Farewell Lunch @ West 57th Street Cafe, Pavillion

When I first started working, I came here often for company lunches as I find the food delicious.  Fast forward a few years later, I realized it was so long ago since I stepped back at this beautiful cafe again.  So when it was the last day of my intern's stint, I brought the team for a lunch at West 57th Street Cafe @ Pavilion.

More commonly known as the Zang Toi Cafe, its dishes are rooted deep into the Hainanese food tradition, bringing a more Asian touch into the Western dishes.  They have various set menus, and one of it which I usually order is the West 57th Set Menu B (RM 20.90) as the choices includes their signature Hainanese Chicken Chop and the huge West 57 Club Sandwich.

For drinks, it was the Zang Toi's Signature Tea Punch, a fruity tea infused with mint, orange and lime peels.  In a way, it tasted like ice lemon tea mixed with orange juice.  It was not too sour or sweet - just nice.  Only setback, they should have strained those annoying bits of peels away as I don't fancy things getting into my way when sipping through the straw.  Another surprising thing was that the tea punch was actually refillable, which was not available previously.  This is quite a plus as I find the serving so small that you can finish within seconds.

For the mains, I usually order the club sandwich, but since I am on a diet mode, I couldn't bear to stuff myself with the huge sandwich anymore.  Instead, I ordered the Hainanese Chicken Chop, which KS has repeatedly claimed was his favourite.  Indeed, it was delicious but definitely not as memorable as expected.

The deep-fried chicken chop was nice and juicy in the inside, with its skin still on.  Although a bit oily, the chicken was fragrant and seasoned nicely.  To go with it is a sweet and sour tomato-based sauce with button mushrooms and mild black pepper flavour.  However, I felt it was lacking some saltiness to balance the flavours appropriately, which would otherwise be perfect.  The coleslaw was a bit too creamy, drowning with too much mayonnaise.  Of all, I love the crispy curly fries the most.

The last to arrive is the long-awaited Banana Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream, drizzled with warm chocolate sauce.  A few years ago, this dessert was definitely a signature dessert to die for and almost everyone who have been to Zang Toi Cafe will highly recommend this heavenly dessert.  Even I felt that no other places could do a banana chocolate cake as well as them.

However, eating it again today, I felt very disappointed - super disappointing.  The cake was very dry and lacking a buttery fragrance.  Also, the banana slices looked as though they are a character on their own and didn't blend in naturally.  How should I put it - it was a dead piece of dessert which failed to tell a captivating story.  Everything is on the plate but they are just not co-operating as a team to deliver.  A pretty sad ending, I must say.

Overall, West 57th Street Cafe is quite a nice place to dine in as it is quiet and quite laid-back since it is tuck deep inside Parkson.  Food-wise, it is reasonably decent but don't have too high an expectation.  It's just not the same as before anymore.

West 57th Street Cafe (Zang Toi Cafe)
Parkson Pavilion
Lot 4-42, Level 4
Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

Scones & Brownies @ CRUMBS Malaysia, Pavilion

Coming all the way from the shores of Hong Kong to Malaysia, CRUMBS Malaysia @ Pavilion offers freshly baked-in-store scones and their signature smooth frozen yogurt.  Since we wanted to fill our stomachs before heading to our company's annual dinner (well, we Malaysians never start the party on time), we forgo the yogurt and ordered the scones and brownies.

Their freshly baked handmade scones (RM 2.90 each) comes in three flavours - raisins, chocolate chip and cheese scones.  The scones don't come in their usual round shape - a flat rectangular scone.

I tried only the raisins and chocolate chip scones.  Unfortunately, the scones were lacking some moist and a bit flaky, resembles more of a biscuit instead.  On its own, I felt it was not good but if it goes with the frozen yogurt, it may be able to fit well.  Between the two, the raisins scone was a better option as it has a nice sweet taste amidst the salty scone, with a slightly more moisture from the raisins.

On the other hand, their Double Chocolate Brownies (RM 3.50 each) are to die for.  These brownie slices are very rich in chocolate and totally addictive for chocolate lovers.  It is moist and inside, you can still feel the melted chocolate, even after leaving it overnight in my room.  It is also surprisingly not very sweet.

CRUMBS Malaysia

P1.11.04, Level 1

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

(near the Pavilion Food Republic)

Korean BBQ @ Bulgogi Brothers, Pavilion KL

Finally, we managed to find time after work to stop by at Pavilion for some Korean BBQ at Bulgogi Brothers before we head to Isetan to do some last-minute CNY shopping.  I am a fan of Korean food and after numerous times staring into Bulgogi Brothers while waiting for my turn at Din Tai Fung, I finally get a chance to experience it myself.

