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Japanese Specialty Food Festivity at Cilantro

Japanese Specialty Food Festivity at Cilantro

Generally, I love oysters, but Oyster and Ice Cream? Chef Takashi Kimura makes it possible to have it all, with his take on Kakiemon Oyster and Ice Cream with Konbu Jelly. Not quite the blob of ice cream as one would expect, the cream in …

Sake session at Cilantro

Sake session at Cilantro

A first for me, as I have never been taught the different nuances of sake before. And I confess, even after eight shots of sake, I still find it hard to differentiate the various types of sake, only that they all went down real smooth! …

Cakes and good vibes at My Own Bakes

Cakes and good vibes at My Own Bakes

Far from my usual neck of the woods, Kinrara 8 in Puchong seemed unlikely to have anything interesting in terms of a cafe.

Like a shinning beacon, we found My Own Bakes Cafe, a welcoming set up that served the neighbourhood. My other half had brought home cakes from this place before, and while they were delicious, moist and rich, I found them a bit too sweet for my liking.

At the cafe itself, the interior was warm, inviting and child-friendly, a safe haven for an afternoon catch up with a friend or family lunch. Lots of nice cozy corners, including a fire-extinguisher in the reading corner quirkily masked as an oxygen tank for a cool diver on the wall mural.

As the cafe name suggests, plenty of homemade cakes to choose from here, to go with Gula Melaka Cappucino and other coffee blends, ranging from unusual creations such as Baba Nyonya Cake, Turtle Chocolate Cake to more ordinary options Caramel Latte Cake. Sorry-lah, no pictures of these, next round, yeah!

If you’ve got a sweet-tooth, this place would your ultimate cake sanctuary. Prices start from RM5 for a small cake square, up to RM15 for an indulgent slice.

We were there for lunch so unfortunately, didn’t really pay attention to the cakes and didn’t take pictures of the tempting confectionery. But other reviews have already paid glowing compliments to the cakes visually, so I’m going to talk about the main courses.

The menu offered a variety of pastas but the special that day was Salted Egg Fried Rice with Popcorn Chicken (RM15). This was a chance order which turned out the best choice of the day. Savoury with a nice balance of flavours, the rice was one of the tastiest fried rice I’ve had in recent times.

I’m on a roll with seafood pasta as this was the third in two weeks. Turned out to be really yummy too; the Seafood Marinara (RM23) had three succulent prawns, mussels and the creamy tomato sauce drenched the spaghetti adequately, coupled with a crisp slice of garlic bread for texture. All the pastas come with a slice of garlic bread.

We also had the Big Breakfast (RM17) that came with bread, hashbrown, local sausages fried with onions, red beans, scrambled eggs which was soft but a tad overcooked. This was alright but nothing to shout about.

In attempts to stay healthy, I had the basic Caesar’s Salad (RM10) plus beef brisket (additional RM5). Given its very affordable price tag, I can’t complain though it came with slices of beef bacon rather than actual beef brisket, which I wasn’t too keen on. Tastewise, it was decent enough but actual beef brisket would have been better, making it a much better quality salad.

It seems one of the top cafe favourites is Spaghetti Bolognese, and the MOB waffle and MOB nachos are pretty popular as well. Generally, prices are reasonable, the food is good quality, making MOB definitely worth a second, third visit and maybe even become the perfect place to hang out regularly.

Address: B-LG-11 Eight Kinrara, Jalan BK 5a/3b, Bandar Kinrara 5, Puchong. Tel: 013-236 5998

Big on prawns at Saba-Hae

Big on prawns at Saba-Hae

Was looking for a dinner venue and literally stumbled upon Saba-Hae. Game for anything new and especially if prices are accommodating, we gave this a try. The simple, fuss-free restaurant is styled after outlets that offer quick-grab-and-go services. There is also a long table and …

Load up on protein at Seo Gung Korean BBQ

Load up on protein at Seo Gung Korean BBQ

Annyeonghaseyo! In recent years, I’ve become a bit of a fan of Korean food and am always on the lookout for a good deal for BBQ. As a belated birthday dinner for No. 1, we made a visit to Seo Gung Korean BBQ. The restaurant …

Coffee and pasta with the Littlepeople

Coffee and pasta with the Littlepeople

Since I had to pick up something from Old Klang Road area, Littlepeople Cafe popped up on the list of cafes to visit. Waze got a little confused and took us on a detour. But finally, found it on the ground floor of a residential apartment block.

Surprisingly expansive when we stepped in, the cafe was anything but little, rather it was invitingly spacious and bright. As you enter, the hexagon-shaped open coffee counter is the first thing that catches the eye as well as the large glass window right at the opposite end, revealing the kitchen. If you’re worried what goes into your food, the chefs have no qualms about you checking out what they put inside.

No. 3 said that it looked like it was like a page from Ikea’s brochures as quite a bit of furniture and utensils are from there. At least Little People doesn’t come off as another one of those cookie cutter bare industrial-style cafes.

