Food reviews

The Bakery Moments

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the bakery moments

The Bakery Moments is a Norwegian concept bakery located at The Curve in Mutiara Damansara that serves Norwegian bakery products.

bakery moments al fresco

The Bakery Moments has abundant seating arrangement, both indoor and
al fresco. This is the first outlet of The Bakery Moments in Malaysia.

bakery moments counter

The main counter of The Bakery Moments showcases some of their
bakery products. You’ll notice that The Bakery Moments has a stylized
y, which is made to look like a green heart and is a prominent element
throughout the bakery.

bakery moments cold deli

There is also a self-service deli/sandwich counter in the middle of
the place, with various bottled and canned drinks from mineral water to
coke available.

bread rack

The Bakery Moments also has a bread rack, true to its name and they offer a wide variety of different breads.

bakery moments deli

The cold sandwich counter features a wide range of sandwiches, with
fillings to please everyone from the vegan to the meat lover. I went
for the Swimming Shrimp Avocado (RM 12).

bakery moments time

I also ordered a Sunny bolle (RM 2.50) from the
main counter for something sweet. I love the attention to detail in The
Bakery Moments – everything from the stylized green heart logo to the
two clocks showing the time in Malaysia and Norway.

bakery moments lunch

This is what I had for lunch – there’s the Swimming Shrimp Avocado
sandwich (served on a plate by the waitress), a Sunny Bolle, and a 600
ml bottle of Aquarius mineral water. The staff also gave me a free
piece of chocolate cake.

bakery free choc cake

This is the generous piece of chocolate cake that came as a free
sample. It’s fluffy and nice, with just the right balance of sweetness
complemented by the smattering of dark chocolate chips on top.

sunny bolle

The Sunny Bolle is a pastry with hints of pineapple and cinnamon
which is a great combination. The Bakery Moments seem to cycle their
products fairly often as all the food I’ve had are fresh and don’t have
the stale tones that other bakeries often have.

swimming shrimp avocado

The Swimming Shrimp Avocado comes with generous amounts of filling
and can be heated upon request. I prefer to eat deli sandwiches cold
though, so I didn’t opt for that.

swimming shrimp avocado filling

Here’s a close look at the Swimming Shrimp Avocado – it has shrimps,
avocado, cream cheese, lettuce, spring onion and cucumber. The fillings
just burst with flavor and juices when bitten into.

The Bakery Moments @ The Curve comes highly recommended from me. It
has great bakery products and the service from the staff is excellent.

Butler’s Family Restaurants, KLIA

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butlers family restaurant

Butler’s Family Restaurants (with an ‘s’
apparently) is located near the arrival hall of KLIA (Malaysia’s
international airport). My flight arrived one hour early and Air Asia
does not serve meals on their flights so I decided to grab some
breakfast here before I head out of the airport. I’ve passed by
Butler’s Family Restaurant more than a few times but never did feel the
urge to sample their food offerings.

butlers family restaurant counter

Butler’s was not exactly bristling with patrons when I walked in. In
fact, I’ve never seen the place even partially full in all my flights
through KLIA. Nevertheless, I was undeterred by the lack of clientele
and ordered from the breakfast menu. Butler’s Family Restaurant serves
breakfast from 5 am – 11 am.

butlers family restaurant breakfast

I had the Butler’s Special (RM 6.80) which took ages to arrive
because (and I quote) “the order number was obscured by your notebook,
so we didn’t know you still have outstanding orders”. No apologies,
just a matter of fact statement. I told her that I could count the
number of people in Butler’s on the fingers of one hand, and I couldn’t
understand how an order could be missed. She just reiterated the
obscured order number and told me it’s on the way and left.

I don’t know where they hire these people, but they should not be in
customer service. I had not had my morning coffee yet (and that’s not a
good thing), so I walked over to the counter and asked for the manager,
who apologized for the waitress. I was pretty irate though, and the
manager probably sensed this, and offered me a drink while I wait for
the Butler’s Special to be served. Thus, I had coffee on the house, and
all is forgiven. 😉

butlers family restaurant special

The less-than-stellar service aside, I can’t recommend this eating establishment with a good conscience though. Butler’s Special
isn’t anything special at all…the dish comprises of a sunny side up
egg, hash browns, a sausage, toasted bread, butter and jam. It was
supposed to have a muffin as well, which the waitress forgot and made
me have to go back again. I don’t like having to make so many return
trips just to get food and I made that very clear when I went for my
muffin.

