Eat the Meringue in Sitka Restaurant

You have to try the Meringue cake from Sitka Restaurant. Jalan Batai is getting more attention lately thanks to the newly opened Ben's Grocer but today it'll be about Sitka Restaurant, one of the shops along the Yellow Brick Road Cafe. Heard good things about it from some friends and finally had a chance to try it out with the beau for lunch after my recent job interview (Which is now my permanent job!).

Source: Sitka Restaurant

Source: Sitka Restaurant

It has a cozy interior with its industrial-inspired architecture which is cliche because almost all cafes are going for this look. But when it's crowded, most of its coziness is gone with the noise.

Have some Mocha (RM11) and some house-made Mango cooler drink (RM10) to quench your thirst.

Lunch is served!

I ordered the buttermilk Fried Chicken (RM23) which comes 2 pieces of chicken topped with honey and thyme with a piece of waffle and half a cob of roasted corn. It smelled so good and the skin is the best because it's crispy and I love my skins to be that way! 

However, when I cut into the chicken, it was still a little raw inside so naturally you will call the waiter to get it cooked again right? I did and the waiter said oh it's cooked already because the chicken has been soaked in a brine, he gave me a face of frustration and said if you want the chef to cook it again it will take 15 minutes and the chicken will be dry.

Because I'm nice and I felt his urge to leave since it was a busy lunch hour, I just let it go. But recently someone told me that their chicken was not raw inside when they had the Buttermilk Chicken. Oh well, at least I didn't get any tummy ache from eating slightly raw chicken.

It was juicy inside but my brain keeps replaying Gordon Ramsay's 'This is raw!' throw into the bin scenario as I was eating. The corn was cooked well and so is the waffle but for the price I am paying, I expect them to be more generous with those elements.

The beau had the Duck Confit sandwich which had teared up pieces of duck confit, roasted oranges, parsnip and herbs scattered on a toasted bread. The combination of the duck and orange is a winning combo as usual! Just the portion is not enough for a big eater that's for sure. 

This Meringue (RM15) cake was one of the best cakes I've had in a long time! Described as Valrhona Chocolate mousse cake with raspberries, every bite was decadent! Its chocolaty and not too sweet too thanks to the tartness of the berries. Slight crispiness from the meringue layers just adds more fun to the party in my mouth! I will come back for this cake!!!

KL rates:

Food- 8/10 (Only because of the buttermilk chicken and meringue)
Price- Steep, about RM18 above
Service- 5/10
Variety- 5/10

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Address:

No. 8-5, Jalan Batai

Kuala Lumpur

One Book That's Worthy Cause You Get To Save Some Cash!

Have any of you stumbled on the Worthy Book (RM29.90 for 180 vouchers, that's a pretty good deal!) in bookstores and magazine stands recently? Well I picked up the Food Edition 2 weeks back and ever since then, I have visited 3 different restaurants which has been featured on this voucher booklet. Apparently the vouchers lasted from last year till end of August 2015. So I'm a little late on the Worthy Book bandwagon but hey, at least I still got to enjoy 3 deals featured in the booklet. :)

I had cravings for some German food so I made my way to Brotzeit since I saw they had some vouchers for me to use there. I used the 25% Off On Any Sausage Platter voucher and got the their signature pork sausage platter that came with a generous amount of mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. 

But I wished they were more generous about the amount of sausages or make it fatter since you're serving about 5 pieces only per platter. It was about RM45 before the 25% discount. Nevertheless, the mashed potato and sauerkraut tasted great with the sausages, nothing is more German than having your sausages with sauerkraut. Just pass the voucher as you are making your order so that the waiter will include the platter in the order. Remember to hand it to them as you ask for your bill for them to include the discount.

A few days after I popped my Worthy Book's voucher cherry, I headed to Sushi Tei to get my Salmon Sashimi fix since I could redeem 1- FREE Salmon Sashimi with orders above RM30. Actually it was 5 thick pieces of Salmon Sashimi but the beau stole 1 piece before I took a picture of it but hey, it does look similar to it's photo on the voucher. It was yummy so I'm happy I got my fix.

Show the voucher when you're making orders and pass it to them when you call for your bill. They charged me for the sashimi because they forgotten about the voucher that I have shown them so check your receipt before paying. 

