KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

With stylish new cafes popping out by the dozens since late last year, Publika @ Solaris Dutamas is my current (f00d) playground. This time we found ourselves at The Red Beanbag, a modern contemporary Australian-inspired café situated same row as our favourite French Bistro – Nathalie Gourmet Studio.

The Place – This café interior has a striking combination of contemporary lines, clean, warmth and rustic charm. Adding to the cafe’s rustic flair, a number of bean bags imprinted with words like “play”, “passion” and “creative” adorn the walls.

The Menu – Printed on a corrugated cardboard, the menu item is created with quirky names such as The Nutty Professor (tiramisu), Shroom Shroom (mushroom fettucini), Beef Me Up Scotty (grilled beef fillet) and many more. Apart from serving all day breakfast, there’s also main meal such as pasta and burger.

The Food -We stared with the RBB Signature Breakfast (RM 19.90) with poached, fried or scrambled eggs on toasts, sauteed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, beef/chicken sausages, beef bacon, baked beans and hash brown(RM 19.90). Everything was decent (but not exceptionally good) except for the rubbery and tasteless scrambled eggs. I am secretly hoping for pork bacon too; but The Red Beanbag is a pork free eatery. Savings grace came in the form of Egg Benedict (RM 15.90). The perfectly runny yolk surrounded by nicely cooked egg white is the greatest part of the pleasure of Eggs Benedict. We poked through the yolk and enjoyed the runny hot mess. RBB’s Specialty Baked Eggs (RM 17.90)was pretty good too; with eggs cracked into a baking dish of lamb bratswurst, sundried tomatoes, potatoes and cheese, baked to perfection and served with crusty bread.

The piece de resistance is Classic French Toast (RM 13.90) coated with almonds, served with seasonal fruits and maple syrup (RM 13.90). It was so soft and fluffy! The almond coating gave it a nice, pleasant crunch too. However, RM 13.90 for ONE piece of roti is quite a steep price to pay.

Since there were 7 of us, each of us picked a dish and somehow Shaun is craving for risotto. Don Scallopino (RM 24.90) is seaweed risotto served with seared scallops and seaweed. A generous hand with the scallops but the risotto were on the bland side. My Crustacean Cousin (RM 27.90) on the other hand; was quite good. With tiger prawns and mixed seafood served with freshly pressed pasta, I felt like having lobster bisque with pasta. The lobster/prawn gravy was probably the key to this delicious seafood pasta. We don’t quite like the Shroom Shroom (entree RM19.90/main RM 24.90), creamy mix of mushroom and beef bacon bits on a bed of creamy fettucini. Those mushrooms and beef bacon bits had appeared for the third time (first & second time in our order of signature breakfast & egg benedict) and we find the pasta to be bland tasting.

Like for all caffeine oriented antipodeans, the key to a treasured breakfast haunt is the coffee. No complains! I also love how the barista tried to create coffee art for everyone around our table.

How do we like The Red Beanbag? It was a tough call. We loved the ambiance, the service (which was way beyond excellence), the vibe but the food was somehow disappointing. Don’t get me wrong. Food was actually decent, but it was a case of setting our expectations too high after reading some of the rave reviews.

p/s: will revisit for the Classic French Toast though.

p/s: still think Antipodean Cafe serves best breakfast

THE RED BEANBAG
Lot A4-1-8, Solaris Dutamas
(opposite Publika’s open space/Ben’s)
Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-6211 5116
Tue – Fri: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Sat – Sun: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Pre-booked dinners for functions available.
http://www.facebook.com/theredbeanbag

Continue Reading

Focusing on non halal local hawker fare, it is not difficult to guess that the newly opened E.A.T Food Village at Publika shopping gallery became my favourite lunching place. It brings together some of the best hawker food vendors from Klang Valley and North Peninsular Malaysia under one (air-conditioned) roof.

The decor reminds diner of yesteryear; with shop facades that look as though time freezes at 1950’s, Chinese calligraphy, poems, paintings and lingering Chinese oldies.

