KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Private Kitchen, Speakeasy, Underground Dining, Home Cafe……Call it whatever you like, because these terms generally refer to a restaurant-like setting tucked away in some neighborhood housing area or apartments. Reservation is almost mandatory due to limited seating capacity. Advertising is usually by word of mouth; coming from friends and families who have been largely impressed by the food quality. And in most of the time, the chef will decide what to cook for you, based on the best of the market for that day.

That’s a really intriguing idea. And it is already taking place around the world especially in HK, where rentals are exorbitantly priced. Restaurateurs found a new way to market for their food. And here in Malaysia, private kitchen is something that I’ve never known of until my colleague introduces me to Huck’s Cafe, a home cafe located in a beautifully crafted two-storey corner lot at Jalan Gasing.

The house is beautifully converted to a cafe like setting, with beautiful garden and Balinese theme man made pond.
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“My mother would kill me if she knows that I’m charging anything more!”

It was the answer given by Hans, one of the owners of D Legends Bar when we asked him why is everything in the menu so reasonably priced (below RM 18 for all items).

Touted as a neighbourhood bar, D Legend Bar always believe in giving their customers the best value under the sun. It is also a place where you can just come in your shorts and slippers and dine with all the great legends like James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson and the likes.

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It’s interesting to see how the old premise where Ipoh’s legendary dim sum giant previously occupied has been transformed into a charming and quaint tea house. A lot of thoughts have been put into the layout and landscaping of the old premise. On one side of the outlet houses their retail segment which features various tea products and utensils, on the other side is the dining area with charming mismatch wooden tables and chairs. There’s even a mini “secret garden” behind where their VIP rooms are located.

From top left: two VIP rooms that require a minimum spending of  RM150, the charcoal wall that works its magic in absorbing moisture and unpleasant odour, I like how they decorate the ceiling with old flour sacks, round compressed tea and delicate tea cups.
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It’s that time of the year again, where the 7 of us gather to celebrate our friendship. It all happened two years backs, right before C&C and sugarbean flew off the UK. We had a wonderful dinner at Xenri and vowed to meet up every September (even though some of us meet up almost every week!). Last year we celebrated C&C’s return at Ole Ole Bali and this year we have decided to go ahead with our dinner plan without sugarbean’s presence.

Poco Homemade Cafe & Atelier is the perfect meet up point. The girls can’t resist such a clean and airy cafe and shop which features zakka, a design and fashion fad originating in Japan. It is located on Lorong Kurau and serves simple home cooked Japanese fare. The guys protested and asked for a meaty and hearty fare, but their complaints were nowhere to be heard.

Poco Homemade is owned by a young couple in their early 20s, zzz and mermer. Zzz is very good in draft work and sketches while mer mer specializes in handmade crafts and sewing. And the lady manning the kitchen behind? Zzz’s mum it is.

I have always had a soft spot for family-run establishments, and as I stepped into the restaurant, I already felt comfortable. The cafe was clean, bright and airy with cute crafts and trinkets everywhere.

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*closed down*

Solaris Dutamas is the latest place for some leisure shopping and dining! It is not exactly near to Solaris Mont Kiara. It is located in the vicinity of the Matrade building, Wilayah Mosque and the Government office complex at Jalan Duta. So to avoid driving around the maze of Mont Kiara and Segambut, hit Jalan Duta and look for the Wilayah Mosque!

It has becoming our favourite hang out place for Sunday brunches. Parking is a breeze during the weekend and it houses some of the most interesting cafes and restaurants around town. We have Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio, Wau Penyu, The Fish and Chippery, and the PINK SAGE!!

I love the interior of The Pink Sage; it is best to keep things simple and clean with a splash of trend or color here and there.
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With funky décor, up lit bar and plush furnishing, one is sure to feel at ease in the cozy atmosphere of Funky Villa. I love the ingenious use of color especially!
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Typica Cafe, 原来真好 。

Typica Cafe in Shaw Parafe was a place I discovered by chance. We were yearning for coffee after a very filling lunch of Yap Hup Kee’s yong tofu. We walked around aimlessly until I saw a Typica Cafe that seemed to be open and had cute teacups filled with coffee beans at the entrance.

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To my dearest Christine,

It’s your birthday and I’m thinking how glad I am that you were born. You are a good friend who’s there to provide support when times are tough, and you bring positive vibe and happiness to everyone.

Happy Birthday darling! I wish you another great year from the bottom of my heart.

Love,
Citygal

We celebrated Christine’s birthday last week with lots of presents, a simple dinner at Cristang and a lot of cam-whoring afterwards. Please do not read on if you are here for pictures of food worth drooling over because this post is flooded with vain pictures of *ahem* some female floggers *ahem*.

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Sorry for the hiatus. I just came back from a short holiday in Bangkok & Pattaya. Should I blog about Bangkok?

We have always been passing by Betty’s Midwest Kitchen and it is alway seen with a good crowd. “Famous ar?”, asked KampungBoy.  ”I really have no idea.” I answered with a shrug. However, reviews on Betty’s Midwest Kitchen from Food4Thot and The Normad Gourmand have further ignited our interest  so we decided to pop in for early lunch.

We were there really early to we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. However, it is advisable to book for lunch and dinner as capacity in the restaurant is limited.

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Lets Do it (x3)

And live it up

I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a OINK night

That tonight’s gonna be a OINK night

That tonight’s gonna be a OINK OINK night (x2)

(Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling)

Yay TGIF! What better way than celebrating the joy than to indulge in our favourite meal?

I love meat. The smell of it cooking can fill me with desire, and I find its juicy, rich flavor uniquely satisfying. So does my man – KampungBoy and Dad who loves meat. There isn’t any other better way than to celebrate their big day with a porky lardy splendor dinner. Just forgo the prim and proper and go straight for the tried and true – Dave’s it is.

(note: pictures taken at different occasions, and hence different quality standards)

Chef Darren Chin – the man in charge of kitchen operations at Dave’s.

Dave’s has a standard bar atmosphere, with simple setting, dim light and TVs all tuned into Sports Channel. For those looking to imbibe, the bar at the al fresco dining area holding rows after rows of alcohols is good enough.

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Alexis Bistro & Wine Bar, a place that has been blogged to death. Beautiful cakes, extensive wine list, jazz performances; there isn’t any reason to hate Alexis though. I just realized that I have not written anything about this uber cool place despite having numerous tea sessions here.

Thanks to MAS, we had a great buka puasa session one week before Hari Raya with the presence of Red Mummy and Iza. Red Mummy is cute and bubbly as usual, in contrast to Iza’s usual quiet self. :p

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There is no need to leave your conscience at home as you give in to that sinful pleasure of a delicious sweet treat at Dessert’s Bar. Here, they have thought about what constitutes a healthy dessert while retaining the yummy factor in it.

I’m glad that Debbie and Lynndy, the marketing executive of Dessert’s Bar invited me over. It was a fun girls’ night out where we oooh and ahhh over almost everything and we also learnt that desserts is no longer a sinful indulgence at Dessert’s Bar.
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