Welcome to another foodie session by the Puchong Yogis. Last Sunday, we spent the day pretty much eating our way through and I will introduce the 3 places that we've tried. The yogis in our little collective 'makan' session are : Uncle Stephen, Aunty Mei, Uncle Richard, Mummy Florence, Daddy Winston, Uncle Adrian, Uncle Robin, Aunty Diana, Dianne, Megan, Nicole and moi.
The first stop we went is Chawan in Bangsar. It is located at Jalan Telawi 3, opposite of Bangsar Village I. The setup is a typical 'kopitiam' alfresco style which is the current trend for Malaysians to 'yam cha' in. For those who don't know, kopitiam is a Chinese word meaning coffee shop. Back in the olden days where our daddies's daddies use to hang out with other daddies's daddies, they would sit together in a shop to drink coffee and talk (men's version of gossip). This hanging out leads on to the modern version of what us youth would call 'yam cha'. Yam cha can take place anywhere as long as you can have a drink and sit down. But, I digress. Us yogis met up at the designated place for brunch to sample local delicacies with a twist. We all arrived at different timings - very typical Malaysians but we are proud of it. And like typical Malaysian foodies, after we've gotten comfortable, we started ordering food. Chawan is popular for its Nasi Lemak with Chicken/Beef Rendang, Lontong with Chicken/Beef/Sotong (squid) Sambal (chilli paste), Roti Bakar (toasted bread with stuff inside) and so on. We all focused on its specialties and weren't disappointed. From here on, it's all from my own personal experience and should not be taken as the final word in reviewing the places we went. I took Nasi Lemak with Ayam Goreng Berempah (marinated fried chicken) and it was a pretty big portion. A full bowl of coconut rice served with whole fried chicken thigh, kang kung vegetable (the "pro" name is Ipomoea aquatica and I don't know the normal layman term for it), anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, half a boiled egg and sambal. I enjoyed it and the sambal was spicy enough to give a 'kick' and the chicken was crispy outside and tender inside. For drinks, Chawan caters to a wide range of coffee from different areas in Malaysia. I took a Chawan Frappe - thinking that this was the Malaysian version of Starbucks - and chose Ipoh coffee to go along with it. It turned out pretty interesting. I thought it would be ice blended with the coffee and the milk with whipped cream (obviously I've been hanging out too much at Starbucks to know how a Frappe is)
flavourful cakes and healthy drinks. Not losing out, we also tried on its famous Carrot Cake which was moist, not too sweet and gives off an almost melt-in-the mouth effect. Marmalade's servings are fairly big and the cake slice was enough to go round for us who was still feeling full from our Chawan galore. The drinks served were big too and we tried their healthy fruit juices. I took one called Day Starter and I'll admit, it certainly 'started' my day in a very wide awake manner. A combination of banana, strawberries and oranges, it was refreshing although sour which means there was barely any artificial sugar added - hence healthy. But despite its sourness, it had this addictive effect which made you want to keep on sipping it - although probably with one eye squinting slightly.
We sat there for a couple of hours of collective talking and laughing. Stories were swapped and jokes were cracked. I think we were a pretty attractive bunch to the other patrons in Marmalade as the 'hahas' were non-stop. Soon, dinner was brought up as our food have been pretty much digested. A restaurant located also in Bangsar was mentioned and the agreement was made. Uncle Robin and Aunty Diana was recalled back for another eating round.
We adjourned to Restaurant Chef Low located at No. 4, Lorong Ara Kiri 3, Lucky Garden, Bangsar (thank you name card for the address =P). This a Chinese restaurant that serves very good and unique Chinese food that you usually don't find in other Chinese restaurants. We ordered 6 dishes as follows:
Special Claypot Beehoon with Seafood - this dish is brimming with seafood and somehow with minced pork meat as well. Served in a claypot (hence the name), the dish portion was for 3 persons but it was enough for everyone to have a full bowl and more to spare for those who wanted 2nd helping. The taste was excellent and everyone drained their bowls.
