There are many things that I look for in a restaurant. Although I would think that taste of the food should be my first priority, but ambiance and company follows pretty closely after.
Located in the basement of a building on Bridge Street, Fratelli Fresh reminds me of the cafes in New York. One thing to note is that Fratelli Fresh does not take in bookings and you'd have to arrive early to get in line. Fortunately, the place is pretty big and the line does move pretty quickly, otherwise you'd also have the option of sitting at the bar while you wait for a table.
Crispy polenta with mushroom and cheesy broth. This dish was a little salty but it sure was tasty.
Left: Baked rhubarb, raspberries and pear topped with a cinnamon crumble and a scoop of lemon ice-cream
Right: Banoffee Pie - shortcrust base (tastes like digestive biscuits) with a chocolate ganache layer topped with layers of cream with bananas layered in between the cream
Need I say more? Life is unexpected, the next time I'm going to Fratelli Fresh I'm going to eat my dessert first!
What a perfect day for brunch. Not too warm not too cold.
Met up with a friend at cafe xxii. Located right next to the star casino, cafe xxii is one of the many popular places to dine in the most prestigious inner city suburbs. Be sure to arrive early if you don't pre-book beforehand (11am) and you should get a table pretty effortlessly.
Tried the buttermilk pancakes and skim latte and I must say they were quite satisfying. Firstly, they were huge and not to mention thick. One of these babies would be equivalent to 2 of the pancakes you'd get at pancakes on the rocks. Although I must say that it could do with a tad bit more toppings to bring it to the next level of utmost satisfaction.
If you are looking for something that has more of the home-cooked feel but you don't want to wander too far away from the city, cafe xxii is the place to be.
Brooklyn Bridge + takeaway meal while we queue for broadway tickets!
No visit to New York is complete until one visits the famous Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the US. Brooklyn Bridge spans over the East River, connecting Brooklyn and the ever bustling Manhattan.
The long walk to the first Brooklyn Bridge tower from Manhattan from the east end of center street.
Heavy traffic headed to Manhattan
View of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge's first tower
New York has many delis spread all around Manhattan that offers similar variety of fresh / pickled food. All you have to do is to pack your food into the containers and they weigh it. I don't like the concept, as I often end up with a "heart attack" when I see the amount I'm charged.
Looks darn tasty isn't it??? Beetroots, Brussel Sprouts, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Cous-cous etc.
Fresh mangoes+ grilled asparagus, a weird but tasty combination!
It's hard work to get discounted broadway tix.... look at the loooooooong queue.
For 25 years Pret's been creating handmade natural food, without the hidden chemicals, additives and preservatives. New York is practically a haven for health concious peeps like me as there are countless delis, cafes and restaurants that offer wholesome and healthy options. We stopped by Pret A Manger for our first breakfast in New York and were absolutely delighted with the variety of fresh choices available. It took us 10 minutes, before we were able to finally decide what to have that morning.
I went for the Red pepper tapenade and soft cheese sandwich. Pret's red pepper tapenade is made with blended roasted red peppers, olive oil and tomatoes which is then added to the sandwich together with with creamy soft cheese, freshly sliced tomatoes, red peppers, toasted flaked almonds and wild rocket. Ah, I could really have this every morning!
For my wakeup drink, I decided on a flat white, a strong, creamy milk, with a Pret Base (full shot of espresso). Pret shared their secret to making their Flat White on their website. They revealed that the secret is all in the milk, stemming from the idea of mixing a latte and Cappuccino together. Mixing the two milk styles is called stretching, it creates a fantastic mix; creamy and thick without being too light or foamy. Because it has the same size Pret base but made in a smaller cup it means you can drink more of our Flat Whites through the day with the same kick as our other espresso based coffees. Perfect wakeup drink.
Actually, the Pret store that we visited was really near the world trade center, which is currently under construction. I will leave that for another post, so stay tuned for that!
After breakfast, we continued our New York walking tour, making the World Financial Center our second stop.
Winter Garden
View from the outside: World Financial Center + Winter Garden
After a busy work day, a good place to unwind is Delicious at Jalan Ampang. Apart from the delicious and wholesome food, the cozy and relaxing ambiance provides the best opportunity to sit back and reflect on our day.
