Review: A Porky Affair @ El Cerdo, Bukit Ceylon KL

My mom had been raving about El Cerdo prior to my return to Kuala Lumpur. She said that the set lunch is reasonably priced (There's two options: One costs RM 44 and another is probably RM 48) and food is good. The set lunch comprise of an antipasti buffet, a choice of mains from three options and a dessert. My mom also sung praises about its uber cute website and the decor in the restaurant. She kept telling me how the pigs were so cute and I love anything that resembles my toy pig. :D

So, I decided that I MUST lunch at El Cerdo. At least once. 

Bread basket

 We went for the set lunch as it was really reasonably priced for KL standards. We were given a bread basket. The bread was actually very lovely. The texture somehow reminded me of the Italian Ciabatta, but clearly, it is not Italian bread.

Anyhow, the bread was a good accompaniment to the assortment of cured meat. :) There was Jamon Serrano, which I love so much (Best eaten with musk melon!), Spanish chorizo, Cured pig head's jelly, terrines and whatnots. You have to try ALL of them!

Antipasti buffet

The selection of antipasti was so good that I just had to try them all. There was also salad greens for those who prefer a healthier start prior to the rather porky mains. Note: You don't go to El Cerdo without having pork. That's like having nasi lemak without the sambal. 

German sausages wrapped in bacon, sauerkraut and mash

My mom had the German sausages for her mains. This reminds me of the stuff my German flatmate made for me. The portion may look small but it is actually darn fulfilling. My mom could only manage half of this despite it being rather delicious. The sausages were very meaty and the bacon was not too oily. The sauerkraut and mash were helpful in toning down the strong flavors from the bacon and sausages. 

Grilled pork chop 

I actually felt that the portion of my grilled pork chop was slightly more reasonable than my mom's. I could manage it alone. This was actually very nice. The grilled pork chop had a lovely charred flavor and did not taste gamy at all. I absolutely detest pork that tastes gamy! This was, on the other hand, on the sweet side. :)

Mango tiramisu

The tiramisu here is a must order! I think El Cerdo does this classic Italian pick me up better than most Italian establishments out there! There was enough espresso and kahlua. They did not skimp on the mascarpone either, which made it very enjoyable. Reminds me of my sister's tiramisu. My only complaint was the lady fingers. They were slightly grainy. The lady fingers used by my sister were on the creamier side. Almost melt in your mouth.

But I'm not complaining because good, authentic tiramisu is difficult to hunt in Kuala Lumpur.

Homemade chocolate ice cream

My mom had the homemade chocolate ice cream. According to her, this was a far cry from the oh-too-sweet gelato she had the other time. So, guys. Stick to the chocolate ice cream. Drop the sorbet. :)


This is one of the better set lunches in Kuala Lumpur. Oh well, this place has been around for quite sometime. Figures, right?


Little things: 

-Ambience: Design involves lots of cute piggies, reminding you not to eat them. Restaurant is quite dark and not exactly conducive for picture-taking.

-Service: Friendly and prompt. Note, the lunch service was not exactly busy so there is no guarantee on what might happen if it gets busy.

-Portion: Reasonable. If you're not filled, there's always bread and buffet. :)

-Price: Considering that food is good, I think it's reasonable. Also, there's the buffet. :D I don't think anyone would actually hate the selection for the buffet. Bill came in around RM 100

-For more information: Click here. The website is uber cute!

Review: Lunch @ Acme Bar & Coffee, Troika KL

Much have been written about this swanky, Melbourne-esque establishment that opened not long ago in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It got everyone talking. Many were smitten with it. My heartstrings were tugged by the countless positive reviews too. 

I told my mom about this hip place and she said: "Why not?"

One thing I love about my mom - her adventurous spirit and her cattish curiosity. 

Interior

It's hard to not fall in love with Acme Bar & Coffee on the first sight. The natural lightning pooling in, retro B&W interior, and Coralie Clement playing in the background makes ABC an ideal spot for good, ol'e bonding sessions. 

Flower

There are two menus for lunch: Ala carte and set lunch. Naturally, I picked the set lunch and urged my mom to go for the ala carte. No point having similar things. 

Set lunch changes everyday. I went on a Tuesday. So there was a salad, chorizo soup, roasted chicken breast (either that or fish) and dulce leche frites. 

