Cava Restaurant, Bangsar

Up for something different? Maybe Cava would be the next stop for you. Cava, located in Bangsar, one of those many classy upper class restaurant which serves delicacies in tiny portion at a price that is sufficient to make your wallet bleed in pain. Perhaps Cava isn't that bad in terms of pricing, it is just slightly higher average in terms of price with a not too bad serving.

Located in Jalan Telawi, it is on the same row as Leonardo and Opus. The downside would be the parking and when it rains, it is a disaster without shelter for parking. Been there, done that, I was literally soaked. Entering the dimly lit restaurant, you will get a sense of coziness. With empty wine bottles decorating the walls while a bar lingers on the right makes the whole atmosphere more homely. There weren't many tables, so we usually make reservations before hand. 

The honeydew juice was a tad too dilute to my liking. For the price they were charging, I expected more. We had wine, but we brought it ourselves. They charged a corkage of RM 60++.

Complimentary potato wedges and baguettes were served as an appetizer as you browse through the menu. There is not much to say about the appetizer but it does well to keep your tummy occupy while waiting for the chef to cook up a storm. 

Mushroom soup to begin our dinner. It is rich and creamy in texture with a rich amount of mushroom bits and olive. I'm never a fan of olive though. The warm soup was a heavy dish for one's stomach - with all the creaminess, you will be full before your main course arrives. The bread is toasted with garlic spread to perfection, dipping it in the soup and for that soft crunch - what you get is double dosage of sinful bites.

Spanish food is nothing without some tapas - basically tapas are small plates/bowls of delicacies put together, pretty much like an appetizer in this case. I am a fan of mushroom, so when you give me portobello mushroom, I've no complains. Haha. This is the portobello mushroom tapas - basically sauteed portobello with tomato, herbs and walnuts. Taste wise? Simple mushroom sauteed can't really go wrong.

The lamb bourgette tapas is actually quite delicious and to be known as one of their specialties other than their beef tapas. The lamb was so well cooked and tender that each bites oozes the juices absorbed during their time in the pot. The richness of the sauce made the lamb even more delicious and we were left wanting for more of those tapas. I would definitely recommend it as a must try.

This was my first experience having escargot. The escargot was served with a creamy sauce overloaded with cheese and the result? Blissful haven. I understand not everyone can swallow a snail, neither can I, the idea of it can be pretty disturbing. However, I'm always opened to exotic food and this is one I would never regret. The escargot was well cooked to perfection - tender and soft, it doesn't taste like a gushy mush.

The rich cheese based sauce in fact made it more delicious and bearable as you can rarely feel the escargot. A badly prepared escargot can scar you for life though. This is quite a good plate for a first timer like me and it does especially well with baguettes. The baguettes served another purpose, use it to wipe up remaining sauces - the sauce is definitely a killer.

I apologize for the badly angled picture - I felt a little rude snapping photos in a fully occupied classy restaurant. Haha. This is the Garlician Code served with sides of roasted vegetables. The cod was cooked decently, not overcooked for sure. Their sauce was a rich thick creamy sauce which I felt overpowered the cod fish. Their roasted vegetables were alright except for the presence of some nasty tasting radish, well I am not a fan of radish. I think it was radish because it looked and tasted like one. 

Their Agio Olio has nothing much to rave about it. Toasted with olive oil, herbs and some seafood, it was just average tasting in my opinion. I guess the Spanish isn't very popular for their pasta either. The spaghetti was cooked al dente though. I must give credit for that. It was quite flavorful too, so if you want to avoid meat, spaghetti can be a safe bet.

I had the lamb shank as it was claimed to be one of their specialty. However, the lamb itself was quite tough and I had a hard time chewing it, even my brother gave up chewing it and swallow it. It was way too rubbery which sometimes could signify it being overcooked. It was served with radish (the purple vegetable if I am not mistaken), walnuts and a dash of herbs. The lamb shank doesn't have much sauce, except for some decorative reduction based sauce which I think was peppermint. The lamb shank was disappointing and that purple vegetable wasn't a good match at all. I dreaded it.

