Be LOHAS Cafe

Bamboo charcoal dried noodle- RM9.90; Cantonese style yee mee- RM9.90 (ala carte) / RM13.90 (set meal)

Amidst all the meat and sinful food that I enjoy indulging in, sometimes eating healthily can be a good option too. A fellow colleague had her farewell today and was not feeling too well, hence we decided to go for an organic vegetarian lunch. Moreover, you know how heavy and sinful lunches make you want to fall asleep at work (i.e. especially after a session of heavenly char siew....).

Be LOHAS Cafe may be a quirky name but it is actually a very meaningful acronym- Lifestyle Of Health And Sustainability, which is a recognized term for healthy lifestyle and sustainability of the environment. The term is also translated by the Chinese to mean "Le Huo" or Living Happily. I suppose when you eat healthily, your body automatically feels more energetic, lively and hence you will feel happy too- it's a chain reaction from the things you put into your mouth to emotions.


Nasi lemak- RM8.90 (ala carte) / RM12.90 (set); Purple Beauty Drink- RM4

The menu boasts a variety in terms of ala carte dishes or set meals. If you're in a big group, then you may want to order dishes and share but individuals can also have their fix of noodles or rice dishes in set format which is more value for money as it comes with a vegetable soup (not a drop of oil in sight!) and healthy drink. My fellow colleagues had the Bamboo Charcoal Dried Noodle and Cantonese Yee Mee while I opted for the Nasi Lemak. The charcoal noodles may look frightening but in actuality, the noodles does not taste as funky as it looks. My colleagues commented that both noodles were pretty good, and generous in portion. The Purple Beauty Drink is very wholesome as well- using soya milk and wild rice as ingredients, you can be sure it's bursting with nutrition!

The Nasi Lemak that I had uses wild rice instead of the usual coconut laden white rice and I really like the sambal bawang that accompanies it. Because this is a vegetarian option, hence the 'chicken curry' is actually flour balls. The portion is quite huge too! This is definitely a refreshing change from the usual sinful Village Park Nasi Lemak nearby.

The cafe is actually half of the shop, while the other half is dedicated to retailing organic foodstuff, so if you want to Be LOHAS, come early to avoid disappointment!


Be LOHAS Cafe
37, Jalan SS21/60,
Damansara Uptown,
Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7722 5686

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

Kokopelli Travellers Bistro

Tomato Soup- RM9.90; French Onion Soup- RM12.90

Fridays are always looked forward to as it means LONGER lunch hours! Or at least nobody's really in the mood to keep track of what time you're back from lunch as everyone's already on a weekend mood ;-) I've recently discovered a lunch place gem which is just nearby my office. However, this place has already been publicized by some of the food blogs out there...


Mousaka- RM20.90; Butter Fish- RM29.90; Lamb Shank- RM32.90; Bangers & Mash- RM22.90

The soups made great starters to warm the soul. I love French Onion soup, so when I saw this on the menu... I knew I had to order this! The only downside of this is I wish it came with just the soup and no bread underneath the cheese as the bread soaks up my soup!! The mains were good nonetheless and the food presentation made us feel it's already yummy even before tasting. I has the Mousaka which is a Mediterranean dish with aubergine, mashed potatoes, minced beef, and baked with egg and cheese = delicious!


Pasta E Funghi- RM20.90; Apple Juice & Orangeale

The fruit juices were fresh and not your average diluted and artificial fruit juices.

Besides great food, the ambience is very cosy and laidback as it sits on a bungalow lot with great service too. The only downside? Parking is a problem- but you can choose to park over at 3Two Square and walk over.


Kokopelli Travellers Bistro
No.6, Jalan Bukit,
Section 11/2, PJ.
Tel: 03-7956 7505

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

The Yogitree @ The Gardens

Grilled Mediterranean vegetables with superfoods salad with pine nuts, home made pesto & organic beans- RM23; Carbonara with Smoked Salmon- RM27; Panfried Halibut served with red pepper sauce and mixed salad- RM38

Early last month, I was in The Yogitree to celebrate 2 colleagues' birthday. I had previously read about this place before and the concept of 'organic and fresh food'.


Carbonara with bacon, mushrooms & egg- RM22; Spaghetti prawn served with spicy cream sauce- RM28

The food were so-so, nothing that blows my mind off but we were disappointed with the Smoked Salmon Carbonara. The pasta simply didn't make the cut as it was tangled and confused like a plate of over-braised Yee Mee. While I appreciate the lighter option of non-cream carbonara, I wish the kitchen could have put more consistency in the cooking as the same carbonara in Bacon, Mushrooms and Egg were more presentable and palatable.


