Coca Restaurant

coca

The first thing that springs to mind when Coca is mentioned is a particular plant cultivated in certain parts of South America. However, that is not the Coca that will be reviewed in this post. πŸ˜‰ This Coca is the steamboat franchise. My first experience with Coca is in Kuching, which Andrea, the Marketing Manager who invited us, said was under different management.

coca 1u

I went with Yiling to the outlet at 1Utama. There are two outlets in Klang Valley – one in 1U and the other in Subang Parade. I recommend going to the second one – Andrea gave us the lowdown on the difference. The latter is larger, with live aquariums and fresh seafood from said aquarium. I hear the ambiance is better too.

interior

However, I found the ambiance at Coca Restaurant, 1U to be quite pleasant too. The interior is dominated by hues of red (a color which can either cause arguments or create passion, depending on who you listen to), which is also the corporate color of the franchise. Andrea gave us a warm welcome when we stepped in and ushered us to our reserved table.

promo

Coca is having a promotion on their steamboat set menus. It starts from RM 98++ for 2 people and includes:

Appetizer:
Deep Fried Fish Paste

Steamboat:
Tiger Prawns (200 grams)
Jelly Fish
Stuffed Squid
Chicken Ball
Chicken Fillet
Fish Glue
Coca Foo Chock
House Special Dumpling
Chinese Cabbage
Morning Glory
Tofu
Green Noodles
Eggs

roselle

Yiling had the new Roselle Flowers d’ Juice (RM 12.90), which actually has the edible flowers garnishing the tall receptacle, as well as a slice of lemon. She opted to substitute the water with soda water, which made it effervescent and very thirst quenching. I love the pitchfork to stir the drink – it’s very novel, the other end is a small spoon. A spork of sorts! =D

I ordered a jug of beer, which Yiling doubted I could finish. She should know better coz she’s seen the way I drink in Ipoh. I offered to pay for the beer, but Andrea would have none of it – cheers for the great hospitality! πŸ™‚

I’m sure I don’t need to put photos of the jug of beer up – you know what it looks like anyway, unless you’re living in Afghanistan or something…in which case you wouldn’t have net access anyway. πŸ˜‰

buffet

Coca Restaurant also has a buffet promotion where you can have unlimited appetizers from the buffet line. We checked out the appetizers on offer and it’s very well presented, hor d’oeuvres style with a lot of them on spoons and such. Check out the succulent prawns in the foreground! I like the miniature Coca steamboat in the middle too – it’s little touches like these that shows attention to detail. They are also going healthy – substituting yogurt for coconut milk in a lot of their cooking.

prawn

Anyway, back to our Coca Experience (TM) we were served Tiger Prawns stuffed with fish and prawns for the appetizer. The crustacean is a bit tough with a fearsome carapace but a tiny fork is more than adequate to get at the succulent flesh inside. The fish and prawn mixture works very well, creating a fusion of flavors that is greater than the sum of its parts.

pandan

The second appetizer we were served is the Pandan Chicken. It’s tender chicken wrapped in pandan leaves and the cooking process retains all the juicy and moist goodness of the chicken. It’s almost melt-in-your-mouth!

service

The steamboat was ready after that and the best thing about Coca Restaurant is the excellent service. The waiters help you with everything – doing it the Proper Way (TM) – first using the broth to loosen the ingredients before carefully putting it into the steamboat. This is a very nice touch, and different from other steamboat establishments.

steamboat

We went for the mixed steamboat – one side is Tom Yam soup and the other side is chicken broth. I like the Tom Yam soup better as I have a love of all things spicy, but I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the chicken broth too. It’s very flavorful with hints of real chicken essence, unlike the watered down Oliver Twist soup-without-bread version that some other establishments serve.

tom yam

This is the Tom Yam soup version.

cute

I just love this photo of Yiling. She looks so cute! πŸ™‚

chicken

This is the chicken broth version.

spinach

Memorable dishes in the RM 98++ set meal are the spinach noodles, jellyfish, and the house specialty dumplings. I’m not a big fan of tofu so I can’t comment on that.

dessert

Andrea was kind enough to furnish us with a plethora of desserts – the most remarkable being the Fresh Mango Pulut with Durian (RM
23.80). It’s absolutely sinf
ul. It’s fresh mangos sliced into manageable pieces, served with glutinous rice drowned in coconut milk and a side of durian puree. The durian puree is to die for! It has a creamy texture with heavy notes of the King of Fruits and an orgasmic aftertaste. I even ate the durian puree straight from the cup; it’s just that good.

coca us

It should be noted that a lot of the items here (e.g. some appetizers) and desserts are not included in the RM 98++ steamboat promotion for two. Those items came courtesy of Andrea. Thanks a great dining experience! πŸ™‚

sauce

P/S – The best thing about Coca Restaurant is their secret dipping sauce. It’s so closely guarded, the sauce is imported in from Thailand and no one knows the exact ingredients. Secret recipe. I like.