Selection of desserts - cempedak cake, banana cake, carrot cake, raspberry and chocolate cake, assorted tarts

No desserts menu. The menu is right in front of you! Hehe. :) 

Chorizo soup

The soup I had was a bit peppery. Maybe a bit too peppery. Drinking this felt like I was drinking Pepper Up Potion! Reminds me a little of Broga's famous Hot Soup. Except, this had lots of greens - spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Not for those who hate greens.

Asian inspired Salad

Another green-laden dish. I enjoyed this too. It was redolent with the unique perfume of sesame oil. The vegetables may not be as crunchy but I guess that was partly due to the osmosis process induced by that dash of soy sauce that was added to give it a more Oriental feel? I wished that this was portioned more generously though. :)

Roast chicken breast with brussel sprouts

I had nothing against chicken breasts but this was a bit too dry. :( Plus, there was too much of oil in this dish. The only thing I loved about this dish? The brussel sprouts of course. My mom was quite reluctant with the idea of eating what I normally call "micro cabbages" but I managed to mother her into eating them. She discovered love then!

Dulce Leche frites

 If you're asking, I took this picture with my humble 2 year old IXUS. Not sure how I did it but then again... hmm.

Anyway, the dulce leche frites were as good as they looked. I enjoyed this dessert immensely and perhaps, this was the only thing from the set menu that truly impressed me. I told my mom I might hate this but had to eat my words after having a bite of this incredibly sinful yet oh so good dessert.

Sambal Aglio Olio

This was lovely. Ingredients were very fresh.The pasta was cooked al dente. The amount of asparagus and prawns were quite generous. There was enough to sambal to ensure no disappointment for lovers of this pungent, prawn paste. However, it could have been lovelier. Wished there was some limau kasturi juice in it to spice things up. :)

Raspberry and Chocolate Cake

Initially, I wanted to go for the cempedak cake and my mom wanted to have banana cake. Nonetheless, we decided that we wanted something acidic instead. So, we settled for the raspberry and chocolate cake. Bad idea. It was dry. A bit too sweet and the chocolate part of the cake lacked the chocolatey goodness that we were hoping for.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

The homemade hot chocolate would be good for those who love more milk than chocolate but might as well order steamed milk right? At RM 13 per mug, I was expecting a rich, fragrant chocolatey thing. I guess I could only dream, no?

Overall, I am sitting on the fence in regards to ABC. It's neither too bad nor too mind-blowingly good to warrant a second visit, since prices are on the pricey side. Our meal cost her RM 100 plus, which works out around RM 50 per pax? At when it's RM 50 per person, you would expect mind blowing food or something like Ben's?

Or maybe it's just me. Me, having so much of cafe food in Melbourne to the point that average is not an option.


Little things: 

-Ambience: You certainly come here for the ambience

-Service: Very good

-Portions: Reasonable

-Budget: I consider this on the pricey side since food wasn't particularly mind blowing. Lunch set costs RM 49++ and bill came in RM 100 plus. :(

-More information: Click here for more info

By the way, how was your Chinese New Year? Mine was quite a bore, with the exception of an interview with my lecturer yesterday. It went well, which made it a highlight. 

My CNY in 3 pictures!

Domo is ill. Dragons afloat. Being silly.

Singapore: Paradise Dynasty @ Ion Orchard

So, I went to Singapore. 

It was neither interesting nor boring. It's a bit like visiting another Kuala Lumpur except that the whole island is Kuala Lumpur itself, maybe slightly bigger.

Anyway, I visited Singapore not as a tourist. Thus, I didn't take pictures with the Merlion and the likes. No, I am not the sort of person who does these things. This really explains why I haven't been to Ngong Ping 360 or the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong. Seriously, the best way to experience a place to do what locals usually do. I think a crash course in history, images and tourism really does affect my view towards what a vacation should be. 

I digress. 

Initially, my friend, N, planned shitloads for me to do, mostly eating and shopping. However, I ended up cancelling most of the eating part because the hot weather does have a way of making you not want to eat or too sluggish to travel. Hence, I returned to KL, pounds shed and all. 

The first place I went to Singapore was Paradise Dynasty. Just because N wanted me to experience the rainbow coloured xiao long baos, each colour representing different flavors. 

8 flavors - Szechuan, Cheese, Foie Gras, Original, Crab Roe, Garlic, Ginseng, Truffle

The XLB here are pretty good but they are unfortunately, not particularly mind blowing. I think it takes a lot more for a XLB to be mind blowing and having 8 different colours and tastes is not the way to go. 

