Ben's Pavilion & KLCC

*My first official post at this blog!* I have been eating at a few new places lately, one of which is Ben's at Pavilion. This little gem is located on the 6th floor where Carat Club used to stand. If not for Yi Leng, I wouldn't have stepped into Ben's.

The interior was nice, spacious, airy.. I like the decor here. Service was good too.

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you- that is a huge table lamp. Very nice touch to the place.

We had a Balsamic Chicken Salad (MYR 17.90) to share- this had avocados in it. I love almost anything with avocados!

A Basil Pesto Spaghettini (MYR 18.90) with Chargrill Chicken (additional MYR 6). One of the better pestos I have had. I couldn't stop picking at the cheese, it was so yummy!! Pecorino romano. MmmMmmm.

We also shared a Macaroni and Cheese (MYR 20.90), it wasn't the usual gooey sticky cheese which I was used to but a more refined sauce in place. Different but still tasty and addictive!

Crispy crust, warm cheesy macaroni. Nom nom nom.

That was my first experience at Ben's @ Pavilion, the second time I was there, we celebrated a friend's birthday. Food was good as usual, we made space for desserts despite over ordering and leaving almost ONE WHOLE PLATE of pasta untouched. Desserts at Ben's surprised us all, I honestly did not expect it to be so good. 

BUT! The air-conditioning was horrible that night and we were so close to sweating (I think some of us did). Also the waiter accidentally gave away a Strawberry Shortcake (the last piece) which we had ordered to the next table. We highlighted that it was meant for our friend's birthday and the staff quickly whipped up another one for us. It didn't look like the original one but the taste more than made up for it. 

No pictures of my second visit but we had the Balsamic Chicken Salad (again) and also the Basil Pesto (yes, again!) and some other dishes worth trying out are the Duck Confit Spaghettini, and the Crabmeat Puttanesca. Dessert? CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE TORTE! Must try!! It even comes with a glass of milk.

There is also a Ben's at KLCC, which I ate at last week- the layout here is even nicer than Pavilion's! They actually replaced California Kitchen (boohoo.. now its at Fahrenheit88). Right upfront, they have a bar area, step further in and you will see a dessert area where people who aren't having full meals sit and have tea and cake, in the middle you have the dining area and right at the back you get a smoking area. Very nice! I liked it.

Panels show you what the chefs are up to..

Balsamic Chicken Salad. Must have!

Ben's Burger (or something like that)

Tasty patty but I would've liked it better if it was more firm

Assam fish with rice

Really spicy belacan!

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE TORTE!!!

Ben's at KLCC was a bit of a let down, the only thing good that night was the Balsamic Chicken Salad. Compared to Ben's Pavilion, their servings are bigger. The burger was just so-so, and the Assam dish.. the fish was dry, the rice was hard. They even messed up the Chocolate Truffle Torte! The milk which came with it wasn't cold, the cake was a bit hard (perhaps not chilled right?). But the taste of the torte was still good.

Overall, I would stick to pasta dishes at Ben's. Both places have their pros and cons but I might go back to Ben's KLCC to try out their pasta dishes before deciding my favourite location.

*All pictures taken by iPhone 3Gs*

Ben's Pavilion

+603 2141 5290

Level 6, Pavilion Shopping Mall

168 Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Ben's KLCC

Lot 140 First Floor

Suria KLCC

50088 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Hello World!

It is no secret that all the writers for this blog have a love-hate relationship with food, hence the title. A short explanation:

Sad >> Eat yummy food >> Happy >> Weight gain

Happy >> Celebrate with yummy food >> Happier >> Weight gain

Bored >> Try new restaurants >> Over-order >> Weight gain

Greedy >> Over-order >> Weight gain

See, it never ends happily for us. Our lack of self-control is abysmal when it comes to delicious food. Weight gain is not necessarily a bad thing but most (if not all) of the writers here are trying to keep their weight from creeping up. Dining out already costs $$$ and we can't all afford new wardrobes to go with our meal(s). If only we could enjoy all the wonderful dishes in the world minus the extra pounds and sad bank balance.

This isn't just another food blog, it is a place for us to share our dining experiences- both good and bad. If you like a restaurant we have written about, chances are you would like the others we have eaten at too. Some of the writers here have VERY picky palates and specific tastes, and the others just like good food and enjoy eating out. 

Regardless, all of us here are in a long term love-hate affair with food.

Enjoy!