Makan-logue #5: Vin's Restaurant & Pub KL.

My friend, Amanda has been telling me about Vin's for months now about how they serve great food and also by far, the best Beef Chili Cheese Fries in town. I was skeptical about it, but I actually gave it a try myself when we met up a couple of weeks ago. And boy oh boy, did it taste good. Its minced pure beefy smell with the tomato sauce was a perfect combo for its crispy deep fried fries; its portion is pretty big, its actually enough to fill me. I tried its Vins' Wings. Its alil' like the famous buffalo wings but less juicy more fried-like.

And lucky for me, I found out that Vins' is doing a food review with Advertlets. I was delighted, I mean, who wouldn't like to be showered with scrumptious food, right? So yes, after my gym I rushed over to Vins' couldn't wait to see what's going to be on the table. Ya, I know, defeats the purpose but I just couldn't resist good food.

So here's what was served:

Crumbed Scallops - RM18.90
Pan-fried breaded scallops. 
I'm not a huge fan of batter fried food, but these pan-fried breaded scallops tastes pretty good when served hot.

Sautéed Mushrooms- RM16.90
Sautéed button and king oyster mushrooms flavored with herbs on crusty bread topped with parmesan.
It was pretty good as an appetizer.



Smoked Salmon Bruschetta - RM21
Served with caper-flavored pesto.
I'm a huge fan of smoked salmon, but this was alil bit of a disappointment though. It definitely wasn't as good as the Brandy Prawn, which was the best amongst the three.



Nachos
 Has slices of chicken meat, lettuce, jalapeno, salsa sauce, topped with a generous amount of cream cheese.


Chicken Tikka Masala - RM18
Chunky chicken cuts seared and served in a masala sauce and served with focaccia. 
I have always been a huge fan of bread but the Tikka is usually favourited by people who couldn't take spicy food. As for me, I preffered this one below as my bread combo.




Spicy Lamb Masala - RM18.90
An authentic Indian favorite, slow-cooked in an earthen pot and served with crusty bread.
This is very much spicy to my liking compared to the Tikka Masala. The tender lamb has thoroughly absorbed the fragrant smell of the Indian herbs and when it is served with crusty bread, mmhhhmmmm...



Beef Bacon Pizza (10" thin crust) - RM28
Flooded with generous portions of beef bacon, smoked turkey, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked to perfection.
I out for words. All I have for this pizza is, =)
Sorry but its just too good.



Pasta Carbonara - RM25.90
Beef bacon and mushroom sautéed in olive oil, then tossed in a white wine cream sauce made rich with egg yolk.
I have always been a huge fan of carbonaras but its alil hard to satisfy my tastebuds for this dish. I love the creamy texture, but if its too creamy/cheesy, I'd dismiss it. But Vins' had the dish perfect to my liking.



Spicy Lamb Bolognaise - RM26.90
Fusion lamb dish, made in a spicy bolognaise sauce and flavored with fresh herbs and wild mushrooms.
Have you ever tried Lamb Bolognaise? I kid you not, its Lamb. I find it alright, pretty similar to the normal Bolognaise.



Baked Black Cod Teriyaki - RM52
Another fusion dish, Served with side salad and aglio oglio pasta. Melts in the mouth.
The fish was grilled to perfection. But this particular dish missed a mark for me.



Fish and chips - RM27
Traditionally English, Hake fish dipped in a light batter, fried and served with French fries and coleslaw. Simply mouth watering.
You know what? I did not get to try this dish cause it was placed infront of the boys and was all gone within seconds. So I guess, I can safely assume that it was that good.



VIN’s Rack of Lamb - RM54
Imported frenched juicy tender lamb served with fresh sautéed potatoes and a garden salad. Simply melts in your mouth.
The lamb was juicy, succulent, flavorful. Its has the right combination of lamb fat with meat and with the brown gravy, its perfect.




The Black Angus 54
Air flown U.S grain fed ribeye steak grilled to your choice of doneness, served with potato
salad, accompanied by salad and rich gravy.
I know when I say what I'm going to say next, you guys will throw everything you can see at me. I'm not a big fan of rare/ med rare steak. Its not so much of the dislike for raw food, but I'm fine with raw, but I just love my meat well-done, so yeah. I didn't really like this dish.


