food review

Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant @ The Gardens, MidValley

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fong lye

…a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. I hooked up with Ringo, KY and Xin and arranged for dinner at Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant. It’s been over a month and I realized I haven’t even blogged about it until I was browsing through my archives. I didn’t manage to get a shot of Fong Lye’s exterior too, coz the place was closing when we finally left. I have been meaning to reshoot the exterior without the shutters half closed, and went back last weekend.

fong lye interior

Fong Lye Taiwanese Restaurant is a franchise operation that is constantly packed, even late at night when we went. It’s pretty amazing how these Taiwan/HK/Chinese eating establishments can maintain such a high capacity in the current economic situation. The place is literally packed when we arrived. Fong Lye Taiwanese Restaurant has different seating arrangements to cater to different groups of people and we got seated at the corner before ordering our food.

fong lye pork

KY had the Pork Intestines Set Meal (RM 17.80) rated as spicy by Fong Lye. He was seated too far away for me to taste his meal but he thought it was pretty good. I can’t actually remember if I ate his pork or not, since we were staying at the Boulevard Studio Suite at that time and I took advantage of the free beer at the Executive Lounge.

fong lye dim sum

Ringo had the healthy sounding Hot & Spicy Dim Sum (RM 16.50) after most of what she ordered wasn’t available. I remember having some of her dish – it was pretty good, except for the tofu. I don’t like tofu. I’m more of a meat person but two pieces of something I had from her order was great.

fong lye beef

Xin, for some mysterious reason, did not order a main dish at all. She had the Beef Roll (RM 10.30), which we all had a piece so she was left with only two slices. It tasted pretty good though but a tad overpriced for what is tantamount to a souped up popiah.

fong lye beef noodle

Doris went for the Taiwan Braised Beef Noodle (RM 19.80). It is served with several side dishes, like most of the meals. The side dishes contain various snacks and vegetables and makes the presentation immaculate. The Taiwan Braised Beef Noodle is spicy and piping hot, with a rich broth that must have taken a herd of cows to make. 😉

fong lye chicken

I went for the Three Varieties of Supreme Diced Chicken (RM 19.80), which turned out to be the best dish of the night. The chicken is tender, and cooked to perfection. This dish is also amazingly spicy, something that always rates highly in my books. The chicken claypot is literally full of chillies!

fong lye chicken macro

I love this dish and would do a return visit to sample it again (despite it numbing my taste buds for a while). Those who tried it also agreed and pronounced it Good (TM).

fong lye dessert

Ringo also ordered this weird desert called Peanut Snow Mountain (RM 8.30) that we all shared. It tasted gooey and saccharine sweet and elicited quite a number of jokes related to scat (not skat, the card game, and certainly not scat as in “go away”). It was alright as a dessert though.

fong lye us

The total came up to a RM 151.35 for five people, inclusive of a beer on my end and drinks for everyone else. Fong Lye Restaurant is a great place that opens till (relatively) late so check it out at The Gardens @ Mid Valley if you’re into Taiwanese food. It’s definitely worth a try.

DucKing

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ducking

I went to DucKing at Jaya One for our monthsary dinner on Friday night. DucKing (“The Different One”) seems to be wordplay on the story The Ugly Duckling (which turned out to be a swan if you forgot your Hans Christian Andersen).

ducking montage

DucKing is packed pretty much all the time – we waited 15 minutes for our turn to be seated, but the waitress was gracious enough to let us in when she couldn’t contact the previous two ahead of us on the queue list. There seem to be some problems with communication though – I got four calls during dinner saying that my seat is ready and I told them each time that I was already inside.

ducking menu

Price for this menu: RM 1,500 ++. I have been trying to spot this when I saw it on Cheesie’s blog and true enough; it’s in there. Haha!

ducking wine

I ordered INTIS (RM 78) an Argentinean Merlot meaning Sun God. It’s the cheapest wine on the menu – I haven’t started working yet, tomorrow is my first day at work so we figured we needed to conserve our funds. My girlfriend went for the Chinese tea, although she had a small amount (slightly more than thimble sized) of red wine as well.

