of us’. yum yum :D
both the exterior and interior of Bisou oozes classy neatness. they’ve got a counter where they display the available cakes and cupcakes of the day, and it’s hard not to squeal at the array of delectable desserts. the variety is just perfect - not too little that you get bored, and not too much that you feel overwhelmed.
i’ve been joyfully going back to Bisou over the past few days just to sample their lovely cupcakes :D here are some of them :
Dark Secret - chocolate cupcake with dark chocolate icing. i REALLY love it. unlike many cupcakes out there, you can actually taste the ooey gooey chocolate in this one!
Love Me Tender - chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing. good, but the one at Dlish is better.
Eye Candy - vanilla cupcake with lemon icing.
Nutella - chocolate cupcake topped with a generous amount of creamy Nutella! my other favourite, because anything Nutella is fabulous
Zest You Up - orange cupcake with orange icing. tasted okay only lah, but the piping of the icing is rather impressive! it looks like a rose O_O
cupcakes all go for RM 5 each. i really like the taste and texture of the different icing - it’s smooth and sweet, not that greasy buttery stuff that only looks pretty but does nothing for the taste. the cupcake itself is moist and soft with subtle flavour, which is great. they’re very generous with the icing too :D
there’s PLENTY of stuff that i have yet to try, for instance the banoffee pie, brownies and banana bread. i had the carrot cake at Bijou some time back, and here i assume Bisou serves the same one, but it’s no match for the carrot cake at Marmalade, which never fails to convert people to the love for carrot cake every single time :D
as for Bisou’s food, i’ve only had the creamy chicken pie and the mashed potatoes, and both were pretty darn good! what i’m excited to have are the sandwiches.
service here is fantastic :) the staff are very warm and friendly and very intuitive. haha and the funniest thing happened the first time i went to Bisou. i was taking photos of the food as per usual, and one of the waiters actually came over to ask if i was a BLOGGER. muahahahhaa it was the most awesome thing ever. being asked by the staff if i’m a food reviewer from a newspaper or a magazine is pretty common, but NEVER BEFORE IN MY LIFE have i been asked if i was a blogger. damn cool lah. that was the moment i knew i definitely had to blog about Bisou.. hahaha.
another reason why i like Bisou is the opening hours. they open till really late - 11pm on weekdays and 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, to cater to the clubbing crowd, and also to the late-night dessert-craving crowd i.e ME :P
i know i’m gonna keep going back to Bisou until i’m all cupcaked out. what to do lah, it’s so tempting and summore it’s just 5 steps away from the office. i wasnt kidding when i said the cupcakes make you happy; everytime i feel sad at work i just pop down for a cupcake and i’m all good again, ready to take on whatever shit the Boss throws at me. no lah no lah my boss very nice wan. except when he asks me to do things i dont want to do, like answer Help Desk questions wtf. i hate Help Desk!!!!! how can people have so many stupid questions to ask!!!!!!
die lah craving cupcakes now. eh you know what i wanna do.. i wanna do a compare and contrast of all the cupcakes in KL, seeing how they’re all over the place now. what a great excuse to buy cupcakes and to force all my friends to eat them together with me :D
Bisou
Asian Heritage Row
58 Jalan Doraisamy
50300 KL
Tel : 03-2697 0131
9am - 11pm (Tues - Thurs and Sundays), 9am - 2am (Fridays and Saturdays)
Closed on Mondays
September 16th, 2007
the homemade chicken rice on the table that is now cold is proof that my family and i do not spend enough time at home. we never eat the food Kak Nur makes. and yet everyday she still puts so much thought into what dishes to cook that would whet the appetites of 5 phantom people who never come home for dinner anyway. sometimes i feel bad that all the untouched food goes to waste, but it is the wasted kindness that i feel worst about.
i love this time of year. june heralds the return of everyone from abroad, back for the summer and sporting new hairdos or weird foreign accents that disappear after the second teh o ais limau sucked down in hot balmy weather. it is that long shriek (ohmygoooooooooooooood it’s YOUUUUUU!!!) and that first hug after so long that i cherish most about these reunions; catch-up palaver comes a dangerously close second. who’s going out with who? you did WHAT? and then what did he say? oh my god tell her how you had sex in the laundry room with that guy from your econs class!
yes i do love this time of the year. but spring/summer collections are going to be the death of me. sigh! it seems that my father has learnt to wield the lethality of the Guilt Trip with most impressive effect; scans of all my credit card bills are now being sent each month to my email inbox. with the purpose of bullying me into cooperation, doubtlessly. well, it is working. i am now pale with shock and faint with grief! how does one go on living with such shameful evidence of sin, avarice and wrongdoing? O, happy dagger!
