Peter's Pork Noodles, Money Corner, Brickfields

Hands up pork noodles lover! This was deemed as one of the most popular pork noodles around Brickfields, we became jaywalkers just to cross the main road to tryout this pork noodles! This place was hard to find, well if you're coming from KL Sentral direction, it was rather hard to be notice since its located across a small alley. If not, it is located opposite the YMCA building.

The coffeeshop was hot and stuffy, but this don't deter so many office employee to sit in the heat and enjoy their meal. There are a variety of hawkers in the coffee shop, the popular one would be the banana leaf rice stall (malay), the chinese mixed rice, the western hawker and the pork noodles stall. 

You can order either the dry or the soup version of the pork noodles. The more popular one was definitely the soup pork noodles. There was a variety of kueyteow or beehoon and you could request for extra egg at RM 0.50 if I'm not mistaken. 

The Dry Pork Noodles with Soup

So I had the dry noodles for RM 5.50 (small bowl), the large bowl was RM 6.50. The noodles were tossed in a rich amount of soy sauce and topped off with a generoud amount of pork lard, though I never take pork lard. But the best way to have the dry noodles is to douse it with some soup, if not you will find it difficult to enjoy your noodles since it was so dry!

The soup was overloaded with minced pork and pork chunks. It was juicy and succulent. Each bite was a burst of flavors, well burst of minced pork that was well marinated. I wouldn't say it was the best, but it certainly was good.

Banana Leaf Rice

Looks pretty good too. My senior chose to have something different instead.

Earth calling to all pork noodles lover, this is the one place that you should give it a shot. 

Price : 4.5/5

Ratings : 4/5

Peter’s Pork Noodle
Money’s Corner
No. 144A, Jalan Vivekananda
Off Jalan Brickfields
50470 Kuala Lumpur

-thevanillapudding-

Tabletalk, TTDI

Tabletalk is a huge disappointment. I was expecting much from this wonderfully designed restaurant and I was so badly disappointed with the level of food I had. But the ultimate deal breaker was the coffee. Tabletalk is located as the same row as Devi's in TTDI, however, it is the first shop in the end of the lane.

It has interior setting of a wonderful hotel restaurant - wooden floor, foldable glass door, patio and plants everywhere. If it wasn't for the bustling traffic opposite, it would feel really wonderful to just seat down for a cup of coffee and enjoy the morning peacfulness. 

We were attended to by a wonderful waiter from Bangladesh. He has been working in the hospitality line for the past few years and it ain't small hotels, he was working for hotels like Shangrila! One of his customer recommended him to be promoted in this restaurant, so here he is.

I just had to take a picture of the interior because it was just so classicly designed!

Cappuccino

This was horrible. It was dilute to begin with. The ratio of coffee to milk was all off. I didn't bother finishing my drink anyways.

Long Black

This was worst. Similarly, it was so dilute that it tasted pretty much like water. We made the waiter checked what was wrong with their machine, they were using the machine, so such problem shouldn't be present. The waiter found out that the worker handling the machine did not caliberate the machine apprioprately and it had apparently caused the beans to turn too thin, hence the water sipped through easily which caused the dilution. 

On a side note, their baristas are NOT qualified barista, the waiter told us himself. So, do not expect 5 star coffee because clearly I didn't get my dose of perfection. And yes they still charged us for the coffee even though we didn't even touch much of it.

Ultimate Breakkie

At least their breakfast set was decent. It was served with potato roastie, sausages, turkey ham, baked beans, scrambled eggs, toasted wheat bread and sauteed vegetables. I felt the baked beans were weird in taste, it wasn't your usual red baked beans but rather it was slightly purplish and the beans were larger than usual. The sauteed vegetables were completely unnecessary and it wasn't even delicious to begin with.

The whole meal caused us about RM 30 and I wasn't even satisfied with any of the food. I wouldn't go back any time sooner. First impression counts and the first impression they left on me was horrible. Perhaps their breakfast set was horrible, I've read blogs praising their main courses, perhaps that is something to look out for when I gain back my confidence for this new restaurant.

Price : 2.0/5

Ratings : 1.0/5

-thevanillapudding-

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-

A Night with Chef Fournier Baptiste at Mezze

Chef Fournier Baptiste was down in Malaysia as Malaysia was one of his pitstop for his 2013 cooking tour. This wasn't the first time this one Michelin Star chef visits Kuala Lumpur, similar to his last visit, he was at Mezze in Jalan Medan Damansara serving up a storm for customers who had reserved tables at Mezze just to savor his master piece.

Fournier's cooking style focuses very much on simplicity and the freshness of his ingredients. No, you would not find any fancy or extravaganza food art, what you get is a simple but yet so delicate plate of dish. Every ingredient was visible to the naked eye. He does his best to bring out the flavor of the ingredients and not let it be overpowered by too much decorations or excessive herbs or spices.

I was given the opportunity to savor his master piece thanks to my dad who was sent an invitation for the dinner.

Aperitif

Aperitif

I apologize for the blurred photo, I didn't realize it was blur till I was editing it. This was the courtesy of Chef Fournier. Aperitif is usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite, it is usually dry rather than sweet.

Among the choices present were avocado salad, rocket salad spring roll, Spanish pedrone pepper and a cucumber like hors d’œuvre.

