Aunty Nat, Sri Hartamas KL

Whenever I'm back from Melbourne, I would give Aunty Nat a visit to satisfy my Nyonya cravings. A marriage between Chinese and Malay cuisine, the dishes are always packed with zesty and spicy spices which will tantalize your taste-buds.

Cincau (Grass Jelly Drink)

Just the way I like it! Warm and less sugar.

Pai Tee (filled with slices of braised radishes, chilli, spring onions, dried prawns)

A classic Nyonya delicacy to start our meal. The crunchy outer shell compliments the soft, moist and juicy radishes perfectly! The finely chopped spring onions and chilli added a light freshness to the pai tee and the sambal was a beautiful blend of spiciness and sourness.

Egg Tofu with Mixed Vegetables

A simple but satisfying and flavourful dish.

Kangkong Belacan

Ah! The smell and taste of belacan assures me that I am home. Spicy, crunch & salty.
 

Spicy Fried Bee Hoon (Vermicelli)

This dish is one of the main reasons why I keep coming back to Aunty Nat! The noodles were stir-fried with enough 'wok hei' which brings out the best flavours.

Also, give the Char Kway Teow a try! Probably my second favourite dish there...

Steamed Spicy and Sour Fish

No meal is complete without protein, so, the fish was a perfect addition to our lunch. The fish was wonderfully fresh, soft and moist! It was steamed just right, still retaining the slight sweetness of the fish. The spicy and sour sauce was loaded with ginger, garlic and chilli which warmed and satisfied my tummy.

Other dishes which I would recommend are the deep-fried spring rolls, petai fried rice and bitter gourd omelette. And if I'm not mistaken, there is another branch of Aunty Nat in MidValley!

7 Jalan Sri Hartamas 7,

Taman Sri Hartamas,

50480 KL.

(03) 6201 1833

Monga Sweet Cafe, Box Hill

After our dinner at Dumpling King, we decided that we needed something sweet to finish off our night! So, we wandered and walked pass a few streets until we arrived at Monga. Perfect! A chinese dessert to end our chinese dinner.

Besides that, it's been ages since we had a good bowl of warm tong sui..

Mango Sago (Cold)

Sweet Potatoes in Ginger Soup (Hot)

Black Sesame Cream (Hot)

Black Glutinous Rice with Sago and Coconut Milk (Hot)

Overall, the tong sui were mediocre. Not memorable and slightly costly for the amount we were getting. Some time later, we decided to give the CBD branch a try but we couldn't even get a sit and were told to wait for 5 minutes...

5 minutes became 10 minutes. 10 minutes became 15 minutes. 20 minutes really tested our patience so we left and went home for a warm cup of tea.

1/F 600 Station Street
Box Hill, 3128

(03) 9890 0925

 

Ben's, KLCC

The Pavillion branch of Ben's has been a huge success since it started. So, I wasn't surprise that this brainchild of BIG (besides T forty two, Canoodling, Ricetaurant) opened an outlet opposite Harrod's in KLCC.

A wonderful fusion of East and West can be found all over the menu at Ben's. Salads, sandwiches, pasta, Asian dishes, dessert, etc.

A cute box of cards for the table's entertainment while we wait for our food!

Fried Calamari Rings with Aoili

My mum was craving deep-fried so we had a toss between Breaded Mushrooms or Calamari Rings. Finally, we settled for some calamari and started off our meal with this. The rings weren't too oily but I found the batter slightly thick for my liking.

Seafood Pad Thai Linguine

It was well seasoned and there was ample of fresh beansprouts and seafood! The prawns were plump and juicy and the noodles was well tossed with crunchy roasted peanuts. However, it lacked the acidity and sourness which I love in pad thai. Overall, it was a good dish!

Balsamico Chicken Salad (tossed with sundried tomatoes and buttered almonds)

This salad was amazing. The chicken was beautifully cook! Moist, tender, juicy and oozing with the balsamic sauce. The buttered almonds gave the salad an exciting crunch and the sundried tomatoes brought a hint of sweetness to the mouth-watering salad.

Nasi Ulam (served wth solok and ayam percik)

A traditional dish with greatly resembles Nasi Kerabu from my mum's hometown, Kelantan. The fish filling in the solok was fresh and the chicken was again, beautifully cooked. A slight let down was the lack of spiciness. Besides that, it was tasty and definitely better than the Nasi Kerabu from Delicious!

I love the concept of this place! The menu, the variety of food, the setting.. A definite recommendation for anyone around the area and those not around the area!

