MIA

Unfortunately, foodjourney4me will be taking a break from blogging lengthy write-ups on food due to some not-really-unforseen commitments.

Good news, I'll be back by October to clear all the backlogs.

In the meantime, there's always twitter or instagram for quick mini-reviews :)

Thanks...

Classy Old Vietnam Dining @ Highway 4 Restaurant & Bar, Hanoi

At the northeast of the Hoan Kiem Lake, just minutes away from the popular Thang Long Puppet theater, lies a stylish restaurant that specializes in Vietnamese cuisine from the northern mountains, as well as brewing many unique Vietnamese liqueurs.  That is also how Highway 4 Restaurant & Bar @ Old Quarters, Hanoi got its name, based on one of Vietnam's most important network of routes linking the major urban centers throughout the northern mountainous regions - Highway #4.

Although popular among locals and foreigners for its Vietnamese alcoholic experience, we came to Highway 4 Restaurant for another different highlight.  A contemporary take on a classic Vietnamese street snack - spring rolls.

One of their signature dish, Nem Cha Xa Lo4, which translates to Highway 4's catfish spring roll.  The deep-fried catfish and herbs are topped with mayonnaise before being wrapped in soaked rice paper and served with wasabi soy dipping sauce.  The catfish was deliciously fresh and sweet, with the herbs giving a nice hint of fresh aromatic flavour.  Unfortunately, there was not a lot of vegetables to go with it and hence, we find it slightly oily.  Nevertheless, it was a great appetizer.

The sauce, which looked like a lot like the sweet soy sauce you have alongside dim sum, is indeed packed with a lot of wasabi.  Please be mindful of the first dip or else you will be stunned for a moment.  I actually knew about the existence of the wasabi from my research on the internet, but no one highlighted that it was actually camouflaged inside the dipping sauce.  Well, now we know.

Next are our mains.

The first was the Com Rang Xa Lo4, i.e. Highway 4's Special Fried Rice.  Despite the name, it was an ordinary plate of fried rice that is flavourful but just lacking some saltiness (wouldn't it be great if there was nuoc cham to go with it).  But, even when cold (we packed it back to hotel to finish), it was still fragrant.  Overall, not the best, but decent.

The next, which was KS's choice, was the Mien Xao Heo, i.e. Glass Noodles sauteed with Pork (You can go with beef too, but we just had too much beef already).  Vietnamese are really good with fried glass noodles and so, for this plate of noodles, it was very fragrant and delicious.  Packed with a lot of black pepper, it was spicy.  Unfortunately, it was also very oily.

Highway 4 is a good place for hotpot and drinking.  With a well-designed interior that highlights a modern interpretation of the old Vietnamese design with a touch of classy ambiance, it was a beautiful place to rest your tired feet.  For a moment, it felt as though we entered into another world where working Hanoi adults gather for a happy hour session, filled with laughter and chattering.  Love it!

Definitely not the place for some complete privacy as you dine because you'll be sitting in traditional Vietnamese seating with long communal tables.  But, hey, it is very comfortable and at the same time, indirectly joining into your neighbour's fun party.  Also, despite the hot, humid weather outside, it was very well-ventilated inside and hence, it was cooling.

The staff here generally can speak moderate level of English, so there is really not much of an issue in terms of communication.  Service was very good and polite.

Highly recommended for a place to chill although slightly on the expensive side if compared to the outside street-food choices.  But, for us, it was an experience well-spent.

Highway 4 Restaurant & Bar

5 Hang Tre Street

Old Quarters, Hanoi

Time-out Session @ Coffee Famille, Kota Damansara

Once again, we are back to Coffee Famille @ Kota Damansara, this time to meet up with a close friend of KS.  We had been telling him how good this place is and it got him very interested, so much so that he kept insisting that we gather here for a drink.  Well, finally after all the pestering,  we are at Coffee Famille.

