O Gourmet, BSC & A Slice of Heaven

November 27th, 2009 • 21 comments General
Tags: bakery, bangsar, cakes, desserts, Just Heavenly Pleasures, light bites

BSC’s latest swanky food hall opened just last Thurs but not with as much fanfare in comparison to Hutong in Lot 10.

Pretty understandable I guess, since the concept ain’t entirely the same. Modelled after the food halls of Harrods or Selfridges, O Gourmet, BSC stocks a range of gourmet and unusual fine food items, imported mostly from Britain, Italy & Spain, including specialty wines.

Indeed, with the interesting & uncommon fine food available here, all one needs is a very deep pocket.
However, should you expect O Gourmet to be alike a food court, then prepare to be re-educated.
There is no dining space available; & O Gourmet features stalls after stalls of food items, both uncooked and cooked for take-away only.

I spied local delights like rice and local dishes as well as sandwiches and pitas (which was for RM15 each, so you can pretty much gauge the price levels here).

A note-worthy stall is the spice market, where little bowls of spices were lay out for the customer’s to smell, feel and see.
The lady manning the stall was mixing some nuts with a mixture of spices chosen by a customer when I was there. I was so tempted to take a pic but since I wasn’t a customer I hesitated & in the end i didn’t.

Anyhow, my main reason here was to visit Just Heavenly’s Pleasure’s newest outlet.
Unless you are blind, you can’t miss it since it is right smack in the middle of the food hall & happens to be the 1st ‘outlet’ facing the entrance.

It was a really busy time for them when I was there. I think this is perhaps JHP’s best outlet in terms of sales judging by the amount of cakes flying off the chillers!

There was even more variety of desserts here than their outlet in Jaya One.
I am not sure of the photography rules here, & was again hesitant to snap any pics especially at the other stalls since I didn’t buy anything.
However, with permission from Nigel, I could be click-happy around their outlet.

from top left:
Banana, Butter Rosemary & Choc Fudge Log Cakes.
Rose Meringue, Choc Durian, Strawberry Cheese, Blueberry Cheese, Peach Gateaux, Classic Cheese, Triple Expresso Brownies & Apple Crumble Cheese.

I got myself a Blackforest Gateaux (Kirsch) – RM9.90. Absolutely love the big blackcurrants!

Just Heavenly Pleasure’s gorgeous creations.

In keeping with the theme of the O Gourmet Food Hall, almost all the service staff here wore green bandannas & aprons with the words “O Gourmet’ printed on them. Likewise for the packaging of the food too.

The very pretty and unusually shaped Spanish chocolates is a good enough reason to return, especially with Christmas just around the corner. I saw jelly beans in a myriad of flavours & specialty hams like Serrano & etc too.

ps: I heart Bar Italia’s gelato & nearly split my mouth grinning when I saw their outlet here. That is so going to be a self-rewarding treat once I get my condo moving operation done. Yup, gelato for me and Unka on Sunday!!
pps: I can’t wait for the Streamyx installation at my new place! I will be sharing it with my housemates & we are so relieved to have proper Internet access soon!

O Gourmet Food Hall
Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC )
Jalan Maarof.

El Meson – at Telawi, Bangsar

November 26th, 2009 • 10 comments Food, General
Tags: bangsar, pork, Restaurant, spanish

A lot of newly opened food outlets and even food courts, (in the case of Hutong at Lot 10) have chosen to go non-halal lately.
I’m not sure if that shows for anything, for I can only speculate: does that mean F&B proprietors may find the halal market actually negligible to their P&L?

Anyhow, in the case of El Meson in Bangsar, I’m certainly not complaining. The Spaniards are known for their fondness of pork and their Iberico pigs. It would be a shame if this is another pork-free outlet & we are deprived of this “delicacy” again.

To quote the owner Mr Ek, all their produce are imported, including their Chef, so authenticity is almost guaranteed!
And that sexy limb you see below is the leg of the Iberico pig……

………which looked like the below (pic courtesy of the Internet) when it was still alive.

