Tappers Cafe, Uptown

I had another girls night out yesterday. Yes, I've been going out so often that my purse has been feeling real light lately. Haha. I've been to most of the coffeehouse or restaurant in Uptown, Damansara and adding to my list would be Tappers Cafe. A new cafe established quite recently in Uptown and has a few outlets in other areas, I think there is one in Puchong. 

The cafe was designed in an all white glamorous interior setting that reminds me of Full House, except this was perhaps the cheaper version of it. Despite its simple white design and decent lighting, the interior was stuffy especially when we sat in the sofa area. We were feeling hot and slightly uncomfortable in that area. There were even some mosquito flying in our area, how disturbing!

Tappers offered a variety of dishes, mainly western and Hainanese specials which you can find in your local kopitiam. Ranging from pasta, chicken roast, schnitzels, Hainanese chicken chops, toast and omelette were among the few that grace the simple menu. Their beverage menu was of various variety too, so fret not of not knowing what to drink.

Hot Mocha @ RM 6

I had the hot mocha since I was craving for warm drinks. Boy, I was disappointed - actually all the coffee that we ordered were plain disappointing. The mocha tasted pretty much like Neslo - milo and coffee mixed together. Other than that, it was slightly diluted and presentation wise, I was also annoyed with the lack of effort.

Hot Latte @ RM 6

The latte was horrible. This is definitely not your coffee place. Priced at RM 6, perhaps it was a hint at the quality of the drink. It had a pretty presentation, however, taste wise, it failed miserably. The coffee was crazy bitter which I believe was caused by the inapprioprate ratio of coffee to milk. Another thing I would like to highlight - I do think they used very bad quality beans or maybe just any typical coffee powder from the shelves of supermarket. My friend even added heaps spoon of sugar to make it sweeter, but it just didn't worked. 

Cappucino @ RM 6 (i think)

 Pretty as it looks, its taste? It tasted like the latte my friend ordered. Pretty much exactly alike in terms of taste, only it was more bitter than the latte. 

Mashed Potato @ RM 6 (i think so)

The mashed potato was not palatable at all, well at least for my standard. Firstly, take a look at the picture itself, the mash potato looks so solid and not a hint of mashed or what I would like to call the rich velvety texture. It was as bad as it looks. It was firm and compact that pretty much tasted like something that has been left for a long time or came out from a totally bad mashed potato machine. The sauce doesn't even do any justice to the dish. It was dilute, bland and totally not worth ordering.

Toast 

I didn't try this but hey, if you really want toast, go to another place. This doesn't seem like a good place to be ordering toast!

Omelette with Ham

I didn't try this either. In terms of presentation, it doesn't seem like they put much effort either.

Chicken Schnitzel with Potato and Coleslaw

The schnitzel was alright and generous in portion. The sauce was just average and diluted, it honestly tasted like the maggi sauce that people would use. 

Chicken Parmigiana

Its just like a chicken schnitzel with extra cheesy topping. The cheese was decent and rich. It tasted like Hawaiian Pizza to be honest except it on a piece of chicken. Nothing that I can rave about either.

Spaghetti Agio Olio with Mushroom

I didn't order this since I had pasta a day back. This was decent and palatable, well at least to my standard. The spaghetti was prepared al dente. Tossed with a rich coating of olive oil, mushroom, herbs and cheese, it is a welcoming change to all the previous dishes. However, if you don't like overly peppered spaghetti, please tell them in advance. This seemed like a dish the chef accidentally overdosed with pepper.

Mixed  Mushroom Sandwich

This was my dish. Among all, I would say mine was the best. It's a vegetarian dish by the way. Sandwiched between a piece of loaf that pretty much looked like pita brea, it was an overdosed of mushroom well seasoned and sauteed. The bread was coated with butter and a rich amount of mayonese. Topped with some cucumber and tomato, the mushrooms were added to complete the dish. It was good in my opinion, apart from the excessive mayonese that I decide to push away. 

The verdict? Their food is just alright, but if you are looking for good food to tantalize your taste bud, this is NOT the place for you. Please do not order the coffee if you are an avid coffee lover like me, because you will be very disappointed and feel like asking for a refund! I wouldn't come back for a second round, thats what I can tell you about my whole experience here.

Perhaps I'm too fussy but I need food that does justice to the price I pay or at least do justice to my standards. Haha. There is another downside to it. The owner should really train their waiters to converse in English. I asked one of them about their dessert and they seemed lost when I conversed in English. 

