Burgers, Fried Chicken and Fries @ Bad Boy Cooks, Ara Damansara

It was a public holiday and supposedly, the plan was to do some CNY shopping but unfortunately, I had to be called in to work.  Pretty depressing, actually.  So after a long afternoon working, I decided to shove off my diet plans and head for some greasy, unhealthy but satisfying burgers and fries (yes, that’s what stress do to you).  The first thing I thought was, why not try out this Bad Boy Cooks @ Oasis Square, Ara Damansara.

Ever since it was opened, the place is always crowded and it did look like a decent American-style diner with good food.  Just looking at the menu, I must say the pricing seems unreasonably low.  A burger at less than RM10, it did seem like quite a deal.  Also, for just an additional RM1, you can complete the meal with a choice of iced green tea, iced lime juice or iced lime tea.  Looks like there may be hope for our wallets!

KS ordered the Cajun Chicken (RM 12) from their house specials menu.  The grilled chicken was marinated with Bad Boy Cajun spices, topped with brown sauce and served with whipped potato and coleslaw.  It sounded nice but the real thing is slightly far from our expectations.  Besides the juicy grilled chicken, the rest of the dish is not piping hot, as though it has been cooked and cooled for hours.  It would have been a great dish had it been served hot as the chicken had some great flavour.

As for me, I came for only one purpose and that’s burger.  I ordered the Fire Bird (RM 9) – pan-fried chicken breast topped with spicy chilli mayonnaise, cheese, tomato and coleslaw served with long cut fries.  Firstly, the visuals didn't look impressive or appetizing - not something you'd expect from a place like this.  Secondly, the portion was disappointingly small, not just the burger but also the amount of fries (fries was good).  Lastly, in terms of flavour, the chilli mayonnaise managed to save a bit of the otherwise bland burger.  Not to mention, my burger came very late after KS finished his chicken.

Since we underestimate the serving size, we had to make an extra order as we’re still haven’t reach the 70% full mark.

Luckily, this last dish we ordered was pretty good and quite satisfying.  The Fried Chicken (RM 10) - a piece of golden brown chicken breast breaded with Japanese breadcrumbs, served with homemade coleslaw and cut fries (RM10), topped with Pomodoro sauce.  This tomato-based sauce was, again, cold and quite watery.  In fact, the bottled tomato sauce did a better job.  But that aside, the chicken is cooked to perfection - very succulent and crispy.  Definitely a thumbs up for the chicken.

It was quite a disappointing experience as we didn't expect it to be so fast-food style.  Well, we did get what we paid for and so, can’t really complain much.  If I want a quick and light snack, it would probably be a good place to hang out given the small portion.  But, for a proper meal, I might need to think twice.

Bad Boy Cooks

Lot R-07, Oasis Square

Ara Damansara

47301 Petaling Jaya

GPS:  3.113782, 101.57466

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

Unwind with Coffee @ LewisGene Cafe, Solaris Mont Kiara

Out of the blue, I was craving for some caffeine to boost my energy so that I can last through the night to finish reviewing an urgent report which is overly outstanding.  So, on the way home, as well as to beat the crawling highway traffic, I detoured into Solaris Mont Kiara for a caffeine "spa" at LewisGene Cafe.

Not wanting to spoil my sleep later, I ordered something slightly less concentrated (or at least I thought it would be).  The Cafe Mocha (RM  10.90) has a mild espresso flavour but the cocoa was very strong.  It was a thick concoction which would be a perfect warm treat on a cold, rainy day.  Did I mention it was drizzling outside then?

Since I was also hungry, I thought I might as well have dinner there.  They don't have much choices of hot meals but a Ciabatta Sandwich with Turkey Ham (RM 15.90) was enough to do the job.  The highlight was the spicy potato chips that came with it.  The spiced chips has quite some thickness and hence, gave a real addictive crunchy texture, not to mention the seasonings on it too.

The slightly toasted ciabatta bread has a chewy texture on the outside, but inside it is soft and spongy.  Quite generous with the turkey ham and reasonably topped with lots of greens and mayonnaise.  Simple but tasty and wholesome gourmet sandwich.

LewisGene Cafe is a very cosy, laid-back cafe.  With its soft cushions and dim lighting, it was very difficult to remind myself that I have work waiting for me at home.  It's as though time has stopped moving.  Totally love the ambiance.

Carpark was, as expected, an issue - had to park in the office building and walked.  But it was worth the trouble.  Service was generally good and friendly.

