KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

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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Have you noticed that new restaurant with a garden theme in One Utama lately?

KampungBoy has been a bit reluctant to try this place because it seems that most themed restaurants pay greater attention to create that inviting ambiance instead of focusing on food quality. On the other hand, I was so keen on checking this place out so he gave in for once.

Call me a sucker for ambiance. But I’m always enchanted by restaurants that greet diners with the welcoming embrace of charm and all things pretty. The sight that greeted us as we walked in was a vast array greens interspersed with beautiful flowers. Spotted was also a piano silhouetted against the counter and open concept kitchen.

Set in what looks like a cottage garden, we can see arches covered with blooms around, wrought iron gates, hanging basket hooks, tulle, small potted plants and plenty of silk flowers.

It is hard not to relate them to Full House @ NZX. In fact, they are under the same management. So I went ahead to clarify this with one of their waitress, she answered defensively that Garden is not related to Full House and the concepts are totally different. Shrug.

Most of the décor items in Garden are for sales too, for example, this cute little potted plant is being sold at RM 29.90.

We arrived on a Friday night and were promptly seated. We browsed through the menu and concluded that there’s nothing exciting on the menu. That’s my only gripe. So we settled for the recommended aglio olio (RM 17.90) and beef burger (RM 15.90)

They are running an afternoon tea time buffet promotion at RM 19.90 (3pm to 6pm) too. Just pick anything from these pretty selections. The pastries and tarts are so cute and delicate!

The beef burger arrived promptly, served on a huge white plate with fresh garden salads on the side, along with some crinkle cut fries. Ground beef patty, onion, ketchup, shiitake mushroom and the big soft sesame buns were stacked together nicely. Maybe there wasn’t a lot of pre-hype and high expectation, so the beef burger was actually quite delectable for us.

The Spaghetti Aglio-Olio was done al-dente and was well tossed with olive oil and chili bits and comes with very fresh shrimps. However, I thought that it was too bland for my liking.

Jasmine Flower Tea (RM 5.90) with CityGal’s angel earring

KampungBoy filling up the feedback form.

In all honesty, Garden offers above all excellent ambiance and services with mediocre food. We do appreciate the chefs’ effort in incorporating the freshest ingredients, but taste wise, there is room for improvement. We really like Garden and think that it is the perfect place for a date and it would be fun place for a crowd celebrating special occasions too.

Awareness towards healthy eating is growing and I often find myself torn – to be a granola-eating idealist or of just screw it, eat everything? As time goes by, I do realize that the same old universally applicable principles of variety, moderation and balance still work no matter what. So, here I am, alternating from one to another and most importantly, enjoy my food!

However, KampungBoy is very skeptical towards anything “healthy” or “organic”. He can’t stop rolling his eyes inwardly when I suggested lunch at Yogitree. Sigh, men and their carnivorous gluttony.

Tucked at a corner near to Isetan’s departmental store, Yogitree has never failed to caught my eyes. Mismatched furniture in a uniform color tone, chalk blackboard with specials written all over it, gorgeous cake showcase – these items blend in with the entire restaurant’s soothing atmosphere.

Yogitree emphasize on going back to basic cooking and the use of fresh, natural and largely organic ingredients. They also boast daily blackboard specials that will make your mouth water! On another side of the restaurant, there is this yoga specialty shop where yoga fanatics can find themselves busy picking and buying attires and equipments over here.

I spotted some other interesting items with Asian flavors such as hainanese chicken rice (with brown rice and organic chicken, can you imagine?) and nasi lemak where most the expats around us were having. It does make an excuse for a revisit, no?

Here’s some fruit juices to start our day! Simple and unpretentious, the fresh watermelon juice has a clean fresh taste to it.

Here comes the Full English Breakfast (RM 25) that comes with bacon, chicken sausage, organic eggs, organic home made baked beans, mushrooms, toast, fresh juice, coffee or tea. The portion isn’t exactly big, but just nice for a satisfying brunch. I thought the home made chicken sausage is so tasty and would be a great deal less fat than regular sausages. Compared to canned baked beans, our home made baked beans are considerably tangier and the beans are firm. Those baked beans were cooked from scratch and it sounds so intimidating to us (given up hopes to replicate it at home!)

KampungBoy secretly loves it because he stops offering me his food after I took a small bite on everything.

Quiche Lorraine with Bacon (RM 15). Even if it is ridiculously expensive at such small serving portion, I love it to every bit. It was creamy, rich and flavorful with tiny strips of bacons here and there.

Famous for their desserts that use real butter and organic flour, you definitely want to leave room for that wonderful homemade cakes/pies – churned right there! Our Pure Chocolate Truffle Torte (RM 12) is excellent, dense and moist but not cloyingly sweet. KampungBoy ended up having more of it than me!

Cute lil Girl – not for sales

All in all, Yogitree is a very charming, relaxing restaurant with excellent food so go with an empty stomach because you will leave with you belt open. It has totally changed KampungBoy’s perception towards healthy eating too. Healthy food can be as mouthwatering as creamy pasta or a sumptuous pork burger if it is done the right way.

The Yogitree
F-237B, Level 1,
The Gardens, Midvalley City,
Kuala Lumpur.
Contact: 03-2282 6213 | Opening Hours: 10 am –10 pm daily