ducking duck tongue

You can’t go to an establishment named DucKing and not order duck so for the appetizer, we had the Marinated Duck Tongue with X.O Sauce (RM 16.80). It tasted surprisingly good, I can’t remember ever having duck tongue before. This one is served with the tendon (bone?) under the tongue intact, and the slight crunchiness adds to the appeal.

ducking peking duck

Next on the menu was the Beijing Duck Two Varieties. I ordered 1/2 a duck. It’s RM 38.80 for 1/2 a duck and RM 62.80 for a whole duck. I love Peking Duck, especially the process that goes with it. Unfortunately, DucKing does not have the chef carve the skin off the duck in front of you.

ducking beijing duck

Peking Duck comes in four (4) dishes – the crispy roasted duck skin, the paper-thin flour wrap, spring onions and other vegetables for garnish and flavor, and the sauce itself.

ducking duck montage

Basically, you take one flour wrap and place a piece (or two) of crispy roasted duck skin on top before adding some spring onions and dousing it with sauce. It is then wrapped like a tortilla. There is some debate about whether the sauce goes on first, but I prefer it just before I wrap up the entire thing.

ducking duck wrap

The Peking Duck at DucKing is great! I love the soft, fragile flour wrap. I’m amazed at how tissue paper-thin it is. Excellent.

ducking bun

Beijing Duck is usually served in two or three courses – the skin in wrap, the meat cooked with vegetables and the bones in soup. Most establishments nowadays do away with the third installment though. DucKing gives you the choice of a wide range of preparations for the second course – we opted for the Deep Fried Bun with Roasted Duck Meat & Black Pepper Sauce (RM Included in the price of Beijing Duck).

ducking vegetable

The vegetable component of the food pyramid is completed with Braised Baby Kailan with Crab Meat (RM 28.80). DucKing cooks this dish with egg and starch and they’re very generous with the crab meat – it’s definitely proportionate with the price. There are huge chunks of whole crab meat inside the dish. Very nice indeed.

ducking abalone

For the last dish, we indulged in the Braised Abalone with Shimeji Mushroom and Broccoli (RM 72.80). The abalone is indeed cooked to perfection and matches the sauce well. The mushroom is paired perfectly with the abalone and came out juicy and tender. I used the broccoli to mop up the sauce, that’s how good it was.

DucKing does a very brisk business and the food is good, although it comes out very fast, suggesting mass production (or a chef with really deft fingers). The bill came up to a total of RM 280.85 but the bulk of that is from the wine and the abalone.

ducking us

Happy monthsary, dear! Love always.

Yes, that is our couple t-shirt and also the distinctive look of a bulge in my abdomen from eating excessively these few weeks. 😉

Shrimpz ethnic thai

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shrimpz

Shrimpz is a small little eating establishment located at Aman Suria that we discovered one night. We have been eating a lot of nasi kandar lately and wanted to eat some Chinese food (or Thai food, which is about the same in my books) so I stumbled upon this little gem quite by accident.

shrimpz montage

Shrimpz is apparently the sister restaurant of the flagship Shrimpz restaurant in Langkawi, according to the table liner. I can’t remember the last time I was in Langkawi, but the leaflet claims that Shrimpz Langkawi was and still is the only dining venue in Asia located within a shrimp farm, which is where I imagine they got their name.

shrimpz water feature

Shrimpz Kuala Lumpur is not located inside a shrimp farm, but they managed to re-create some of that ambiance with a water feature I like to call the “Sobriety Test” that is currently in vogue. The water feature is made up of stepping stones, and while it’s not as challenging as the bla bla bla Sobriety Test in Kuching, it’s still requires a certain level of dexterity to navigate.

