Taj Garden, Brickfields

Apart from banana leaf and roti canai, those are my knowledge and exposure about Indian food. During lunch time, I walked with my seniors all the way from KL Sentral to Brickfields to try out this Indian Restaurant - Taj Garden.

Located in a the corner of an alley, after passing KFC, it wasn't that far but the scorching weather made the journey felt like hours! Thank goodness I wasn't in heels or I would have cried walking that distance. I never walked down Little India, so walking down the Brickfields road was a new experience. At some point I felt as though I was in India with Indian music blaring and the rich aroma of jasmine. 

The restaurant was designed to have an outdoor area (a patio) and the indoor with the cooling aircond. There were few patrons and my senior noticed a popular Indian DJ at one corner holding an interview with a couple of journalist. 

Chicken pakora

It tasted like KFC chicken bites with a hell lot of herbs and 10x more crispy! It was yummy, sinfully yummy. The chicken was coated in a thick layer of batter and rolled in various spices and herbs and deep fried. Each bite was a bite to haven. I love food with spices and herbs, so this was the ultimate herb dish for me!

Curry Chicken

I would admit that my favorite curry of all time is the Indian curry because it was always so thick, rich and the smell of curry powder was just so yummy! I love their curry, it was really and rich in coconut milk. The chicken was cooked to perfection and absorbed the curry flavor. Having this with rice was so good, or dosing the sauce onto plain naan was even more sinfully delicious!

Palek Paneer

This was my first time trying palek paneer. According to my colleagues, it was mashed spinach cooked to a thick broth, just like curry. But there was a catch - notice those white bits at the corner (not the middle)? Those are cheese cubes! Wow, mashed spinach and cheese cubes. That is something different. However, I would say this is not the thing for me. I find it bland and the cheese cubes just doesn't seem right to me.

Fish Curry

Love their fish curry too. I am a huge fan of fish curry, well anything spicy honestly. This was just as good as the curry chicken. Enough said.

Jeera Rice

I am not sure what is the difference though, apart from it being long grain. It tasted like rice with a dose of indian spices.

Onion Naan

Their onion naan was yummy too. So rich in onion, however I find it was loaded with a tad too much ghee? But apart from that, drowning the naan in curry sauce was bliss.

In terms of price, we paid RM 22 per person. The portions were relatively small either. However, I find the food were quite delicious,  I would be back if my sense of directions allow me.

Price : 2.0/5

Ratings : 3.5/5

-thevanillapudding-

Olive, Sooka Sentral

Classy and English. That's how I would describe the set up of Olive. Located on the Ground floor of Sooka Sentral Building, it is hard to miss this restaurant. Deck in classic wood decorations and an veranda extending out to the stairs, you wouldn't miss it for sure.

The crowd dining here on weekdays are mainly the working crowds and quite a  number of them are Caucasians from the nearby multinational firms headquarters ie. Allianz Insurance. However, it is pretty hot to seat out at the veranda despite the shelter.

I love the classic setup but the taste of the food was just mediocre. Olive is relatively expensive with an average of RM 20 and above per dish. They do offer lunch set at RM 30, inclusive of drinks and it look pretty decent.

Lemon Tea

I love how fancy they served the lemon tea. This was the last thing I expected from the drink lemon tea. However, this was my senior's order. 

Watermelon Juice

Rice with Fried Chicken and Curry

Pasta

Salmon Ciabbata @ RM 18

I am pretty much trying to eat healthily when I'm working but sometimes the healthiest food has so much sin. Presentation wise - 2 thumbs up. Taste wise - one thumbs up. Practicality of eating - two thumbs down. As pretty as it looks, I had trouble trying to eat it as all the fillings were falling out of place each time I tried to sliced a portion out. 

The salmon was fresh and juicy. I could pretty much taste the rawness of the fish. The ciabbata was loaded lettuce, tomato, avocado and eggs (which was missing because the chef forgotten to add it in, they gave it to me separately). The ciabbata was slightly overdone and it was tough cutting it with burnts on it. It was overloaded with mayo too! Not a good point for healthy eating. Oh! They served it with baked pumpkin and potatoes too.

I like my salmon ciabbata but it could have done away with the extra mayo and perhaps somehow prepare it in a way that is easy for consumption? This is a decent place to have lunch if you have the budget. 

Price : 2.0/5

Ratings : 3.0/5

-thevanillapudding-

Homie Recipe, Sooka Sentral

Currently, I'm based in a clients place in KL Sentral and I'm always trying out new places around KL Sentral. I must say this place deserves two thumbs up. Located in Sooka Sentral, it is a medium size shoplot with simple settings of wooden stool and table. 

It can get a little stuffy inside the restaurant because of poor ventilation as the kitchen is an open area. They prepare the noodles right in front of you, the aroma of the pan mee is awesomely declicious. The variety on their menu is limited, which means shorter time of picking what you want to eat.

Barley Soya @ RM 2.80

Their barley drink is good. I love it to the max! Its not a plain ole barley, but you get a surprise in your first sip. Rather than just barley, you have a taste of good ole soya milk mixed with the barley which was totally godly! They served it with a rich amount of barley, gingko and fuzhuk. 

Hot and Spicy Pan Mee @ RM 9.90

Two times that I visited Homie Recipe and in both times, I had this. It was just that good. This pan mee was so delicious and sets itself apart from all other pan mee was because of its sauce and noodles. The pan mee was thick and crunchy, not the thin, starchy type that most pan mee shops serve.

The sauce was just so finger licking good. It was thick, spicy and wonderfully flavored. Thinking about it makes me drools. It was a whole bowl of godliness.

Dry Chili Shrimp Pan Mee @ RM 9.90

My seniors ordered this and it looks pretty good either. 

I would definitely come back for more!

Price : 3.0/5

Rating : 4.5/5

thevanillapudding

Plan B, Publika

Finally, I gave this place a shot. Everyone has been raving about Plan B and really, all I could say that this place is so overated. I dropped by Plan B during my lunch break with my colleagues. That place is heavily packed during lunch hour with all the lunch crowd.

The food served is pretty much like Ben's, simple and no fancy ingredients.

I had the salmon sandwich which was served in between wholemeal bread with rocket salad and yogurt mint dressing. Like all other dishes, its served with rocket salad topped in dressing and nuts and also a can of freshly baked sweet potato slices. The salmon was generous in amount and fresh, I could taste the juiciness of the flesh in each bite. I love how they don't overpower the sandwich with yogurt mint base to allow the salmon to be the star of the dish.

The following pictures are just for viewing. These dishes were picked by my colleagues.

Eggplant Salad 

 One of my colleagues favorite.

Egg Sandwich

If you're ever going to Plan B, don't order the egg sandwich because this is definitely not the place to have an egg sandwich.

Pasta

Toast

Carbonara pasta

Duck Confit Salad

Another of my colleagues favorite. I shall give this a shot next round.

Egg Benedict with ham with English Muffin

Egg Benefit with Portobello Mushroom and Hollandaise Sauce

Plan B courses are simple and not elaborated. Taste wise, it was just alright and nothing much to rave about. However, it is a good hangout place if you want to meet up with friends.

Price : 3.0/5
Rating : 3.0/5

-thevanillapudding-