Nasi Lemak @ Serai, Life Centre KL

When my colleagues from the regional office visited us in KL, we wanted them to experience the local food.  Madam Kwan’s would automatically be the best choice, but since they have visited that the night before, we brought them to Serai @ Life Centre, Jalan Sultan Ismail instead.

I ordered the Nasi Lemak (RM 16) that comes with ayam goreng berempah, prawn sambal and traditional condiments such as peanuts and ikan bilis served with aromatic coconut rice.

To be honest, I was quite disappointed with Serai’s nasi lemak.  While visually it did look appetizing, it was far from the completely satisfying, delicious mark as it is lacking in many areas.

To start is the ayam goreng berempah.  What I love about this fried chicken is that it is very crispy and beautifully browned on the outside while on the inside, it is still very juicy and tender.  However, the seasonings on the chicken were a bit mild and hence, the chicken tasted quite bland without the help of the prawn sambal.

The nicely seasoned prawn sambal tasted good.  This sweet and mild sambal is more to a tomato-based sauce.  I felt the prawn sambal did a tremendous job in saving the nasi lemak as it is the only thing that made the dish less dry.  Unfortunately, the sambal was just too little – two spoons of it and you can barely see any left.  Imagine how hard I had to ration the sauce so that it is enough to get though the meal.

Then, there is the ikan bilis, which was indeed very crispy but lacking that nice salty fragrance.

To drink, I had the Serai Blended (RM 10.50), which is a lychee ice-blended drink infused with lemongrass extract.  Somehow, the drink was not as good as expected because the lychee and the lemongrass flavour didn't combine very well.  I suspect it was because the lychee didn't stand out much, making it tasted more like a lemongrass drink rather than a lychee and lemongrass drink.

While the experience was not very satisfying, it is still a nice place to introduce local food to foreigners as the flavours are milder and easily accepted by others who are not accustomed to our intense local flavours.  Besides that, the environment is pretty cosy and less crowded, making a good place for a business meal.

Serai

G-06, Life Centre

20, Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Tel:  03-21816717

Breakfast @ T-Break

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day since a nice,satisfying breakfast will bring you a-feel-good feeling for the rest of the day.  Never underestimate the power of good, proper breakfast.

Today, I decided to treat myself to a nice breakfast @ T-Break Cafe, Wisma Antarabangsa since it is the end of the working week (Hooray!  Weekends are here at last!).  On days when I managed to reach KL earlier, I would definitely come here for my first meal of the day.

GIven that I am not very hungry, I decided to go for the Half-boiled Eggs with Panini Toast Breakfast Set (RM 5.50) accompanied by a cup freshly-brewed coffee (or an alternate choice - Twinnings English Breakfast tea).  If you felt that black coffee/English Breakast tea is not your cup of tea, then you can opt to upgrade to other coffee beverages at a charge.

It is such a simple yet complete, satisfying meal.  The bread, either soaked in the egg or spread with butter and jam, is just so nice.  The strawberry jam can be substituted for pandan kaya, which I find it quite nice - the level of sweetness & consistency is just right.

If I was not rushing to clock in, I would have sat down longer to enjoy my cup of coffee & munch on the buttery almond-shortbread cookie.  I always look forward to the cookies that they serve together with the coffee/tea - love the fragance of the butter.

They serve a variety of breakfast sets - from a light set to a complete Big Breakfast set, from local breakfast to Western breakfast.

Another breakfast set, Egg on Toast (RM 5.50) - scrambled eggs served with Panini Toast.

Click here for more review of this nice cafe that also serves lovely, simple all-day menu.

T-Break Cafe

Kompleks Antarabangsa,

Lot G22, Ground Floor,

Jalan Sultan Ismail,

50250 Kuala Lumpur.

(only open on working weekdays from 7.30am)

Bangkok Chicken Rice @ Q Thai Restaurant, KL

Q Thai Restaurant, the No.1 Best Tom Yam in town!

I'm not sure how true this tagline is, but I know that they serve pretty decent Thai food.  At least, an affordable and tasty meal around Kuala Lumpur.

I used to come here for the Thai-style Fried Kuay Teow but of lately, I find it a bit getting too oily.  But ever since they started to offer individual rice options for dinner, I have been sticking to the same choice.

Bangkok Chicken with Rice (RM 8.90) - spicy boneless chicken served with rice & assorted vegtable fritters.

 

What I like about this dish is that they have used chicken meat from the things.  The chicken, with its skin still attached, has been pan-fried before cooking with the spicy sauce.  I always feel that anything that has been pan-fried will taste better.

Although you can find a lot of chillis (both red and green ones) and chilli seeds in the sauce, you will not find it as spicy as you had thought when judging by the colour of the dish.  Somehow, I find the sauce closely resembling the fermented soybean-based sauce of the Chinese spicy steam fish.

If you come during lunch time, it is super packed with people and you may need to wait for a quite some time for your food (and not to forget, the portion size may vary also).  But if you come during dinner time, the restaurant is a little less crowded (as seen in the picture above), and the quality of the food is much better.  They will take the time to set the food in a more presentable manner.

Q Thai Restaurant

Kompleks Antarabangsa

Ground Floor

Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Chicken Pie @ T-Break

A nice meal is one that makes you feel full of warmth & satisfaction.  Especially after a long, tiring day at work.

At least once a week after work, without fail, I will always order the same thing when I visit T-Break Cafe @ Wisma Antarabangsa.  Just the thought of it already makes me start drooling (I just had it in less than 2 hours and now I'm wanting it again!)

Chicken pie - a simple yet comforting food.  I love pies mainly because of its crisp, buttery pastry - it blends well with almost anything.  Just like how I enjoy all sorts of puffs & pastries that you can find in the bakery.


But the one served at T-break is worth every dollar paid (Less than RM 8 including tax).


A chicken pie served with mashed potatoes & generous amount of mushroom sauce, accompanied with baked potato chips & plain Ceaser salad.


I love how piping hot the pie is and how well the sauce brings out the flavour of the pie.  The sauce can be on the saltier side, but eaten together with the potatoes, being on the milder side, it just seem to balance well.

Sometimes, depending on who serves you, the amount of chips & salad can be so much that your plate is covered full.  Speaking of the chips, they are very thinly sliced & salted just right.  At times, I think I enjoyed eating the chips more than the main dish!

Presentation-wise: so-so but who care's, as long as it tasted nice, that's the most important.


Word of caution:  If you are a big eater, probably this may not be the place for you.  But if you are one that sticks to the "70% full" rule, then it is worth visiting for lunch.  The environment is quite relaxing - as you unwind in that short one hour lunch break.

*********************

T-break also sells nice cakes.  Currently, they are offering a 50% off on all slices of cakes on display in the evening.  In particular, I liked their Chocolate Moist Cheesecake.  It is really moist & chocolately - not too cheesy.

 

T-Break Cafe

Kompleks Antarabangsa,
Lot G22, Ground Floor,
Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur.

(only open on working weekdays)