Tuni Eggplant - RM 18.90
Hot Honey Lemon - RM5.90
Name: Delicious
Address: Apt.211, Jalan Tun Razak, Dua Residency, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603- 2166 2066
Delicious (1 Utama) + Paddington House of Pancakes
1 Utama has been our regular hangout coz of the manageable crowds on weekends. Apart from Yishensu, I must say that 1 Utama does not really have a lot of choices for vegetarians. However, I am thankful that delicious has a branch in 1 Utama as it has a very vegetarian friendly menu. Never again I have to decide whether to trust the waiter when he nods his head when I ask if the item on the menu is indeed vegetarian.
One of my favourite item on delicious' menu - the trio of dips
The lebanese bread was baked to perfection and went really well with the three dips. I particularly like the green dip as it has a very tangy herb kick to it.
I totally love the pinenuts on this grilled mushroom salad. However, priced at over RM20 (excluding service tax of 10% and government tax of 6%), it is a little pricey.
The good thing about dining in malls is because of the possibility of going on a "restaurant crawl" right after a meal.
So, we left Delicious to hunt for some dessert after our main meal and finally decided to go with Paddington House of Pancakes.
Paddington House of Pancakes have revised the prices on the menu but I am pleased to say that they have maintained the portion and goodies that come with their pancakes :)
Oh my god, this has got to be the most sinful but most satisfying dessert ever!
Presenting to you the chocolate peanut butter roll, which looks very "innocent" on the outside...
but look what is hidden in the inside! Check out the oozing melted chocolate mixed with very tasty and chunky peanut butter! You have so got to try this!!!!! However, not all pancakes served at Paddington's is as satisfying as the one mentioned above as we did not find the option below (pancakes topped with mango puree) to be overly sweet. It would have been much better if they replaced the cream with vanilla ice-cream instead.
Info for Delicious: G316, Ground Floor, 1 Utama Shopping Centre (New Wing), Bandar Utama Damansara 47800 Petaling Jaya Operating Hours: 10.00am - 11.00pm everyday
Info for Paddington House of Pancakes: G363, Ground Floor Rainforest, 1 Utama Shopping Centre (New Wing), Bandar Utama Damansara 47800 Petaling Jaya Tel / Fax : 03 7722 3206 Operating Hours : 10.00am – 11.00pm everyday
After hearing some good reviews about the movie Thor, though most of the good points were revolving about how dreamy Chris Hemsworth's eyes were, we decided to head to KLCC to check out what were warriors of Asgard were up to. Ok, first of all, what is with the 4 letter T movies nowadays! Troy, Tron, Thor? Anyway, Thor's plot was somewhat disappointing as it was yet another 'kingdom' facing threat from some unreasonable enemies, in this case, the frost giants. Yes, they live in a icy planet and possess the power to freeze enemies. The people of Asgard were also supposed to be a level higher than us mortals, but we already invented cars, planes and spaceships, but these superior beings still rode horses, umm... I really don't see why are they looking down on mortals since their technology is still stuck in our ancient greek era!
Anyway, there was a heavy downpour when the movie finished and since we did not want to be caught in a jam, we decided to have dinner in KLCC. We walked around and we came across Ben's, a cozy restaurant on the 1st floor of Suria KLCC (directly opposite Harrods). The management really should think of putting up something eye-catching at its entrance as I have passed by it many times and never really took notice, and not to mention that it is strategically located near the main central escalators!
Launched on the 15th of April 2011, Ben's is modeled after a Manhattan townhouse and its menu features international cuisines from various countries, from refreshing appetisers and yummy salads to hearty Eastern and Western main courses. The dessert menu is to die for if you have a sweet tooth. Did not have any room for dessert as we actually had two venti Starbucks frappucinos for tea before we decided to have some solid food for dinner an hour later. I'd definitely try the tiramisu, or the toffee date pudding or the mango longan trifle or the chocolate rocky road cake, or the berry pavlova sandwich or the apple crumble or the blackforest! OMG i think I'd have to make like 20 visits before I can try every single item on their dessert menu!
Look out for this when you're looking for this eatery :)
Wild mushrooms spaghettini with mascapone cheese (RM 22.90)The mascapone cheese was awesome in enhancing the flavor of the good variety of wild mushrooms used!
My dad who is a great fan of mushroom soup said that this is one of the best mushroom soup he has ever had! It was chunky and full of flavor. Ben's is one of the very few eateries that serves non-canned version of the ever popular mushroom soup :) We love the drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of herbs on top too!
Wedges with a very generous amount of mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce (RM8.90)
I love the deco as we felt very much at home when dining at this eatery, as we were comfortably seated on a set of cozy lounge furniture, accompanied by a soothing playlist of classic jazz from Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Johnny Hartman etc. If you are in for some upbeat chillout and lounge tunes, visit them before 6pm.