shrimpz al fresco

Shrimpz is decorated Thai style, with a lot of Buddha statues (sans the body and head) and the al fresco dining area is interspaced with a lot of water features and bodies of water to simulate the Shrimpz Langkawi dining experience in a residential area. It looks clean (probably coz it’s new) and elegant, but the place does not serve alcohol, which is unusual for a restaurant like this.

shrimpz prawn

It is almost heretical to not order shrimp in an establishment called Shrimpz, and beheaded (Convert or die!) we might be have we not, so we requisitioned for their renowned Shrimps / Organic Tiger Prawns from Langkawi menu and had the Stir Fried Tiger Prawn with Petai and Belacan (RM 34.90). It had the exotic sounding name of Kun Pat Khapit Sator.

shrimpz prawn macro

It was alright, quite nice actually, but paying RM 34.90 for six (6) tiger prawns seems a little bit steep. It amounts to RM 5.81 per shrimp – not exactly cheap, but worth the price for the occasional indulgence. It tasted great with the petai and belacan gravy and I ate the entire crustacean whole, much to the horror of my girlfriend. It takes a man to eat the shell of a prawn. 😉

shrimpz drink

I had the Shrimpz Special (RM 8,90 – comma done either to emulate the French, or coz I had to much to drink is up to you to decide), which is a mixture of lime, lemongrass and mint leaves. I will not delve into the drink my girlfriend ordered, which would usually be OJ or watermelon juice or some other citrus based drink.

shrimpz crispy duck salad

This is the appetizer that we had – Shredded Crispy Duck Salad (RM 26.90). I know the dishes are coming out ass backwards, but I did it in chronological order – the exact same succession that night. The shredded crispy duck salad is excellent! My girlfriend loved it to bits (no pun intended). The fried shredded duck skin is sinfully delicious, with a satisfying crunch to it. Lovely.

shrimpz glass noodles

My girlfriend had the Thai Fried Glass Noodles (RM 13.90). It looks rather sad and much can be done about the presentation, but tastes fabulous. It was seriously mouth-watering despite the sorry looking presentation. It’s definitely one of their best mains.

shrimpz fried rice

I had the Fried Rice with Anchovy Sauce (Budu) and Petai (RM 9.90). I like the petai, I read an article not long ago about Malay families nowadays excluding this traditional dish from their diet. It’s raw vegetables, dipped into sauce. The fried rice was plain though, nothing special, but tastes great with the prawns.

shrimpz us

The food at Shrimpz is mostly good, especially the prawns…

shrimpz end

We literally licked our plates clean.

Ah Cheng Laksa

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ah cheng laksa

Ah Cheng Laksa is one of those “hawker fare inside a mall with WiFi and air conditioned comfort” franchises, which shows no sign of slowing down. I think a lot of it has to do with their pricing and convenience. Personally, I went just coz I love the tagline, a parody of Phua Chu Kang with their version being “Best in Subang Jaya & Sunway & some even said in PJ!!”

I think the grammatically incorrect tagline adds to the good ol’ hawker stall appeal. 🙂

ah cheng laksa montage

I went to the one at the Curve since they had a promotional deal worked out with Cineleisure where you get a 10% discount off your food with a movie ticket. It’s only valid for a la carte items though, and not the Combo Set Promotions, which we went for. I like the seating arrangements at the outlet over here – the seats are absurdly low but a pit of sorts where you can put your feet in compensates for the height problem. Nifty.

ah cheng cham

Ah Cheng Laksa also serves the increasingly popular Cham (RM 2.50). Cham is a Hokkien word meaning “mix”. It’s a half and half mixture of coffee and tea and I’m starting to like the medley of tastes and the reduced caffeine content – very useful for combating stress in KL traffic. 😉

ah cheng laksa food montage

Combo Set 1, which is recommended for 2-3 people, is priced at RM 13.90 and comes with JR Asam Laksa, JR Curry Laksa and your choice of a regular (JR stands for junior, I presume) Asam Laksa, Curry Laksa, Kueh Tiaw Soup, or Nasi Lemak Ayam/Daging Rendang. I went for the Nasi Lemak Daging Rendang option. You can also choose the type of noodles you want in your laksa – it’s customizable.

ah cheng laksa us

Verdict:
Asam Laksa: Delicious! It’s very appetizing.
Curry Laksa: I didn’t think much of it. I prefer asam laksa to curry based laksa.
Nasi Lemak Daging Rendang: It’s okay, but not great. The pakcik that parks his van outside my condo weekday mornings sells much better nasi lemak from the back of his mobile stall.

