Acme Bar & Coffee @ The TROIKA

The ambiance at Acme Bar & Coffee or ABC reminds me so much of Melbourne. Open spaces with dark fittings and furnishings. The menu also offers a different selection from what most places serve.

Pomegranate and cranberry fizz

Crunchy French Toast

Farmer's Hash

Cempedak cake

In a nutshell, I love this place. Prices are average about 20+ per main. Definitely worth checking out.


Acme Bar & Coffee

Unit G1, The Troika

19 Persiaran KLCC

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Mon - Thu: 11AM - 12midnight

Fri: 11AM - 1AM

Sat: 9.30AM - 1AM

Sun: 9.30AM - 12midnight

t: 03 2162 2288

f: http://acmebarcoffee.com

Cafe Takahashi @ Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Rarely do I classify a restaurant as mediocre, but Cafe Takahashi was DEFINITELY mediocre. Located at the Tokyo Street of Pavilion (6th Floor), I expected more out of this place.

Should have known something was amiss when the other restaurants were bustling with people and this was the only place with plenty of empty tables.

(Fried?) Takoyaki MYR7.90 for 3

Hand Tossed Scallop & prawn Pizza MYR28.90

Unagi & Egg Pasta MYR26.90

We had the Takoyaki, a Pizza and a Pasta. I don't even know where to start, all I can tell you is that it was a very unsatisfying meal.

The pizza tasted predominantly of cheese (usually a sign that the ingredients aren't very fresh/lack taste), the pasta was a complete let down, the unagi shrunk to such a tiny size that my dining partner wondered if they came from a TIN. Yes, tin, and not the usual air-tight packs. The meat was soft and not firm at all. The sauce tasted like it came from a jar, and very obviously so. I reckoned it tasted like kung pao sauce.

Green tea was charged at MYR2.50 per glass, and it was the powdered sort.

Service was okay and they even gave a 15% Loyalty Card at the end of our meal. But seriously, if you have a choice.. dine else where at the Tokyo Street.


Cafe Takahashi
Level 6, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Red Beanbag @ Publika, Solaris Dutamas

It was a last minute decided location for a long-time-planned brunch with the girlfriends. I have to say TQ YL for naming this place! Don't mind me elaborating a little bit more of my experience getting here. Would just like to deliver a point : I dislike getting around Publika. Yea, its a space that speaks alot of freedom, design driven and bla bla bla but heck, parking's limited and I get lost here all the time!

The Red Beanbag is not located at the central main mall. It's across the road -- a corner unit tucked away on the first floor. Not too difficult to find but it's easy to miss in a way.

the interior

As I was walking up the stairs, there was a couple walking down looking frustrated. Her partner said out loud and impatient, asking to go elsewhere. It was full at 1.30pm on a Sunday. I didn't know YL made reservation, so I waited.. the fourth person on the waiting list. So people, make reservation before you go!! Three cheers to YL for making a smart move. Minutes later they arrived!

The space relates very well with every individual element -- series of concrete-illusion walls, wooden furniture and corrugated board menu. All together, they just compliment each other very well, creating a comfy environment. 3 hours of girl talk? Not a problem at all.

interesting menu

It would be nice if they used cement particle boards to clad the walls instead of an effect paint.. what's even better -- cement screed walls for a raw finish. Little sacks carry stuff that represent the respective word printed on them, being lined up playfully along the wall of their kitchen gallery -- something that dislodged me from the chatty crowd and busy waiters. Nothing beyond the norm but its sort of engaging in a way :)

discover.. love?

Water was served the Melbourne way. Even the waitress spoke fluently with an Australian accent haha! Instant flashback of Melbourne moments was when I had their latte. It was a good cup of latte, as compared to many weird so-called-coffee we get around KL. Not the best but good. The taste was there but missing the aroma. Ooo I remember the aroma of good, good coffee as I talk my long walk down LaTrobe Street to my university during winter. mmmm... love.

specialty baked eggs

Eggs cracked into a baking dish of lamb, beef and chicken bratwurst, sundried tomatoes, aubergine, potatoes and cheese, baked to perfection and served with crusty bread (RM17.90)

We ordered this to share. The cheese was just nice, but the egg yolks seem pretty overdone. We were looking forward to have Eggs Atlantic and many more that has salmon in them.. but they ran out of salmon that day!!! So we settled for...

eggs benedict v2.0

Poached eggs with hollandaise, asparagus, mushrooms and streaky beef bacon or turkey ham, with two pieces of fluffy French toasted bread (RM15.90)

YL and I had the turkey ham (I thought they served mind with no ham, cos the slice was super small), and Xen had the streaky beef bacon. Regardless the ham being so sneaky looking, this was good. Each of us had one of our poached eggs close to overdone. I can let that slide because their fluffy toast -- *thumbs up*. Hollandaise sauce was slightly bland, but I like it that way. Doesn't mask the perfectly toasted fluffy bread.

I never had such good breakfast in a long time. I had a really bad one at Departure Lounge, Damansara Utama two years ago. It was so disappointing that I actually didn't wanna have any breakfast plans for a very long time. I relied and trusted my toaster at home instead ever since!

We had their desserts too! Do try their Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. Heavenly rich and sinful. Please pass their Green Tea Mousse. Tasted chalky :/

THE RED BEANBAG
Lot A4-1-8, Solaris Dutamas
(opposite Publika’s open space/Ben’s)
Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-6211 5116
Tue – Fri: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Sat – Sun: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Pre-booked dinners for functions available.
http://www.facebook.com/theredbeanbag

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?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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