Originating from the Gang-Nam district in Seoul, South Korea, Bulgogi Brothers, as the name suggests, specializes in Korean cuisine and bulgogi - marinated barbecued meat.

The first to greet us is the Oksusu Cha, which is corn tea, a traditional Korean tea made from boiled roasted corn kernels.  Loaded with Vitamin E, this tea is good for those with high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney problems, as well as aids digestion.  This lightly, browned tea is quite mild and slightly sweet, with a soft roasted, corn flavour.  Sometimes, it tasted like roasted brown rice tea and sometimes, it tasted like sweetcorn soup - a bit confusing at first.  Took me a while to get use to the acquired taste of okusu cha, but overall, it is reasonably okay.

As with any Korean cuisine, we are served with 6 different banchan or side dishes.  The presentation of the banchan are quite unique and are very different from the more traditional way of serving.

1.  Spicy spinach, pumpkin mash and sweetened lotus root slices
The cold, spicy spinach, mixed with sesame seeds, were very soft and tasted a bit sweet.  I love the smooth and sweet pumpkin mash the most, maybe because of the texture and the sweetness.  The lotus root slices were a bit too soft for my liking, but KS adored this sweet appetizer (which I happily left it for him to finish).

2.  Cabbage kimchi, cold kangkung with sweet soy sauce and radish kimchi

Among the three, the cold kangkung were our favourite.  This unique appetizer used sweet soy sauce as the base for the vegetable.  The sweetness and the saltiness balanced very well, while the kangkung, which has been cooked until soft, was cut nicely into short strips.  The cabbage kimchi is a bit milder, and judging from the colour, is not very spicy or sour, but defintiely better tasting than those served elsewhere.  I barely touched the radish kimchi, so couldn't comment much.

Bulgogi Brothers also provide some complimentary snacks - sweet potatoes, corn and edamame (soybeans) - to munch while we wait for our mains to be served.  Boy, the sweet potatoes and corn were very fresh and sweet.

Not to forget the refillable basket of vegetables to go along with the BBQ.  The large sticks of cucumber and carrot reminded me of Bugs Bunny - a bit too large for my liking.

For the grill, we ordered the Gwangyangsik Bulgogi (RM 45.90) which is 200 grams of thinly sliced seasoned Australian beef with leeks, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and onions.  All presented nicely on a plate.  In my opinion, this serving is enough for 2 person to share and to go along with other noodles/rice dishes.

Unlike most BBQ, the Gwangyangsik Bulgogi is more like a stir-fried BBQ meat.  The waiter skillfully cooked each ingredient on the hotplate, flipping and stir-frying the meat before finally, using the white-bread to soak up the excess oil.

The meat was tender and was filled with the fragrance of the leeks.  The taste is quite light as there were barely much strong marinate in it, so you can taste the natural sweetness and flavours of the beef.  Very nice. If you want more flavours, just add the seasonings (pepper & salt, sweet soy sauce or spicy bean paste) to the meat before popping into the mouth.

A well-known Korean dish that cannot be missed is the Chicken Bibimbap (RM 26.90), a rice dish mixed with spicy chicken and a variety of vegetables, topped with a raw egg and served on a hot stone bowl.  It also comes with a very nice bowl of soybean sprout soup, which has a lovely sweet taste of the soybean sprouts and flavourful.  It was so good that I was quite reluctant to share with KS :P

Again, the waiter stirred and mixed the rice properly so that the heat from the hot stone bowl is transferred to every inch of the rice.  Then, carefully, he plate it for us.

The bibimbap was generally quite spicy, which I quite enjoyed.  However, it was slightly too wet, maybe from the egg, leaving the rice quite sticky.  Flavour-wise, I think it is okay although I find it a bit mild.

Overall, the meal was satisfying.  The ingredients used were fresh, so it did taste nice.  It was so filling, that we couldn't even ask for seconds to the banchan.

Towards the end of the meal, we had a complimentary cold, sweet peach drink.  This is something different as we used to be given a sweet rice drink in other Korean restaurants.  As you put closer towards the face, you can smell the light fragrance of peaches.  I quite like it as it was not too sweet, and acts as a palate cleanser.

The service at Bulgogi Brothers was tremendously good.  From the start to the end, all we had to do was just sit back like kings and be served, from the pot straight to our plates.  Plus, they were very accommodating.  That could explain why I had a lot of time to take pictures too.

Right after we paid the bill, we were presented with a lovely thank you note from our friendly waiter.  Although it was just a simple note, it was so warm and sweet.  We left with not only a satisfied stomach, but a happy mood too.  Makes us wanna come back for another round.

Bulgogi Brothers

Lot 6.01.03, Level 6

Pavilion KL Shopping Mall

No. 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur