Review: Canoodling & Ricetaurant

The BIG group's empire does not stop short at Western food. You may find Asian fares at both Canoodling and Ricetaurant at Bangsar Village II. Canoodling focused on all things noodles, whilst Ricetaurant serves various rice dishes on top of dishes that goes with steamed white rice. The best part of this combo is that they are situated next to each other, hence you can cross order from each other's menus.

We have been here several times and we find both outlets served quite good food even though the price may be a little high as compared to hawkers or dai chow (big stir-fry) shops. Dining in air-cond with comfort does come with a price ;-)



If you were to sit over at Canoodling side, you'll be peppered by bright yellow and black utensils and decor items. Where else over at Ricetaurant side it's silver, black and red. Totally dig the menu that came like school exercise book! The kitchens are enclosed in glass where you can actually have a look at how your food is being cooked here.



On one visit, I had a hearty bowl of Braised Beef Brisket Noodles (RM13.90). The broth is peppered with spices like star anise and cloves, thin slices of brisket and tripe. Loved the slight bouncy texture of the tendon.



Capt'n Hook had Thai Belachan Mango Fried Rice (RM13.90) which as usual, I have a little bite. This fried rice is not too bad eh, filled with wok hei (breath of a wok) but I personally like the belachan (shrimp paste) to be slightly stronger though.



There is an addition of Four King Belachan Vegetables (RM12.90) which surprisingly came up tops in terms of wok hei and sambal belachan used to stir fry the vegetables (French beans, ladyfingers, brinjal & onions) which can beat quite a number of dai chow places! Our only complaint is the brinjal sticks were sliced a bit too wide.



Capt'n Hook tried the Bubur Cha Cha (RM4.90) but was displeased with the sago that clumps together otherwise this would be something that could satisfy Capt'n Hook's craving. Mid way into this, a tiny piece of plastic was discovered. We informed the staff about both the clumpy sago and the plastic piece. We were offered a replacement but declined since we're quite full already. Coincidently, one of their management staff was seated nearby going through the restaurants stuff with the chef. We went by to say hello and feedback to her about the bubur cha cha and in general. We were glad that their chef had actually told her about the clumpy sago moments ago seeking for a solution. Talk about being efficient! Anyway, we have a great chat with her and glad to say that she welcomed all our feedbacks with open arms. When we leave, she said she's going to order the Four King Belachan Vegetables to spot check on the kitchen lol.

Another time, I ordered the Lemongrass Chicken Chop & Fried Egg with Rice (RM15.90) from the One Plate menu which come with soup and dessert. The soup came piping hot and seriously tasted homemade. On that day, a Monday, ABC soup was served and we both concurred that the soup has been boiling for hours that made it so tummy warming. My dish came very quickly actually, like within 3 sips of my soup upon serving. The chicken chop is tender but the lemongrass marinade is a little too mild to my tastebud.





Capt'n Hook who used to like Delicious (formerly owned by The Big Group which is now sold to E&O) nasi ulam & ayam percik and was delighted to find the same dish here. Ayam Percik and Salted Egg with Nasi Ulam (RM19.90) also comes under the One Plate menu.



Dessert served on that day was Mung Bean Sweet Soup which tasted like homemade.



Pleased to note that both Canoodling and Ricetaurant are pork free. We're glad that there's finally some good Asian food found inside Bangsar Village II, well of course other than the super delicious fried hokkien mee at Reunion Restaurant (which so happens to be formerly owned by The Big Group too!).


Canoodling
Ricetaurant
2F-29, Bangsar Village 2
No. 1, Jalan Telawi Satu 

Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia
Tel: +603 2287 1566
Daily Opening Hours: 12noon – 3pm & 6pm – 10pm

Review: Miss Kwan's @ Suria KLCC

Yesterday both of us dropped by at Suria KLCC, seems like it has been a while we were here. Lots of changes here and there ie. Dunkin' Donuts is closed and renovation is on going and signage plastered on the wall belonged to Famous Amos; Al Marjan is closed too and... Bumbu Desa's flagship outlet will be opening soon in its place. Otak-Otak place has opened a kiosk in the Signatures Level 2 Food Court. Was sad to note that Taiwan House stall is also boarded up.