The muffin wasn’t even good…it was dry and stale…

I appreciate the manager’s efforts to make things right, but the
food is deplorable and the service non-existent, so please, if you
happen to pass by Butler’s Family Restaurant in KLIA – keep walking! 😉

Restoren Islamik Balkis

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restoren islamik balkis

Restoren Islamik Balkis is a Halal eating establishment in Sibu. I
like the name of the place so we decided to go there for lunch. Just
because it has a cool name.

islamik balkis food

I had nasi briyani (RM 5) which came in one of those huge steel
plates. Restoren Islamik Balkis serves very generous portions of food.
The nasi briyani came with a prime cut of chicken too – the classic 10
piece cut that produces the drum attached to the thigh (I’m being
pretentious here ;)). My gf went for the roti telur which she finished,
so I guess it was good.

islamik balkis briyani

I’ll recommend going to Restoran Islamik Balkis for the nasi briyani
though – the meat is very tender, with an almost melt in your mouth
texture, and the rice is soft and tastes better than most nasi briyanis
I’ve had. It comes with three different kinds of dips too. There’s a
fourth receptacle on the dish but I’m not sure if they left out one or
it’s meant for discarded bones. 😉

Restoren Islamik Balkis – the best nasi briyani in Sibu to date…

…and no, they did not pay me to say that. 😉

Red Tea Road Ice Shop

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red tea road ice shop

This is the Red Tea Road Ice Shop located in 3rd
Mile Bazaar, Kuching. There’s another branch of the Red Tea Road Ice
Shop/Hong Kong Restaurant chain near where I work, but for reasons
unfathomable even to myself, we headed over to the one at 3rd Mile
instead.

red tea industry

The Red Tea Road Ice Shop just started operations when we got there,
but things seem to be looking suitable industrious in the ice tea
preparation center.

red tea people

The outcrop balcony seating arrangements were (again) suitable well
populated with people. If I may, can I please redirect your eyes to the
two ladies sitting closest to the digital camera?

red tea tattoo

In particular, I would like to highlight this tattoo that one of the
girls had on her. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s move on
to Red Tea Road Ice Road drink offerings…

red tea lime

I had two drinks – this is from the Brewed Ice Tea menu…Golden
Lime (RM 3.00). It’s bubble tea without the bubbles (the sago pearls,
rather) and its not ice blended. It’s alright, but for maximum heat
dissipation, I would recommend…

red tea plum

…the Red Plum Ice Blended Tea (RM 3.50 with optional sago pearls).
It’s ice blended, and it’s made with plums, that sour fruit that is
strangely thirst quenching in its own peculiar way…

red tea empty

It’s perfect for the hot weather these days too…aggressive
behavior and “sexually abusive” impulses can be curbed with a little
bit of 0 degree Celsius water. 😉

P/S – Read today’s The Star to get that last one.

Jesus, I’m pimping the paper and I’m not getting paid for it… 😉

Rom Orchid Garden review

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rom orchid garden

Rom Orchid Garden is a lush restaurant tucked away
in a remote area…the small gate allowing entry to this eating
establishment cum private orchid garden looks like the creeper vine
gate heading into The Secret Garden come to live.

rom orchid staircase

The small, swinging gate at the entrance of Rom Orchid Garden leads
to a meandering small staircase lined, nay, overfilled with flora of
all sorts. First perceptions lead one to believe that there isn’t
anything except a private orchid garden here…

rom seating hidden

…and that’s the image the proprietor likes to project. Word has it
that the proprietor turned down the publicity generating Jalan Jalan
Cari Makan TV series to maintain Rom Orchid Garden’s current status of
relative anonymity – a secret, if you will, to be shared through word
of mouth.

rom seating hidden 2

Rom Orchid Garden has several segmented eating areas and the
partitioning is perfect – there’s virtual privacy from the natural
flora and fauna being used to separate dining areas and the excessive
shrubbery leads to a serene atmosphere, a nice oxygen replenishment pit
stop from the city.

rom seat

The interplay of shadow and light which occurs naturally from the
floral arrangements also allows for a tranquil eating experience without the tranquilizers. 😉

rom omelette

This is Rom Omelette which is “cooked with chicken” (RM 4.50). It’s
a very spicy and filling appetizer. I will come to realize that Rom
Orchid Garden serves very spicy food.

rom nasi lemak

My dining companion went for the Nasi Lemak (RM 4.50). It’s well
cooked, spicy, and comes with a prime piece of meat (the upper bit of
the chicken drumstick).