The two aperitif that I failed to took a picture was the rocket salad spring roll and the cucumber like hors d’œuvre. The rocket salad spring roll was simple and fresh - wrapped in a thin vietnamese roll with rocket salad, white pear and parmigana. It was an epitome of "a little of everything good". 

The last aperitif was sliced cucumber topped with oyster, almond, shallots and a light dose of vinegar topped with dill. I love the toppings as they were well seasoned and goes well with the cucumber blandness.

Spanish Pedrone Pepper

The pedrone pepper was sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt. Unlike Jalepeno, the spanish pedrone pepper was not spicy to begin with. I am not much of a fan for peppers but I like it how Chef Fournier kept it simple with basic olive oil and salt to add in some taste. 

Avocado Tartlet with Marinated Sardine and Rocket Salad

As pretty as it looks, it was savory in terms of flavor. The crisp of the tarlet with the well marinated sardine and avocado was a refreshing start to begin the night.

Amuse-bouche

Amuse-bouche is a single bite size hors d’œuvre and defers from appetizer. It is usually served courtesy of the chef. In this case, we were served amuse-bouche to clear our palates after savoring the aperitifs. This was a surprising take on coconut milk. It was rich and creamy like, the texture felt like mousse.

This was made out of fresh coconut and topped with potato violet powder, thinly chopped lemon, crispy thinly sliced cauliflower and fried carrot leaf. I love the amuse-bouche! The rich creaminess of the coconut was so sinfully good and it was even better with each bite of a small piece of lemon. 

Starters

Slow cooked organic egg with mushroom and black truffles sabayon @ RM 48++

Slow cooked organic egg with mushroom and black truffles sabayon @ RM 48++

Simple and fresh. True to his style, every ingredient used was visible on the plate. The eggs were slow cooked and was beautifully hidden by the raw ingredients on the top. Yes, you got that right, the mushrooms were raw! I never had raw mushrooms and this was a new experience. The brown blob is actually mushroom paste and my, the taste was excellent! Truffles are expensives and when I finally had a taste of it, I couldn't really distinguished the taste!

Duo of Green and White Asparagus with caramelized Unagi

I had this as my starters and I love it. The asparagus was a tad too soft for my liking, I prefer them crispy. The first reaction I had upon tasting the sauce was "SO BUTTERY!" But the subsequent taste gets better - this starter gets better after each bite. 

But what really stands out in this plate was the caramelized unagi. The unagi was well seasoned and cooked to perfection with a slight crispy on the outer layer but soft in the inner. However, the unagi and the asparagus were a great combination of crisp and tender.

Baptiste's Favourite - Mid Course 

Poached Red Snapper in Chicken Broth, Spinach and Lemon @ RM 71++

Mains 

Poached Kingfish Fillet with Pearl Bean, Spinach in Lemongrass Chicken Broth @ RM 105++

Similar with the mid course, the fish was served in the bowl and the waitress will pour the broth from a small jar upon serving. The lemongrass chicken broth was boiled with coconut shred for 6 hours, then the coconut shred was removed. That is why patrons would be able to smell the presence of coconut but yet they could not really taste of see it in the broth. This was a simple dish and Fournier aimed to enhance the kingfish fillet's flavor without overpowering it broth that could have outshine the fish.

Veal Chop, served with Creamy Cep and Pommes Puree @ RM 185++

Veal Chop, served with Creamy Cep and Pommes Puree

The first thing I noticed was the lack of food art, but hey, it was Fournier's style to keep it simple. A rich velvety and buttery texture for the pommes puree which was basically mashed potato in simpler terms. I requested for medium rare for my veal chop and it came out just nice. I love the slight crisp exterior but the tenderness of the veal when sliced through.

The sauce itself was rich and flavorful. Each bite makes you crave for more! The portion is pretty huge for me and the aperitif and starters had me quite full.

PLU1127 Bourgogne Rouge Marechal 2009 @ RM 42 per glass

The red wine was recommended by the sommelier to compliment the veal chop and was described as light to medium body. Surprisingly, I found it well bodied instead of being light to medium. It was rich and had an excellent aroma. The longer it was left to oxidize, the better it was.

PLU187 Fournier Sancerre Rose 2010 @ RM 36 per glass

The white wine was recommended by the sommerlier to compliment the poached kingfish fillet dish. It was deemed to be slightly dry, however, I find it rich and well bodied. It had quite a fruity taste too and I personally think females will love this wine.

Desserts

Iced Crispy Cappuccino of Chocolate, Cream with Crumble @ RM 39++

Iced Crispy Cappuccino of Chocolate, Cream with Crumble 

Chocolate lover will be love this. It was too rich for me, too much of chocolate, beneath the cream was a thick, gooey layer of chocolate. The crumbles were a great touch for the soft velvety chocolate. However, it was too sweet for my liking.

Pineapple Ravioli with lIme, Basil and Yogurt Sorbet @ RM 42++

This is one really weird combination. I would have never guessed ravioli as a dessert! This dessert was savory and well, I doubt everyone will take a liking to it. It was a bold dessert. The sorbet was refreshing to counter the slight sourness in the dessert.

This was my first fine dining prepared by a Michelin Star chef. The wait was surprisingly long as the courses were served over a period of 3 hours. It was a great experience. Like what many blogs had reviewed, Chef Fournier's style of cooking remains simple as he aims to enhance the freshness and the natural flavor of the ingredients. However, sometimes, his dishes could be a tad too salty for one's liking. 

Perhaps his next visit, I will give it a shot again.

-thevanillapudding-