Capt'n Hook went into one of those electronic or was it a camera shop but I waited outside. Then I spied on level 4 above me was this kiosk named Miss Kwan's. I was curious since this kiosk is just a stone throw away from Madam Kwan's. When he came out from the shop, I pointed to him... he was like huh are they competitor or a spin-off? Anyway, he decided to go to Madam Kwan's for dinner so I guess that's a way to find out.



As we stepped off the escalator, I noted this kiosk with a central food preparation station cum cashier and the back of it have some chic looking tables and chairs. Capt'n Hook stepped up to the cashier and asked her what is their relation with Madam Kwan's. She replied that Miss Kwan's is the QSR (quick service restaurant) of Madam Kwan's. Since they're the same we decided to dine here instead. The menu is limited and a little different from Madam Kwan's. The dishes and condiments are the same but they mix and match the dishes with the rice to churn them into sets. For example, Assam Fish Rice, Beef Rendang Rice, Sambal Prawns Rice etc. There are light meals like toast, soft boiled eggs, nasi lemak bungkus (RM6.90) and chee cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) too. If not mistaken there are a couple of dessert choices and one of it is tong yuen (glutinous rice balls served in ginger syrup).

True to being a QSR, our food arrived in less than 5 minutes after seated down. Capt'n Hook had the Nasi Lemak set (RM17.30) that came with a drink which he picked iced lemon tea. The nasi lemak here still pack a punch... with the same condiments of curry chicken, kickass sambal, fried peanuts, serunding (floss), acar and cucumber slices are served with a rich coconut milk rice.



I picked an Assam Fish set (RM17.90) and opted for an Umbra (kedondong) juice instead of iced lemon tea. Loved the refreshing juice and best it's not the diluted kind. My set came with deep fried tenggiri pieces cooked in a dry and slight tangy sauce and a side of kerabu mango (salad) served with nasi bojari rice. This set has a separate bowl of watery kuah (gravy) assam. My fish is nothing outstanding. The small tenggiri slices are over fried and I had to douse them with assam gravy for flavour. The kerabu has tiny slivers of raw mangoes, overshadowed by the amount of thinly sliced onions and green chilli padi. The rice portion is not as huge as Madam Kwan's as I managed to finish up my rice :p but I'm not complaining since I never like to waste on food.



Overall, we find them to be just okay but it's a good alternative when the queue is long at Madam Kwan's. Prices are reasonable since the set include a drink.


Miss Kwan's
Lot K43B Level 4
Suria KLCC
Kuala Lumpur
(no phone number since it's a QSR afterall)

Review: Rice Cafe

**Pork Free**


A day late here but better late than never. Wishing all the fathers here Happy Father's Day! Hope you guys did enjoyed yourself.

We have meant to try Rice Cafe after reading raving mentions in AWOL, FBB and etc. We did came by here one evening during their early days but they were closed. We didn't manage to check them out until quite recently. We used the back road via Lorong Maarof (from Rebung) to reach Bangsar, and we have to pass by this row of shop houses on the left. I saw that they were opened and I asked Capt'n Hook to park the car and have dinner here instead. Rice Cafe is just a few shops down HSBC Restaurant.

The restaurant was empty saved for the staff. We were told that they are mostly crowded during lunch hours. The place is simple but yet tastefully furnished. Thumbs up for them to keep the place neat and clean.



Both of us have asked for assam laksa but it was all sold out. The man (I presumed the manager or maybe the owner) who took our order recommended me Fried Glass Noodles (Tung Fun in Cantonese) and Capt'n Hook asked for Belacan Fried Rice or was it Kampung Fried Rice??? He then asked for a serving of Salted Yolk Chicken.

After not long, the wait staff came over and asked us what kind of chillies we would prefer. Wow, I'm impressed! So nice of them to asked hehe. We have the fresh red chillies and the pickled green chillies.