Truffle XLB

Not especially when some XLB taste better than others. I personally thought that the cheese XLB tasted good ( N hates it). I also had the truffle XLB but the taste of truffles were incredibly faint. If you were to feast on it without thinking, chances are, you may not be able to taste any truffles. One should not be expecting to discover slivers of winter Perigords sitting in there. Generally, truffles just lose their fragrance when they are steamed.

Having said that, I felt that the XLB were good as XLBs. The skin is quite thin. There was quite a bit of broth, even though not as much as the ones at KL's famous Shanghai Restaurant, and the ratio of meat to fat was reasonable. The top of the XLB did not taste like dough, so I guess I would consider this good.

Certainly much better than the XLBs in Melbourne and Din Tai Fung Pavilion. 

Pickled lotus roots

Garlic and ginger cucumbers

 We also ordered other things apart from XLB. I literally walloped the cucumbers and lotus roots as they were the only source of greens I had for the entire day! (The 5 hour bus trip totally killed my veg intake!). The chilled cucumbers were a bit boring. I felt that they lacked the acidity from the rice vinegar, which is commonly used to prepare this dish? 

The lotus roots, on the other hand, were acidic enough. Plus, they were very crunchy. I find them rather delicious. However, it could be my bias talking. I tend to dig into sour dishes. So don't mind me. 

Chicken chop la mian

 The la mian here is quite enjoyable. I did not have the broth as my appetite was pretty much whacked out from having two XLBs!! I still managed to have the noodles, which were "al dente". What I loved about this was that they had lots of greens in the la mian. I also did not have the chicken chop as I did not felt like meat.

Creamy egg white and seafood dish

 N and I decided to order this as this was our favorite. I just had the first taste of this incredibly light dish a few days ago in Shang Palace, my favorite Chinese haunt in Kuala Lumpur and thought "why not?" when I saw it on the menu!

Alas, it was not as smooth as it should be. :( The egg whites were considered pretty "hard" for this dish's standards. The saving grace? The rather light, milky taste and the generous amount of scallops and prawns.

Spicy Szechuan dumplings

N loves this. She urged me to try one of it. I did. I actually did not feel like eating anything anymore but I just tried. It was actually very, very nice. I loved it. The skin was pretty thin and very smooth, the ratio of meat was just nice, and taste wise, it was bewildering -slightly acidic, spicy and salty.  I wished I could have more of it. Only if my guts have the space, that is.

Stir fried rice cakes with mixed vegetables and meat

 This could be a good dish but it was just too salty. We did not further pursue it after one bite and many vegetables later.

Radish Puff

 I did not particularly dig into the pastry layer of the radish puff but for a radish puff, they were pretty generous with the radish. Taste wise, it was a bit odd. Execution issues?

Pumpkin pancakes

The pumpkin pancakes speak promises of pumpkins but failed to deliver them. Most of it tasted of dough. :(

Overall, I highly recommend that you stick to their la mian and XLBs. :) Not sure about other dishes though. Or maybe it's just me.



Note: Ladyironchef is not convinced that the colourful XLBs can trump the average joe XLB. :)

Review: Lunch @ Tanzini, G Tower KL

I've always wanted to go to Tanzini. Read a lot about it. The food looks good. However, I never got around to actually going there. Plus, my parents are never very adventurous. Like I've said a million times, and I will say it again, my dad only eats Chinese food. My mom, on the other hand, usually stick with reliable haunts where she knows that the food is good. Bad food pisses my mom off. And trust me, it's nasty. I had just seen her "pissed off" look yesterday after our lunch at Sek Yuen, a restaurant that I picked in order to suit to my dad's Chinese tastes and really, to make him understand why not all Chinese is good. 

Anyway, long story short, my wish to have Tanzini is granted by my mom, who has ran out of places to eat and my dad, who had no choice but to tag along. Either that or he's going solo. 

Getting to Tanzini is a hassle. First, it's accessible via a special keycard that most hotel guests will have and visitors will not. So, one will have to enlist the help of a security guard to gain access to the lifts. Second, there may be up to six lifts operating but it takes around 10- 15 minutes for a lift to open its doors. Third, there's no third really but writing a third makes it nicer.