Treacle Cake Pudding - RM15
I find the Treacle cake pudding mediocre, nothing much to shout about but the next one coming up, topped everything that I've showed you. Here's my favourite dish..



The Elusive Chocolate Truffle Cake - RM16.90
How good is the Chocolate Truffle exactly? We had second rounds of these little devils in within seconds after it was served and also, I made Jo Yi go back with me a few days after the review just for the truffle. The cake, perfectly baked with a warm chocolate core which melts the moment you put it into your mouth and ice cream to go with. The perfect combination of warm and cold.

I really like this place not only for its food, but all the more, the service that they have there. Everyone just seem to be so happy and all the time smiling. Vin's himself, is a friend to his patrons, chatting and laughing with his customers whenever hes not in the kitchen. I guess, this is the reason why I would return to Vin's aside from its chocolate truffles.

My take on the Vin's Restaurant & Pub TDDI?Ambience: 6/10

Food: 8.5/10

Price: 6/10

Vin's Restaurant & Bar, KL

No. 6, Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 1, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail,

60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia


Visit Vin's FB page here.

* You can also specify if you would like personalise your meal. 

They will try to accommodate your requests. 
* Pics from JasonOng and JonYKT

Makan-logue #4: the Upstairs cafe, Subang Jaya.

 

Its very important to me, that I have a place to escape to with my lappie, sipping a good cup of hot chocolate, inhaling the air with a slight twinge of the aromatic scent of coffee. I have been in search for my second home for a while now, and so far, thanks to a great chef friend of mine, Rick who've introduced me the place, only the Upstairs Cafe came close to my standards in terms of its ambiance, food and coffee. Here's why the Upstairs Cafe located opposite Subang Jaya Medical Center (SJMC) is on top my list for the perfect short, much needed, getaway.

Ambiance.

The perfect place to chill with your friends or even if you are like me, the perfect place for a short escape. With wooden furniture and parquet of warm soft shades of brown and cream, accented with alittle red and white cushions, lit by dimmed fluorescent light perfect for reading, made me fall in love with the place completely the moment I reached the end of the staircase. Yes, you will have to go up the staircase for the cafe, hence the name. The very reason why I loved the place is simply because of the soft scent of aromatic coffee beans which somewhat helps me feel relaxed and right at home. The Upstairs cafe is the perfect place to be if you want to feel cosy and comfortable.

Food.

I have so far tried its Spaghetti Bolognese and have loved it the instant I tasted it. The full sweet and sourish tomato taste with the strong smell of melted Parmesan cheese all mixed together with the homemade pasta and minced beef is not only appetizing to look at, but believe me, it tastes really good too. The pasta, only RM8, what a steal!

I've also tried its onion cheese quiche. This is actually my very first time trying a quiche. Nothing big though, its what I would call, a savory open pie cause its fillings are usually chopped meat, vegetables, and cheese. The onion cheese quiche was good, really. I have always loved the combination of cheese and caramelized onions been it on pizzas, breads and even now, quiche. The fragrant smell of the onion with a twinge of onion sweetness combines with the saltiness of the cheese is perfect. And the quiche is only RM 8.50.

Cakes. This is my favorite part. What good is a coffee shop if it is without good cakes right? I have only tried its blueberry cheese cake for now(am making it a point to try all their cakes one day) and I loved it. I am a big fan of blueberry cheese since the very first time I had it in Genting, about a decade back. I haven't found any so far which could top that until now. I have a weird thing with cheese. I never liked frozen cheese, the reason being I hate the pungent smell of the cheese but I love the fragrant smell of melted cheese once the heavy pungent dairy smell is gone. And this is why, I only take cheese cakes with a thicker cookie base. Another plus point, they use digestive biscuits which naturally already have a smell and taste that I like. Best of all is, they use big natural blue berries to top off the cheese cake. I really like the natural sweet taste of the blueberries and the cheese. A slice of blueberry cheese cake, only for RM 6.50. They have a variety of other cakes too but their best seller is the red velvet, which I am planning to give it a try on my next getaway.