When a claypot came and set upon me, I was confused. I had to asked the server what was it and he said Claypot Loh Shu Fun (RM8, a type of rice noodles). The Manager came over and I told him that I did not order this. He checked his chit and apologised. He told me that he had wrote down the order correctly but had verbally told the cook the wrong item. Not wanting the noodles go to waste, I told him it's all right, I'll have the claypot. This Claypot Loh Shu Fun is actually a special on the board and not in the menu. The version here is not the dark soy sauce version and it's on a soupy side, almost like Yoke Heng's version but the gravy not as eggy. Taste wise it was just all right with chicken slices and a couple of prawns, topped with deep fried dried shrimps and ikan bilis. If you want something plain, ask for this.



Capt'n Hook's Fried Rice (RM8.50) arrived and he dug in. Found lots of squid, chicken slices and prawns. After a few bites, he asked me to try. He said it doesn't tasted like what he had ordered. We both suspected this could be seafood fried rice hahaha but we being nice people, we kept quiet and continue to enjoy the food.



Thank goodness the Salted Yolk Chicken (RM16) came as a winner!!! I guess our act of being nice were rewarded big time. The crispy deep fried chicken pieces are deliciously coated with a creamy layer of salted yolk with pieces of crispy curry leaves lending the fragrant flavour to this dish. We literally licked the plate clean!



Despite having 2 boo boos here I guess we'll still come back. Must come back to try their assam laksa one day! Oooo and their nasi dagang and nasi lemak too! We have 2 glassed of Chinese tea to wash down the grease (RM2 per glass). There's no Government tax yet and no service charge.


Rice Cafe
98 Lorong Maarof
Bangsar Park
59000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (+6010) 362 5188
Google Map

Review: Food Garden @ The Gardens

Food Garden is a food court located at The Gardens on the third floor next to Borders. This food court is rather contemporary looking but the long table and benches reminded me of my school canteen days but in a sophisticated way.





There are about 16-17 stalls selling all sorts of delicacies here ranging from local dishes to International grubs which you can see in a glance on the wall right at the entrance of the food court.



That evening, the Korean Sam Sam stall grabbed my attention. I ordered a galbi set at RM19.90. Kinda steep eh for food court? However, the food is authentic since the Korean owner was around overseeing the cook and helpers, later on her son took over. The set came with rice, soup and kimchi.



The beef slices were cooked on a hot plate and got pushed aside for them to lay a heap of shredded cabbage and carrot topped with thousand island dressing before serving. I find the beef slices were well marinaded. Each slice is tender and full of flavour. What I didn't like was the thousand island on top of the vegetables, kinda hard to comprehend a thick and creamy dressing on top of hot vege. Next time I'll ask them to hold the dressing.



Capt'n Hook ordered a pineapple fried rice (RM6.50 if not mistaken) that came in a halved pineapple shell. Presentation was lovely but taste wise, it sucks. The rice was dry, bland and flavourless! Even though it looked like it contained a lot of pineapples, carrot bits and beans but they were very stingy with the meat. Something that is hard to accept with that kinda price one is paying.



Since Capt'n Hook find the rice way too plain, he went round seeking for some meat to go with his meal. He stopped by the Iranian House of Kebab and got himself minced lamb kebab (RM10.95). The kebabs were tasty and the marinade managed to mask the gamey smell.



The place is relatively new, hence there isn't that many patrons on a weekday evening. I supposed quite a lot of people is not aware of its existence or perhaps the steep prices shun them away? I've noticed now they have put up posters around the mall to attract some attentions. Hopefully the food court could sustain.

There is a 5% Government tax imposed on top of the above mentioned prices which made me wonder if this place runs by an established food court business otherwise how would it be possible for them to garner enough revenue to start charging Government tax in such a short period?

Food Garden
Lot T-216A, 3rd Floor
The Gardens
Tel: 603-2283 2660


Technorati tags: malaysian food

Review: Restoran Step 8 @ Kepong

Another discovery in Kepong after we received those advertisement booklet on this place. Step 8 is a cross between a cafe and a kopitiam specialising in Alor Star goodies. Since we have never been to Alor Star for food excursion, we ordered based on the photo menu, very clever of them as this is great for bananas like me.