LewisGene Cafe

2-1, Jalan Solaris 3

Solaris Mont Kiara

50480 Kuala Lumpur

GPS:  3.174874,101.659822

Burger and Sandwich @ Meatworks, Citta Mall, Ara Damansara

We had a heavy lunch at MeatWorks @ Citta Mall before heading down to KL for some last-minute shopping for a bridesmaid dress and a late-night movie.

As there were too many to choose from (and maybe, our brains were still loaded with exam materials), we just flipped through the menu and choose based on the pictures instead.  Yes, it was a very lame method but a reasonable one since most people tend to present their best visually.

KS was attracted to the Gemas Gold Classic Burger (RM 28.00), a 200g grilled beef patty topped with melted aged Cheddar, tomato ketchup, American mustard and pickles.  Boy, did it look huge and obviously unhealthy given all those sauce toppings on the burger.  Generally, it tasted good but, both of us felt that my choice was the better tasting dish instead.  I felt the patty was a quite dry and somehow, slightly bland (maybe not seasoned enough?).

For me, it was the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich (RM 24.00), which is pieces of thinly sliced sirloin steak topped with melted cheese and caramelized onions, wrapped in a soft, but buttery toasted bun.  Like the burger KS had, the sandwich was loaded with mustard, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, giving a nice rich flavour.  The toasted bread was crispy while the meat was tender and not too chewy.  What I liked the most are those sweet caramelized onions which gave the sandwich a different dimension.  Overall, it tasted very good but very bad on my waistline, unfortunately.

Another thing which we enjoyed very much was the thick-cut fries they served together as sides.  Crispy and golden-browned on the outside but soft and tasty potato in the inside.  Plus, they are salted and peppered nicely. Totally delicious.

Luckily we ordered a hot cup of English Breakfast Tea (RM 6.80) to wash down some of the fats and help with the digestion.

Meatworks Restaurant

Lot 26-27, Ground Floor

Citta Mall @ Ara Damansara

Jalan PJU 1A/48

47301 Petaling Jaya

Tel:  03-7832 0871

All Things Pork @ Sanbanto Cafe, SS 2

On one of my study leaves, I brought my dad for lunch at Sanbanto Cafe @ SS 2 as I was quite tired of eating mixed rice (imagining having that for lunch and dinner for two consecutive days).  For the brain to function properly, I must feed myself properly.  Some porky treats would be perfect!

I ordered the Pork Burger (RM 19.90), which is a juicy hand-made pork patty burger with bacon and cheese served with french fries and salad.  The pork patty was seasoned well and quite flavourful on its own.  But together with the streaky bacon, the pork patty was kind of masked by the strong fragrance of the bacon.  What I did instead was to eat the bacon and pork patty separately so that I can enjoy the true flavours.  Generally, the burger was not too oily, but I find it slightly dry.  Would have been better if they had put some sort of sauce or gravy to add a bit more moisture to the burger.

The french fries were crispy and not very oily, which is good.  However, they tasted slightly bland without much flavours of the potato and so, I ended up dipping into the sauces for better taste.  The salad, I can't remember how it tasted like, unfortunately.

My dad ordered the Pork Chop (RM 25.90), which is a pan-fried pork chop with fragrant brown sauce served with french fries and salad.  I must say, this is the best pork chop I have tried.  The pork chop was so juicy and tender, and as you cut a piece of the meat, you can see a nice layer of fat and meat, leaving you a nice bouncy feel.  On the outside, it was seared nicely with a beautiful caramelised crust.  On its own, it was lovely and flavourful but with the peppery brown sauce, which was made from pork broth, it was heavenly.

I agree the pork tasted a bit different here at Sanbanto, with a little more sweetness and without the foul smell.  They must have done quite a good job to feed the right things to their pigs to get such flavours - grain-fed with mineral-rich underground water, I was told.  Will come back again for their pork.

However, Sanbanto is pretty small, with very limited seating spaces.  So, do give them a ring if you intend to go in large groups to prevent disappointment.

Sanbanto Cafe

No.32, SS2/63

47300 Petaling Jaya

GPS:  3.118855,101.621913

Tel:  03-78761728

Closed on Mondays

Lunch @ Delicious, St Mary Place

As KS and I just completed our exams, we decided to celebrate by having a nice lunch at Delicious @ St Mary Place.  This place was quite new with less than 6 months since it was open, and given it was within walking distance from our office, I felt it is a sin to not visit at least one time.