It was even more annoying when we're done with our meals, they wanted to clear the table which we allowed them to while we chatted away. However, it was gross when they pile up the plates and place the dirty fork and knifes on the table in front of us, and no, they didn't bother wiping the table after they place the dirty knifes there. So yes, our table were literally dirty with the excess "gravy, juice and what no" that dropped from the fork/knifes. I was literally cursing in my head. 

It was bad in term of taste, service wise was really horrible too. So, if you don't want to be frustrated like me, don't try this place please. 

Ratings : 1.0/5.0

Price : Cheap

Tappers Cafe

-thevanillapudding-

The Carpenter's Daughter, Artisan Bakery and Cafe, Taipan

I'm not good with Taipan area, or USJ as a matter of fact. So, my friend drove me down to Taipan to have a go at this cafe since some of my friends were raving about its goodness and godliness. If you hate traffic, do not go down to Taipan. Their traffic is horrendous by nature and with the MRT on construction, its hell times two.

Located in the busy Taipan area, it is easy to miss this small cafe with all the rows of the shoplot, however, its located near the main entrance. So, it was relatively alright to spot it if you pay attention to all the signboards of the shops. For easier identification, its opposite Ampang Yong Tau Foo. 

The cafe was cosy and comfortable. It gives a very homey vibe with small arrays of tray with bread and buns, while the back area was the cafe. It is rather small with only less than 10 tables. They decorated the walls with simple shelves filled with decorative items that despict the olden days cafe in France while the pictures of cafe and posters of quotes don the plain wall.

First thing to note about this cafe and their products - its said to made of organic and natural ingredients. It is also suitable for people that are lactose intolerance because they have a range of those. The taste might vary slightly since it will be a "healthier" option.

Today's pictures are taken via my iPhone, forgive the resolution.

Cappuccino at RM 8.90

I suppose they are not really purely professional baristas because their coffee are pretty much just alright. I had the cappucino. The bean wasn't very fragrant honestly, so the coffee didn't smell as good as other coffeehouse that I've been to. It is pretty bitter, less sweet by a whole lot than the usual cappuccino. Its a nice compliment to all the sweet cakes that we were having.

Cafe Latte at RM 8.90

The latte was fine also. Nothing to rave about either. My friend did comment that the milk that they used for the foam didn't taste that good. Well, I suppose their specialty is their cake, not their coffee. Its decent but just don't expect really good coffee. I was expecting some coffee art too but obviously I was met with disappointment.

Tiramisu at RM 10.90

Presentation wise, its a very pretty cake. Taste wise? First bite was heavenly. Rich in mascarpone cheese and a rich and solid chocolate sponge based, this tiramisu is as good as it looks. It definitely worth the money I just paid. However, there was one Oomph that was lacking. The coffee taste was not significant or strong enough. As you can see from the picture, the sponge was relatively dry, not soaked with coffee. Well, in that area, I guess they should improve it.

Chocolate Brownies with Ice Cream  at RM 9.90

This is good, but not great. Rich, moist, sinful and heavenly was all I can describe the brownie. However, it wasn't great because it lacks something which I'm not sure what was it, compared to the gooey brownie I had at Delicious, this seems the less sinful version. Nonetheless, it is still good and recommended. The ice cream ain't your typical vanilla ice cream, but rather its a rich nougat flavored ice cream. But beware, there are icicles in the ice cream because my friend bit something really hard and it turned out to be an icicle! Speak about eating hazard!

Red Velvet at RM 9.90

I had better. Perhaps I wasn't used to their organic range of ingredients, the cupcake was made of real beetroot. So, expect the taste to vary from your usual red velvet. But I kind of liked it too because it was real moist and the cream cheese was fine to the mouth. Instead of loading a thick coat of cream cheese, they had a fine layer but rich enough to taste it. It was goodness but a healthier goodness.

Mango Passion at RM 8++

This was one of the healthier option on the menu, but the taste was just plain weird. It's either because of the use of organic ingredients or something, it didn't taste good. The sponge was dry, I'm unsure if its like that because its flourless or something. I forgot to look at the ingredients stated there. Well, it has poppy seeds if you like it. However, this is definitely not what I will order again. The mango taste wasn't even significnant.

Apple Pie 

Looks good right? However, I've to say this. I make better apple pie. Haha. I like flaky pie crust compared to this type of pie crust. The fillings are generous, however, I think it lacked apple bitlets that I would prefer and it would have been better with more apple sauce. It would be served with ice cream if you chose to have it at the cafe. I bought it back for my dad, so no ice cream in place.