actually, i must confess with the utmost seriousness that i would not be able to stab myself in the (unlikely) event that suicide is in order and next on the agenda. too much blood and gore, eeeep.
it is time now for an insertion of this most beautiful conjunctive adverb that has been known to distract from exceedingly awkward moments, or when you want to change the topic of your blogpost that have gone most astray -
ANYWAY,
earlier tonight i went for the Martell Presents KLue RSVP Dinner, held at Market Place, which is a fairly new restaurant that has crept stealthily into and made its home in KL’s dining-out arena. it is situated in a quiet lane off Lorong Yap Kwan Seng, with the likes of Munakata, Sasso Rosso (panna cotta that is divine like you would not believe) and Aunty Nat for neighbours.
i was with the ever cheeky Kelvin and the lovely Kimfluttersby, and i think us three make a good team! kismet has brought us together to compare deserved remunerations and boyfriends-who-are-abroad, as well as to snap way too many photos of the restaurant and the food! i so love it when i am in the company of people who understand the need to take pictures of food :D
aforementioned pictures of food :
the amuse bouche of a watermelon slice and an unidentified sambal-like topping; a combination so orgasmic that i did not stop to attempt recognition of the unidentified sambal-like topping.
wild mushroom soup with vanilla cream
kelvin’s main of pan-fried cod with wasabi mash. hahaha! no salmon for him today.
the beef tenderloin with apple puree that kim and i had. spinach bed at the bottom. YUM!
dessert!! i was so tak sabar for this to come. chocolate mousse with a drizzle of passionfruit syrup. zomg there is no need to say how good it was. i love chocolate mousse. i love chocolate mousse that is well done. i love market place’s chocolate mousse. the end.
the Martell babes!
this is the photo i stole from Kelvin. you can stalk him at that email address
from upstairs, where we quietly slinked off to
the crowd
this is my second time at the Martell/KLue RSVP dinners, and i mussay this time around was much better than the previous at Ninja Jones. coz this time the food was nicer and Martell gave chocolates hahaha. nvm the fact that their brand was stamped all over it, it was still good chocolate. free flow of Martell as always, who would have thought green tea and cognac go together so well!
after dinner, Azlan and i went to watch Snow Cake which was awesome. then we went for a satay feast which was even more awesome. seriously, satay peanut gravy is the one thing in this world that gives my life some semblance of meaning.
June 30th, 2007
you know the local Japanese dining-out scene is getting bad when you think Isetan’s unagi don tastes a lot better than the stuff you can get out there.
on one hand, we have the ubiquitous Sushi Kings and Genki Sushis that spit out these soulless kaiten-belt platters that are overpriced and taste mass-produced. then on the other hand, we have the all-you-can-eat Japanese buffets of high volume but shockingly low quality. presented with such hopeless circumstances, what’s a person to do when she wants a spanking good bowl of udon, or sushi that doesnt taste like the fish died 20 years ago in a nearby sewer?
hehe easy peasy. she goes to Hajime :D
Hajime is a Japanese bungalow-cum-restaurant that recently opened on Jalan Damai. a black-and-white pufferfish is its eyecatching brand, and not misleadingly so; because come the right season, Hajime indulges its customers by serving the coveted delicacy fugu. fugu, which is the meat of the highly poisonous pufferfish, takes great skill to prepare and can only be done so by licensed chefs. so yeah, definitely something to try at least once in your life! besides Hajime, the only place in KL that i know serves fugu is Iketeru at the KL Hilton.
warm yellow lighting and elegant wooden finishes give Hajime that comforting yet classy ambience. patrons can choose to be seated at the usual tables, the more chill-out ‘tatami’-style area, or at the sushi bar if you fancy a good chat with the well-traveled and well-read chefs who really know their cuisine!
the very first time i went to Hajime, it was newly-opened and about 4 days old. yet service and expertise were already top-notch. i was so surprised, because you know how new establishments are usually a little awkward at the start, but there was none of that discomfort here. all the waiting staff knew exactly what to recommend, knew their chef specialties, had customer service down pat, moved like well-oiled machinery. wowzers, eh :D
food here is excellent, i dont have to say anymore! here are some of my favourites :
cold Inaniwa udon OR cold so-men thin noodles served with dashi sauce, RM 26.
a must-try for sure! mix everything up in the dashi sauce, dip your noodles in and SLURP! yum yum. the noodle in the picture is the so-men, but i prefer the inaniwa udon much more.
california cheese and unagi maki, RM 24.
totally orgasmic; the sauce that goes with this is just so fantastic. my fav in Hajime.
crispy soft shell crab makimono with caviar, RM 18.
the addition of caviar is genius!
special salmon miso soup, RM 16.
