Wendy's Flagship Restaurant Grand Opening @ Suria KLCC

We were invited to the grand opening of Wendy's flagship restaurant at Suria KLCC last Friday morning. We were debating whether to attend or not and gave it a go since Wendy's did gave Capt'n Hook and I some kind of childhood memories that we have back in the 80s when we patronised the then Wendy's located at Masjid India area. The vision of burger and fries served in baskets came back to me.

The ceremony opened by a short speech by Mr Eric Leong, Director of Wen Berjaya Sdn Bhd (the master franchise owner in Malaysia which is a subsidiary of Berjaya Group). He mentioned that the new flagship restaurant carried an ultra modern design and furnishing and this new design will be slowly introduced to the rest of the Wendy's outlets. We were told that Wendy's burgers were made-to-order to ensure quality and freshness, the values held by the founder, Dave Thomas. Not only that, customers would be able to customised their orders accordingly.



Later on, Mr John Pain, Vice President & Managing Director of Asia Pacific & EMEA, The Wendy's Company introduced us the short history of Wendy's which you can read here. He emphasised that even though Wendy's is a quick service restaurant but the food is made fresh upon order. Each day the lettuce and tomatoes are cut right at the outlet kitchen because they taste better when they're fresh and they do not come pre-cut from a central kitchen.



He mentioned that Wendy's is America's favourite which is confirmed by Zagat in their 2012 restaurant guide. Well, being naturally curious, I did a search and yes indeed... Wendy's is listed number 3!

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

And so with the partnership with Wen Berjaya, the latest and largest Wendy's in Malaysia is located right at Suria KLCC which also boast the first international looking outlet.



I had a look around and they have a variety of sitting combinations ranging from the normal height tables and chairs, they have stools, high top tables and counters. We were told wi-fi is available too for free and best of all they have multiple power points for your mobiles or laptops that are running out of "juice".



As for the menu, we usually go for beef burgers and Chili is a must of course which BoiBoi have learnt to like it. This time round, I've tried a Spicy Chicken Sensation Burger and I'm surprised to bite onto strands of chicken fibers. Eric informed us that they only use chicken fillets of either thighs or breasts and NOT minced chicken patties. BoiBoi mentioned that his Dave's Hot 'N Juicy is really juicy as it claimed.

John behind the grill

The dessert menu springs a surprise to me with the usage of Frosty (their soft serve ice cream) in cones, floats and shakes. While there is no official website in Malaysia but there is a Facebook page where information and promotions are dispensed. Rest assure you that Eric had vowed to ensure customer service and quality of food from Wendy's will be his top order of the day.



Wendy's Suria KLCC is located over at LC-C02, Concourse Level, Ramlee Mall (turn left when you see Haagen Daz). The other 10 outlets are located at Sunway Pyramid, IOI Mall Puchong, Jaya One, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Mont' Kiara, Giant Kota Damansara, Berjaya Times Square, AEON Rawang & AEON Ipoh Station 18.

Thank you Haridas of Softpillow Mollycoddle & Co for the invite and John, Eric and Esther for having us over.

Review: Tong Pak Fu @ KLCC

Wheeee we're on a dessert roll... ending the month of October with another sugar rush of flavoured shaved ice aka as snow ice. No doubt snow ice is of Taiwanese origin but I find this Tong Pak Fu from Hong Kong have nailed it. I've tried Snowflakes but just don't understand the queues for them, maybe just not my cup of tea, in fact sweet tooth Capt'n Hook also don't fancy them.

We were in KLCC over the weekend cos Capt'n Hook had wanted to check out his stuff over at Avenue K. We were just walking around trying to get to the carpark after dinner. Took a longer route from the escalator going towards Isetan Food Hall which saw a tremendous transformation with so many mouth watering delicacies at every step of the way. Then we saw this Tong Pak Fu place and decided just to look at the menu at the stand outside. The moment the kid flipped through the pages, Capt'n Hook, the lover of all things sweet especially from Hong Kong, decided that we must make a stop here!

The modus operandi here is grab a table, browse through the menu and make the difficult decision in picking what to have teehehe... head to the cashier counter to place your order, pay up, take the number, head back to your table, place the number on the table and next... twiddle your thumbs and patiently wait for your desserts.

Browsing through their menu whilst waiting, other than snow ice, there are hot desserts like the usual like black sesame cream, red bean, mung beans and of fave peanut cream. Then they have some grass jelly creations topped with snow ice. More of sago & crystal pearls creations, tau fu fa (soy bean curd) of various combinations and a few double-boiled tong shui (sweet soup). They also have a few varieties of Western desserts such as creme brulee (a best seller according to their menu), apple crumble, waffles etc.

Capt'n Hook picked Tracka Snow Ice (RM14.80) after asking the cashier what's the difference between Tracka and D24. We were told Tracka is made from "chuk keok" in Cantonese or translated in English is Legs of Bamboo aka Tekar and so it is and it's more expensive (in fact most expensive of the snow ice range) than D24 which goes at RM12.80. It was the wisest choice indeed as it's one of the best durian ice creation I've ever tasted! The finely shaved ice is so velvety and the durian tasted as if it's straight from the pulp if not better as it's cold and melt-in-the-mouth. It's is served with a small heap of small bouncy glutinous rice balls and largish cubes of grass jelly.