Ciabbata Bread 

It smelled good and delicious. However, mom said there was too much yeast in the bread, so its a little elastic. Haha. It was claimed to have olive and herbs. However, they could be more generous with the herbs because it is seriously lacking some herbs there in terms of taste. No offense, I would have baked better herb bread. 

It is a decent cafe. I would most probably be back to try their main courses. Their menu was pretty impressive with all sorts of dessert, cakes and main courses. I would most probably take a chance with their main courses though it was a tad too pricey, pricing - try to imagine Plan B pricing.

Ratings : 3.5/5.0

Price : RM 20++ 

The Carpenter's Daughter Cafe

No.46G, Jalan USJ 10/1E, Subang Taipan, Selangor

Tel : 603-8081 1218 / +6016-2762 811

-thevanillapudding-

Chocolate Lava Cake/Moltan Cake

I've been posting so much review on restaurant and coffeehouse that I think I should drop a few post on my own baking adventures. I'm no professional in baking, most of my baking experiences are based on online recipes and trial and errors.

So today, I'll be posting about my all time favorite recipe! Chocolate lava cake, a oh-so-sinful dessert that just melts in your mouth. This desert has a solid but firm texture on the outside, but when you cut into the centre, rich velvety chocolate oozes out. With a spoonful of pure vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate oozing out from the cake, what you get is a lustful bite of haven.

I've made it a couple of time and I've never receive any lashback from it, so I suppose its good enough for everyone. A fine delicate dessert but its just so simple that amateur wouldn't have an issue preparing it!

My first attempt at it

My third attempt at it 

The two pictures above, I prepared it during a Christmas party at my friend's place and I was too busy working in the kitchen till I forgotten to snap a picture of it, these were taken by my friend's iPhone. I apologize for the bad resolution. But the whole plate was worthy of a five star hotel dessert, so don't fret about something so simple!

Prep Time : 20 mins
Cook Time : 10/15 mins
Serves : 4 ramekins

Ingredients :
Good quality dark baking chocolate - 113g
Butter - 113g
Eggs - 2
Sugar - 35g
All purpose flour - 40g
Coffee powder - a pinch (optional, my preference to enhance the chocolate taste)
Cocoa powder - to coat the ramekin after buttering (optional)
Butter - to coat the ramekin
Chopped walnuts, icing sugar and mint leaf for garnishing

Steps :
1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. (Place a heatproof bowl/pyrex bowl over a pot of boiling water. Reduce the heat to low once place the bowl on top. Add chopped chocolates and stir till smooth)
2. In a mixer, beat eggs and sugar till fluffy and light.
3. Once the chocolate are fully melted, add in the butter. (Usually the heat in the chocolate will melt the butter, if the chocolate had cool, put it over the pot to help melt the butter)
4. Add chocolate butter mixture in sugar and eggs and add the flour. 
5. Add a pinch of coffee powder to enhance the chocolate taste. Mix well till fully incorporated, don't overmix.
6. Butter the ramekins and coat it with a layer of cocoa powder to give it a richer cocoa flavor.
7. Fill it with the mixture at least 3/4 of the ramekin.
8. Bake it in a preheated oven of 180C for 10 minutes to have gooey center or 15 to have solid center.
9. Serve it with vanilla ice cream, sprinkles of icing sugar and chopped walnuts and garnish with mint leaf.

Tips :
*The mixture can be kept overnight if you intend to bake it other times.
*This can be made advanced and if you intend to bake it a month later, put it in the freezer; if you plan to bake it 2 days later, the fridge would be fine.
*Check the chocolate lava cake when placed in the oven to ensure you don't over bake it. The moment, you see its solid on the outside, take it out and serve immediately, NEVER leave it in the oven or you'll overbake it.
*Use a kitchen knife to go around the edges to ensure easy flipping when you flip it over the plate.
*BE CAREFUL as the ramekins are very hot.

Original recipe adapted from Molten Lava Cake.

-thevanillapudding-

Whisk Outpost or Whisk Espresso Bar+Bake Shop

I've been to Whisk Outpost a couple of times with friends and family. So this would be a post for all those past experiences. However, some pictures are of bad resolution and lighting as they were taken from my iPhone, so pardon me for that.

Whisk Outpost was the brain child of some young adult who may be slightly older than I am and I must say it is a growing success till this very day. The coffee scene in Malaysia has been expanding with various coffeehouse popping up in the neighbourhood. 

Whisk Outpost has no lavish interior, they used mostly stool, wooden panel and tile floor to give a rustic feeling to their customers. When you stepped into the coffeeplace, you'll get a cosy feeling, away from those hectic busy days or the clicking of laptops like those you hear in Starbucks. Its like a good ole place where you hang out with friends with some good coffee and cakes.