Already looking forward to my next visit there.. for dessert too:)

Suria KLCC
Lot 140 First Floor
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
50088 Kuala Lumpur 

+6 03 2163 1655  

http://www.thebiggroup.co/

Cafe Ren, Victoria Market

I was strolling along the deli section of Victoria Market when my tummy started to rumble. The choices were endless. From warm boreks to big, juicy bratwurst! But I finally settled for a humble sandwich from Cafe Ren.

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Sandwich on Rye Bread

The plumpest sandwich I could find there! Loaded with fresh vegetables and a thin layer of cream cheese and salmon, this sandwich was definitely worth my 4.50. 

Shop 93-94, Deli Hall,

Victoria Market,

Melbourne.

Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie, KL

Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie is currently one of the most talked about bakery in the KL foodie world. So, naturally I had to check out this bakery which boasts about using only natural yeast and stone oven to bake their delicious goodies!

Tucked away in a bungalow along Jalan Delima, this humble bakery has an ample variety of bread, danishes, buns and hot meals to choose from!

 Rows of freshly baked danishes and buns! What a delight!

More buns and bread to choose from..

Left: Durian Melon Bread

Right: Croissant D'amando (Almond Croissant)

The almond croissant was buttery, flaky, puffy, not dense and slightly sweet. Definitely one of the must try among all the beautiful pastries!

The durian melon bread was an interesting twist to the normal Melon Pan you get at a Japanese bakery. The durian filling wasn't overpowering and it was creamy with the right texture to contrast with the slightly crunchy outer shell of the bread. A durian lover? This is definitely the bread for you!

Crispy Walnut Bread

Surprisingly, the bread wasn't tough or chewy! The insides were moist and soft and the walnuts gave a nice crunch to the bread. Plain and simple but my favourite bread out of all!

*The breads were about RM 3.80 each.

Noisette (RM 8.50)

(Dark chocolate mousse with flourless chocolate cake and another type of mousse - and probably praline?)

The cake being practically 80% mousse was light and creamy. I would prefer the cake the be denser to give the slice a slight texture but overall it wasn't too sweet and it satisfied my chocolate cravings!

Seafood Spicy Aglio Oglio (RM 12.50)

The was flavourful and quite generous with their seafood. However, it was lacking the punch which I  seek in my Aglio Oglio and it definitely lacked the spiciness!

Clockwise from top left: Raspberry, Passionfruit & Mango, Green Tea Macarons
(RM 3.60 each)

The macarons were chewy in the centre and the outer shell was light, airy and 'cracked' well when it was bitten into. However, I found the raspberry and passionfruit & mango ones too sweet for my liking. Plus, after eating the macarons from Hardware Societe, Melbourne, this was a disappointment.

At the end of our meal, my mum ended up buying 3 more almond croissants, some other buns and a loaf of their Maple Bread Log (RM 6). The thought of soft & chewy bread swirled with maple syrup for breakfast tomorrow? Yum!

No. 7, Jalan Delima,

55100, Kuala Lumpur.

(03) 2132 6611

http://www.levain.com.my/

David Jones Food Hall, CBD

You can certainly expect the best quality of yogurt here! For 6 bucks, we definitely got our money's worth: quality and quantity.

Evia Natural Yogurt with Berry Compote (blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry & raspberry)

For berry lovers like me, this is heaven in a bowl! Generous with their berry toppings unlike other yogurt stores where you can barely find a berry in your yogurt! The yogurt was thick, smooth, rich and creamy...

Tiger Beat Yogurt mixed with Nutty Caramel Yogurt

Chocolate, caramel and nuts swirled in a creamy bowl of yogurt! Need you ask more?

The yogurts are one of the many food items sold in the David Jones Food Hall. The bakery smells delightful and the variety of food is plentiful! But the yogurt to us is definitely the star of the show.

310 Bourke St.
Melbourne 3000

Yogurt: www.yogurtco.com.au/

Fatty Crab, Taman Megah PJ

Fatty Crab is one of the place where you have to get there early even on a weekday to avoid a wait! Planning to have some finger licking crabs on a weekend night? Better be there early or be prepared to wait while you drool and watch people eat their crabs :)

A good and simple menu.

Deep-fried chicken wings

We always start with these chicken wings whenever we are here. And no one stops at one.

Century egg with pickled ginger

A lighter appetizer before our meal. The soft and gooey centre of the yolk with the slightly chewy egg white goes perfectly well with the sweet and sourish pickled ginger. A classic.

Fried rice

Warm, straight from the wok! 