Mr Ek, who is Thai; owns & runs Planter’s Jim, The Social (both in Bangsar) and now, his latest baby, El Meson.
YogiTree at the Gardens, Mid Valley is also under his realm of restaurants.

A most affable fellow, he graciously shared & explained to us about Spanish food, his experiences & the ingredients that went into our dishes; making our dinner most enjoyable & educational.
The Restaurant Supervisor was the epitome of good service as well.

Below: The master at work, Mr Ek craving the Black Leg for our Cold Platter.

And of course, any self respecting upper- class restaurant now boasts of a fine range of wine & alcohol, more so since this is Telawi, Bangsar.

A bread fan, I grilled Mr Ek and his Chef Fernando on the bread eaten with the tapas. My perception was since tapas is such a staple food, then perhaps the bread is made specially; (techniques or ingredients-wise) to go with it?
Apparently no.
Anyhow, he assured us the bread served here is baked in-house & is very much like the original Spanish bread eaten in Spain, which is slightly alike the Italian Ciabatta in texture, minus the herbs.

Taste-wise? Very plain. But that what makes it perfect with the flavourful tapas.

I stapled a piece for every type, since I’m not a fan of cured meats.
But I must admit, even for an inexperienced gourmet foodie like me, the superiority of taste & texture is prominent, compared to the cured meats one gets at the local deli.
Likewise, I’m pleased that the saltiness level is not as overpowering as I thought it might be.

Close-up shots of the Iberico & chorizo (the chorizos are the round ones).

I was wondering what is Salchichon since I have not heard of it. The google results I got was very enlightening. Allow me to share with you the gist of it.

Salchichon sausage is a dry-cured sausage of Spanish origin. It is classically produced on the plains of Spain, where steady breezes permit an even drying period which promotes complete curing in the sausage.
Made with pork from Spanish white pigs, ideally pigs which have foraged in oak forests for their food, developing lean flesh with a slightly nutty flavor.
The meat is coarsely ground and the fat is not separated, leaving distinctive white chunks in the finished sausage, before being blended with pepper, nutmeg, and other spices. It does tends to be very spicy, with a slightly creamy texture from the fat.
After the ingredients have been mixed, they are packed into sausage casings and allowed to dry. Traditionally, salchichon is cured outdoors on large drying racks positioned to take advantage of the breeze, although many modern producers cure in a drying shed to maintain food safety. Although the initial ingredients are raw, the curing process renders salchichon sausage safe to eat as-is once it has finished curing. Curing generally takes around 45 days.

A fully-cured sausage has a white crust and a slightly dry texture. When cut open, it reveals leathery meat speckled with pieces of fat and pepper which can be eaten plain as a snack or combined with bread and cheese in the Spanish style. Salchichon sausage pairs best with hearty red wines which can cope with the spicy flavor and enhance it without becoming overwhelming.

Next was another interesting starter; the Boguerones on Toast, which is slightly pickled Spanish Herrings with garlic confit, RM14.

It was one fishy fish , & tasted like sardine!
Texture was wonderfully meaty though. Top grade olive oil coated each fish unsparingly and the garlic tomato confit was pleasingly piquant.

Then we tried one of their soups & it happened to be a cold one. While I am not a fan of cold soups (blame it on my Asian roots) the Gazpacho - chilled tomato soup with grated egg and serrano, RM14 was thick, full bodied and slightly grainy. I slurped away unabashedly.

Finally we got on to the HOT dishes!

Hot Tapas: Trotters - Crispy fried and served with apple sauce, RM22.
The skin was crackly crunchy and the meat, though it looked deceptively stringy at 1st, which made me wary; turned out to be fork-tender and disintegrated in the mouth easily enough without much effort.
A bit plain on its own, the accompanying sauce carried its role well.

