The Daily Grind @ Bangsar Village 1, KL

Gourmet burgers at affordable prices, The Daily Grind offers a selection of burgers to satisfy any burger cravings- beef, chicken, fish, soft shell crab, vegetarian, even foie gras!

The Appetizer section on their Menu is very tempting, I wanted to order almost everything but in the end settled with the Stuffed Jalapenos.

So perfectly breaded and fried, the almond cream cheese inside was sooo goood. The peppers weren't too spicy and went very well with the cream cheese.

For my main, I decided on the Foie Gras burger- "Pan seared foie gras over a juicy beef patty with balsamic palm sugar glaze, slices of portobello mushroom & a dollop of onion cranberry jam".

I loved the balsamic glaze, the mushrooms were juicy and flavourful, so was the foie gras atop my patty. The fries were pretty good too. I rarely ever touch the salads which come along with my meal, most of the time they look bland or are drenched in dressing I can't even tell if the lettuce is fresh or not. But this one came with a very nice and light dressing which reminded me of J Cafe's (a Japanese restaurant in Melbourne). My only gripe is that the patty was just so-so. I mean, it had flavour and the texture was good, but the taste wasn't exactly "awesome". 

My date decided to go with a "basic", simpler burger to get a better taste of the patty. Classic beef burger with cheese- "Homemade ketchup, our own proprietary mustard mix & homemade pickles between buttered toasted buns". 

Good, but not mind blowing. 

We each had a Ginger Ale but the mug was so big, I struggled to finish even half of it.

 A nice place to have a lazy Sunday lunch or just to catch up with friends.


The Daily Grind
+603 2287 6708
LG 8 Lower Ground, Bangsar Village
1 Jalan Telawi 1
Bangsar Baru 59100
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Open: Everyday, 11am - 11pm
Website: www.thedailygrind.com.my

Ma Maison @ Ampang, KL

Our first encounter with French dining took place at Ma Maison. A colleague actually urged me to try the food here as it was authentic (the Chef is French) so we made dinner plans here.

Upon arriving at 7pm, we noticed from the outside that there was NO ONE in the restaurant! La Risata down the road was already buzzing with patrons but Ma Maison was very quiet and for a second we contemplated making a run for it and eating down the road. We did come to our senses after a few minutes and decided to head in anyway.

Everything in the restaurant was very quaint, from the decor to the music and even the setting.

The whole evening, we were served by the Chef and after taking our order (we were the only ones there) we were promptly served with garlic bread.

Not the best, I would pass this and save space in my tummy for other dishes.

We had a Prawn Bisque and Ms Chan (foie gras) to start-

Creamy, not heavy, full of flavour.. very tasty.

Ms Chan! The first time Ive had foie gras served this way. It's lighter and not as rich tasting but still delicious.

For our mains, we shared the Beef Tenderloin, it was just so-so. I wouldn't re-order this.

We also had the Cod with lemon butter. This was very yummy, the broth was sweet as was the fish, firm and milky.

Bernaise sauce for beef

lemon butter for fish

So far our meal was pretty good, and we were both puzzled as to why the restaurant had no other patron. When the clock hit 8pm, only did the regulars start coming in. They knew what was on the menu even without opening and even asked for specials which were seasonal. Yes, we could hear from across the room because the whole place was so quiet. A while later, another family streamed in and we burst out in laughter thinking about our decision to run earlier.

Although the garlic bread and beef weren't the best, the most disappointing dish of the night was actually the Chocolate Mousse below..

Perfectly fluffy

After 2-3 bites

 Ick. It became all watery and we had to flag the Chef down to ask if it was supposed to look like that. He apologized and offered to replace our dessert but we were too full so we passed.

All in all a good place to sample French food without the exorbitant prices- but be prepared to pay about 100 per pax or less depending on the mains and starters you order. I would definitely recommend the fish and seafood.

Your thoughts, XC?

-Xen

x x x

XC's Review:

I love Ms Chan! Though its the 3rd serve of foie gras I've had in my life, I thought the presentation was good - infused with slices of green grapes! 

The beef was overcooked on one end, and I didn't really enjoy it either. As for the fish, it was lemon-y fresh and the portion was big! I was expecting  the fish to be served in big wide plate with a sink in centre, presented in kitty portions of fish. I would say it's a good 'to-share' portion.

After this dining experience, if you would not want to feel awkward sitting in a quiet, empty restaurant, I guess it's best to make a reservation past 8pm. I nearly laughed out loud when Xen mentioned she made a reservation to the Chef when I can actually hear the wind blowing from the air conditioner.

I would love to try lunch some day!

Ma Maison
+603 4256 5410
32 Persiaran Ampang
55000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Open: Lunch & Dinner

Al-Amar Express @ Bintang Walk

Located right outside Fahrenheit88, opposite Pavilion, alongside Coffee Club and Sephora.. you wouldn't miss it. My company shot pictures of their food for their video presentation (you can watch it in the restaurant). Funky did mention that when he's shooting, he will let me know so we can eat for free! But he didn't.. =___=  His pictures proved that they look awesome-licious so Xen and I decided to go give it a try.