Waffle World, 1U

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waffle world

Waffle World is a colorful dessert house specializing in (you guessed it) waffles. The bright, happy shades used in this franchise coupled with their merry “Cheer Up! Waffle World is here!” tagline attracted us to this establishment (as well as their new WW Tower – the tallest dessert ever built).

waffle world montage

The place is located just off a busy shopping mall through way, so if you have reservations about eating at a place like this, well, you’re too pretentious to be reading sixthseal.com anyway. 😉

strawberry goes bananas

I’m not going to write about my girlfriend’s drink since she always orders the usual orange or pineapple juice. Mine is the more adventurous Strawberry Goes Bananas (RM 8) which is a fruit smoothie blended with fresh strawberries and bananas. The two tastes surprisingly well together, with the more subdued banana covering up the acidic aspects of the strawberry.

waffle world walnut

This is the Banana Walnut Waffle (RM 7.90). The presentation is great, with bananas lined in an oblique fashion (I’ve been told to use more common words, but 15 years of reading SK has influenced my writing somewhat, so perhaps angular would be a better word here?). It’s sprinkled with crushed walnuts, a heap of ice cream, and generous squeezes from a Hershey’s syrup bottle. The taste? Spectacular.

waffle world pizza

I opted for a savory waffle, since I kinda knew I was gonna have to eat half of the Banana Walnut Waffle (it’s the reason I’ve been getting so fat lately, my other half can’t finish her portions). I had the Tropical Pizza (RM 8.90), which is a pizza served on top of waffles (as the name of the establishment suggests) and it tasted pretty good. It’s sliced sausages and pineapples topped with melted cheese but at about the size of a modern cell phone, it’s not going to fill anyone up.

waffle world us

The obligatory couple shot.

waffle world tower

This is the WW Tower (RM 7.50) – a new creation from the labs of Waffle World Inc. It is hyped with the hyperbolic statement “AT LAST. The TOWER is BUILT” and is supposed to be the tallest dessert ever created at 280 mm. The WW Tower is a concoction of three scoops of ice cream, chocolate, caramel, blueberry sauces, almond slices, strawberry bits, and sponge cake, topped with two “towering” wafers.

waffle world me

It is every bit as tall as they say (I measured)…though I seriously doubt it’s the tallest desert in the world. It is definitely going to give you a sugar rush though.

I’m told the shade of purple in the dessert matches my G2000 cardigan too.

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng Hong Kong Restaurant

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mongkok teahouse

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng (Mongkok Teahouse) Hong Kong Restaurant is yet another HK food franchise in KL. It seems that ever since Kim Gary took off, HK style quick service restaurants has been sprouting up like mushrooms in KL. This particular establishment comes with the tantalizing tag line “Taste to Feel Hong Kong”. Hmm…

mongkok teahouse montage

Wong Kok Hong Kong Restaurant is nestled in a quiet alcove in 1 Utama and features a warm ambiance with a heavy emphasis on diffused spot lighting. I did not attempt to count the incandescent spot light fixtures both embedded into the walls and in stand alone lantern style versions but I can assure you that there are quite a lot of them.

kwok chun on

This restaurant is apparently endorsed by a Mr. Kwok Chun On – a pretty boy chef with a forced smile and a unenthusiastic thumbs up. It comes with a lot of Chinese characters on the side, which I can’t read, but I gather he’s the establishment’s ambassador for a reason.