rom sup tulang

The Sup Tulang (RM 4.50) which Rom Orchid Garden serves is also very
good. It seems to have a reputation of having good sup tulang, which
literally translates to bone soup.

rom noodle bowl

I went for the Rom’s Prawn Mee (RM 5.00) which is described as
“yellow noodles served with special gravy, prawns, and vegetables”. The
gravy is very special indeed, as the color indicates…very high level of spiciness.

rom noodle spicy

I could not stop my eyes from watering with every bite of noodle I
take or every sip of the wonderfully spicy gravy that I took…but take
it I did, and I finished everything in the bowl. I give this dish two
thumbs up for sheer audacity in the spice department!

rom bunga mawar

Rom Orchid Garden is a nice, private halal restaurant which is perfect for lunch…that is, if you can find it. 😉

Carlos D’Cantina review

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carlos d cantina

Carlos D’Cantina is a TexMex eating establishment
located behind The Beach Club in the heart of the clubbing district of
KL. The eatery spans three stories – there’s al fresco dining options
spanning the entire ground floor of the place, with pool tables on the
second floor and a VIP lounge in the works for the third floor.

carlos sign

I went there for dinner with Justine last night courtesy of Larry,
who is a partner of Carlos D’Cantina, and has been nothing short of
hospitable the whole time we were there. The dinner menu was personally
selected by him and we managed to sample the offerings Carlos D’Cantina
has on its portfolio.

carlos tv

The ambience of the place is great – it’s interestingly done up with
the al fresco concept obvious in the architecture. There is a huge
screen at the seating area, but the volume was not overwhelming – it
manages to strike the perfect balance between being audible and
allowing conversation at the same time. The service at Carlos D’Cantina
is also flawless, and most important of all, unpretentious, for a place
in this district.

carlos chilli cheese fries

This is Chilli cheese fries, one of the flagship
dishes of Carlos D’Cantina. It’s a hearty mixture of fries, chilli, and
melted cheese…the ground meat and cheese topping makes this a great
starter. There is a really interesting anecdote behind the conception
of this particular dish, which involves a late night call for munchies,
but it’s not my story to tell. Go and ask about it. 😉

carlos chilli cheese fries flash

Here’s another shot of the chilli cheese fries with flash. The bed
of fries is literally smothered by the topping; it’s one of the dishes
where you just have to dig in. TexMex food at its prime…the portion
is huge though, so I would recommend sharing this dish to reserve space
for one of their mains.

carlos chilli dog

This is the Texas Chilli Dog, one of the main
dishes Carlos D’Cantina serves. It comes with fries, hot sauce and a
side of pickles. I noticed that the sausage (or hotdog, if you will) is
different from the ones I’m used to having – it’s very tender and maintains the taste of hotdogs that mass produced sausages do not have.

carlos chilli dog flash

It turns out that the hotdogs Carlos D’Cantina uses is specially
made from a distributor – there’s no excess filler and binder in the
sausages. I liked the chilli that tops off this hotdog as well…more
meat is always good. The cup of lettuce which has a tomato slice, a
ring of raw onion, and one slice of pickle completes this dish.

carlos bbq chicken

The Texas Style BBQ Chicken is also another great main dish. It comes with a side of french fries and corn on the cob wrapped in foil to keep it warm.

carlos bbq chicken flash

The chicken is nicely tender, with an almost melt-in-your-mouth
texture and the jalapeno based sauce is hot, a wonderful combination.

carlos corn on cob

The spiciness of this dish is offset by the sweet notes offered by
the corn on the cob served alongside it. Larry also furnished some
off-menu items for dinner, concept creations that will make it into the
menu in the near future. We also had the very spicy Habanero hot wings,
which comes highly recommended from me if you like your food hot. It’s
hot. I can take a lot of chilli. If I say it’s hot, it means it’s hot.
😉

carlos dont ever touch

The chilli powder at Carlos D’Cantina is home made and is a closely
guarded secret, as this “Don’t Ever Touch!!” labeled container shows.
It’s a mix of several varieties of chilli and peppers blended for the
perfect taste and spiciness factor.

carlos just me larry

Carlos D’Cantina is a great experience – the food is great, the
portions are generous and this is one of the rare eating establishments
where they take pride in the food they serve. It comes highly
recommended from me…get some of the chilli cheese fries or Habanero
hot wings to soak up the alcohol after clubbing!