Mixed mushroom tart with truffle oil- RM14; Chocolate creme brulee- RM12; Birthday cakes

Though the food was nothing great, service was excellent as the serving staff was attentive, observant and thoughtful enough to notice that we were celebrating 2 birthdays- we had a complimentary slice of cake on top of another slice that we ordered earlier.



The Yogitree
Lot F-237B, 1st Flr (Isetan side)
The Gardens, Mid Valley.
Tel: 03-2282 6163
www.yogitree.com

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

The Pink Sage Diner & Pantry @ Solaris Dutamas

Food for Brunch- Linguini and Meatballs Pasta (RM19); Big Breakfast (RM27.50); Eggs and Spinach Florentine (RM10.50)

A couple of weeks back, we met up with Jen and David and 2 other friends for a lazy Sunday brunch. Jen suggested The Pink Sage Diner & Pantry as it offers All Day Breakfast. Not very familiar with Mont Kiara areas, it took us quite a while to finally locate this place. Solaris Dutamas has quite a cosy setting, still fairly new as the occupancy rate is still low but already booming with few popular dining outlets and Pink Sage is one of them.


Classic Nachos with Guacamole (RM18.50); Greasy Breakfast (RM14.50); Classic Cheeseburger (RM18)

Overall verdict is the food's pretty much on the classic diner menu- cheeseburgers, pasta, salads, breakfast... but the food is nothing to shout about in my humble opinion. Ambience is great for meetups, chit chats or just spending your lazy weekend there. I was especially disappointed as they claimed to have out of stock for smoked salmon which is my favourite when I intended to have the Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon.

Better luck next time, I guess.


The Pink Sage Diner & Pantry
A4-UG-01 Solaris Dutamas,
1, Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 016-205 2023
www.thepinksage.com

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

Good to have left and be back

Over the last week, I was in.............


Spectacular night lights piercing the sky


Amazing colonial buildings beautifully litted up at dusk

to visit.............


Colorful & carerful

I was also in..................


Breathtaking view

...... and there were ALOT of people.


'People Mountain People Sea'

Write more soon. Cheers for now, it's great to be back!

Pork Noodles @ SS3

Delicious Pork Noodles- RM4.50 (small), RM5.00 (big)

Lunch affairs these days are always a porky affair due to the lunchgang's mutual love for our short 4-legged friend. Pork noodles, like fish and chips can be as simple and straightforward as the name suggests but most often than not, you'll find yourself having something that wasn't in your mind in the first place.

For i.e. My expectations of Fish & Chips: Battered to golden brown, flaky and piping hot! But some places are misleading when the kitchen comes out with a breadcrumbs coated fish fillet and dares to call it Fish & Chips! Grahhhh... so when it comes to Pork Noodles, I do not expect to see pork balls but real minced pork patties, pork slices, pork lard etc.



While I still think the Pork Noodles in Ipoh is still the best, this one takes the cake for PJ/ KL. I love the generous usage of fried pork lard, making the soup flavourful. I enjoy the minced pork patties and intestines too but usually leaves the liver out.

This place is quite busy especially during lunch hours and parking is horrendous- but it'll be worth it :-)


Restoran Kean Fatt
Lorong SS3/59E,
Petaling Jaya.
(row of shops next to Tmn Bahagia LRT Station, facing main road and residential houses)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

CTNF: It's a FISHY Cookout!

Baked Bacon wrapped Salmon with Red Wine Sauce

The Cookout! session is back... This time, ala 'Iron Chef' the main ingredient is fish (no rules on what type of fish). I chose a salmon dish to cook after a spontaneous inspiration watching Asian Food Channel's 'Cook Like a Chef' program. My partner in crime chose the Halibut and we were in for a cookout!

It's a very simple dish with very simple BUT not cheap ingredients. The salmon cut costed me almost RM20 and bacon streaks weren't cheap either... plus, I had to purposely open a bottle of red wine for this. But I must say, it was all worth it :-)

The salmon is wrapped with streaks of bacon and left to bake for 20 mins in 180°c, and the sauce is made up of caramelised shallots, red wine and butter. Sides can be anything but I've decided to go with baby spinach and roasted baby potatoes. You can see how flaky the salmon is and oh how well bacon goes with fish!


Seared Halibut with Lemon Cream Sauce

The Halibut was seared and accompanied with a lemon cream sauce. My partner in crime firstly seared the fish, and then used cream, lemon, butter, grounded black pepper to make a killer lemony creamy sauce. It's quite simple actually- it's all about putting everything together!

What should be the main ingredient for the next cookout?