mongkok teahouse drinks

Doris had the Salted Lemon Sourplum Juice (RM 6.80) while I had the Chocolate ice-cream milk shake (RM 7.50). Salt with sour bases makes it sweet so her drink is quite pleasantly saccharine. The latter is coated with chocolate and crushed peanuts on the side of the glass, much like a frozen margarita is lined with salt.

mongkok shanghai rice

This is the Shanghai sauce roasted pork with mixed vegetables and rice (RM 9.50) which Doris ordered. It looks a little bit on the plain side, but it tastes good.

hong kong bak chang

I had the interestingly named Hong Kong waxed meat rice wrapped with lotus leaves (RM 9.50). Doris reads Chinese and told me this is a bak chang of sorts. I love the way it came out though – it’s like a tall, slim pyramid that’s almost phallic in nature.

hong kong bak chang open

It unwraps to reveal glutenous rice marinated in soy sauce with little treasures of pork, mushrooms and other ingredients inside the rice. It’s served with Taiwan sausages and a complete shiitake mushroom on the side. It tasted pretty good, and it’s novel.

mongkok french toast

We also ordered French Toast (RM 4.20) – it would be heresy to not check out the quality of the French Toast in a HK eating establishment. HK style French Toast has peanut butter inside and is deep fried with batter before a slab of artery clogging butter is put on top. I found Kim Gary’s French Toast to be much better than the Mongkok Teahouse version.

mongkok simmering

Mongkok Teahouse also has a premium menu – this is the Seafood and Vegetable in Paper Pot (RM 21.80) which we ordered from that menu. It seems to be one of their signature dishes from the prominent placement on it’s premium menu and comes simmering to your table courtesy of a small boiler beneath the pot.

mongkok premium

The Seafood and Vegetable in Paper Pot is filled with prawns, fish, seaweed, rice vermicelli and other Chinese herbs and vegetables. It tasted rather bland and we both felt it wasn’t worth the premium price tag.

mongkok teahouse us

I am so juvenile sometimes…

mongkok teahouse end

Wong Kok Char Chang Teng Hong Kong Restaurant is one of the less popular HK style eatery chains out there but it’s worth checking out the phallic Hong Kong waxed meat rice wrapped with lotus leaves.

…if only just to take a photo of it. 😉

La Gourmet House @ the Curve

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la gourmet house

La Gourmet House is a Mediterranean restaurant located at the Curve. I was actually planning to go elsewhere but there was a heavy shower (not the golden type, the kind that rains on your parade) so we took refuge at the place. I haven’t heard of the establishment before but I reckon the “Buy 4 bottles of Tiger and get 1 free” promotion was quite alluring, so we decided to sit down for lunch.

la gourmet house montage

La Gourmet House claims European, Mediterranean and Spanish influences in the cuisine, creating a homely fusion of sorts. The interior seating arrangements are adorned with various Turkish (to my untrained and uncultured eye) fixtures and some of the tables have intricate designs. The al fresco dining area is thankfully protected from Mother Nature by a canopy system and is plumed with throw rugs.

la gourmet house beer

The beer is not the cheapest at the Curve (some places offer RM 32++ jugs) but it’s a pretty good deal at RM 48 for 5 bottles of local beer. The other beer they serve sounds German in origin and it’s priced at RM 22 per bottle, so I assume it’s an import. The ambiance of the place is great, very laid back and casual, with excellent service to boot.

anthonys sausage and pasta

I had their signature dish – Anthony’s Sausage and Pasta (RM 25.80). It’s a pasta dish with your choice of two (2) sausages, tossed with balsamic and olive oil, mozzarella cheese and walnut pesto. I chose Chorizo (a Spanish sausage) and the German bratwurst. The dish is served with sauce on the side – a mixture of mustard and something else my unrefined palate couldn’t identify.

anthony sausage and pasta

The pasta is done al dente and it absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, it was a little of the cold side when it got to our table. I wouldn’t discount the weather (it was raining) as a factor for the rapid cooling of the dish but it just didn’t taste as good as it would have, had it came out piping hot. The sausages are flavorful though, and I like the fact that you get to choose the types of sausage you want.