Last week, the beau and I made our way to My Burger Lab, OUG so that we can try out some new burgers from them. This 50% OFF on Second Burger voucher was a really helpful since we ordered 1 Yellow Submarine set and 1 Bulbasaur a la carte burger to that got discounted by 50%. Pass the voucher to them as you make your order. The T&C for the voucher did not state we can only use 1 voucher per receipt so we had to ask if we are allowed to use more than 1 voucher.

The Yellow Submarine set. It's one of the Secret Menu burgers so we had to try it! It has fried chicken, fried egg, mustard and other ingredients that I can't recall but you can always ask the friendly workers there on what's available and inside of the burgers. This was delish as the chicken was crispy, juicy on the inside and the egg yolk was oozing out as you bite into it.

The Bulbasaur has fried chicken, fried egg, green salsa and a seaweed sauce. I like how the seaweed adds some saltiness while the salsa gives it some tangy taste to balance it out!

I do wish that we're allowed to use a max of 2 vouchers per transaction so it'll be more worth it since some vouchers are free add-ons and some are discounts. Hopefully in the oncoming Worthy Books there'll be more of the hottest dining spots and we can use more than 1 voucher per visit.

Where did I get my Worthy Book?
The FnB Edition and the Shopping Edition is available at all major bookstores (MPH, Popular, Times, Borders, Kinokuniya) and selected myNEWS.com and 7-11 outlets in KL and Selangor.

Website: www.worthybook.my
Facebook: www.facebook.com/worthybook
Instagram: www.instagram.com/worthybook
Twitter: www.twitter.com/worthybook_my
Blog: www.worthybook.blogspot.com
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/WorthyBook

Awesome maki's in Umai-ya

Thanks to the really awesome discount vouchers that went rampant years ago, I had the chance to nom on the wide variety of makis' that they have. The makis in Umai-ya are the best that I ever had but did their quality remain the same now that we are in 2015? I say YES!

My little sister and I treated the fam-bam to a meal at Umai-ya and sure enough we ordered the makis and with other type of dishes this time. Also they ran out of avocados that time so expect less green peeking out of the sushi. Check out the makis that we ordered. Sadly I can't remember the names of the makis but you can always use my pictures for reference when you're looking through the menu.

This was yummy! I think tuna mayo is an underrated sushi ingredient because it's not considered as an expensive ingredient compared to the raw tuna.

Deep fried soft shell crab sushi with some fish roe too is for those who likes their sushi crispy! The sauce in the middle is also really nice with a nice amount of heat to it.

Some tuna, salmon and tempura flakes wedged inside a sushi covered in bonito flakes which tasted nice if you are a fan of sashimi sushi.

We ordered a wide variety of makis to try as many as we can! This one has soft shell crab inside with some cucumber and it's topped with unagi slices and fish roe on top. Really yummy too!

This is chawanmushi inside egg shells and topped with some fish roe, chicken and smaller fish roe. The chawanmushi is not overcooked and it's really smooth too!

Some fresh Salmon, Butterfish and Sweet prawns sashimi to add some natural sweetness to our belly. 

Cha Soba.

This came in a huge bowl of ice to keep the noodles cool. Nothing much to shout about here.

Sukiyaki. Their sukiyaki is already cooked beforehand so no flames involved but you get to add the meat and egg separately. Best to cook the meat and egg when it is still hot.

We ordered the Beef Tongue which came as a Cook It Yourself (CIY) hot grill. It was a decent portion for the 5 of us to eat about 1-2 slices each.

It's really tender and actually sweet! Best if you can have it rare or medium rare so it's more juicy!

KL rates:

Food- 7/10
Price- Average, about RM18 above
Service- 6/10
Variety- 8/10

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Polpetta and all about their meatballs!

Seems like Ikea is going for the vegan route for their meatballs so which is not a bad thing since more people can have it without feeling guilty. But if you're searching for a place that makes meatballs as their main course then Polpetta is where ya need to go! Meatballs are customizable where you can pick what base you want to go for, the sides, toppings and the sauce.

They have other sides as well such as oxtail soups, pasta dishes and more! It was pretty quiet when my friends and I went, I think because of the location. It's not facing the main road so if you don't know about this place you will probably miss it.

Started off with some oxtail soup and it's not too rich so I still have space for my main meal. It has a good amount of beef pieces and vegetables also.