Coffee.

I am pretty boring when it comes to coffees. Its either frappucinos or hot chocolate. And so far, I have tried their mocha frappucino and also Rick's caramel macchiato. The rich taste of coffee with the chocolatey taste of the chocolate at the end of every sip won me over. I'm not a big fan of caramel so, I didn't really like the caramel macchiato, but apparently, Rick, a student-chef approves of the macchiato and said that its hard making a good macchiato like this one. So, good cups of coffees, checked only at RM 8.50 for the frappe and RM 8 for the macchiato.

So here I am, sharing my favorite getaway spot with you. I will be there at least once a week, so if you spot me there, make sure you say hi! Also, know that the food and beverages served here are all homemade, 

yes that includes their cakes which are outsourced by homemakers in Subang.

My take on the Upstairs Cafe, Subang? Ambience: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Coffee: 8/10

Price: 7/10

Upstairs Cafe 

(Located above the famous Kafe Bawang Merah owned by his father)

1st Flr, 12A, Jalan SS12/18

Subang Jaya, Selangor

Opening Hours: 3:00pm-11:00pm, Mon-Sat

Closed: Sun

Tel: 03-5611 9171

Makan-logue #2: Zuan Yuan Rice Dumpling Festival '11, One World Hotel.

Yes! The season of Rice Dumplings is here again! I have always loved dumplings since I was young. Being influenced deeply by the Hokkien society as my mother is a Hokkien, I have always been pampered with the wonderful food that every festival brings. Oh, did you know that every different type of food during different festivity has a symbolic reason to every mythical stories that had been passed down from generations to generations? Yup, I was intrigued when I learnt about the rice dumpling story. So here's how the story goes.

Mandarin Character of Rice Dumplings

Apparently, a strong and brave general during the olden days, got accused and framed. He was sentenced to exile but he ran away. He decides to jump off a river and die to prove his innocence rather than being caught and  punished for what he did not do. So, the villagers who believed in him, tries to help him even after he's dead by throwing rice dumplings into the river to avoid fishes from feasting on him to preserve his body. And so, this is the story of where the rice dumplings come from.

There are many different types of rice dumplings today to suit your taste buds which ranges from the sweet ones up to the savory ones. I personally like the savory Hokkien, black-ish, pork "Bak-Chang" without salted egg yolk. My grandma makes them best. But then again, I have always said, whats the harm of trying out different types of variety? And so, thanks to Rebecca, I got to join in for Zuan Yuan's rice dumpling festival food tasting last Friday at One World Hotel.

The dumplings are usually made of glutinous rice and packed with an assortment of fillings, such as salted egg yolk, chestnut, mushroom, black-eyes beans, wrapped in bamboo leaves. And at Zuan Yuan Chinese Restaurant, located on the lobby level of One World Hotel, Dim Sum Chef Jordan Chin Chee Hung and his team have created three very unique flavours for this celebration:

Chef Jordan.

枣蓉碱水粽

Steamed Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Red Date Paste

RM8++ per dumpling

The red dates to make this rice dumpling are boiled for a maximum 8 hours and the skin removed to form the paste. This dumpling is perfect for sweet-tooths like me. The dumpling has a very fragrant aroma that lingers in your mouth with the right amount of sweetness.

八宝裹蒸粽

Eight Treasure Glutinous Rice Dumpling Hong Kong Style

RM25++ per dumpling

This dumpling are made of 8 main ingredients; sliced roasted duck, pacific clam, salted egg yolk, gingko nut, lotus seed, barley, ground nuts, green bean, mushroom, black-eye bean and chest nut. I personally prefer this dumpling than the one with Abalone. This dumpling has a simple aromatic taste to it which I really like.

五谷鮑魚粽

Traditional Five Grain Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Sliced Australian Abalone

RM58++ per dumpling

This mouth-watering almost 1 kg dumpling is a must try. With the traditional five grain glutinous rice (basmathi, black glutinous rice, oats, wild rice and brown rice) dumpling with sliced Australian abalone, sliced duck, dried scallop, diced mushroom, lotus seed, dried shrimps, salted egg yolk and chest nut. The taste of the abalone and the duck meat makes the dumpling taste richer and is perfect for meat lovers out there.