Lahem Bi Ajin MYR12

Mix Chawarma Platter MYR26

Lamb Mechwi MYR14

And.... a bottle of 1L mineral water which costed us MYR10  =___=

Portions were decent, but I have to say, I wasn't taking in the flavours too well. The thin crust pizza with minced meat actually tasted sour. The mixed platter was not fantastic either. Im bad at wrapping my own food. Either too much meat or too little sauce? :D

I preferred the lamb mechwi best, as it was nicely wrapped and didn't have a sour taste to hehe. 

I felt a little uncomfortable while lunch-ing, as it felt pretty warm :C 

what's your review on this, Xen?

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Xen's Review:

I was actually down with a really bad sorethroat the day I ate here. Okay I know most Asians would stay away from 'heaty' food (ie: fried, baked, grilled, too strong tasting.. basically ANY tasty food!) for fear of further aggravating the condition but I figured Lebanese people (or any other 'heaty' cuisine for that matter- Korean? Italian?) probably DIDN'T eat plain porridge or clear soup when they were sick, so I should be fine. It was just a matter of getting used to it, plus it wasn't like I was chomping down chillies and swallowing them.

The interior is really bright and spacious, while it wasn't hot when we sat down- it gradually did as the Sun started to shift- however please note that both XC and I are not very tolerant toward the heat. On our way out, I saw people seated outside, who were happily eating and didn't even break a sweat. So, it could just be us.

The platter was a bit of a let down, I felt the meat was a bit dry and though it tasted nice, the marinade was just a bit too much for me. I like to be able to taste the chicken/beef that I am eating as well. I enjoyed the minced meat "pizza" the most- it was sour, tangy, a little spicy but tasty! I haven't tasted flavours like these before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Don't order this dish and expect it to taste like an Italian/American pizza cause you are dining at a Lebanese restaurant. For me, there isn't really a right/wrong dish in any cuisine. Taste is very subjective so it isn't really fair to say 'Oh this dish SUCKS.. or is DISGUSTING' etc. So you either like it, or you don't. We don't all have the same taste-buds and no two chefs cook the same. Okay, I digress.

Back to the review- the Lamb Mechwi was a bit like a kebab to me, but with huge chunks of meat. Again, this didn't stand out to me. Most of their dishes were served with yoghurt and they already tasted sour-ish to begin with, so I think it is safe to conclude that Lebanese food is curved towards sour-ish, tangy tastes?

I might be back for the minced pizza, it's a different taste from what I am used to and I quite enjoy it. Oh and as a follow up, my throat did not, I repeat, DID NOT get any worse after eating grilled meats and spices. 

Fahrenheit 88
Al-Amar Express
Tel : 603-2141 3814

Cafe Vue @ Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, Australia

I had the pleasure of visiting Melbourne, Australia, last week and the last place I ate at was Cafe Vue at the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (International Departures). To me, Cafe Vue is the lighter, more affordable baby of the renowned Vue de Monde. In total, there are 3 Cafe Vue-s scattered around Melbourne city and I have sampled the fare from the one on Little Collins Street. Cafe Vue certainly doesn't disappoint, and I was borderline ecstatic when I discovered this eatery en-route to boarding.

It can be found just after all the Duty Free shopping and just before the boarding gates, you can't miss it.

very eye-catching..

on my left there was a dining area..

on my right was the queue for Take Aways..

waiting for my order..

Lunch Box at AUD15!

Trivia: To make 1 kilo of honey, bees have to visit 4 million flowers,
travelling a distance equal to 4 times around the earth.  

wooden fork + knife..

Very tasty guacamole!

Guacamole with potato crisps was good! The chips were not salted but were tasty on their own and came in big whole pieces not crushed or broken.

Cold but refreshing

Tuna rissoni with yuzu dressing was served cold, to my surprise. I didn't really enjoy it because it was very early in the morning and I was hoping to get a warm bite. But I must say it was tasty.

Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing on ciabatta was also served at room temperature, looking at the colour of the sauce I expected it to taste heavily of mayonnaise (as most white sauces on bread do) but it doesn't! In fact, it was light and wasn't even mayo. The texture of the ciabatta wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst I've had either.

No pics of the White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake but it was pretty damn good. And I am not saying that just cause I like sweets. The texture was fluffy but dense enough to bite down on, the crust, the raspberry just yummy! LOVED IT!

I picked the LunchBox eventhough it was early in the morning, as I wanted something a little heavier with more savoury dishes. The Breakfast Box had more sweet items. I waited for less than 10 minutes for my box, but to be fair there wasn't much of a queue when I placed my order. Not too sure if that's the standard time or it would take longer if there were more patrons.

"For the true Café Vue experience our signature offering the ‘Café Vue Lunch Box’ is available at all of our cafes. The complete 'Lunch Experience,' the custom designed box contains everything required for a gastronomic lunch with flair! The menu changes monthly and typically includes a starter, a salad, a savoury and a sweet. Perfect for lunch on the run, a day at the park or an impressive board room lunch, advance orders are welcome for large quantities and delivery can be arranged. The cost is $15 per box."

Overall, I still think Cafe Vue serves awesome food. And even better now that they have opened at the Tullamarine Airport, I am sure most people would go "REAL FOOD!". 

Cafe Vue
+613 9310 5091
Melbourne International Airport
(Terminal Two)
Victoria, Australia
Open: 7 days a week, 5am -12am,
365 days a year
Website: http://www.vuedemonde.com.au