So happen, Delicious was having a Japan Pasta Promotion, whereby the menu includes some popular pasta  dishes but infused with Japanese flavours.  Any dish that is ordered from this Japan Pasta Promotion menu entitles you to a cup of green tea at only RM 3.00. Although the green tea is not exceptionally different, what comes with the tea was very unique.  Most places would serve with a biscotti or cookie, but here, it came with little balls of bitter, dark chocolate instead.  A lovely treat to kick start the meal.

 KS ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry on Spaghetti (RM 22.90).  The sweet Japanese curry which served as the base to the pasta was tasty and sweet, but not too overwhelmingly complicated.  It tasted as though there were mashed pumpkin in the sauce, giving a nice creamy texture, yet without the fatty content of cream.  As for the deep-fried chicken cutlet, it was beautifully browned and looked absolutely delicious.  However, despite the nice look and a crispy texture, the chicken cutlet, unfortunately was the breast part, was a bit dry and lacking some seasonings.  Had it not for the sauce, the chicken katsu would have been very difficult to finish.

As for me, after my exam, I still have a bit of trouble getting back my appetite and hence, only ordered something light.  So, Quiche Lorraine (RM 18.90) was my choice instead.  It was a beautiful and large slice of quiche filled with fragrant beef bacon and sun-dried tomatoes served with garden salad.  It was delicious and I loved it because of the nice, herby but sweet sun-dried tomatoes that accentuate the flavours even more.  The quiche was nicely flavoured, juicy and simple.  The only dissatisfaction I have was that the crust was too dry and didn't have the buttery fragrance.

Overall, Delicious @ St Mary is quite cosy and spacious, and hence, is a pretty nice place to unwind. The service is fantastically fast, so there is actually no worries about not getting back to work in time.

Delicious

G-7 & G-8 Tower A

St Mary Place

No. 1, Jalan Tengah,

Off Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur

GPS:  3.151813, 101.707641

Tea with a View @ David Brown's Sky Terrace, Penang Hill

It's been years since I last stepped foot on Bukit Bendera (more commonly known as Penang Hill), that I could barely recall how Penang Hill looked like.  Although I come to Penang on an annual basis for Qing Ming Festival, but we hardly could find time to take a ride up given the tight schedule.  This year, however, we decided to extend the annual visit a little longer so that we could re-visit Penang's golden gem again.

I must say, for the very first time, I realized how nicely managed Penang Hill is.  Totally impressed with the smooth ride on the nice air-conditioned train coaches.  I actually thought this was something I could not find in Malaysia - well, Penang has proven me wrong.

Anyway, back to the topic.  Right after alighting at the upper station of Penang Hill's funicular railway, I was feeling a bit hungry.  Since it was also time to feed my hungry, little niece, I suggested to find a spot to have some snacks.

So, just a few minutes' walk away from the upper station, there is a stairway that leads you up to Strawberry Hill.  Founded by the very same person who made Smokehouse a popular landmark in Cameron Highlands, David Brown's Sky Terrace @ Strawberry Hill is a great spot to enjoy the panoramic views of the Penang island while having a drink and delicious, light snacks.

Since scones are the talk of the house for Smokehouse, I couldn't resist but to order the Devonshire Cream Tea (RM 24).  This tea set comes with two freshly-baked scones with fresh homemade strawberry jam, Devon clotted cream and fresh butter, served with a pot of green tea.

I love the warm scones as they are very fluffy and buttery, very different from the ones I have tried before.  With each bite, you can feel the fragrance bursting in your mouth.  On top of that, the scones are quite moist and so, it is good to eat on its own.  Definitely live up to its reputation.  I barely touched the butter as I felt the scones didn't need more of it.  In fact, I kept spreading strawberry jam, which I quite like it as it was not too sweet but yet have a nice strawberry fragrance (you know it's the real thing).

A book to go with the scones would be absolutely perfect.

As snacks, I decided to order the Chicken Finger Nuggets (RM 20) as they sounded as though it would be kid-friendly.  I was initially expecting some processed frozen nuggets but surprisingly, they turned out to be made from real chicken meat pieces.  To put in another way, it was deep-fried boneless chicken strips.

The deep-fried nuggets are coated with a nicely seasoned breadcrumbs, which looked visually appetizing and tasted fantastic. The nuggets were crispy on the outside, but inside, the meat is so juicy.  As they were piping hot inside, it was mind-blowing given the cold windy breeze up at the hill.  For dipping,  it came with homemade tartar sauce and chilli sauce.  The chilled tartar sauce was alright and not too creamy but I felt that there was not enough pickles for that extra kick.  Nevertheless, it still goes well with the nuggets, more than the chilli sauce.