gourmet value meal

My girlfriend opted for their set lunch, dubbed “Gourmet Value Meals” at La Gourmet House. She had the Baked Seafood (RM 15.80), which comes with either juice or tea. The Baked Seafood dish is served on a bed of steamed rice (!), which I thought was quite unusual. We expected the entire dish to be baked e.g. topped with cheese before being baked in an oven.

baked seafood

There were a few premium ingredients in the dish – mussels, prawns, fish and other miscellaneous marine life, enough to justify the price…but it just didn’t taste quite right with steamed rice.

stuffed bell pepper

I also ordered an appetizer – the Stuffed Bell Pepper (RM 23.80) that is marked with a little chef’s hat indicating a house specialty. The starter further intrigued me by the “Subject to availability” tag line appended to it. It’s filled with aromatic chicken mortadella and served with the chef’s special sauce. There are two peppers – one red and one green, each sliced in half and stuffed.

bell peppers stuffed

Unfortunately, this appetizer (dessert?) came only after we finished our meal, and it was cold when it came to the table. I didn’t quite understand this, as we were the only ones there besides another family that just got seated. I imagine it might have tasted better had it been warm at least, but in its current condition; it just didn’t do the dish justice.

la gourmet house us

La Gourmet House at the Curve has a lot of potential, but it seems to be plagued by kitchen logistical glitches that manifests by cold dishes arriving at your table. The 4+1 beer promotion is also supposed to come with free tapas, which we didn’t get, and I didn’t realize until I looked at the bill today. I can’t attribute that to bad service (it was good, and quite attentive) so I really don’t know what’s going on there. I will go again for a second review a couple of months down the road and see how it goes. Cheers!

Total damage: RM 124.74 for two @ The House of Meals & Memories.

Good Evening Bangkok!

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good evening bangkok restaurant

Good Evening Bangkok is a Thai eating establishment located at the Rainforest section of 1 Utama. I couldn’t help but feel that the restaurant’s name is derived from Good Morning, Vietnam – the Robin Williams movie about being a DJ in the Vietnam War, the only solace for US troops mobilized to probably the only war they lost. 😉

good evening bangkok montage

Good Evening Bangkok has a nice ambiance with Siamese artifacts adorning the entire interior. The seating arrangements are covered with an unfortunate shade of pink chair liners, but other than that, the lighting and fixtures were all very warm and inviting. We weren’t really hungry so we just shared a starter, a main dish and dessert.

good evening bangkok drinks

Doris had the fresh watermelon juice (RM 7.50) while I went for the Evan & Tate Salisbury Chardonnay (RM 16). My original choice was for the Singha beer (RM 18) for maximum authenticity but unfortunately Good Evening Bangkok ran out of the Thailand brewed beer.

good evening combo

This is their signature appetizer – the Good Evening Combo (RM 16.90), which is a taster dish of sorts. It contains fish cake, money bag, prawn wonton and mango salad. I love the mango salad, it reminded me of the som tam (papaya salad) I had back in Bangkok a couple of years ago. The other dishes didn’t really make an impression on me.

thai rice noodles

Phad Thai Goong Sod (Stir-fried Thai rice noodle with fresh prawn) was recommended by the waitress for the main dish. It’s one of their new menu items, priced at RM 14.90. I absolutely love this dish! Notice the dried chili powder and ground peanuts on the side. It creates an amazing fusion of flavor and texture when mixed into the rice noodles. It’s very, very spicy too, which always gets bonus points from me.

mango sticky rice

Khow Neow Ma Moung (Mango with sticky rice) is probably one of the most recognizable and popular Thai desserts. It’s priced at RM 11.90 at Good Evening Bangkok and comes with half a whole mango sliced into nice, easy to handle cubes, sauce on the side and sticky glutinous rice sprinkled with sesame seeds.

good evening bangkok us

It somehow didn’t taste too authentic but that’s all right coz I just went there for the WiFi. 😉

good evening bangkok

Good Evening Bangkok is a relaxing place to eat breakfast or lunch. The presentation is good and the service is excellent but most of the dishes have been found wanting. The appetizer and dessert we ordered isn’t anything to write home about, but the main dish is absolutely fabulous! It’s definitely worth checking out.