After munching through brunch, we all went and walked off the food in Bangsar Village. See, despite having all those food in us, Aunty Mei was plotting for tea after checking out the supermarket. About an hour or so later, we met up again after going our various ways. Uncle Robin and Aunty Diana had to go, leaving the rest of us to decide on the next food outlet.
After much debate, we finally decided on Marmalade in Bangsar Village II. It is located on the 1st floor next to Sole Lovely. Marmalade is a healthy Western restaurant which serves delicious food. The food ranges from breakfast all the way to dinner and many go there to sample its
flavourful cakes and healthy drinks. Not losing out, we also tried on its famous Carrot Cake which was moist, not too sweet and gives off an almost melt-in-the mouth effect. Marmalade's servings are fairly big and the cake slice was enough to go round for us who was still feeling full from our Chawan galore. The drinks served were big too and we tried their healthy fruit juices. I took one called Day Starter and I'll admit, it certainly 'started' my day in a very wide awake manner. A combination of banana, strawberries and oranges, it was refreshing although sour which means there was barely any artificial sugar added - hence healthy. But despite its sourness, it had this addictive effect which made you want to keep on sipping it - although probably with one eye squinting slightly.We sat there for a couple of hours of collective talking and laughing. Stories were swapped and jokes were cracked. I think we were a pretty attractive bunch to the other patrons in Marmalade as the 'hahas' were non-stop. Soon, dinner was brought up as our food have been pretty much digested. A restaurant located also in Bangsar was mentioned and the agreement was made. Uncle Robin and Aunty Diana was recalled back for another eating round.
We adjourned to Restaurant Chef Low located at No. 4, Lorong Ara Kiri 3, Lucky Garden, Bangsar (thank you name card for the address =P). This a Chinese restaurant that serves very good and unique Chinese food that you usually don't find in other Chinese restaurants. We ordered 6 dishes as follows:
Special Claypot Beehoon with Seafood - this dish is brimming with seafood and somehow with minced pork meat as well. Served in a claypot (hence the name), the dish portion was for 3 persons but it was enough for everyone to have a full bowl and more to spare for those who wanted 2nd helping. The taste was excellent and everyone drained their bowls. Fish Paste with Hong Kong Noodles - As it name suggest, the plate was loaded with pieces of fish paste. It was crunchy with a good bite to it and the taste was not overpowering or fishy. The noodles were different from the ones we normally eat. It is whitish in colour and isn't soggy.
Crispy Pork in Sweet Sauce - The Chinese version of American bacon! But in sweet sauce. =P Absolutely delicious and once you start, you can't stop. Which was obviously what happened as the quantity dwindled to bits and pieces very quickly. Small
pieces of pork, deep fried until crunchy then quickly tossed in the sweet sauce along with a dash of cili padi (bird's eye chilli) to give it that mild spicy taste.
Kai-lan in 2 Styles - Kai-lan or Chinese broccoli/kale is cooked in 2 ways. The leaves were cut off and chopped into fine shreds then deep fried until crispy and eaten together with deep fried shredded dried scallops. The other style is that the stems are sauteed with garlic and served.
Roasted Chicken with Crackers - Half a chicken along with it's bishop nose was served and the flavour was well infused into the chicken meat. The skin wasn't too fatty and had a slight crunch to it.
Stir Fry Clams with Ginger and Spring Onions - It was a flavourful dish as well and the ginger taste was well infused into the dish.
The food was in abundance and our tummies were well satisfied. Certainly a restaurant to recommend and go over and over again.
After dinner, we parted ways with a big grin on our faces and extra pounds on our bodies. I wonder if our next collective gathering would ever be an exercise one? Who knows... but do stay tuned for more food adventures! (and maybe a random attempt to work off the delicious added pounds!)
By Wenesia, Author
After dinner, we parted ways with a big grin on our faces and extra pounds on our bodies. I wonder if our next collective gathering would ever be an exercise one? Who knows... but do stay tuned for more food adventures! (and maybe a random attempt to work off the delicious added pounds!)
By Wenesia, Author
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