As it was a very hot afternoon, especially right after attending an outdoor wedding lunch at a park, I just have to order a cold drink to cool down - Ice Drip Coffee (RM 18).  Firstly, it looks so adorable that it was served in a cocktail-like glass on top of a pot full of iced water.  As for the coffee, it was medium-bodied, with a very light texture as well as having a nice chocolate aftertaste (milk chocolate, to be specific).  The bitterness is pretty mild even when chilled.  I think I just found a coffee that I will keep coming back for.

KS, who was on a slightly more adventurous mode, ordered the Sumatra Mandeling (RM 16).  It sort of didn't turned as he expected and joked that it tasted like Nescafe, which has a very earthy and raw taste similar to dirt.

In my opinion, it has an aftertaste similar to guava - a very mild fruity sweetness right at the very end.  And , it was not too acidic.  Flavour-wise, it was pretty flat throughout the journey and didn't have the roller-coaster effect according to KS.  Think he is already accustomed to the complex flavours of the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.  Well, not really the kind of taste that we prefer but taste is a very subjective thing.

For desserts, there was no tiramisu for this week unfortunately.  Instead, we chose the warm, classic chocolate cake (RM 12).  The moist, dense cake has quite a rich chocolate flavour but I find the icing on the top was just slightly on the sweeter side, especially right after sipping strong, bitter coffee.  The tiramisu is still the best.  Cheesecake the next time, maybe?

Oh, can't wait to be back again for another caffeine adventure ;-)

Coffee Famille

6-G, Garden Wing

Sunsuria Avenue

Persiaran Mahogani

PJU5 Kota Damansara

47810 Petaling Jaya

GPS:  3.154654,101.58997

Brunch @ Crave Cafe, Ara Damansara

Initially, we wanted to have brunch at Mr & Ms Cafe, but unfortunately, because it was closed for a private function to celebrate their official opening, we headed to their neighbour instead - Crave Cafe @ Ara Damansara, a cosy Australian-style cafe.  This alternative was not too bad.

They do serve a few breakfast sets (RM 10) that comes with a complimentary glass of juice.  But if u want some caffeine to lift your mood for the day, you can always go for an upgrade to some selected espresso beverages for just an additional RM 5.

I had the Egg and Bacon on Toast with guava juice.  It is a pretty standard breakfast set with two sunny-side up eggs and two strips of beef bacon with toasted wholemeal bread and butter.  I find the set slightly dry but generally, it is okay and not oily.  The egg was cooked very nicely with runny yolks.

The guava juice, the kind you usually find in supermarkets, was a bit too diluted, unfortunately.

KS ordered the Breakfast BLT Sandwiches and opted to upgrade the drink to a cup of cappuccino.  His wholemeal sandwich, with beef bacon, lettuce and tomato topped with mayonnaise, was quite delicious and moist.  Definitely more appealing than my choice.  Plus, there was a big dose of fresh salad on the side to satisfy your daily intake of greens.

The cappuccino was not an exceptionally memorable cup of coffee but still considered reasonable in terms of aroma, although I find the flavour a tad too mild.  The foam that defines the cappuccino was kinda missing and the consistency is slightly on the thin side.  Maybe the quality was a bit off for that morning.

If you're expecting some really good coffee, then this may not be the place you would want to consider highly of (except if you're eyeing on the coffee beans from Toby's Estate of Australia, which Crave Cafe serves).

But, if you're looking for somewhere to chill and fill your stomach with decent, reasonable food and drinks, then Crave Cafe would be a very good choice.  It has a very simple but super cosy setting with comfortable sofas and fantastic air-circulation.  Not to forget, fast and good WiFi connection.

Crave Cafe

BG-03, Oasis Square

Ara Damansara

47301 Petaling Jaya

An Italian Experience @ Nerovivo, Changkat Bukit Bintang

A few days ago, it was KS's birthday and I decided to bring him to Nerovivo @ Changkat Bukit Bintang after work for a special dining experience.