Boi Boi had the Mango Snow Ice which he absolutely loved the pinkish balls on the side that goes popping in your mouth as you bite on them like ikura. Another lovely flavoured shaved ice that came with some honeydew melon balls. As for myself, I'm just happy digging into both whilst having brain freeze and goose bumps on my arms towards the end lol.



You know how well these desserts sell when they are already charging 6% Government tax! This outlet in KLCC is located opposite of Uniqlo's new extension entrance and there's a another branch at Sunway Giza. Just wish they could have more outlets!


Tong Pak Fu Malaysia
Ltot C15F, Concourse Floor
Suria KLCC
Kuala Lumpur

Review: The Cream & Fudge Factory @ Suria KLCC

Ever since I've stopped working in the corporate world, I hardly ever step my foot in the golden triangle :p We took a trip to Suria KLCC in early April just cause Capt'n Hook want to check something there. As we walk about, seems like there are a lot of changes that happened the past few months. Some shops have swapped lots, some have gone and in their place, stood new shiny stores.



One of which is The Cream & Fudge Factory which replaced The Lawn. I've heard the buzz from Jason and was curious since we're big on ice creams, moreover there seems to be quite a lot of people crowding round the kiosk, so it has to be good eh? Anyway this chain started off in Thailand by Global Franchise Architects, a member of Synergia One, owned by renowned Mouawad family.

Capt'n Hook took BoiBoi to grab a seat while I went to the counter to check what they're offering. Managed to get a couple of menus for the boys to browse through. After we have decided on our 2 orders, I went to the counter to order a Banana Chocolate (RM12.90 for one scoop creation) and Rocky Road (RM12.90 for one scoop creation). I opted for our orders to sit on a waffle bowl rather than cone since we're sharing them. I proceed to pay at the cashier and went back to the counter to take a peek even though the cashier mentioned that they'll send over to our table.

What they did at the counter was to scoop the ice cream into this cold plate and mix in the ingredients based on your choices or order. 2 spatulas are used to mix them all up before scooping into cones or bowls before handed over to customers. So I went back to our table and waited for our order.



After about 6-8 minutes later, our order came looking like this...



Did you spot something that is not there?

Yup, you've got it correct... where are our waffle bowls??? I checked my receipt, well just to ensure I did order the correct stuff and yes indeed, the receipt did indicate waffle bowls. Since I sat next to the cashier, I brought the ice creams to her and ask what happen to our waffle bowls? She apologetically told me they have ran out of bowls and she muttered under her breath that those who are taking orders should inform customers about it! She got hold of someone else to see to me and this person explained that it was weekend and they have too many orders that they can't keep up in making the waffle bowls!

OK I know they're new but not like a few days old. If they have been in operation for a few weeks, they should know that weekends traffic tend to be higher hence would have to prepare more than projected. Either that or just tell customers that they have run out of bowls and just sell the ice cream without waffle bowls or cones which actually cost lesser than RM12.90 (RM9.50 one scoop with one mix).

It's not that I'm petty but if I've ordered something on the menu that include one essential item, then they better have the item on it, otherwise you tell your customer that you've run out of waffle bowls and replace it with something or refund the difference in price. Don't just dump the ice cream on the table and walk off!!!

After some "table thumping" :p [actually I was just trying to dramatised the whole post, no table was broken in the process :o)], they finally took our ice cream away to "fix" it.

And so they came back looking like this... much better eh?? Well, I hope they did not "spit" on our ice cream :o) though. Sighhh anyway the ice cream have melted and they just dump onto the cold plate to freeze them up and place onto the waffle bowls. So in the process, mixed in the decorative pieces as well. Looked kinda unappealing, very disappointed. Could have just place some toppings to make up for what happened, but no!



As for the ice cream, it really doesn't live up to the fuss, or could it be due to our experience that we don't find the ice cream as great? They were bold enough to claim they have the creamiest ice cream on earth but seriously, not in my humble opinion.



It's really sad that the country have the tallest, biggest, best in something but yet our customer service level is still lagging far behind especially in the service industry. Operators and managers should buck up  and work on this, otherwise it will leave an unpleasant sour taste.


The Cream & Fudge Factory
Lot K23B, 2nd Floor
Suria KLCC
Kuala Lumpur
Facebook of the Malaysian chapter

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: Spring Garden KLCC

**Halal**


The 3 of us were in KLCC some time back, come dinner time we wanted to eat at Madam Kwan's but just look at the queue!




We went opposite to Spring Garden instead. Spring Garden is branded under Tai Thong group and it's halal.



It has been a while since we last ate here. The entire restaurant was renovated. Previously the colour theme was light which made the place big and airy. Now the place has lots of dark wooden structure and lots of red peppered in. Very updated look indeed.