Hot Tapas: Berenjenas - aubergines in red pepper sauce, RM14.
I have always loved aubergines, more so when it was done so exceptional well here, with the red pepper sauce not too overpowering and quite flavoursome.
The name & the colour might be mildly misleading, for it was not spicy at all. Apparently, Spanish food doesn’t pack much heat; Chef Fernando had said to us.

Mains:
Oxtail braised in Moscatel & Matchstick Potatoes, RM40.
I barely tasted the Moscatel, a type of Spanish wine, & honestly, I felt that this was like a very well done ordinary oxtail soup.
The matchstick potatoes were a delight though, and I had fun chomping away at them, and they were even better soaked in the gravy!

Mains:
Linguini with Rabbit, Olives, confit Garlic and Herbs, RM32.
Rabbit meat was something I wanted to try for a long time.
And my verdict? It looks like chicken meat, tasted like chicken meat, albeit slightly more leathery & it gave my partner and I quite an exercise in jaw muscles building.

Dessert:
Homemade Spanish Blood Orange Sorbet w Orange Slices and Liquer (Cointreau) RM18.
This was something refreshingly different! Sour with a very sharp bite, I thoroughly enjoyed it, what more when it came swimming in Cointreau!

Bottom left: Fernando, a Spaniard who loves his chocolates, the chef who prepares everything from scratch and with passion.

Just as we are about to leave, Mr Ek treated us to some Smoked & Pickled Herrings, as opposed to the pickled ones we had earlier.
These were saltier, (naturally, since its smoked) and while the entree we had was smoother in texture & easier to melt on the palate; so to speak.
The smoked ones were slightly more leathery, which I speculate could be due to the smoking process that drew out the water.

So here’s another lesson on Spanish food.

Boquerones are small, fresh anchovies. Accompanied by crisp, fresh Spanish bread, a glass of ruby-red wine or refreshing Asturian cider, they are a delight to eat
Like its friend the sardine, the anchovy is an oily fish, packed full of proteins and minerals, protecting against heart disease, and “good” for cholesterol. What´s more, in many areas of Spain -in particular the Mediterranean coast – fresh anchovies are extremely cheap.

Traditional preparation of Boquerones vary slightly from family to family. However, the basic principles are always the same. After cleaning and filleting the fish,soak them, either in white wine vinegar or a mixture of half vinegar and half water. The vinegar will clean and bleach the fish and also soften any remaining little bones. Some may sprinkle the fish with salt; while others feel that the fish is salty enough already.

The fish has to be left for a good few hours soaking in the vinegar. After that, throw away the vinegar, & cover the bleached fillets good quality virgin olive oil, which will preserve them. One can add as much, or as little, sliced garlic as you wish, plus freshly chopped parsley.

Left chilled and completely enveloped in olive oil, these herrings shelve lives can be prolonged for a quite while.

Last but not least, I think I will be spending some idyllic Sundays here soon ;)

Total bill for the dinner was RM290 incl of service charges & tax.

El Meson,
Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru.

Burgers Galore IV: Pork Burger at Cristang, 8 Avenue

November 23rd, 2009 • 35 comments General
Tags: burger, PJ, pork, portugese

I seriously do not know what is so rave-worthy about this place.

Either that, or I’m seriously one of the unfortunately few who went on a bad day.
Since so many have had good experiences, I’m seriously in need of another visit. That, plus making sure this time not to order the ‘basics/original”. After all, condiments and toppings does make a difference in overall taste and texture.

However, I’m a advocate for the basics, cos if the food’s good, the frills and superfluities should be an enhancement, not a requisite to make the food passable.

So after my pneumonia recovery, I hasten to Cristang, for a recovery treat, so to speak. My good friend has generously allowed me the choice of venue, since it’s a celebration of sorts.

Thinking of going easy on my digestive system and throat, I ordered the original pork burger, minus the hooohaa embellishment of petai ( stink beans ) & what nots.

So for RM16.90, I got this.