There were sets available for a certain items. Since it was breakfast, the noodles/rice set came with unlimited refills of drinks which they've set up at a corner of the shop. You'll have to help yourself to the drinks. There were choices of coffee bags/powders (from white to vanilla coffee); English teabags and Chinese teabags. Sugar, condensed milk, cups and hot water are available to your heart's content! Brilliant idea especially when they were really having a shortage of staff! Ala carte unlimited refills were only at RM2.00.

My mom had nasi lemak rendang ayam set at RM6.90 which consist of the rice, rojak, a bowl of soup and herbal drink for lunch but since it was breakfast, we were offered a drink instead and the rojak was no where to be seen. I think it went to the next table... a very tiny portion. I took a few bites and the rendang chicken was yummy. The meat is tender and infused with rendang flavour but the sambal wasn't good.



My dad and I ordered the Step 8 - Lorong Sharif Assam Laksa (RM4.80 per set). Took them a long time before serving us these. It look watery and I find it funny to have hard boiled egg in there. Tasted awfully diluted with not much assam taste... the broth is clear and there isn't much fish in there. Very different from the assam laksa that I've tasted in my entire life. Is this how the real maccoy is like at Lorong Sharif, Alor Star???



They've missed out my boiboi's cheese and egg toast (RM2.90). I've to remind them twice and it only came after we have finshed our laksa!!! So, no pics there cos the poor fella waited so long for his food.

Other than these, they have Jalan Putra Otak-otak, Sg Korok Popiah, Tai Kuan Har Mee, Telok Wanjah Yee Mee, Jalan Alor Loh Mee, Kayu Tom Yam Mee etc... so the good people of Alor Star, please tell me these names are real and those items are famous in Alor Star??

As we ate the place gotten very crowded and I can bet that everyone was there because of the booklet they received the day before :p urrmm just like us. Service was extremely slow cos there was only one person taking order and payments. He also have to run around prepare food. One foreign waiter serving the food from the kitchen plus clearing up tables. Maybe 3 people inside the kitchen preparing the food. This is not even fullhouse yet. I can't imagine what it is like during lunch when the office crowd come in full swing. Major teething problem here and I hope they do address this issue ASAP.


Restoran Step 8
68 Jalan Metro Perdana Barat 2
Taman Usahawan
Kepong Utara
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 6013-8966 888
(opposite Tupperware)
Opening hours : 8am - 8pm
Click here for map.

Technorati Tags: malaysian food

Review: Restoran Cozy Corner at Ampang Park

Did you know that Ampang Park have a lot of wonderful gems inside? Touted the oldest shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, it's surprising that it's still abuzz with activities in here. Apart from the usual clothings, shoes, electrical, supermarket and so forth in here, hidden here is a shop selling and repair remote control (RC) cars which I used to visit with hubby and his RC enthusiast friend.

Inside the confusing tiers of shops, there are a lot of eating places. Aside from the super duper yummilicious roasted suckling pig at Sin Lok Restaurant, you can find lots of holes in the wall serving delicious goodies ranging from Chinese to Malay to Mamak fare. Other than these, we loved to visit Restoran Cozy Corner for they serve wonderful western and local cuisines, a place popular with the Malays since it's a halal joint. The Malays seems to be very fond of the Chinese noodles and dishes here which I feel one of the better halal place around town. Their sister over at GE Mall, Cosy House, is always crowded too but the food is not as good.

Cosy Corner is rather similar to The Ship except for the nautical theme. The menu for both western and local are very extensive.



I asked for a Sizzling Steak (RM30) which I think it's sirloin but I can't really remember. It came with a side salad of plain lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes topped with standard thousand island dressing; a bun; and the steak was accompanied by baked potato and tomato. Pretty standard fare there but the brown sauce was tasty and the meat was done just right as per my order of medium well.