That was all that was supposed to be on the menu, but the people from One World Hotel was so kind that they wanted to ensure that our tummies are all well fed. They served us with more delicious food.

1/2 Herbal Roasted Duck

RM33++ per 1/2 duck

Crispy Red Bean Chinese Pancake with Banana

RM13++

Durian Combination

(Durian flavored spring roll, pancake & Ice cream)

RM15++

Double Boiled Fuji Apple with Lemon Grass and Aloe Vera

RM10++

All of these dumplings are best paired with the wide variety of Chinese Tea. These dumplings are available during lunch and dinner for dine-in and take-away. Hurry now. These dumplings are only available from 23 May- 6 June 2011.

For reservations or orders, please call Zuan Yuan at 603 7681 1159

Makan-logue #1.: First Coffee House, Ipoh.

So since I am an avid fan of good food, I figured, I might as well start writing more about food and my adventures searching high and low for them. Whats the point of knowing about all these heavenly food but no one to share with, no? My first entry for this very new section of my blog will be the First Coffee House in Ipoh.

  

Honestly, tell me, where can you find a full three-course meal with a vintage, 30s restaurant ambience and feel all for only RM 12.90! At First Coffee House, you can. Here's my take on this restaurant.

I first come to know about this place when my friend Jo Yi, told me about how cheap and worth it this place is. The first thing that came into my mind when I entered the restaurant was how old-school it was. All the workers there are all about 60-80 years of age. A friendly uncle even told me that he had been working there for about 20 years now! And being the always-nostalgic me, I started imagining how many young dating girls and guys who will be about my parents age now.

First up, Starters.

For starters, you'll get a bowl of mushroom soup with hot steamed soft bun with butter. I usually leave the butter out (cause I hate eating chilled butter) and the bun goes perfectly well with the steamy-hot soup. Pretty much enough to fill me actually, but believe me, this is just a small portion of it.

Next up, the Main Course.

As for the main course, you'll have a wide variety to choose from, such as the Chicken Chop, Mixed Grill, Lamb Chop etc. My choice, a Half Spring Chicken as my main course. Yes, HALF a chicken served with fries and coleslaw. The chicken is perfectly fried leaving the skin perfectly crisp but the great thing about it is, its meat is still succulent and juicy on the inside. Going through the chicken requires patience skills as it can be pretty messy with all its chicken juices flying everywhere.

Jo Yi's Chicken Chop. 

I tasted it and it was pretty good. Not perfect to my liking cause I always preferred grilled chicken chop, but really, it definitely did not disappoint me.

My oh-so-awesome half spring chicken.

This is a MUST-TRY!

What's the perfect way to end a perfect meal? The perfect dessert.

You are given a choice between having the ice-cream, creme caramel, coffee or tea. And to make things even better, you can have two from the choices given above. I choose the ice-cream and creme caramel. I have a sweettooth and I am a huge fan of creme caramels. I know of this other place in Ipoh which serves the best creme caramel and it is super kind to your pockets. I promise I'll write about it in my future posts. But anyhow, the creme caramel served by First is actually pretty decent. And the special thing about it is that they put in small coconut bits. I'm not a big fan of coconuts, so this isn't my favorite but rest assured that its creme caramel is very soft and smooth, perfectly done.

Black coffee. 

This is definitely not mine.

Ice cream with coconut-creme caramel.

So, if you are looking to enjoy a whole three-course meal but is low on budget, make sure you stop by First Coffee House not only for a great meal but for a trip back to the olden days. Oh, and First also have catering services if you wish to throw a party.

My take on First Coffee House, Ipoh?
Ambience: 6.5/10
Food: 6.5/10
Price: 9/10

First Coffee House/ Catering
61 & 63,
Jalan Dato' Onn Jaafar (Cockman St.),
30300 Ipoh
05-2410286, 2412329
012-5051913 (Sow)