Serving authentic Italian cuisine, Nerovivo sits in a chic and trendy inner-city bungalow, decorated with bold, sexy artworks and extensive displays of wines.  Outside, there is the open-air wood-fire pizza ovens where pizzas are made and baked.  Seats inside the restaurant is pretty limited, but luckily, as I have made reservations, we get to sit inside instead of the al-fresco setting.

While we were examining the menu, we were presented with a complimentary basket of freshly-baked pizza bread and balsamic vinegar dip.  Oh my, they are so deliciously addictive - full of herbs and garlic flavours with a nice smoky fragrance.

First on the menu is the starter.  We ordered the Zuppa di Zucca e Porri (RM 24), a pumpkin leek soup with roasted onions and sea salt.  The soup has a very light, uncomplicated flavour, with a hint of pumpkin sweetness.  It is quite thin in consistency and hence, it didn't give that feeling of fullness too early in the meal.

One thing that impressed me very much at this point was their service.  During the order, our waiter noticed that we only ordered one soup and kindly asked if we intended to share the soup, of which he then, to my surprise, offered to split the soup into two bowls for convenience.  How thoughtful!  This is the kind of service that warmth the heart of the diners.

The birthday boy ordered the Pollo Alla Diavola (RM 55) as his main dish.  This Devil's Chicken served with rosemary roasted potatoes and seasonal garden salad accompanied by black pepper sauce is one that brings a big smile to my birthday boy.  The forequarter chicken was very juicy and tender, and with each bite, you can feel the juice bursting out in your mouth.  We're very impressed with how well the chicken was cooked.

The flavours are quite gentle but wholesome.  Even without the black pepper sauce, the well-seasoned chicken is good enough on its own.  The roasted potatoes are also very nice and soft.

As for me, who love all things pizza, ordered the Pizza Contadina (RM 40) which has mozzarella, Italian chicken sausage, eggplants, ricotta cheese with tomato sauce.

Voted as the Best Pizza in the Time Out KL Food Awards 2009, Nerovivo delivered quite an impressive pizza (in my opinion).  The thin pizza crust was well-baked without having a burnt presentation.  There was a good balance of the ingredients and the cheese was so gentle-flavoured.  Although the eggplant was quite little (KS joked about not able to find the eggplant), I quite enjoy my pizza.  It didn't have the oiliness feel and was moist.

Finally come the desserts, which are beautifully plated and decorated with strawberry and gooseberry.  Both are also decorated with a piece of chocolate almond brownie-like biscuit, which I find very tasty.

Coming to an Italian restaurant, I cannot missed ordering the Tiramisu (RM 28).  When it first arrived, I thought it was ice-cream as it really looked like one.  Served in a crispy, sweet waffle-like tuille, the lady finger biscuits are arranged at the bottom and topped with scoops of mascarpone cheese mixture.  Generally, the flavours are light with a mild espresso flavour and very smooth texture.  The mascarpone cheese mixture has a nice  balance of sweetness and quite gentle on the taste-buds.  However, both of us preferred a more solid texture from the soaked biscuits as it was kinda too mushy for our liking.  But still, a good piece of dessert.

The other dessert which we ordered is the Dark and White Chocolate Mousse (RM 28).  The mousse is quite firm but velvety, and resembles very muck like a cake.  Surprisingly, this dessert was not overly sweet despite having so much chocolate in it.  However, I find the white chocolate portion being a little less captivating as it didn't have a strong milky, vanilla flavour but the dark chocolate portion was really good.

Overall, the food served in Nerovivo is very good.  Their flavours are generally lighter and focus more to the natural flavours of the ingredients.  I quite love how the flavours blend in perfectly without overpowering other flavours.  Thumbs up!

I love the cosy ambiance in Nerovivo with its soft lightings.  For a moment, it actually felt like I was on a holiday.  It is so comfortable that you feel all the day's stress has been lifted from your shoulders.  Not to mention the good food to heal your inner self and a good companion to share your thoughts.

Well, most importantly, my birthday boy is happy with the experience :)

Nerovivo

3A, Jalan Ceylon

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Tel:  03-2070 3120

GPS:  3.148411,101.706018