Hubby's order of Bandung Fried Rice (RM8.50) is HUGE!!! Judging from the ingredients, it's rather value for money indeed. The rice is delicious accompanied by a medium sized piece of fried chicken, fried egg and papadums. There are lots of ingredients in the rice itself.



Service here is attentive and fast. Tasty food. Reasonabily priced. What more to ask for?


Restoran Cozy Corner
Lot 266-271, 1st Floor
Ampang Park Shopping Centre
Jalan Ampang
Tel: 603-2161 5649

Technorati Tags: malaysian food

Review: The Bird Restaurant

Last Saturday, after my sugar high class at The Cooking House, I had dinner with my parents. After deliberating for a long while, my parents suggested to bring us to The Bird Restaurant in Bandar Menjalara which one of my brother had taken them to. I can't help but to say yes since I knew a bunch of floggers are going to have a session here. Actually I've passed by this place countless times and had piqued the curiosity in me due to the decor and ambiance of The Bird. Somehow, it never crossed my mind to note this down even though my brother had mentioned that they're pretty ok.

Please excuse my photos' quality, taken with my W800i, they turned out very lousy due to the low lighting. I'm sans digicam for a while since it had been borrowed. Hence, there won't be any yummy mooncake pics this year as well. The interior of The Bird is of a mismatched of tables and chairs, some with table cloth, some none. Lots of bamboo bird traps and cages were transformed into lampshades. Lined on the bright yellow walls were loads of antiqued and replica posters of Shanghainese pretty lasses, advertisements of the yore, photos of western actors/actress, olden days photos of people from China etc. There's even a water feature at a corner of the restaurant. My dad told me that the owner, Desmond Liew, loves to collect such items.

Since my parents have eaten their single portions before, my mom asked me to pick from the Set Menu. For four adults, the set came at a very reasonable RM53.00. So I went on and pick the limited style of cooking from the menu. I've asked them to recommend not spicy stuff since my hubby is having sore throat.

My boiboi quickly picked a Mango Ice Blended (RM3.00) drink since he noticed there are some colourful toppings but was disappointed when it came with none. I had to pacified him that there were some slices of mangoes on top. Anyway, when this drink came, we nearly have a shock out of our sheer lives since it came huge, and I really meant HUGE! Served in a roughly 12cm diameter flower pot was finely crushed mango flavoured ice topped with lots more pureed mangoes. Absolutely fabulous! My only problem is sucking the ice up with a thin and soft straw.

When this plate of chicken came, I quickly took a couple of photos only to be taken away shortly as there was a mistake. I was told it was Marmite Chicken instead of King Toh Chicken that I've picked. Darn, this chicken looked so good lah!

Desmond recommended a Kerabu Chicken Feet (RM6.00) which seems to be one of their specialty of the day. This item is not from the set. I quite liked this tangy salad but the chicken skin pieces are a tad too big, can look a bit scary haha... Peppered with loads of firery chili padi which my mom find them a tad too spicy.

The dishes of the set meal started to arrived. Our correct order of King Toh Chicken came finally. Boneless chicken pieces cooked in a thick soy and oyster sauce plus a handful of dried chillies, slightly sweetish and tasted okay only. Maybe because I was offered an eye candy earlier on.... hmmm... The vege dish that I've picked was Romaine Lettuce stir fried with preserved bean curd (foo yue). Enough of wok hei but mom was complaining that they have a lot of chili padi in it.

Butter King Fish seems to be one of their specialties as it is sort of like prominently featured in their menu. Deep fried fish soaked in a rich buttery gravy. Tasted great when eaten hot but once it cooled down, it gotten very jelak! So gotta wallop this quickly. Also have chilli padi here!

Next came the squid dish cooked ala Thai basil leaves style. This is the lousiest of the loot with the squid turned out soft and came with a lot of gravy. Tastewise it's quite all right but somehow the cooking method isn't quite ok. The expert mom said something about how they should cook these squid but I was too busy to pay attention plus she also complained about chilli padi in it (my mom loves her son-in-law a lot one, so that explains the complaints hehe). Seems like the chef like to dish out chilli padi freely in all their dishes.