Continue Reading

Located in a quieter part of Mont Kiara, Ristretto Cafe wears multiple hats- it’s a restaurant and a coffee shop. The latter outshines as many has good things to say about their coffee.

Ristretto’s interior is cozy, warm and inviting. One can also dine outside and soak up the sun on the al fresco terrace.

Upon placing our orders, the cute and affable barista made our drinks behind the counter.

Cappuccino (RM 5)

Cafe Latte (RM 5)

Flat White (RM 5)

Priced from RM 4.50, these cheap drinks help cushion the blow to our wallet. We all loved how smooth the coffee was and how there was no bitter after taste. This was attributable to double ristretto, which forms the base of their coffees, is a sweet lingering combination of nutty aromas and lively acidity.

The cafe also specialises in Peruvian dishes, and according to the wait staff, the chef hails from the north of Peru. We ordered some dishes to try and Papa a la huancaina persona (RM 18) is actually boiled potatoes and eggs served with a spicy, creamy sauce. It tasted like ordinary potato salad to me, and RM 18 is actually a steep price to pay for such a simple dish.

Jalea Mixta (RM 35), on the other hand, was actually very good! The crisp and non-greasy mixed fried seafood platter was very addictive.

With such delicious and huge portions, the pricing is quite reasonable too.

Arroz con pollo (RM 25), literally chicken rice which is an original Peruvian recipe. We did not enjoy the dish at all, as the fried chicken was dry and hard.

While the Peruvian dishes were disappointing, Ristretto Cafe is a great place to chill out. The coffee is really good and affordable!

Ristretto Cafe
Unit 3A @ 10 Mont Kiara,
Jalan Kiara 1, Mont Kiara,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Directions: After Plaza Mont Kiara, turn right into Jalan Kiara 1. Drive till the end and you will see MK 10. Ristretto is located in the building on your left, on the Ground floor. Parking is FREE.

http://ristretto.com.my

Business hours:
Open daily from 9am to 11.30pm

Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio has always been at the top of my “to try” list but it took us forever to drop by, mainly due to the inconvenient opening hours (close for dinner, close on Sunday). Luck must be on our side, because towards the last day of year 2010, our PM has decided to declare a public holiday to  commemorate Malaysia’s victory in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.

I text-ed Ivy almost immediately, “let’s do lunch at Nathalie’s!” and she replied promptly “OK”. I know that my lunch companion is as excited as me; for our love for all things fine (but could not afford it most of the time :p).
Continue Reading

*Closed Down

This is a carricature of the Austrian King Emperor Franz Josef I. It depicts the whole of Austrian culture in that one painting. The skis help define winter sports and the entire ski industry in Austria. The ballet shoe depicts the art and culture in Dance/Waltz. The cake sitting on the head represents the fame pastries in Austria such as the Apple Strudel. Violin represents the music industry which reminds me of Austria borned Mozart. Beer is a typical drink of Austria, Edelweiss is Austria’s national flower and the Lederhosen is the national costume of Austria for men.

When it comes to food, the Austrians are as enthusiastic as anybody on earth. In many ways, I think that an understanding of the culture of a country’s food and recipes is an understanding of the country itself. While we do not have the privilege to travel the great distance to Austria (yet), we were lucky to be invited to Karl Beisl, a new, authentic Austrian restaurant in Solaris Mont Kiara.

Opened and manned by Karl, an Austrian guy who resides in Malaysia, Karl Beisl is a beautiful restaurant with high ceilings and gorgeous furniture.

Continue Reading

How time flies! It is almost a year now since the last farewell dinner for Chris, Christine and Sugar Bean where we vowed to meet again for the coming years.

Since everyone is back again and we were eager to share with each other some of the stories that we had, the gang has decided to meet up at  Ole Ole Bali, Solaris Mont Kiara.

A lil booklet, a picture of us and a personal message for everyone. It’s a really sweet gesture of Chris and Christine. Thanks for putting the effort forth, we’ll treasure them just like how we cherish the friendship between us.