My brother also went to the cake display and ordered a cute Chocolate Mini Mousse (RM 15).  Despite the name, no, I don't feel it was mini at all.  This cold dessert was very smooth and creamy with a rich chocolate flavour.  This layered mousse is topped with dark chocolate ganache, followed by dark chocolate mousse and right at the bottom is a sweet white chocolate mousse.  Would could resist such chocolate dessert!

For drinks, my brother ordered the cappuccino (RM 12) which I didn't try but the coffee art was quite good.  According to him, the coffee was nothing outstanding.

Towards the end of the meal, I realized the food served in the Sky Terrace are actually prepared in David Brown's Restaurant & Tea House (which is an old bungalow located at the top of Strawberry Hill), before bringing down to serve.  The only difference is the casual setting at Sky Terrace.  If you prefer a more quiet and quaint environment, it would be better to head straight up to the restaurant as it has a beautiful garden setting.

Overall, the experience was fantastic.  Even before leaving Penang Hill, I told myself that I have to come back to Sky Terrace another time.  I must stress how beautiful the view is, and it is sort of Penang's version of Victoria Peak.  Especially given the cold, windy weather that day.

I already miss it.

David Brown's Sky Terrace

Strawberry Hill @ Penang Hill

11300 Ayer Itam

Penang

GPS:  5.424035,100.269787

Breakfast @ Swiss Oven Bakery & Cafe, Menara MIDF

I was initially on leave for study but a last minute meeting forced me to be back to the office.  Since there was still some time to waste before the meeting, I decided to have a proper breakfast at this newly-discovered cafe hidden inside Menara MIDF @ Jalan Raja Chulan called the Swiss Oven Bakery & Cafe.

KS had tried this place (another branch at Sentral KL) numerous time before and claimed that its croissants were very good.  Unfortunately, when I went there, the croissants were already sold out and I had no choice but to settle with another breakfast set, which has sausage, sunny side up egg, beef bacon with a slice of toasted bread (RM 6.90).

It is a simple but delicious breakfast at an affordable price.  Everything is fine except the egg was a bit too oily while the cucumber slice was overly huge.  Other than that, a pretty decent and filling breakfast.

To go with the breakfast set is a complimentary black coffee or teh tarik.  To add milk, that is an additional RM0.50.  However, as it was nearing mid-day, I wanted to cut down on the caffeine and hence, decided to order a Caffe Mocha (RM 6.00).  Unfortunately, they didn't let me upgrade for a nominal fee.

Anyway, it was a pretty decent, large mug of mocha.  The mocha was lacking in a lot of ways - coffee didn't taste very strong or aromatic and it was way too milky.  Still, for the price paid, it was reasonable. 

Despite with almost no one during the time I was there and preparing this breakfast set was supposedly not something very complicated, the service was a bit slow.  If you are in a hurry, definitely not a place you want go to, but the place is indeed a nice place to unwind and relax.  The place is brightly lit, especially with the natural sunlight, and well-conditioned.

Swiss Oven Bakery & Cafe

Ground Floor, Menara MIDF

82, Jalan Raja Chulan

50200 Kuala Lumpur

Asian Fusion meal @ Henry Cook, SS2 Mall

It was a rainy weekend and practically difficult to go far without being stuck in some meaningless traffic jam.  With that, we decided to go somewhere near and ended up in SSTwo Mall.  Having read some good reviews of the chef behind this family-run business, Henry Cook which features a variety of western food with a touch of Peranakan flavours, we decided to give it a try.

I ordered the Crispy Fish Batter with Baked Herb Potatoes, which looked pretty appetizing from the menu.  The fried Dory fish was served a bed of salad and topped with some with sambal and lime, along with their Signature Power Chilli.  It also came with acar, which I find was just so-so since it lack some flavours, only acidic.  But for the fish, I enjoyed as it was really juicy and the coating was nicely seasoned.  Eaten together with the sambal and some squueezed lime juice, it was very nice and not too overpowering.  The baked potatoes were okay although I would have preferred if they had been cooked a bit longer.  The brown sauce, unfortunately, was a bit tasteless.

For KS, he had the Beef stew with Yellow Fragrant Rice - large chunks of tender beef stewed with mixed vegetables served with a refreshing cucumber salad.  Compared to the fish dish, I preferred the beef stew as the taste is more intense and wholesome.  The beef was cooked until very tender and almost melts in every bite.  Despite being a bit diluted, the sauce was delicious, with a lovely balance of sweet and sour and goes very well with the mildly flavoured rice.