This shows the interior of Whisk Outpost in Empire Shopping Mall. See what I meant about the rustic and cosy feeling? 

Rose Cake @ RM 11 (I think thats the price)

The rose cake deemed to be one of their best seller. I had this at their Subang outlet and it was just way too sweet for me. It tasted like rose which obviously meant they used rose flavor coloring - the taste was very refreshing and flora like. However, their sugar level was crazy! It is definitely something for the sweet tooth, not for me!

Granny Cake @ RM 11

This cake was good and makes it to my must have list. Don't shy away from this beauty that is so simple in terms of name and looks but tasted like a million bucks. Its basically a simple cake with apple bits and butterscotch cream. It wasn't very sweet, but moist and rich enough to taste the apple bit. The butterscotch cream compliments the cake very well, rich, thick, sweet and slightly buttery to compliment the cake's bland taste. It was pure bliss!

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate @ RM 13

My mate ordered the hazelnut hot chocolate to compliment the cake. Well, I'm never a fan of hazelnut honestly, I'm more almond or cashewnut. Haha. The chocolate taste was rich with hazelnut taste, however, it was a little dilute to my liking. Oh, they even forgotten to add the hazelnut in when they served the drink and we had to return it for them to add hazelnut! 

Chocolate Mud Cake @ RM 11

We had this at their One Utama outlet, located near Candylicious. It was one of my favorite, to be honest. It was super moist and rich in chocolate. So sinfully delicious that I didn't mind ordering a second one! If you love chocolate, this is good without too much cream to satisfy your taste bud!

Red Velvet Cake @ RM 14 ( I think)

Had this at the One Utama outlet. Just like the rose cake, it was too sweet for me. The cake itself is a mixture of cocoa and sugar and was overly sweet to my liking. And here comes the cream cheese which is again sweet and creamy on its own. That's like triple dose of sugar! It was moist nonetheless.

Hot Chocolate

My mate ordered this and I didn't bother trying because I am not a fan of hot chocolate either. I prefer my milo to hot chocolate. Haha.

On a side note, I've tried their pour over and also their cafe latte. The pour over was basically the barista pouring hot water in a controlled hand movement over the grinded beans to generate pure long black or just pure coffee. It was a tad too sour, it was some beans from Singapore, named Nylon. The cafe latte was too milky for my liking, some liked it milky, however, I prefer my latte to have slightly stronger taste of the coffee and less milky taste.

I would still go back for my cuppa. Maybe try a different thing, the cakes were decent and it has a good atmosphere for you to lie back and read a book or chat with your friends. They may not have the best coffee in town, but its a good start for an indie cafe like them. 

Whisk Espresso Bar/Whisk Outpost

Empire Shopping Mall, Subang

One Utama Shopping Mall

-thevanillapudding-

El Fresco Cafe, The Italiano Cafe, Empire Subang

I had lunch with my college girls yesterday. We met up after one of them attended an interview nearby Sunway, so we headed off to Empire Shopping Mall for a good hearty meal. We wanted to have lunch at the The Vanilla Place but the awkward setting in the middle of the walking passage in the mall turned us off.

Our second option brought us to El Fresco Cafe, located in Jaya Grocer. It has no fancy setting, just like a cafeteria in the middle of the grocer. It serves mainly western food with a choice of pasta, pizza, panini, chicken and steak. They even have a variety of desserts such as tiramisu, flan and pannacotta. Their beverage menu is not lacking either!

There was quite a crowd too, family, housewives who are out shopping and some office employees. It's Italian based restaurant but prepared by local Malay chef, so halal it is!

Spaghetti Agio E Olio @ RM 15 

As usual, I ordered my all time favorite type of pasta - agio e olio. The spaghetti was boiled to perfection - al dente. Tossed in a thick coating of olive oil, herbs, garlic and some chilli flakes, there was nothing much to rave about the pasta. It was decent in taste and alright in portion but RM 15, it was a tad too expensive for something so plain.

Seashall Marina Pasta @RM 17

This pasta was named quite long which I don't remember at all. Taste wise, it's just plain weird. Coated in thick tomato base and a rich amount of cheese tossed in between, the combination ain't right. It was also a tad bit spicy surprisingly. It wasn't a dish that we will ever order again. Enough said.

Cafe latte 

Another mate ordered the cafe latter which was surprisingly good. It was generous in terms of coffe, I'm assuming they used illy beans from the cup which had the word illy engraved on it. It was rich but at the same time, the sweetness wasn't too overpowering, enhancing the coffee taste with a balanced sweetness. 