Continue Reading

Dubrovnik The most southern city in Croatia… A magnificent city of hundreds years old… Jewel of the Adriatic…

Dina was enchanted by this beautiful city: for her, it was her beautiful piece of homeland. The town was completed in the 13th century and remains virtually unchanged to the present day. In the early 1990s, Dubrovnik has endured some bombing and serious damage but the old town has been restored to its former beauty through many efforts and aids.

The pretty Croatian hopes that through the food, people get to know more about her country, thus it ignites her interest in opening the restaurant at Solaris Mont Kiara. Upon an invitation from Food Street, we were fortunate enough to sample some of their signatures.

The two storey high restaurant has adopted a simple but elegant bright white theme which creates an atmosphere that entices guests to relax. The exposed brick wall, even in its unfinished state, is rustic yet refined. It gives the room a more casual, Mediterranean mood, and that mood is enhanced by Croatia’s travel brochures scattered across the table and a screen playing clips featuring the lovely country.

Due Colori Soup (RM 18)

This is a creamy and becalming concoction of leek and cauliflower which is most likely to be appreciated by the ladies. I think it does not only appeal to the ladies, even my guy friends have dunk countless chunks of bread into the soup, and lick the bowl clean, literally.

Palacinke (RM 20)

Palacinke is basically crepes filled with cream cheese. The cotton soft and souffle like crepes and cream cheese are baked, the crispy outer crust has elevates this simple dish to the heights it deserves.

Strukli (RM 20)

Another famous delicacy of Croatia, strukli is actually ravioli like cottage cheese dumpling sprinkled with bread crumbs and pan fried. Golden and buttery, with melted cottage cheese oozing out from the sides, this is how I defined comfort food.

Pasta Spalato (RM 31)

Capsicum, spinach and chevre cheese is served on a bed of fresh hand made garganelli pasta. Garganelli are homemade combed penne from grated Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, eggs and flour dough. This is gorgeous pasta that require too much of work but the chef insist on making fresh pasta daily. Cooked al dente, the garganelli is drenched in wonderfully creamy sauce with cubes of mild and fairly salty goat cheese sans the unpleasant aroma. My mouth waters thinking about it.

Rumpsteak (RM 49)

Rumpsteak, probably a tough cut of the meat, is indeed tough but flavorful. It would be better if it is cooked medium rare instead of medium well. Well, at least the filling of sautéed mushroom sandwich between the beef steak is softly textured and flavorful. The sides of sautéed potatoes with slightly toasty surface and stir fried spinach are really good too.

Brodetto with Potatoes (RM 54)

The Brodetto is an extremely rich stew overflowing with prawns, shellfish and squid in a tomato and onion base concoction with white wine. We found this stew comforting, wholesome and filled with plenty of morsels from the sea.

Apple Pita (RM 20)

Having a seemingly insatiable sweet tooth, I can’t say no to desserts. The warm apple pie in thin crispy dough is perfect match with the icy cold vanilla ice cream. Oh-so-delicious!

Stef’s Chocolate Cake (RM 22) & White Chocolate Cake (RM 22)

Layers of plush, pillowy bittersweet chocolate mousse with amarena cherry serves up a chocolatey and intense flavour that is unforgettable. The white chocolate mousse tastes almost perfectly sweet – not too much or too little – just like any truly good mousse. If I were to complain, it would be the insignificant serving size for the price.

Thanks to Dina and her chef, Dubrovnik Restaurant offers an unforgettable Croatia experience in an easygoing and relaxed setting. Definitely not light on the pocket, but every dollar spent on the food and ambiance is worth while.

Dubrovnik Restaurant
J-0G-14, Solaris Mont Kiara,
No.2, Jalan Solaris, Mont Kiara
(further down the road from Plaza Mont Kiara, pass thru Mont Kiara International School. Till the end, turn right and go straight. After the condos, the Solaris Mont Kiara is on your left)
Tel: 03/62036780