Fatimah Restaurant, Negeri Sembilan

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fatimah restaurant ns

This is a 24 hour place in Negeri Sembilan – Fatimah Restaurant. I
noticed that we were passing signs that ends not in KL but in N.S.
(Negeri Sembilan). Our client/companion confirmed that we had indeed
crossed into another state, which explains the long drive…but
“crossing into another state” in Sarawak takes much longer than in Peninsula Malaysia. 😉

fatimah ns dish

Fatimah Restaurant is located on the way back from Port Dickson and
is under the jurisdiction of Majlis Perbandaran Port Dickson (MPPD),
which was the first sign that we weren’t in DBKL territory anymore. I
had nasi campur (chose the nasi kuning (yellow rice)), with nice, spicy ayam masak merah, curry kambing, and udang pedas. It was somewhere between Lukut and Sepang, I believe…it took several hours of driving…

It’s my first review of a place in Negeri Sembilan. 😉

Italiano’s Pizza and Pasta review

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italianos kuching

Italiano’s Pizza and Pasta is an authentic Italian eating
establishment located at Abell Road in Kuching. The place is owned by
an Italian and it’s been in operation for quite a while, and with a
reputation for authentic Italian food to boot (no pun intended).

italianos interior

The interior of the place is nicely done, there is a lot of wood
based furniture and a large replica of the outline of Italy strung
together with cloth with the colors of the Italian flag on the ceiling.

italianos napkin

Italiano’s has a set lunch promotion going on for RM 9.90, with a
choice of four different main dishes. I went there for lunch just now
with my co-workers Penny and Mancy. We each ordered a different main so
we could try the different variations.

italianos waitress

The person in charge of our table was friendly and attentive – the
service at Italiano’s Pizza and Pasta is great, and the waitress was
kind enough to accommodate unusual requests like customers asking to
take photos of her. 😉

italianos soup

The meal started with the soup of the day – it’s a tomato based
creamy soup, with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower,
carrots and various other ingredients. It’s a hearty soup, nice and
filling.

italianos pizza

This is one of the mains that we ordered. Pizza Margherita
is described as “pizza bread baked with tomato sauce and cheese”. It
has a thin base and is unlike the topping piled American style pizzas.
This is a more authentic Italian pizza with just tomato sauce, cheese
and herbs. It’s great – I give this two thumbs up!

italianos risotto

The second main dish that we shared is Risotto Francheska
which the menu bills as “Italiano’s style tomato rice cooked with
tomato sauce and vegetables”. I liked this dish as well; the risotto is
rich and creamy, with a lingering aftertaste.

italianos pene

The last main that we ordered is Pene Arabiata,
which is “short tube pasta cooked with tomato, dry chilly, olives, and
garlic in tomato sauce”. This is a spicy dish, and that always scores
points with me. It tastes good and it’s always fun to stab penne rigate
with a fork. 😉

italianos mirela

I wanted to order tiramisu, unfortunately Italiano’s were out, so
Mirela recommended another dessert. At least, that’s how I remember the
spelling as she enunciated it out for me. She’s not from Italy, as I
assumed, but is of Bosnian origin. She’s really friendly, and has this
fragile beauty about her…but I digress, we should be talking about
food.

italianos pudding

This is the pudding type dessert that Mirela (pronounced MIER-la)
recommended. I don’t know what it’s made of, but it’s very creamy, with
a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a sweet aftertaste. It’s has cherry
sauce and chocolate drizzled over it, but it’s not cloyingly sweet, it
manages to allow the creamy taste to dominate the pudding. It’s
wonderful.

Italiano’s Pizza and Pasta comes highly recommended from me. The
food is good, the ambience is warm, and the service is great. You can’t
go wrong with Italiano’s if you’re looking for authentic Italian food
in Kuching.