Jarrod & Rawlins, 1U

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jr restaurant

Jarrod & Rawlins is the self-dubbed “Purveyors of fine food & wine” and I decided to check out the place by virtue of a single sign:

jr fresh bacon

Jarrod & Rawlins serves pork and is a restaurant, deli, café and bar all rolled into one. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not an English establishment, but a homegrown operation with the first outlet in Desa Sri Hartamas.

jr promo

I went to the one in 1U with my girlfriend to sample their renowned Sizzling Mix Platter. I have to admit that the tantalizingly placed RM 50 for 5 bottles of Heineken promotion at the entrance was another factor in our chosen destination for lunch.

jr montage

Jarrod & Rawlins is physically partitioned into two dining experiences – there is seating at the front with a café/deli environment and another section to the back called simply “The Pub”, with a more relaxed ambiance. There is a delicatessen serving a wide range of cold cuts and cheeses as well as a pastry counter with offerings of the flaky and puffy variety.

jr beer

I ended up drinking most of the Heineken since Doris opted to go for the orange juice instead so I estimate that’s about 1.7 kg of appetite ruining liquid down the hatch during lunch. I should have gone for the imported beers instead and have a more reasonable amount instead of bloating myself with all that amber fluid.

jr steak sandwich

Steak Sandwich (RM 28)
This is the steak sandwich that I ordered with everything on. They have optional onions and butter for the more health conscious ones amongst us, a fraternity that I’ve never been part of. 😉

jr steak sandwich macro

You can also choose how you like your steak – I had it medium rare, which most establishments mess up, but Jarrod & Rawlins knows what medium rare is. I can’t say that I enjoyed the steak sandwich though, it’s a little plain and on the bland side, not adjectives you use to describe good food.

jr sizzling mix platter

Sizzling Mix Platter (RM 38)
Mixed platter of caramelized ribs, dynamite chili, chorizo, pork belly and streaky bacon served with fries, corn on the cob, asparagus, semi sun dried tomatoes and black pepper or onion gravy in a proper sauce dish on the side.

This is the signature dish of Jarrod & Rawlins and it did not disappoint. There is a wide range of pork offerings and it came sizzling hot. It literally sizzles for about a minute or so due to the hot platter it was served on.

jr sizzling montage

The Sizzling Mix Platter came in a generous portion that took an almost gargantuan effort on our part to finish. I love the spicy pork sausage in this dish – it’s not just mildly spicy, it’s Head for the Hills (to milk the cows) hot. Highly recommended!

jr us

Jarrod & Rawlins is a great place for a hearty lunch. I recommend the Sizzling Mix Platter if you’re feeling particularly famished and there are other menu items to cater for the more health conscious ones amongst us.

jr sign

The bill came up to a total of RM 147.20. It’s not cheap but you could probably shave the bill to a little under RM 100 if you don’t order alcohol.

Palacio Restaurant @ Asian Heritage Row

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palacio

Palacio Restaurant & Lounge is located at the prestigious Asian Heritage Row district in Jalan Doraisamy. Palacio means Palace in Latin and the establishment serves a fusion of Southern French and Spanish cuisine. I went there with my girlfriend to celebrate her (very substantial) salary increase. I promised to buy her dinner with just the two of us, which was a bit tricky to arrange since I had meet-ups with a lot of people during the short trip there.

asian heritage row

Asian Heritage Row is a quaint lane that somehow organized itself into a place renowned for its fine dining, nightlife and entertainment. The history behind the establishment of the dilapidated shop houses along Jalan Doraisamy into a one of the trendiest strips in KL is very interesting transformation that I was fortunately privy to, having worked in KL when it was first proposed and built.