The set meal came with complimentary dessert and for that day Desmond served us homemade cendol. The cendol wowed me!!! The cendol is soft and slippery served with perfectly cooked reddish sago pearls. The coconut milk and gula melaka proportion were nice to me striking a not too sweet balance BUT BUT BUT it came with crushed tubed ice, what a shame. I've pointed this to Desmond and he said they don't have the resources to take care of that as his restaurant have too many dishes to handle. Awww what a pity.

The food have some hits and misses but I must go back to try their single portion dishes as they have lots of them in their menu or order dishes from the ala carte menu. Two on my must-try list are Laksa Sarawak and Nasi Muhibah! My mom said their nasi lemak has very very good sambal and she simply adores Desmond's way of public relations/customer service. For that alone, my mom will frequent here!

We have 5 bowls of rice (RM5.00), kinda small serving; and we each took a green tea (RM8.00 for 4 pax) upon Desmond's recommendation saying that they added some leaves or I'm not sure what since he didn't disclosed. Very fragrant like jasmine flower, so maybe it could be jasmine but can't confirm. All in I paid RM79.90.

There seems to be a singing competition going on and this Friday is the final. You may give them a call to buy a ticket and do hurry cos I heard they were packed to the brim last Friday. BTW, this place serves halal food (not sure if certified one or not but that's according to Desmond) but did not displayed that all out since they serve beer.

The Bird Restaurant
5 Jalan 3/62D
Medan Putra Business Centre
Bandar Menjalara, Kepong
Tel: 603-6277 1453

Technorati Tags: malaysian food

Review: Delicious Cafe Revisited

We have a small gathering on Saturday afternoon with some friends and their kids at Delicious Cafe, Bangsar Village right after my earlier post on Delicious Cafe. Everyone especially the kids have a ball of their time errrr playing underneath the tables and not to mentioned eating all the delicious cakes. This post I'm going to show some of the food we have that afternoon. Some of the pics were taken by Miss Sweet 16.

Delicious By Miss Read signage.



Interior of the cafe.



This is half portion of H's Caesar Salad. She ate half of it before Miss Sweet 16 decided to take a pic out of it. I would say it was a rather HUGE portion. Not sure about the taste though, gotta ask her about it.



Miss Sweet 16 ordered Delicious Big Breakfast for her lunch cum tea. Yeah Delicious now serves breakfast from morning till 5pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Her breakie came with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a choice of coffee or tea. She claimed her breakie is delicious and her neighbour, K, commented that what ever it is on her plate, the breakie smelt nice.



I had Nasi Kerabu with Ayam Percik which is rice with herbs and spicy grilled chicken. Quite a lot of stuff on the plate actually. Clockwise from left: whole chicken thigh that don't tasted like grilled but nevertheless it was tasty; plain rice topped with kerisik (dried coconut flakes); a couple of keropok ikan (fish crakers); a mixture of herbs, bunga kantan, bean sprouts, French beans and etc; halved salted egg and on the saucer the belacan taste sauce. Just mixed the rice with the herbs mixture with some of those belacan sauce. Woohoooo... it was soooo divine which I ate quietly whilst the rest of the guys were busy chattering away!



Hubby had quiche that came with a side salad drenched in balsamic vinegar. I had a bite and I have to say the pastry casing is not overly thick. The egg custard mixture was just nice with loads of ingredients in it. Arrghhh blurry pic...



Hubby ordered a piece of banana pudding for boiboi. Sorry for the messy pic cos my boiboi dug into the vanilla ice-cream and puddle of caramel sauce before I could snap the pic. It was an ugly scene watching him digging and playing with his food but then I was too busy with my Nasi Kerabu to be bothered with it. Anyway, he ate half of the pudding plus all the ice-cream and caramel sauce.



This round I didn't managed to get the price plus the pics of the rest of the food. I think the guys will kill me for asking them to hold on whilst I take a pic of their food first. Anyway, we have a great time and the wait staff were very accommodative. Thank goodness the cafe was not filled else they would have booted us out for lounging around so long.

Looking forward to our next outing, IF there's one soon.