Denis Place cafe & restaurant review

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denis place

Denis Place cafe & restaurant is a well-hidden gem in the old
part of town. Nestled between rows of old shop houses, this charming
restaurant manages to work with the existing infrastructure and create
a luxuriously decorated interior at the same time.

denis place interior

The ambience of Denis Place once you step into it is palpable. The
lighting is dim and diffused, and there are racks of wine everywhere.

denis place stairs

There is also a staircase leading to the upper dining section and
sections which have ceramic bowls filled with water and fresh flower
petals, as well as candles everywhere.

denis_place_decor.jpg

I love the effort spent into creating a warm ambience here…

denis place flame

Denis Place is very big on candles and flames, as you can see.

denis place wine blueberry

I had a glass of house red wine (RM 12) and a Blueberry Coolest Shake
(RM 8), which is a blueberries and ice cream blended drink. It’s nice
and creamy. My dining companion opted for the more conservative freshly
squeezed carrot juice (RM 14).

denis place house steak

She had the House steak (RM 21) for the main dish.

denis place house steak f

It’s the signature dish of Denis Place, with 250 grams of well-done
prime Australian mince meat, grilled with melted cheese and served with
fries and chilli cheese sauce. It’s alright, once you find the steak.
It’s there somewhere under the other adornments. 😉

denis place house sandwich

I had the House sandwich (RM 15), another Denis Place signature dish. This sandwich is huge…it’s impossible to open wide enough to get a bite. Seriously, it’s that good.

denis place house sandwich f

It’s a generous triple deck of toasted bread with salad, chicken, a whole fried egg, and beef bacon, served with crinkle fries.

denis shared dessert

We shared a dessert billed as Chocolate made in heaven,
with chocolate ice cream decked with pure chocolate fudge and Oreos for
RM 9. I was amazed by the sheer portion of the ice cream serving when
it came out…

denis place choc made in heaven

Behold! The Chocolate made in heaven in
all of its glory! Just look at that sinful concoction of Oreos
slathered with chocolate fudge in a huge bed of chocolate ice cream…

Carvery restaurant review

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carvery

Carvery restaurant is a charming little restaurant tucked away in
the middle of nowhere (if I don’t know how to drive there, it’s in the
middle of nowhere :p). Carvery gets its name from the way meat dishes
are served – its brought out right from the kitchen by the chef and
then carved onto your plate.

carvery inside

The interior of Carvery is very tastefully done up, with attentive
staff and subdued lighting. I went with Penny and Sufian yesterday for
the buffet lunch, an all-you-can-eat set meal which is priced at RM
29.90 – a very reasonable price, as you will see from the review.

carvery table

Carvery has clean, pressed table linen waiting for the lunch crowd.
There’s also two slabs of butter waiting on a plate, clean cutlery and
plates all laid out, and a wooden block in the middle.

carvery bread

I found out that the wooden block was meant for one of their
generous home-made bread – freshly baked from the oven. It tastes great
when slathered with butter and dipped into cream of mushroom soup.

carvery hot

Carvery has a hot dish area beside the large soup cauldron that has everything from baked potatoes to spaghetti.

carvery cold 1

The opposite side is flanked by cold cuts, deli meat, cold pasta…

carvery cold 2

…seafood salad, various dips and sauces, vegetable sticks and bread sticks.

carvery side plate

I filled half of my plate with salami, cold cuts, pasta, potato salad and a bread stick.

carvery start

The main meal is soon announced by the chef carrying out the first
of several meat skewers. The chef wields this large carving knife and
goes around to…well, carve servings of meat on the plates of the diners.

carvery carve

This is the leg of lamb, which I found delicious. The portions being
served can be specified, if you want more, or less. Just tell that to
the guy with the big knife. 😉

carvery chicken wings

A quick succession of their offerings soon came into circulation.
This is the chicken wings, which comes highly recommended. It’s good.

carvery meat

Before I knew it, I had lamb chops, BBQ chicken wings and smoked
beef on the other half of my plate. It’s a battle of dominance between
the diner and the parade of unholy skewers of various meats that comes
out quicker than you can eat.

carvery sauces

Carvery also served up home-made sauces to each table to complement the food.

carvery sausages

Just as I thought the infernal parade of meat was ending…it started again! This time there were sausages…

carvery smoked chicken

…smoked chicken

carvery chicken ham

…chicken wrapped with beef ham

carvery fish

I started to lose count before respite, in the form of fish with a wedge of lemon and a side of tartar sauce was served.

carvery steak

However, the Meat Parade (TM) must go on, and steaks of various
denominations started to come out – rib-eye steak, rump steak, before I
finally conceded and started eating smaller portions.

carvery last meat

In the end, man triumphed over meat, as I managed to finish the last
serving before the entire parade was started all over again for the
second round for those with more robust appetites. The meat dishes
cycles twice through the course of lunch. All of us were extremely full
when the meal at Carvery was finally over.

Carvery has a delicious meat based portfolio that would appeal to
all the carnivores out there. The ambience is great, with meat being
served on large skewers and personally carved on your table and served
on your plate. Highly recommended!

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