palacio interior

Palacio is divided into three (3) distinct dining experiences – there is an al fresco area in the Palacio front garden, a laid-back cozy arrangement on the ground floor and a fine dining area on the first floor. I wanted to go up to the first floor, but the air-conditioning has not brought the temperature down to a comfortable level yet so we settled with the ground floor ambiance.

palacio tables

The seating arrangements at the ground floor is warm and inviting, with lots of wood fittings. There is a lounge at the side for a more relaxed social gathering. The place serves beer at very reasonable prices – it’s RM 35 per jug for local draft beef during Happy Hour. The service is impeccable too – the waiters are very attentive and attuned to your every whim and fancy.

palacio ambience

There is a wall motif running along the length of the Palacio that is almost holographic, due to the ingenious placement of lighting fixtures. The length of the ground floor is bordered by a long couch with regular chairs on the opposite side of the tables. The effective use of mirrors increase the spatial perception of the size of the restaurant – it’s a common interior design technique to make a place “look” bigger.

palacio fois gras

Foie Gras (RM 48)
This is served with tempura asparagus, caramelized onions and mango chutney on a toasted baguette slice. Palacio is a French and Spanish cuisine establishment and this is one of the specialties of the house. It has multi-cultural influences, and this dish turned out to be a great fusion of unique flavors.

palacio fois gras liver

The foie gras (duck/goose liver) is tender and comes in a single, intact portion. This French delicacy literally bursts with juicy goodness with every bite. Highly recommended, despite the price and small serving size. I could eat the entire thing in a single mouthful!

palacio cinnamon cod

Cinnamon Black Cod (RM 40)
The Cinnamon Black Cod is served with sides of sweet mashed potato, mango mojo, citrus cabbage and red capsicum sauce. The “mango mojo” is the sauce and goes surprisingly well with the cinnamon marinated cod. The black cod was excellent, maintaining the natural moisture of the aquatic creature inside. It certainly hasn’t lost its mojo. 😉

palacio cinnamon black cod

The portion is a little on the small side though, but I guess “fine dining” is synonymous with tiny portions for the more refined diners amongst us. Doris thought it was just right, but she doesn’t eat much and cannot be used as an accurate gauge for the appetites of regular diners.

palacio braised lamb shank

Braised Lamb Shank (RM 40)
I had the more reasonably portioned braised lamb shank for the main dish. It’s served with tomato and grape chutney, mashed potatoes and rosemary sauce. The serving is indeed quite large (even for my standards) – a full lamb shank smack dab in the middle of your plate with rosemary sauce and tiny mushrooms.

palacio lamb shank

The braised lamb shank is delicious and the meat turned out so tender, it practically falls apart from the bone with the slightest gesture of the fork. 😉

Palacio Restaurant and Lounge also serves beer-based drinks I dubbed “beertails”. Beertails instead of cocktails. I was elated at the fit of inspiration where I thought I had coined the term, but a quick Google search revealed that the word has been around for quite a while. 🙁

palacio beertails

Palacio Beer (RM 20) is the green beer which is a cocktail (beertail) of Midori, Malibu and beer. The Bloody Beer (RM 15) is a beertail made with watermelon liquor and a shot of Absolut Raspberri. It tastes good, but it’s definitely not a drink for beer aficionados and purists from the Holy Trinity of Hop, Malt and Barley Church.

palacio mud pie

We finished off with a dessert of Palacio’s Mississippi Mud Pie (RM 15) – a sinful concoction of chocolate cake, cream and ice cream. The Mississippi Mud Pie came piping hot and the contrast with the cold ice cream is a match made in heaven!

palacio us

Palacio is a great place for a casual dinner at the Asian Heritage Row. The foie gras was memorable, the beertails interesting, and the service impeccable. The bill came up to a total of RM 244.95 which is not very expensive for the occasional indulgence. The Palace is located at:

Palacio Restaurant & Lounge
Asian Heritage Row
Jalan Doraisamy,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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