Chicken with tomato puree served with a sides of mashed potato with cheese. First of all, it tasted average, second of all, I don't think one should ever order this type of dish in a Spanish restaurant. The chicken was well cooked and tender, kudos to that. The tomato puree was fine but I find that tomato puree with chicken sometimes don't complement each other very well. The mashed potato with cheese was good and delicious though, apart from that, nothing really stands out from this dish.

Tada, highlight of the night. Seafood Paella. This is totally Spanish! and it doesn't disappoint at all. It is served in a pan, hot and steaming straight out from the kitchen. The heat of the pan kept the rice warm at all time. The rice was well seasoned and rich in flavor. As the longer the rice is left in the pot, the more it sticks to the base, however, that is one of the delicious part as it was a little more crunchy and stronger in flavor. I can't comment much on the seafood, they were cooked in a simple fashion to highlight the paella itself. In Asia, Paella is just exactly like the claypot rice you get in chinese shops. 

But when you're in a Spanish restaurant, their paellas are definitely something to lookout for, apart from tapas.

I'm always out searching for a good chocolate lava cake and Cava's chocolate lava cake really do meet my standard. I make good chocolate lava cake, yes I am self praising but I do have people to back me up on that case. Haha. In this case, Cava's lava cake is nothing short of mine. It has rich thick gooey chocolate texture when sliced through. See the white puddle surrounding the chocolate, it is melted ice cream if I am not mistaken. So a combination of rich chocolaty cake with a spoonful of melted ice cream as companion - it is god damn sexy sin.

I was tempted by their Spanish Creme Brulee, I have creme brulee half the time, but not the Spanish version. However, I was slightly disappointed with it. As much as it is smooth, creamy and rich, I've tried better ones. This is not great, but just alright. If you are craving for some silky hot dessert to finish off your meal, this fare just nice on the list.

Ratings : 4.0/5

I might be back someday to try their other specialty. I do recommend their paella, escargot and their chocolate lava cake. Those are the few must have, unless you aren't a fan of escargot. Haha. The rest were just average tasting. The atmosphere itself is pretty good, and if you need somewhere romantic and cosy, perhaps, Cava can be a good choice. 

Cava Restaurant

71, Jalan Bangkung, 

59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel : 0320936637

Opening hours :

Monday - Saturday : 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm - 12:00 am

Sunday : 6:00 pm - 12:00 am

-thevanillapudding-

Rosemary Bites, Aman Suria

Rosemary Bites, located in Aman Suria and nearby Betty's Midwest Kitchen has been around longer compared to their counterpart. Both restaurant serves American dishes, but somehow, Betty's seem to be a more popular choice to dine in. 

The restaurant itself is basically decorated in a very American way, cosy and warm with dim lightings. It is definitely a very different setting as compared to Betty's. However, it feels like home to be honest and I like it pretty much. Since there was a lesser crowd compared to Betty's, it is quieter and more peaceful, something that I like.

Pink lemonade is pretty good. It's lemonade mixed with some other fruit flavored drink. It has a sweet and sour-ish taste, it goes pretty well with a heavy maincourse. The price seems pretty alright at RM 3 per glass.

This is their house specialty - Rosemary Lime. Yes, the first thought I had was a Rosemary drink will definitely taste like herbs. However, I have to admit that I liked it. The rosemary doesn't overpower the lime taste, in fact, I think it goes well with it. The first few sip will taste horrid, just like drinking some funny concoction. But after a while, I find it quite savory. However, I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, since not everyone can have a liking for rosemary drinks.

It was a lucky day for us. We were treated to a bowl of mushroom soup by the owners. Psst,  not everyone had that privilege though. Haha. I was disappointed with the mushroom soup though. It tasted like can mushroom soup mixed with some rosemary and mushroom chunks. It was pretty obvious as there were some lump in the soup. It was tasty nonetheless except knowing that it is canned, it disappoints me. 