Spicy crabs

Ah.. the star of our dinner. The sauce had a whole lot of spiciness, sourness and a hint of sweetness and saltiness. A beautiful balance of flavour to compliment the fresh crabs. Loaded with minced garlic and ginger, this dish packed a whole lot of punch to my taste buds!

And of course, some warm toasted bread to go with the crabs. A good way to mop up all the left over sauce (no waste here!)

So, if you are ever craving some good ol' spicy crab, this is definitely the place you go to.

No 2, Jln SS 24/13

Taman Megah 

47301 Petaling Jaya

Selangor 

(03) 7804 5758

Vegie Bar (4th visit)

We are back to our beloved place for cheap and great vegetarian food!!
(sorry for the pictures! We had to use flash as the place really dark!)

Raspberry Lassi

Tofu Burger on Roti with Satay Sauce

Spring has been craving this for a really long time! We've always love Vegie Bar's satay sauce (taste like peanut butter! yum!). Nice big portion of great food.

Mushroom with mashed roasted vegetables and quinoa (with loads of other stuff!)

A new dish in the menu.. Sounded interesting and definitely tasted good! There were a generous amount of vegetables on top and finished off with a sprinkle of vegan cheese.

Stir-fried noodles (loaded with vegetables and faux meat!)

Again.. loaded with vegetables! The noodles were flavourful and well-portioned!

Moroccan pizza - 

Pumpkin, eggplant, capsicum, olives and sesame seeds on a tomato and hummus base

It was very light pizza, almost like a pita bread accompanied with a side of roasted vegetables. The toasted sesame seeds gave it a nice fragrant but more tomato and hummus base would be nice!

Check out our earlier visits! 

- 20th August 2010

- 9th September 2010

- 25th September 2010

Kampachi, KL

The Kampachi in Pavillion is a branch of the award-winning Kampachi in Equatorial Hotel, recognised by the Miele Guide as one of the finest restaurant in Asia.

A perfect treat to indulge myself after a long semester of studying! Plus it would an ideal Father's Day celebration :)

Sencha Kikukawa

We started of with two pots (RM16 each). Finely roasted with a deep flavour.

Potato Salad (RM 16)

To my brother's disappointment, there wasn't any Salmon Skin Salad with Salmon Roe left but we all gladly settled for a potato salad. Everything was well balanced and the mayo wasn't overpowering the dish as many other potato salads do.

Sashimi Platter (RM 160)

After the hearty potato salad we moved on to sashimi. One of the freshest and the best quality you can find! The prawns still had their natural sweetness and every piece of fish was just beautiful (Kampachi uses Norwegian salmon apparently!).

After the flawless plate of sashimi we moved on with a recommended sushi roll..

Shake Aburi Maki (RM 60)

Seared Salmon Roll topped with Grilled Eel

 

The roll was cut up to a perfect bite size! With a tiny dip of goma (sesame) sauce at the side, pop the whole thing in your mouth. The eel and salmon literally melted in my mouth. It was perfectly grilled. The maki filling gave the roll a little crunch to contrast with the soft and moist fish.

 

 

Finally, after all the beautiful entrees, we got to our mains.

Sukiyaki and Soft Shell Crab Roll Set (RM 45)

The beef was perfectly cooked. Not chewy and tough like most sukiyaki.

And there was a generous amount of crab in the roll! 

Sukiyaki - loaded with slices of fresh beef and assorted vegetables

Hot Soba & Oyakodon Set (RM42)

A warm and hearty meal which my dad enjoyed and finished happily!

Grilled Saba (Mackerel) Teriyaki Set (RM 38)

One of the best piece of grilled fish I've ever eaten. The meat was still moist but the skin grilled to a crispy texture. And the chawanmushi was silky, smooth and light. Yum!

Cooked to perfection.

Tendon & Soba with a side of Grilled Salmon Set (RM42)

Bukkake Soba (RM 30)

Cold soba noodles with goma (sesame) sauce & tempura fritters

It was light and refreshing dish. The goma sauce was surprisingly light! (unlike the ones you get in Pasta Zanmai) and the tempura fritters added a different texture to the cold noodles. A memorable and certainly interesting dish.

Matcha ice-cream.

Matcha ice-cream with dango, red bean paste and strawberries. (RM 18)

The green tea flavour in the ice-cream wasn't as strong as I liked but the red bean paste was just perfect. (What can go wrong with red beans anyway! :)

A place that you have to try if you love Japanese food! You're meal can't go wrong in Kampachi.

Pavillion,

Kuala Lumpur.

+603 2148 9608

http://www.kampachi.com.my/