I picked the mushroom meatball, salad, crispy garlic topping and tomato sauce as a vegetarian-ish meal. The meatballs are pretty huge so it was decent main meal! The mushrooms meatball was really yummy and has a good amount of texture and flavour from the mushrooms.

The beau picked the beef meatball, pasta, cheese topping and cream sauce for his meatball main. He added the mash potato as a side. The cream sauce is a little bland and the beef meatball was just alright, nothing to shout about.

Our friend had the beef ball with pesto, cheese topping, pasta with additional egg and hash brown. The pesto sauce is pretty good and you can really smell and taste the herbs! I am already thinking on what combo I am going to do the next time I dine here!

They have other seasonal dishes such as Nasi Lemak, Chicken Rice Ball and more too so if you not into meatballs you can check those out if it is available.

KL rates:

Food- 7/10
Price- Average, about RM18 above
Service- 7/10
Variety- 8/10

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Address:

D-G-51, 10 Boulevard, 

Jalan Kenanga, 

47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Operating Hours:

Mon - Sat:

11am - 9pm

Choi's Don and Dak Gal Bi!

Just when you think you've run out of Dak Gal Bi joints to check out, then comes Choi's Don & Dak! Opened by Mrs Choi who hails from Incheon, South Korea, her restaurant is where you need to go to taste really yummy Dak Gal Bi (Grilled Chicken) and Jumuluck (Grilled Pork). She prepares the marinades, side dishes and meat personally so that everything that comes out from the kitchen is up to her standard. Also, she's all about fresh ingredients and using less oil and preservatives!

It's just a few shop lots away from Snowflake.

The tables and grills are imported from South Korea which in a way, makes the experience more authentic, don't you think?

I had the chance to try the grilled chicken and pork with other food bloggers. This here is the Jumuluck table where Mrs Choi said is with the spicy sauce. Price per person is RM22.50. Add RM2 if you want the spicy sauce.

This is the Dak Gal Bi table which I sat which had the non-spicy sauce. Both pans have the usual ingredients of cabbage, tokpokgi, mushrooms with the marinated meat at the bottom. Price per person is RM19.80.

It's not completed yet!

At this stage, the waiter will add in the extra ingredients which you can order beforehand, here he added the mushrooms (RM8) and sausages (RM8).

At the last stage, usually they'll add in the noodles, Korean udon noodles (RM7) was added to the Dak Gal Bi.

We asked the waiter to shape it into a heart since well, it's good food porn! The chicken pieces was really tender and sweet, it was so flavourful thanks to the marinade! I like how you don't feel very thirsty after eating this since it's not overcooked and the ingredients are all fresh.

Here's the Jumuluck pan, where the same add ons were added but instead of udon noodles, Korean ramyun noodles (RM6) were added instead.

And topped with Mozzarella cheese (RM8)!!!

Cheese is good!!! Also, it wasn't as spicy as I expected. The pork pieces are marinated to perfection just like the chicken! However, I prefer the chicken, somehow it's more sweeter and delicious!!!

She cooked us some Korean Ramyun (RM12) too which I think I had before but I can't remember the brand and flavour. I thought it tasted a bit bland, maybe it's because of the awesome grill meat.

Next, we tried the Korean Jjapaghetti (RM7.80). I guess this is instant noodles like the Korean ramyun. However, I have tried instant Jjajang noodles and I am not a big fan of them. I rather have the freshly made Jjangmyun because the sauce and noodles taste totally different and way nicer than the instant ones.

So, I'm not a fan of this.

Lastly, the waiter cooked us some Fried Rice with Dry Laver aka Seaweed (RM7). Cooked rice, seaweed, kimchi and cabbage are cooked in the empty pan because we basically finished both pans. That's how good it is!

Heat some sesame oil then everything is cooked together. Then, it is flattened so that the bottom is evenly grilled and it's scrapped into a roll and it goes into our tummy!

Most of us had Mocktails as it was recommended by Mrs Choi so they have the virgin Mojito and Pina Colada (Both are RM7.50 per glass). The mojito was refreshing after having grilled food while the pina colada has a strong coconut taste. 

I had the Shirley Temple (RM6.50) which was a strawberry soda. I am not a fan of carbonated drinks but I like Shirley Temples!