Without thinking twice, we jumped straight for the set lunch. The ala carte menu is extensive but it's also pretty expensive. Plus, we were not sure if food here is good. So, we had the set lunch. It costs RM 49 ++ for a 2 course set lunch and a RM 65++ for a 3 course set lunch. Naturally, 2 out of 3 of us went for the 2 course set lunch because I decided that I will skip desserts. I can't have too much of sweets. Bad for my adult acne.

 

The bread was alright. Slightly on the dry side but quite herby. Since we were bordering on starvation, we helped ourselves with the generous basket of bread. There were three condiments to go with: olive oil, balsamic vinegar and capsicum-tomato puree. Of course, I went for the third option. It sounded more interesting than the previous two and my choice was right. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar bores me, unfortunately. Guess I've been having too much of that in my 900 sq feet Melbourne apartment?

Crispy Turkey Salad

There is a choice of soup or salad. My mom and I went for the salad. The salad of the day was Crispy Turkey salad. The said crispy turkey was actually fine, strips of crisp ham that tasted a little like fried pancetta. I was hoping for generous shreds of the big bird.

What I love about the salad is that it comprises of three fruits: grape, raspberry and orange. The use of three pretty acidic fruits makes this salad a refreshing course for the rather hot day. Plus, it's a nice change from the standard mozarella, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar combo.

Soup of the day - clam soup

 The soup was rather delicious.  Perhaps, slightly more interesting than the salad. The clams were fresh and I could taste a little white wine. The white wine effectively tones down the soup's rich character.

Pan Roasted Barramundi

 High in Omega 3 or not, I'd say, skip the barramundi. They used fresh water instead of the pricier, salt water relative. So, one is bound to have tasteless or muddy tasting fish. We had both in one go, a rather wicked combo I should say. I cringed at the first bite. Not good.

Tuscany Grilled Chicken

 The Tuscany Grilled Chicken was one of the more intriguing dishes as was a fusion between Asian and Italian flavors. The chicken was marinated in pandan, thus giving it a slightly green tinge. The basil pesto worked surprisingly well with it. Initially, my mom felt that this combination tasted almost out of the world but as one gets used to the otherworldly concept, you will love it!

The gnocchi is pillowy and went well with the slightly salty stewed beans and spinach.

Chilli Tagliatelle Prawn

Chili pasta is something I cannot seem to work my head around. I just SUCK in it even though it's so super simple. So, if it is offered in a menu, I would not hesitate to order it.

The tiger prawn is super huge and fresh. That scored this dish some brownie points. More brownie points for the use of salmon roe and a small drizzle of coconut cream, which made it perfect with the curry-chilli perfumed al dente pasta.

The only setback was probably the lack of acidity. Lemon juice is needed here.

Dessert of the day - chocolate cake

This looked like a rather simple dessert but it tasted so good! The cake is prepared using good chocolate and the best thing of all? It's not too sweet. I had a nip or two but it left an impression.

Tiramisu (RM 28)

Tiramisu here is not mind blowing. I think that's because it's whipped up on the spot instead of being kept overnight or over many nights. Tiramisu only tastes good overnight because the ingredients bind well together to give the cake a unison flavor - slightly alcoholic, slightly cheesy, slightly eggy, slightly caffenated and slightly chocolatey. However, this tiramisu is still very separated and quite warm. Not to mention, only little espresso (you must use a CHUCK load) and even lesser alcohol (generally marsala or even better, kahlua) were used.

I think my sister still makes the best tiramisu, hands down!

Overall, I don't think I'll visit Tanzini in a while. It's a nice change from the standard Italian fare but it's nothing particularly special even though food is good. Plus, it's not cheap.

Little things: 

-Cuisine: Fusion Italian

-Ambience: It does remind me of Sage

-Price: Quite pricey I think. Our bill came out as nearly RM 200. No such thing as tap water here. Only Acqua Panna, which costs RM 15 per pop.

-Portion: Reasonable

-For more information: Click here

RM 45 for 3 high tea in Kuala Lumpur?

Yes guys, it's true. 

There is such thing as a "RM 45 for 3 afternoon tea" in Kuala Lumpur and you can find it in none other than GTower's Lobby Lounge. 

Not many people wrote about this place so I did not know to what extent the high tea is good. However, my mom kept pestering me that WE SHOULD have the afternoon tea at the lounge after reading an ad about the deal on the way up to Tanzini. Anyway it's RM 45 for 3 (That's like 5 Australian Dollars per person! You can't even buy a slice of high quality cake with 5 AUD these days). She kept emphasizing the fact and I was sold.