My mate ordered pasta - Spaghetti with Chicken and Mushroom. Pasta is not exactly their strength, I would introduce you to a place with awesome pasta at a decent price! The pasta was served in a big portion, so no worries about being hungry. They are generous with their ingredients too! Another plus point, however, the taste didn't lived up to my expectations. 

Grilled chicken of your own choice. You have the opportunity to pick your own sauce, that's it. Nothing fancy. My friend picked the mushroom sauce to go with her chicken. I love how the chicken was grilled to tenderness - the meat itself was smooth and soft. Also, it was juicy, succulent and well marinated and goes well with the mushroom sauce. 

Their signature Rosemary Chicken was unfortunately unavailable, so the next on the list was this Lemongrass Chicken Schnitzel with Salad and Mashed Potato. The chicken breast is coated with a layer of breadcrumb, herbs and lemongrass. The lemongrass flavor was surprisingly significant in the chicken, it tasted good without overpowering the chicken itself. It has a savory taste and worth trying. The chicken was served with two different dips but mainly made out of mayo - however, too much of the mayo makes me feel sick, I prefer the chicken on its own.

Unfortunately, their mash potatoes lose out on Betty's pretty much. Betty's mash potatoes win hands down. Rosemary Bites mashed potatoes weren't smooth and their sauce wasn't as rich or creamy like Betty's. Betty's mashed potatoes are like sinful carbo artery clogging food, but it is among the best in town. 

Christ ordered the Columbus Lamb which was also below our expectations. The sauce it self was alright, but the lamb was too chewy and tough - to Christ, it was overdone, hence ruining the dish itself. As for the fried potatoes, I must say there was some inconsistency in it - some of them were well fried while others were undercooked, yeap, I had a few which was still raw inside. 

Redemption was made for the mediocre lunch with their dessert - apple crumble with vanilla ice cream. It was the highlight out of all the dishes. The apples were caramelized with cinnamon and sugar and topped over roasted oats and cereal and two large scoop of vanilla ice cream. The whole bowl of dessert was designed to give you a sugar rush - it was sweetness overloaded. The roasted oats and cereals were sweet too surprisingly. The ice cream was smooth and silky. However, the downside of this dessert? The apples were still slightly hard and not fully caramelized. If not, it would have been a perfect 10/10 dessert.

All in all? I find this place decent enough for a cosy lunch. It may not be as good as Betty's in some way, but they have their own plus point. Another plus would be a quieter atmosphere compared to Betty's. I would perhaps be back for another round and try their signature Rosemary Chicken. It wasn't that expensive for our meal either.

Ratings : 3.5/5

Rosemary Bites

A-G-28, PJU 1/43, 
Aman Suria Damansara, 
47301 PJ Selangor, 
Malaysia

03-7805 2088

*P.S: Apologies for the yellow and blurry pictures, was too hungry to wait for a good shot.

-thevanillapudding-

KTZ, SS2

Introducing a popular dessert house among people in Petaling Jaya - KTZ which stands for "Kei Tak Zek" in Cantonese which also means Remember To Eat. This eatery is not only popular for dessert, but also for their main courses. They're among the few long surviving eateries till this very day and their customers ain't decreasing by the day. 

If you reached here at 8.30 or 9p.m, you might just have to wait to be seated since it will be jam packed with families or youngsters. What's their draw? Reasonable priced food which taste pretty decent too. Not to mention a whole variety of cold and warm desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.

They are the ancestors to shaved ice offered by Snow Flakes, maybe without the yam balls and pearls. One of their must have will be their shaved ice with fruits. Nothing beats that cold dessert melting in your mouth. 

Their fried rice with salted fish was just on borderline and nothing to rave about. I ordered it because I was hungry and that seems like the most decent thing to have. The rice was fried till fragrance no doubt, but somehow, I felt the chicken dice - some tasted half cooked while the salted fish was really a disappointment. Instead of real salted fish, this tasted like the low quality salted fish and I dreaded having it. 

The black glutinous rice dessert. Warm and rich in texture. I can't comment much as I didn't tried it. But I can tell their warm desserts are usually pretty good in taste. So no harm taking a gamble on it.