Delicious Food @ Delicious

Balsamic Wild Mushroom Salad with Baby Spinach, Feta Cheese and Pine Nuts- RM22.90; Ceasar Salad with Anchovies, Turkey Bacon, Poached Egg and Parmesan (add Chargrilled Chicken) - RM27.80

'Delicious' is such a common adjective to describe delicious food - and perhaps that is all it needs. Shameless to say that I have never had a real proper meal at Delicious despite all the hype, rave and known fact that their food is good. *shy*

But better late than never, as they say! I love their Balsamic Wild Mushroom with Feta Cheese salad. Normally I am not a fan of raw vege but this one just blows my mind off- it was really good. Love the warm mushroom and pine nuts and baby spinach (I hate Rocket though). The Caesar Salad was just so-so and I find the portion too big! Maybe some people eat it as a meal... but definitely not me!

Thai Crabmeat with Aromatic Herbs, Spices and Olive Oil- RM24.90; Smoked Salmon Angelhair tossed in Cream served with Caviar and Parsley- RM27.90

Pastas were good too. We had two types- one that is a little Thai-ish with crabmeat and spicy and the other was Smoked Salmon with cream based. Love all things salmon so that can't go wrong either.


English Fish & Chips served with Homemade Tartare Sauce and Garden Greens- RM29.90

Last but not least, a fish & chips dish. The fish was fresh and piping hot. All's good!

* Updated with desserts-


Melting Pot with Marshmellows- RM8.90; Chocolicious Sundae with Fresh Strawberries- RM14.90; Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream- RM11.90

p/s: Check out their website. I love it!


Delicious
Lot GF-1, Ground Flr Bangsar Village 2.
Lot G(E)-011 & G-001, Ground Flr Mid Valley.
Lot1.1, Ground Flr Dua Annexe.
Lot G316 Ground Floor 1 Utama.
A-6-01, Ground Flr Marc Residence KL.
www.delicious.com.my

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

La Cocina @ USJ

Baby Squid in Cream Sauce- RM11.90; Baked Mussels with Cheese Tapas- RM9.90; Caramelised Rich Custard- RM7.50

La Cocina has been in USJ Taipan for ages, but I have never gotten around to pay it a visit until few days ago. It was a pretty quiet Wednesday night at the restaurant. We ordered 2 tapas to try- Baby squid sauteed with shallots, garlic, herbs and cream sauce. The sauce was creamy and compliments the lightly toasted bread well. The mussels were claimed to be from New Zealand and was cooked in tangy spanish sauce and baked with cheese, I could taste something like pesto sauce though.

Negres Paella (2 pax)- RM66

Our main objective was to have the Negres Paella or in simpler description- Spanish rice cooked in black ink squid, large prawns, shrimps, fish fillets, squids, mussels, clams and vegetables. The portion was just right for 2 persons' consumption. It was a different taste of sorts compared to the normal paella. Do not let the blackness scare you as it is quite tasty and the prawns were very fresh too.

We had wanted to order one of their desserts but were told that it was unavailable. To our surprise, the waiter brought to our table a Caramelised Custard (similar to Creme Brulee) and said it was complimentary on the house. Wow, a penny saved from desserts!

We would definitely return to La Cocina for their other tapas. They are also currently having some combo promotion, for i.e. Paella and Tapas combo. Do check it out!


La Cocina
38, USJ 9/5P,
UEP Subang Jaya.
Tel: 03-8023 2395
www.la-cocina.com


[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

Bulgogi BBQ House

Assorted appetizers; Pork & Beef BBQ Set- RM75.90

In the spirit of the Koreans thrashing Greece in their first match of the WC 2010, we decided to support our Asian countrymen by having Korean :) There were few places that came in mind after a google search but we opted for Bulgogi in Kota Damansara instead because I feel I have not explore the area much yet.


Grilled Pork; Seafood Beancurd Stew- RM13.80

We ordered the Pork + Beef BBQ set which comes with corn drink (for acquired taste only, like burnt corn flavoured drink, urgh), rice and soup. The beef was a sirloin strip and we like the tenderness of the meat and the grilled marks too. The pork was okay as well, good that the fatty strips tasted like lean meat after a good grill. The complimentary appetizers were just so-so, Daorae still ranks top for their variety and taste. The Seafood Beancurd Stew was a disappointment as it was not really what we were looking for :/

Bulgogi is managed by a Korean couple and has a very small and cosy feel. Service is good and they serve complimentary fruits and mint candies too :D


Bulgogi BBQ House
12A-G, PJU 5/20B,
The Strand Damansara,
Petaling Jaya.

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]