As for their Signature Power Chilli, it is really no joke.  Even with just a very small intake of it, it is so hot that it can make you choke from it.  I think it better paired with the rice than the baked potatoes as the chilli has a more Asian take to it.  For me, I didn't really enjoy the chilli very much as, in my opinion, all it has was just the hotness, and nothing else.

We also ordered the soup of the day, which is Cream of Mushroom Soup topped with croutons.  The croutons were my favourite and adds so much texture and flavour to an ordinary cream soup.  Although very similar to an out-of-can soup, it has added large bits of mushrooms and meat.  It would have been better if the soup was hotter.

To quench our thirst, we ordered the Homemade Chrysanthemum, which I find was a bit too sweet for my liking, and a refreshing Barley with Lemon drink.  Nothing out of the ordinary.

Overall, the experience was good.  Service was indeed quite fast and prices were pretty reasonable given the portion.  The ambiance is quite laid-back and relaxing, but I do realize it was not very packed even on a Saturday night (could be the location?).

Henry Cook

Lot LG-54, SSTwo Mall

Jalan SS2/72 

42400 Petaling Jaya

DIY: Chicken Ham, Mushroom & Cabbage Pasta

Wanting to make a simple and quick dinner, I resorted to cooking a tasty pasta dish with chicken ham, mushrooms and sliced cabbage.  Totally loved the cabbage as it gives so much natural sweetness to the sauce.  To add a bit of peppery taste, I have included some chopped capsicum.

Cooking pasta is really very fast and easy - almost a fool-proof dish.  For some, the fastest way is to just dump all the ingredients into the sauce, let it simmer before adding in the cooked pasta.

However, I usually like to "treat" each ingredient individually first before combining them altogether as this additional step plays a very important role to build up the fragrance and flavour.  For instance, pan-fried the ham until golden brown and sweating the vegetables and mushrooms.  A bit more time consuming though, but I find this an opportunity to clean up the kitchen while waiting.

 

Ingredients

Chicken ham

Button mushroom

Red capsicum

Cabbage

Garlic

Tomato-based pasta sauce

Spaghetti

Pepper & salt to taste

High Tea Set @ Cafe Vienna, KLCC

When I saw this high tea set at Cafe Vienna @ KLCC being sold at a discount coupon website, I was very tempted to purchase it since the picture made it looked extremely appetizing   So, right after work, we went to redeem it as part of our pre-dinner snacks.

Unfortunately, our expectations was hit almost to the lowest when we finally saw the set being served to us.  

First, it was the size.  As opposed to what is being served in the next table (which was on a 3-tiered), we quickly concluded that the portion has definitely been down-sized for the discount deal.  Well, I should have read the terms closely next time as it did state "Served as illustrated" Ish!

That aside, the food was, on average, just alright as some manage to impress us while some are just ordinary sweet treats.

The one thing that impressed us the most were the tiny open-faced sandwiches.  They were three types:  smoked salmon with capers, ham & cheese and mayonnaise egg served on toasted slices of baguettes.  They were quite delicious and fragrant, with just the right balance of moisture and flavour.  For me, I loved the mayonnaise egg toast as they did a good job in combinung the ingredients.  Unfortunately, they were just too tiny.  One bite and it's gone.  Wished there were more of them.

Next up, are the scones served with strawberries jam.  The scones were pretty disappointing and probably the worst I have ever tasted.  They are too dry and floury, and without the jam, it was almost too difficult to swallow them as they are quite tasteless.  Thankfully, the waiter was very nice to let us get extra jam.

The mini fruit-tarts were nothing fantastic.  With two thin slices of strawberry, it barely pass off as fruit tarts.  The tart shell was also quite dry and lacking flavour, but the custard cream manage to save it.

Lastly are the cakes.  The chocolate cake, which was not very pretty and looked as though it was prepared by some amateur baker, was quite dry and didn't have much chocolate taste.  The orange-flavoured cream cake was not too bad as it was spongy and moist, with a very strong orange flavour.  Somehow, for the first two cakes, the level of sweetness was just a bit lacking.  Nevertheless, the Opera cake was the best - moist and has a nice coffee flavour, with just the right level of sweetness.

The set also comes with refillable tea and coffee.

Overall, this high tea set definitely failed to impress us - they were some good points but just too many misses.  If we had actually paid the original price for this, then I think it is not worth it.  There are better places for a nice high tea experience.


Cafe Vienna
Lot 305, 3rd Floor,
Suria KLCC
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Tel:  03-21618268