The captain recommended us to take the set dinner, which we picked value set A which is enough for 2 - 3 pax at RM58.80. We could pick from a short list of items, very flexi here which I like. Dinner was served quite fast but prior to that we were given complimentary soup. That day was a herbal soup.



We have a plate of stir-fried baby french beans, nice and crunchy.



Sweet and sour fish slices that my boiboi likes as the sauce is not too sourish.



An obligatory beancurd dish that have eggy beancurd and beancurd sheets (dau kan).



Some roasted duck which has lovely crispy skin and flavourful meat, however not the best we have eaten.



We ended the meal with a chilled longan and sea coconut.



Overall, the dishes are okay, typical Chinese dishes. Kinda worth the price we have paid for. A place I would return for fuss free dining especially with the kid in tow.

We paid for a pot of jasmine tea at RM7.00 and RM3.00 for wet towel, add in 5% Government tax and 10% service charge, total bill came up to RM79.10. Rice is part of the set.

I checked out last week, Spring Garden doesn't have these sets anymore but more like banquet style kinda sets. I do hope the promo will return again as they're really hassle free and value for money.


Spring Garden KLCC
Lot 413, 4th Floor
Suria KLCC
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (603) 2166 9881

3-Course Dinner at KLCC

I met hubby at KLCC last evening. Before heading home, hubby said may as well have our dinner first. Since it was still early and both of us are not hungry, I suggested to check out Taiwan House at Signature Food Court after Boo_licious mentioned that in her blog.

For appetiser, we have one Taiwanese pancake that came very crispy and served with a tub of chili sauce and another tub of soy sauce with chopped garlic. The pancake have a sprinkling of spring onions and we both like the crispiness and best eaten with the chili sauce.

We shared a main of Jar Jiang Mien which we have before at their Ampang Point outlet, hence not going to elaborate further.

For dessert, we took the escalator up one level and stopped by Vienna Bagels which was also highlighted by Boo_licious and teckiee recently. Since she did a detailed post, do head over there for more information. We found out that it is owned by Auntie Anne's Pretzels that used to occupied the same spot. They must have decided to catch on with the current doughnut fever by introducing these baked bagels. However when I checked their official website there is no mentioned of this bagel at all. So I guess this must be the work of the local franchise.

Hubby picked one with white chocolate topped with toasted almond slices. The server heated it up for us without asking, hence the chocolate sort of like melted. The texture of this so called bagel is totally un-bagel-like. I supposed they did not boiled it before baking. Errr... if this is the case, does it still qualified as bagel??? It's dense and chewy; and I feel it's the same dough used in their pretzels.

We also have 2 scoops of ice-cream from New Zealand Natural Ice-cream which is located at the same floor, a stone throw away from Vienna Bagels. This round I asked for matcha ice-cream which I had always liked and hubby got a mango passionfruit sorbet. A sweet ending to our simple, fast and relatively reasonabily priced dinner at KLCC.

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Review: Nippon Tei Japanese Restaurant

I went to KLCC recently after work to pick up a pair of shoes but I ended up with nearly 2 pairs hahaha if not one of them have a little flaw, it would have been 2 pairs sighhh... a pair of Dorothy Perkins trousers, a couple of tees for boiboi and a Blue's School book for boiboi's Powertouch. Once hubby was done with his appointment with his client, he headed over to meet me.

Since I had bread for lunch I was feeling hungry already so he suggested the 4th Floor Food Court. Once we reached up there he was like.... hmmm feel like eating noodles... let's go Rain Nudle, urrghhh which is some place I don't really fancy coupled with a real life "siew keong" (long story.... there is a Hong Kong film that named a cockroach, Siew Keong) story. I protested and we ended up with the all familar Nippon Tei.

Nippon Tei located on the 4th floor of KLCC has always been one of our regular choice of restaurant. It's fast and reasonabily priced too. However, one might need to wait for a table during peak hours. They'll give out number to you and you just need to wait for your number to be called. So far we have yet to have waited more than 20 minutes. Service is rather attentive but could go down hill when they're really busy.

We decided to order 2 different set of food so that we can share the mains. This is what I had... Teppanyaki Chicken set (RM23.00) that came with the usual pickles, salad, miso soup, rice and the teppanyaki chicken in a hotplate. I liked this a lot as the chicken is very tender and the sauce that came with it is really tasty. The accompanying beans sprout, green bell pepper (capsicum) and cabbage was fried to the right texture.

Hubby's asked for Salmon Shioyaki set (RM23.00) which is not on the menu but the manager obliged with his order. Typical taste but I gasak (stole all in Malay) all the crispy skin hehehe... Really kesian (sympathise in Malay) him cos he had wanted to dig into his lovely fish when I called out "Wait" and start fiddling with my digicam hahaha. Sorry love for being patient with me as he said "Haiyah you and your blog grrrrrr...".



Nippon Tei offers quite a number of set menu and they're really worth the price, just that don't expect hotel kinda Japanese restaurant standard. With this kinda pricing, it beats Sushi King or Genki Sushi all the time. Green tea and plain water are complimentary.

Nippon Tei Japanese Restaurant
Lot 426/427 4th Floor Suria KLCC
Tel: 03-2161 4178