Come here all the way, of course, must try the coffee. I found the long black somewhat on the acidic side but the coffee connoisseur, No. 1, said it was actually fruity and very good. Ok-lor. Surprisingly, I preferred the latte more, even though usually I don’t like the milkiness. But generally, coffee here is above average with different coffee beans on promotion so that’s good to know.

The main star of the menu seemed to be the handmade pasta, so we ordered that for what was supposed to be late tea but turned into an early dinner. For its price, given how it’s made from scratch, I’d say it’s worth the buck, as other cafes charge just as much for commercial pasta anyway.

Out of three – Pasta Beef Ragu Alla Bolognese, Pasta Seafood Arabiata, Pasta Alla Carbonara – two were quite commendable. All three was with tagliatelle pasta, firm, cooked al dente and had a good bite to it. Prices averaged about RM26 to RM28 per dish, other variations may be cheaper.

The minced beef ragu had a sufficient dose of cheese, and the flavour, a good balance of salty, creamy, cheesy, comfort, all in one mouthful.

This was my favourite while the cabonara was satistfying too, not overtly rich. Though I wish they had prepared it how the Italians make a proper cabonara, using an egg rather than cream and cheese to provide the creaminess, as that would have gone perfectly with the handmade pasta.

Two impressively huge prawns and some calamari topped the seafood arabiata, but my beef was the sauce which was slightly on the watery side and too tomato-ey sweet for my liking.

The thin crust pizza was more like a tortilla rather than crust, and served on a plate. Maybe if it was on a pizza plate, then the crust could have been more crisp. For RM15 though, it was surprisingly very filling. The topping was generous and cheesy, though a bit heavy handed on the onions. Not quite pizza as I imagined but still pretty tasty. It’s the only pizza on the menu anyway.

A popular dessert here is the Popiah ice cream, which we didn’t get to try. I hear the Avocado toast and House Salad with couscous are highly recommended as well. Next round maybe.

Tried the soft serve which had the oddest flavour – kuih bangkit – which reminded me of coconut ice cream. It seemed a bit much for a soft serve at RM15 but I guess it’s considered cafe pricing?

In an old part of town which doesn’t have that many new cafes to hang out in, Littlepeople is a welcome addition.

Address: Ground Floor 01, Avantas Residences, Jalan Klang Lama, Taman Shanghai. Tel: 03-7971 9209

Penfolds releases rare Special Bin 111A

Penfolds releases rare Special Bin 111A

It was a long time in making, 10 years since the last special bin release, but right at the start of 2020, Penfolds has already made history by releasing a new, rare wine from the 2016 vintage – Special Bin 111A Clare Valley Barossa Valley …

Hennessy renews Hope

Hennessy renews Hope

In the sweltering afternoon heat, Moët Hennessy Diageo (MHD) Malaysia further raised temperatures when it ushered in the Year of the Rat at Plaza Arkadia with a lion dance performance by one of the best troupes in the country. In conjunction with the CNY festivities, …

Gourmet chicken burger at The Burg

Gourmet chicken burger at The Burg

I was making my way to Nuromen, one of my favourite Sarawak beef noodles joints, as I haven’t been there for a while. Was surprised to see a burger stall in front as I entered.

Turns out, it was The Burg, which used to be on the lane next to Standard Chartered bank, a few doors away. Apparently, the council came and took away Arthur Cheong’s canopy. He’s a one-man show who specialises in really awesome gourmet chicken burgers.

Thankfully, with a little help from friends, he has a new home. But with change, there’s always a period of adjustment as customers don’t know moved few doors away and that his opening hours are now different.

But on the upside, now there are tables and chairs where you can eat in comfort without worrying about the rain. The Burg is open for lunch and dinner now, instead of dinner and supper.

Real chicken thigh

So what’s The Burg about? If all the chicken burger you’ve had before had some unidentifiable minced meat, stuff those and try some real fried chicken thigh meat, fried till crisp and juicy, slathered with The Burg’s special homemade sauces of buttermilk, salted egg, sesame or Japanese curry. The meat between the dense buns is a hearty-sized protein, and you get a fair share of salad sandwiched in between as well.

My favourites are the savoury Salted Egg (anything with salted egg scores extra points!) and the rich, creamy Buttermilk Burgers, and there are other choices too, beyond the fab four. It’s just RM9.90 per burger and just an additional RM1 for a portion of fries. Where to find these days?!

So if you’re in the vicinity, pop by and support this leng chai! I confess I’m a sucker for industrious young people who try to beat the odds and strike out as self-made entrepreneurs, and it helps that The Burg’s food is worth thrice that of any Western fast food chain!

Address: 28, Jalan SS21/39, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: 018-381 3101

Double the joy with Carlsberg’s CNY campaign

Double the joy with Carlsberg’s CNY campaign

It’s not even officially Chinese New Year yet, but festivities are already full on. A grand lion dance performance regaled guests and shoppers at the fountain area of Plaza Arkadia, Desa Park City in Kuala Lumpur with acrobatic stunts on high poles, ushering in the …