This is the peanut dessert - rich in texture and taste. If you love peanut, you've got to try it, however, be sure to have some drink on standby, too much of it makes you feel thirsty and occasionally, feeling sick of it. So, it's recommended to share it with a friend.

Glutinous rice ball in sugar syrup. I would not recommend this at all. It was a disappointment to me. The sugar syrup was bland and I was expecting it to be spicy and more savory. I am used to having spicy syrup with strong pandan smell and a rich amount of dates and ginger, which unfortunately they don't have it. The glutinous rice ball itself felt like those purchased from the supermarket. 

From top - the mango, kiwi and honeydew shaved ice. This dessert is a must order when you're here. Not only their ice is smooth, it is delicious and rich in taste with real fruits to go well with it. The ice has the flavor of the fruits you order and when a spoonful of it goes down your throat, it feels like haven. It is fruity sweet, but nothing too overpowering. Among all, my favorite was the honeydew. Must try!

This is among the shops that I come back to every now and then. Their desserts are oh-so-worth it. There is the black sesame  warm dessert that is my favorite, but sadly, I do not have a picture of it. Try it if you love black sesame. Nothing as sinful as gulping a spoonful of warm black sesame dessert. 

Ratings : 4.0/5

KTZ, SS2

66 & 68, Jalan SS2/67, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor 
Malaysia 
03-7877-8499

-thevanillapudding-

Departure Lounge, Uptown

I am a fanatic for good coffee, but best of yet, cakes and pastry. Cakes and pastry has been my all time sinful indulgence, and yeap, I'm always on the go to search for good cakes. My focus is usually on cheese or chocolate cakes and exquisite pretty looking pastries. 

Introducing Departure Lounge, a relatively new coffeehouse in Uptown, Damansara. The name of the coffeehouse itself sounds grand and classy, I can assure you the concept itself is nothing less. The concept takes after an airport lounge with comfortable furniture furnishing the small shoplot. With books and magazines on display for one's viewing, it seems like a comfortable place to lounge with a good cuppa.

Departure Lounge has quite a crowd for most of the times I been there, usually a younger crowd that lounge around with their laptop or with friends to chat about. The place can get pretty noisy at certain times. 

The menu itself has a limited variety and focus very much on breakfast meals and coffee. Their snack menu is limited. Do expect a very Western Menu like mushroom on toast or salmon, or the big breakfast set. The price is definitely on the slightly higher side, ranging above RM 10 for most of the items.

I ordered a Caffe Mocha Latte, basically a mixture of chocolate and coffee with loads of milk. The drink itself cost me RM 10, almost equivalent to a Starbucks drink. It was too sweet for my liking and I felt there was too much milk in it. In terms of coffee art, it was a basic design and I did hope for more for the price I was paying. Nevertheless, you can give it a go or perhaps try their barista signatures which I didn't since I wasn't into espresso at that time.

I had a tiramisu that cost me RM 10.90. In terms of taste, it did pass for a slightly above average score. I felt that the mascarpone cheese was too much compared to the amount of cake they served. It was good, but could have been better. However, the mascarpone cheese to cream ratio should have been increased, I am guessing that there was more cream than cheese in the cake itself, and that made me feel a little ripped off. 

My mate ordered kurma fries with dips. Looks can be deceiving, this ain't your average chips, it's sweet potato sliced and fried. It is healthier, or so I think. What makes it good was the dip. It was slightly sour with onions in it, so I am thinking sour cream except it was yellow in color. The sweetness of potato was toned down by the dip itself - so you get a sweet and sour taste. I would definitely order this again, it is one of those snacks you have while having long chat session with your friends.

I've been here a few times and I do like to come back because of it's comfortable atmosphere and it's food. It's food may not be the best, neither is their coffee, but it is decent and slightly better above average. 

Ratings : 4.0/5

Departure Lounge

10, Jalan SS 21/39, 
Damansara Utama, 
47400 Petaling Jaya, 
Malaysia.

03 7725 1682

Attempted some photography due to the decent lighting and decorations. Do give this place a try for a different concept and decent food.

-thevanillapudding-