Funny Mountain Tao Fu Fa

eat tofu

No, not that kind of eating tofu. I had a dSLR malfunction and the shutter went off at the wrong time.

funny mountain ipoh

There is a famous stall in Ipoh that has legendary melt-in-your mouth tofu fa. I was brought there by the EZY sisters – Eiling, Ziling and Yiling. It’s called Funny Mountain Tao Fu Fa

funny mountain press

…and it has apparently received accolades from the print media.

funny mountain queue

…as well as the locals, which is always a good sign. The line was long, but they process the queue with the ease of experienced old hands (another good sign – anymore and it’ll be like the second coming of Jesus).

funny mountain tff 

Tofu fa is made from soybeans and resembles a really soft pudding. It’s bean curd gelatin and it’s usually served with sugar syrup and consumed while hot. Best of all, it’s only RM 0.80 per bowl! =D

funny mountain us

Interestingly, tofu fa is translated as “tender tofu blossom”.

Related posts:
Eiling’s review

Bondi Beach Grill & Bar Set Lunch

bondi beach

Bondi Beach Grill & Bar is located at The Curve. I went to catch Inkheart just now with Yiling and decided to check out the latest eating establishment at The Curve at the same time. Yiling was so appallingly late we practically had to scoff down lunch to make it to the movie on time but we shall leave her tardiness for another post. :p

bondi beach interior

Bondi Beach Grill & Bar is named after the popular beach in Australia and I have it on good authority (I was there for four years) that it’s pronounced BOND-eye instead of BOND-ee. The interior is adorned with surfboards and other surfer memorabilia that recreates a pretty authentic feel of a laid back beach restaurant. There is even an al fresco dining area shaped like a hut and shaded from the sun.

bondi beach set lunch

Bondi Beach Grill & Bar has a Set Lunch menu for RM 14.90 with the following options:
Soup of the Day or Chicken Yakitori or Prawn Pinwheels or Seafood Salad
with
Char-Grilled Fillet of Dory with Lemon Butter Sauce & Steamed Rice or Creamy Seafood Pasta or Char-Grilled Minute Steak with Pepper Sauce & Fried Mini Rosti
and
Fresh Fruit Salad Topped with Vanilla Ice Cream

bondi watermelon

Hallelujah! I can finally take photos like these with my dSLR. πŸ˜‰
This would be the freshly squeezed watermelon juice (RM 14), which I thought was appropriate for the setting. The set lunch does not come with drinks although iced water is complimentary.

bondi prawn pinwheels

Yiling went with the Prawn Pinwheels for starters. The presentation of Bondi Beach Grill & Bar is impeccable – I love the attention to detail, it shows true passion in the chef. It’s the little things like the sprinkling of oregano that makes the dish casual yet elegant. The Prawn Pinwheels are grilled to perfection and comes out juicy and crispy, another excellent contrast.

bondi seafood salad

I opted for the healthier sounding Seafood Salad for the appetizer. Bondi Beach is generous with the seafood – there is squid, shrimp and mussels on top of a bed of lettuce and cherry tomatoes. The dressing uses a lot of herbs that blends well with the light nature of the dish, yet imparting enough zest to jolt my jaded taste buds.

bondi minute steak

Yiling called dibs on the Char-Grilled Minute Steak with Pepper Sauce & Fried Mini Rosti for the main. She had already decided last night that she was going to order this and the plan was to order different items so we could try out different dishes. The Minute Steak, as the name suggests, is about 1/3 the size of a regular steak. I didn’t think much of it though, it was too well done for my tastes.

bondi seafood pasta

I wanted to order the dory fish but the waitress recommended the Creamy Seafood Pasta instead. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s absolutely fabulous! The Seafood Pasta is linguine cooked in a very creamy alfredo sauce served with generous portions of shrimp, squid and mussels. The creaminess of the pasta goes very well with the seafood – I’ve run out of superlatives to describe this dish, it’s simply delicious! It’s hands down the best pasta I’ve had this year.

bondi yiling

Yiling agrees, and she’s not even a fan of alfredo and other cream based sauces!

bondi dessert

The Fresh Fruit Salad Topped with Vanilla Ice Cream for dessert is presented well, with a hint of caramel sauce and just the right amount of ice cream. The fruits are chilled before serving, making this the perfect light and refreshing end to the meal.

bondi scoff

Unfortunately, we had to scoff it down coz we were late for the movie.

bondi beach us

The bill came up to RM 50.60 for two but that’s largely due to the watermelon juice that I ordered. The Bondi Beach Grill & Bar Set Lunch is RM 14.90 each. I have yet to check out their dinner menu, but if their set lunch is anything to go by, it would not disappoint. I highly recommend the Creamy Seafood Pasta.

Bon appetit!

Ang pow collection for CNY

ang pow

I managed to get a fairly good bounty thanks to the EZY sisters who kindly brought me back to Ipoh with them since I’m like…alone and all that.

eiling

Eiling

ziling

Ziling

yiling

Yiling

huaibin

…and me taking a piss. I drove to Ipoh, and Eiling drove us back. I shall update again later tonight with a two part trip report about Ipoh. I’m very sleep deprived and I need to crash. See ya!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...