Thank you Mrs Choi for your kind hospitality! I'm definitely coming back for your awesome Dak Gal  Bi! :D

KL rates:Food- 8/10
Price- Average, about RM19 above
Service- 8/10
Variety- 6/10

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Address:

30, Jalan Kuchai Maju 8, 

58200 Kuala Lumpur

Operating Hours:

Mon - Sun:

10:00 am - 10:00 pm

A late birthday roundup (Three restaurants)

Here's my birthday roundup last year because we're already in 2015. I didn't make any resolutions last year and usually people would be reflecting on their 2014 and what not but I'm going against the current.

I did an early celebration together with the familia to celebrate my dad's birthday and mine. The beau treated the family to a Japanese A la carte Buffet at Mitasu Japanese Restaurant, Central Plaza. He's officially a senior citizen so he can take advantage of the privileges like how he was able to get the Senior Citizen rate for his meal! :P

Mi familia! :)

KL rates:

Food- 7/10

Price- About RM56 per person for Lunch

Service- 5/10 

Variety- 7/10

Wrong move for us for taking the lunch buffet because I think they were being stingy with certain items on the menu, especially the Butter Fish sashimi. The few times we ordered about 12 pieces, they only brought 6 pieces out. I think dinner would be a better option.

For more information, check out their Facebook.

Address:

B-01 , Central Plaza , No.34, 
Jalan Sultan Ismail , 50250 Kuala Lumpur.

Operating Hours:

Mon - Fri:

6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Public Holidays & Weekends:

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm & 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Then, on my birthday, the beau and I had dinner at The Red Herring for some simple homey French food with a local touch, as the chef is Malaysian.

Casual OOTD wearing Dimia Top from Doublewoot, Red Shoulder Bag from Zara, Paisley shorts from G2 and Gold sandals from Ipanema.

We ordered the Salmon Pate (RM15.90) as a starter. The warm bread was crisp on the outside and soft inside which tastes delish with the cool pate, filled with generous amount of salmon flesh with little seasoning to let the salmon flavour be the star.

My favourite dish was the Pork Chops (RM32.90) and we think it's the best dish as well! Marinated in wine and garlic, the chops were flavourful and seared to perfection because it was still juicy on the inside! I'll come back for this for sure!

The beau had the Bouef Bourguignon (RM48.90) which is beef chunks braised in red wine served with a side of mash potatoes. This was a bit bland and the beef was not as tender as it's suppose to.

There was only one dessert on the menu which is the Tarte Tartin (RM12), a traditional apple tart. It was too tarty for me and the crust was lumpy because of the apple juices.

We suggest to have it with ice-cream to balance out the tartness, which you can add on for about RM3 if I'm not mistaken. It was way nicer and easier to eat with ice-cream.

KL rates:

Food- 8/10

Price- Average, about RM15 above

Service- 7/10 

Variety- 6/10

For more information, check out their Facebook or drop them an email at theredherringkl@gmail.com .

Address:

M-1-16 Plaza Damas, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1
Kuala Lumpur.

Operating Hours:

Mon - Thu:
5:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Fri:
11:30 am - 3:00 pm
5:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sat:
11:00 am - 3:00 pm
5:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sun:
11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Lastly, the girls planned a surprise brunch at Acme Bar and Coffee and that time the restaurant was decked in pretty Christmas decor with a festive menu to boot!

I can't help it, I love chai latte. Topped with loads of cream, it's even better!

I had the Baked Eggs which was ok, I just wish the portion is bigger and there'll be more veges underneath the eggs.

The beau had some seafood fettucini which had some curry flavour but it was a little bland too.

Spoiled Rainbow fruit cake anyone? The cake smelled and tasted weird and I know we should have complained but we were too disappointed to care. I guess the cake spoiled as it was not kept in a fridge.

I guess we're not going back there anymore for meals because it's just not worth it. Environment-wise, it is great but if only the food quality is on par.

Anyway, I'm grateful to have this bunch of crazies as my best friends who knows that I have a blackhole for a stomach.

♥♥♥

KL rates:

Food- 4/10

Price- About RM18 above for meals

Service- 5/10 

Variety- 7/10

More info on their website or drop them an email at mailbox@acmebarcoffee.com .

Address:

Ground Floor at The Troika, 
Persiaran KLCC, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

Operating Hours:

Mon - Thu:
11:00 am - 12:00 am
Fri:
11:00 am - 1:00 am
Sat:
9:30 am - 1:00 am
Sun:
9:30 am - 12:00 am