Location: Lot 140, Suria KLCC, First Floor, Kuala Lumpur City Center, Kuala Lumpur Opening Hours: 10am - 11pm daily
Yet another Sumptuous and satisfying meal at Delicious, Bangsar
Here comes another post that describes yet another sumptuous and satisfying meal at Delicious, Bangsar Village II. By far, this is one of the eateries that serves tasty and good value food. Service is great as usual, but it's a good idea to book ahead if you want to secure a table at this very busy restaurant.
Vegetarian Gado-gado This dish would be very boring without a generous helping of a delicious satay sauce. Thankfully, delicious gave us more than enough sauce to thoroughly enjoy this very famous Malaysian dish.
Spicy Spaghetti with Pine Nuts This is my favorite pasta dish at delicious. I'm glad that the chef opted to use olive oil instead of a cream-based sauce, as the cream would definitely have overpowered the pine nuts and zucchini. Remember to squeeze the cut lemon all over this dish if you do order it, it works magic with the olive oil!
Mushroom Spaghetti with Mascarpone cheese I tried this dish during my previous visit and found it to be too rich and creamy for my liking, however, my friend loved every single bite. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder!
Trio of dips with Lebanese bread Ah, another of my favorite dish at Delicious, however, a word of caution, don't bother to try this dish at Delicious, Mid-Valley as the bread always came burnt. The chef at Delicious, Bangsar does it way better, as the bread is always served warm and cotton soft.
Address: GF-1, Ground Floor, Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Contact: 6-03-2287 1554 Business Hours: Monday – Friday (11.00am – 1.00am), Sat, Sun and Public Holiday (9.00am – 1.00am)
Ever get the urge to have breakfast meals for lunch, tea, dinner or supper? I know I do, and very often too, which is why I am a regular patron at coffee bean, not just for their fantastic ultimate ice blended and skinny cafe latte, but also for their delicious pasta and 'food for thought' breakfast-all-day set. After these cafes sprung out like mushrooms after the rain in the past decade, I find myself attracted and probably addicted to the strong aroma of brewed Arabica coffee beans, just like how everyone reacts to the 'free smells' at the Famous Amos stalls.
The signature ambiance at all coffee bean. Pictured is the coffee bean and tea leaf at Curve, Mutiara Damansara.
Food for thought (RM11.50+) Half boiled eggs served with 4 pieces of crispy toast with a healthy salad of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cranberries and almond flakes. Each Food for thought set comes with a cup of tea or coffee, with free refills before 11am.
Tomato herb pasta (RM14.90+) Love the pasta here at coffee bean! The bread served on the side greatly compliments this dish and goes especially well with the generous amount of tomato herb sauce.
Was looking for a place to sit and chat with my close friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon. After reading good reviews about the nice atmosphere here at Departure Lounge, we decided to give it a try and we were definitely pleased with our choice. Though it does not boast of a very elegant interior ambiance, but we felt very much at home with the cozy and simple deco.
Enough reading materials to last you through your current and future visits :) Obviously, as the name suggest, this place is stocked with a lot of travel books. I bet this place would be able to make tons of $$$ if it were operating at an airport instead! *Idea??!!*
For my next trip to China! (Watch this space for vegetarian dishes from Chengdu, China)
Departure Lounge also provides board games for the bored. We opted for Monopoly, which kept us occupied for hours. Lesson learnt: from the game...........keep buying and buying, building and building!
Ice Lemon Tea
Moroccan Mint Tea
Do It My Way Breakfast (RM 8.90 for 3 items, extra for fresh mushrooms instead of canned) Of course, I opted for fresh!
Website: http://www.cafedeparturelounge.com/ Address: No. 10, Jalan Solaris 4, Solaris Mont’ Kiara, 50480, Kuala Lumpur. Contact: 03 6203 0362 Opening Hours: 8am – 7pm (Mon-Sat), 10am-5pm (Sun and public holidays) Location: Not very convenient for tourists, unless you're planning to party at Solaris which do have quite a few pubs and bars around.
Two avid vegetarians are here to share some insights to the world of vegetarianism.
Hopefully, through this site, the lives of some animals can be spared. Always remember, animals have feelings too, they are our friends not our meal.
Name: Delicious
The signature ambiance at all coffee bean. Pictured is the coffee bean and tea leaf at Curve, Mutiara Damansara.
Food for thought (RM11.50+)
Tomato herb pasta (RM14.90+)
Vegetarian Party
Pot Luck Party