We had our high tea on a Sunday. We were expecting a noisy brawl but...

Empty hall

...it was actually a quiet hall!

I was thinking: How can it be possible?!

Actually, we were informed that the lounge is quite packed during office hours. That explains. 

Portions are pretty huge!

Other options are unavailable so one is only left with the RM 45 for 3 set. The set comes with 4 XL sized finger sandwiches, 1 cranberry danish, three muffins (blueberry, chocolate and walnut), 1 pear and walnut tart, and 5 different cakes (orange cheesecake, blueberry cake, chocolate cake, raspberry chocolate mousse cake, and carrot cake).

Sandwiches!

I could not find any fault with the sandwiches here as the breads used were the sort I normally dig into - wholewheat, rye etc. The fillings were decent for the price. Two had cheese and another two had roast meat inside. It comes with a little mayo, lettuce and tomatoes. I felt that it was a steal, considering the bread was very good. 

Danish, muffins

The danish was quite moist and chewy even though it tasted pleasant. I guess the moisture was from the cranberry compote and jam? 

There were three muffins. They were quite large for high tea standards but it was good enough to feed three adults. I had no issues with the muffins apart from the chocolate muffin being on the dryer side. I guess the lack of chocolate chips meant dryer muffins. The blueberry muffin was my favorite as it was very moist and slightly sour from the berries. 

Pear and walnut tart

We then moved on to the sweets. The tart was quite decent. The pear offered a nice fruity twist to this nutty tart. The tart casing was probably store bought but you do pay for what you get. 

Blueberry cake

This blueberry cake was actually very nice. Moist and slightly nutty. 

Carrot cake

This carrot cake is packed with the goodness of cinnamon, dried fruit and seeds but lacked the salty tang we were looking for. Perhaps, not enough cream cheese was used? We could live with that if there was a pinch of salt in the cake. 

Orange cheesecake

The cheesecake was quite nice although it was not smooth enough. The orange taste makes the cheesecake easier to eat. It cuts some of the richness. 

Raspberry and chocolate mousse cake

This was our favorite cake for the day. The raspberry mousse and jelly was actually pretty sour, which made it an ideal pair with the slightly rich chocolate layers. 

I forgotten to snap a picture of the chocolate cake. That was not bad too but it lacked the moisture. I think that they should use yogurt to give the cake a little more moisture... 

Coffee- quite strong but it lacks the acidity that I normally look for in the standard long black

Coffee here is not too bad for those who chase after the bitterness in their cuppa. :)

TWG teas ( RM 12 per pot - unlimited refills) - one can never go wrong with Grand Wedding and Magic Flute, both teas have fruity and floral notes!

Overall, I recommend this place for those who would love to have a decent high tea without leaving a scar in their wallets. I actually find this place quite reasonable considering the price. Service was also alright. 

To be honest, I rather be here than to be in Starhill Tea Salon where food is below average, overpriced and service is downright awful. You can read all about my visit at Starhill Tea Salon here. 

Oh, you can purchase baked items with 50 percent discount after 4pm. :) The artisan breads here are actually quite enjoyable!

Little things: 

-Ambience: Bright, simple decor. 

-Service: Friendly

-Portion: Large for standard afternoon teas. 

-Budget: RM 45 for the high tea. RM 12 for the TWG tea. Tea set comes with only Boh tea or coffee. 

-More information: Click here. Afternoon tea runs from 12pm to 7pm daily. 

If he had loved you

would not have ridiculed your issues, saying "It's no big deal"
would have understand the hardships you went through
would not have hurt the people you care for
would say "sorry", "thank you", "please"around you
would not yell at you each time you are sick
would have respect your decision, as much as you respect his
would not have bullied about your looks
would not have said that whatever you bought was rubbish
would change for the sake of you
would have think twice before he utter his words
would try to understand the situation, circumstance
would not ask you to love him more than he loves you
would not use money as a measure of love
would not flaunt you in front of his friends
would place you on top of the pedestal
would not think that his car is more important than you
would not embarrass himself in fear that he embarrasses you
would give you surprises without thinking that it's old fashioned
would have hold your hands in public
would prefer you over his mates
would understand the fact that you care for him
would put in more effort into a relationship
would admit his mistakes and not try to save his ego

None of these things you will, can do
Hence, your love for me is shallower than a kiddie pool
This is the unfortunate, brutal truth.