seriously, give the normal miso soup on their menu a pass and go for this one. it’s so wonderfully fragrant and the taste of the soup just spreads out over your tongue like silk! you’d be hard-pressed to find a better miso than this one in KL.
grilled mackerel with teriyaki sauce, RM 20.
bliss is servings of this fish atop fluffy white japanese rice! sigh :D
Hajime special unajyu, RM 42.
comes with a bowl of miso and a side of pickled vegetables. the cool thing about this unajyu is that not only does it taste damn good, but the rice below it is lightly coated in a special sauce, AND there’s MORE unagi underneath the shredded egg! damn good value eh. unajyu forever!
the desserts are mostly their homemade ice-cream, with my favourite being the sesame ice-cream with red bean topping. Hajime also serves their patrons little complimentary dishes of starters upon seating. the starters are always different each business day, and they’re always damn yummy!!! very good gauge of the excellent standard of food here. also gotta love their portion sizes that are just about perfect.
ah. with places like Hajime, who needs to go anywhere else for a yummy Japanese meal :) this place is ultimate customer satisfaction in one beautiful restaurant. they own my ass now. i so cant wait to try the fugu when it’s here!!!
Hajime (map!)
64, Jalan Damai
Off Jalan Ampang
55000 KL
Tel : 03-2143 0073
April 28th, 2007
so here’s my next 5 best restaurants in KL to have a Valentine’s Day dinner.
for part 1, click here!
1. Rahsia
true to its name, it can be hard to miss this beauty of a restaurant when you’re driving down the quiet suburban street that effortlessly camouflages it amongst embassies and residential bungalows. but get down from your car and peek past the shrubbery-clad fences, and you will find Rahsia, its shady trees and path of pebbles welcoming the curious diner in.
Rahsia offers three dining areas. the first and my favourite is the terrace, where the weaved basket lights overhead throw swirls of intricate shadows all over the ceilings, creating a gossamer underwater feel. candlelight, cotton tablecloths and rattan chairs turn the terrace into a very relaxed and complacent area, almost beachlike in its casualness.
step inside the bungalow and it’s a whole different setting - all crisp and suave with its white tablecloths and white-clothed chairs. here, soft lighting and delicate wineglasses offset the white walls and smooth carpetless floor. slow jazz music is piped throughout the room. overall, very run-of-the-mill but still tasteful. and beyond a set of wooden doors, the third area is a tiny intimate patio with only three tables, perfect for customers who are big on privacy.
the fare here is Nusantara cuisine - Malay, Indonesian and a little bit of Nyonya. i’m not too keen on their appetizers like the satay and spring rolls etc, you’ll find them all just a tad too oily, but their salads are amazing. my fav is without a question the soft shell crab salad with pesto cream dressing! as for their mains, i’d think that the Balinese Suite and Chicken Kashnas are the best. would totally not recommend the Ning Noodles. the more worthwhile desserts are the bread and butter pudding and the brownie. check out their website for more menu details and pricing.
service here takes its time, good if you wanna linger over your courses with a loved one. all staff are polite and give you your space, but always attentive.
for Vday, Rahsia is having a 4-course dinner menu at RM120++ per pax. click here for the full Valentines Day menu.
Rahsia Bistro & Wine Bar (map!)
13, Jalan Damai
Off Jalan Ampang
55000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-2142 5555
2. Hajime
let us welcome with open arms the latest Japanese restaurant in town, Hajime! looking at Hajime, it’s hard to tell its a restaurant, because it looks exactly like a residential bungalow from the outside. so thank goodness for its quirky pufferfish signboard which immediately catches the eye as you drive past. and it’s not just for show either - Hajime is one of the few Jap places in KL that serves fugu.
i discovered this place by accident while i was on my way to Basil Leaf (which i shall forever boycott), and boy am i glad i did. nicely done up in concrete walls, slate tile floor and floor lighting, the whole place feels very contemporary and sophisticated. yet the ‘tatami’ seating area, featuring a polished wood floor and red cushions, retains a little bit of traditional Japenese essence for the restaurant.
patrons can also choose to sit at the sushi bar, where it is livelier. not only are the young men who work behind the bar chatty and friendly, they are also clearly trained well! i asked one of them about fugu, and his knowledge on the subject was most impressive. and another guy, i was told, is the one responsible for making the delightful sesame and azuki ice cream i thoroughly enjoyed.
service is absolutely fantastic, and that is surprising since Hajime has only been open about 2 weeks. the waiting staff are so warm and polite, AND they give good menu recommendations. i am a complete sucker for waiters who know what they’re talking about :D
food here is gooooooood. there is a noodle dish called the Inaniwa Udon, and i first tried it in hongkong. i dont think there this is a place in KL that serves this (though i could be wrong, do inform if there is any jap rest in KL that does!), so you can imagine my excitement when i saw it on the menu! you MUST have this noodle served cold - they serve the udon noodles (really kway teow) on a plate of ice, and you are given a soy sauce which you mix with finely-diced ginger and shallots and wasabi. you mix all those together, then you dip your noodles in it, and you eat. absolute heaven in your mouth :)
the last time i checked, Hajime’s chef hasnt decided on the Valentine’s Day menu, but i was told it will not exceed RM80++ per pax, and will come degustation-style with 9 small courses instead of a few big ones. i urged them to include the Inaniwa Udon, haha i hope they heed. if they dont, order it anyway!!!