Tiramisu @ RM 7

My mate ordered the tiramisu to satisfy her sweet cravings, and mine as well. Haha. For RM 7, it came in a pretty little glass that looks miserable. It was nice but not great. The tiramisu was rich in mascarpone cheese, no doubt about that as you can see from the entire cup. But tiramisu isn't tiramisu without the ladyfingers. I am guessing they soaked it in too much coffee and it became way too soggy, hence ruining the structure of the tiramisu completely. But if you love the cheese more than the sponge, then this might be something you like to have.

Overall, its a decent place. No great food or maybe I have yet to try their chicken or steak with panini, I saw many people having that, perhaps that would be their specialty. Perhaps that was a better choice. I'll be back for other food during my next round to Empire, till then, I would just suggest you to drop by if you like trying new eatery!

Rating : 2.5/5

Price : RM 15 ++

Fresco Cafe, Empire

-thevanillapudding-

Vary Pasta, Damansara Jaya

This is one of my top 5 favorite restaurants - one that I always go back to without fail and one that I always order the same dish without fail. And no I never get bored of it......ever. 

Vary Pasta is located in the small row facing Atria which is no longer known as Atria but some random construction site. Due to their isolated area and difficult to maneuvar road, not many people knows about this beauty. The restaurant is just a small lot with a couple of tables and a very cold air conditioning. It has a simple interior with pretty pictures of ancient kitchens and dinner tables. It is cosy and suitable for families.

Of all my visits there, rarely are there people coming in without families, usually families will hog the restaurants or couples. It is quite well known among people living nearby, but rarely outsiders visit this restaurant.

Their specialties are on their pasta and I will definitely give credit to that. Their pasta comes in a generous portion with generous amount of ingredient at a very reasonable price. If you're there during weekends, it is pretty crowded when you're late.

Spaghetti Agio Olio with Mushroom @ RM 11

 In every of my visit, I would order my Agio Olio very faithfully without doubt. It is rich in olive oil, fresh herbs and garlic that each mouthful was orgasmic. It's simple in taste, but it makes you crave for more. The mushrooms were a generous amount too. You can chose to have mushrooms/prawns/chicken.

Grilled Chicken with Spaghetti and Fries

 This whole plate was below RM 18. Totally worth the money for the portion and the taste. The chicken was grilled to perfection with a very rich sauce to compliment it. The spaghetti was just good ole plain herbs and olive oil spaghetti, but it was a good combination of everything. It is a hearty meal in fact at a very good price.

Pork chop with spaghetti 

This portion is huge with 2 huge cutlet of pork with half a plate of pasta! The pork was savory and was served with a black pepper base if I'm not mistaken. This is also one of my parents favorite. The pork was succulent and at times chewy, if you do not like chewy pork, I would still recommend it. That is how highly I think of this place.

Lamb Chop with Pasta and Fries

They serve three pieces of lamb, or should I say rack? It is huge in portion for all three elements, so if you're a big eater, this might just be your thing! At times, the lamb chop can be slightly overcooked while other times it is just perfect. However, I usually don't have much complains for their lamb chop because its been consistent in term of taste and texture.

Tiramisu

The first time I had their tiramisu, it was godly. However, gradually I think its standard dipped slightly. I think they soaked the lady fingers far too long and the rum wasn't very strong in this case. The tiramisu was partially frozen when it was served. It is good but not as good as last time.

I've been here countless of times but I don't have all the pictures of the food I had in the past. But below are the few that I will recommend to people that are not in the above :

1. Creamy Garlic Spaghetti (cream based - like carbonara)

2. Pumpkin Soup (very rich in taste and texture)

3.  Pork Knuckles (recommended to be share by 5 people - succulent juicy roast knuckles)

4. Spaghetti with Capers, Bacon and Capsicum (I forgotten the real name)

5. Creme Brulee (really not bad)

6. Pancakes (its slightly thicker than it should be, but if you want something hot and cold, this is it)

7. Mushroom Soup

What you shouldn't have - apple strudel. It was horribly tough and disappointing.

This is one of my most frequent place because of its reasonable price, cosy ambience and consistent preparation of their dishes. I would definitely recommend this place - no one ever disliked this place whenever I brought them over. That's how good they are.

Ratings : 4.5/5

Price : RM 11 - RM 20/pax 

Vary Pasta

21 Jalan SS 22/23, Damansara Jaya, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

03-7710 6100

-thevanillapudding-