Hajime
(i heartilly apologise, but i no longer have their address coz i gave away all the business cards i took when i was there :( but i do know it’s on Jalan Damai, just opposite Basil Leaf and Soiree)
Tel : 03-2143 0073
3. Nero Vivo
i blogged about Nero Vivo once over here, so i will cut this one short. Nero Vivo is a swanky Italian place in Ceylon Hill that is classy without being stifling, lively without being bustling. for some reason, the people who come here are really full of life - they talk loud, they laugh, they chatter away. i dont really like restaurants where everyone sits all prim and proper and are afraid to raise their voices above a whisper .. and that’s why i love Nero Vivo. easily one of the best Italian restaurants in KL - it’s right up there with Ciao. and the food here is great :)
Nero Vivo has apparently not decided on their Valentines Day menu, but it will fall between the range of RM120-150++ per pax.
Nero Vivo (map!)
3A, Jalan Ceylon
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2070 3120
4. The Ivy
because it is smack in the middle of popular party district Asian Heritage Row, people tend to think The Ivy is just another bar, just another English pub. but ah! look past the black doors and the little 18th century English lanterns, steer away from the men watching footie at the bar or having a smoke on the couch, walk up the carpeted stairs, and you will find yourself in a nice and spiffy restaurant the downstairs pub was merely a veneer for.
candelabras, pastel-coloured paintings and heavy floral-printed carpets are The Ivy’s decor. nothing that screams i’m-trying-too-hard-to-be-English! but not exactly the most impressive. they could do a lot more with the interior, i think. the upstairs dining area just feels like it lacks a little soul.
food is good but not great, i hate to say it but The Smokehouse makes better yorkshire pudding. the roast beef and fish and chips in The Ivy are pretty good, though! but it’s the dessert that’s ace, wicked, bazzing, brill - as the English would say. i am in love with the double dark brownie, the bread and butter pudding (hello, Baileys sauce!) and the chocolate mud cake. soooo yummy i could die.
The Ivy’s Valentine’s Day menu is a 4 course affair, and diners are given a choice of 3 mains to choose from, as well as a complimentary glass of bubbly. and it all goes for the totally ace price of RM188 per couple! wicked! just a little over RM90 per pax. email me for the menu if you wanna take a look at it.
The Ivy
No. 48, Jalan Doraisamy
Asian Heritage Row
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-2693 2260
5. La Risata
for a restaurant that touts itself as ‘the best trattoria outside of Italy’, La Risata has a lot to put out to live up to their claim. i dont know if it’s really the best trattoria outside of Italy, but i would say it’s one of the better ones in KL. i’ve been going to La Risata ever since i was little, and i’ve never stopped loving it.
refurbished a while ago, La Risata now sports a cheerful interior with bright red walls and quirky paintings. very apt indeed, for a restaurant with a plump red tomato for its brand logo, and a name that means ‘The Laughter’! the overall feel of La Risata is more casual than most Italian restaurants (hence the term trattoria), and leans towards the family restaurant type, though groups of young beautiful people coming here to enjoy a good glass of wine are not uncommon.
many people say that La Risata offers some of the best and most authentic pizzas and pastas in KL, and i dont disagree :) i love the food here, especially the pastas and their 4-cheese soup. their ravioli is utterly amazing, and so is their squid ink fettucine though i must say their house specialty marinara is a tad overrated. their Pizza Carbonara is worth a try as well! for dessert, it’s the flourless chocolate cake hands down.
service here is wonderful. they are so attentive and efficient. most of the staff here have been with La Risata for a long time, so they know their menu inside out, which is a good thing when you want a good and honest recommendation. i recently had a dinner party there for 28 people, and they handled us with the utmost care and hospitality. they have my respect- i dont think we were an easy bunch to deal with that night, haha.
for Vday, La Risata has a 4-course menu with a choice of red meat or fish for mains. going at RM80++ per pax. i have the menu, so do email me if you wish to take a peek.
La Risata
26 Pesiaran Ampang,
55000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-4252 6269
128 Jalan Kasah,
Medan Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03-2095 9572
———
6 more days to Vday :D i’m very excited!!!
February 9th, 2007
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