A carelessly put-together ensemble of an airy, cheap burger bun, a thin almost anorexic slab of patty, a slice of cheese, ONE slice of tomato, ONE leaf of wilted lettuce, 3 onion rings and a sliver of pickle.

Bottom: The DRY SALTY patty that I dumped on my friend who shoved it aside after one bite. Likewise, he proclaimed it’s salty too! And this friend of mine is VERY easily satisfied when it comes to food, mind you.

The accompanying wedges were below mediocre and did nothing to divert our sharp pain (both in our hearts and pockets) ;p

Hoping desperately for a redeemer, we focused on my friend’s Debal Curry and rice instead…..
which turned out to be so tasteless I nearly threw my hands up in despair!
They must have forgotten the salt here, and the lack of aroma from the chili left us baffled cos it did look the part with all its reddish hue.
To add salt to the wound (pun intended), it wasn’t spicy & it wasn’t rich.

Oh, no worries, at least the fruit juices did its part; of washing away the *^%# taste in our mouth, even if the food didn’t satisfy us at all.

Well, at the very least, my mood was restored later that night by my zippy Streamyx connection. Finally something worthwhile for the monies I paid. And I scored the highest points on Shootm! Yay!

Cristang Restaurant
Unit B-G-19
8 Avenue
Jalan Jernih (8/1)
Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 03-7956 7877

Rock & Roll like the Good Ol Happy Days!

November 22nd, 2009 • 8 comments General
Tags: American, Bistro, Restaurant, Taipan Subang

Taipan. Subang.

An area alien to me really. Too far & nothing intriguing there.
Other than La Cucina which I have been trying to visit for months, Taipan remains an area pretty much as humdrum as it can get.

And then I got an invite from Marian, about a new swanky diner opening in here, with a concept to boot.

Good ol Happy Days, she said, is an American diner, and serves cuisine like Chilli’s.

Do you know Happy Days? she asked.
I gaped; “Err…”
“It’s from the 70s”, she went on to explain..& I immediately grinned & chirped, “Oh.. that era.. then Unka would know. I can ask him”. ;p

So the night of the launch came, & I went, expecting another sit-down session, where we would be served with a myriad of dishes, where we would take the customary pics, followed by some chit-chat with the chef about the food; yadayada.. and perhaps an interview with the proprietor, for some insights on the concept.

Yup, I thought that’s all to it.

So when our chauffeured car dropped us off right front of this, my jaw literally dropped.

Wah.. so happening one ahhh????

A 3 level bistro, with red & silver vinyl chairs, checkered floors, pool tables and a long bar serving almost every drinks imaginable, stepping into the outlet was an assault on the senses.
Even more so on the eyes. Everything’s so bright & cheery!
“Happy” came to mind, and that’s exactly the state of being that’s advocated by this outlet.

Not much to be reviewed on the food, as the free-flow dishes that night was pretty mass produced, and hence probably not a good indication of the quality.

However, most dishes was most palatable, & the group of us must have polished off 30 lamb chops among ourselves!

It was one happy Friday, with entertaining performances by the Beansproutz Dancers, complete with colourful cheeky costumes and sassy dance moves, almost making me feel like breaking into a hip gyrating & booty shaking dance as well.

ps: Do check out the video by cumi & ciki & even more pictures here by the Qwazymonkey.

As if the night wasn’t hot enough with lively dances & Elvis in the house, there was a daring fiery performance by The King Of Limbo ROck…

Not enough with just fire, our King of Limbo Rock decided to go blind-folded!

I think Good Ol Happy Days Diner may just be the reason for me to venture more into this area called Taipan. More so when I spied ribs, BURGERS, pizzas and MILKSHAKES on the menu.

Live band will be playing after dinners on Thursday, Friday and Sat. Music from the 60-70s (what else?) will be played throughout the day.
So, with this coming Fri, 28th Nov being a public holiday, anyone for some dose of Good Ol Happy Days??

note: This would be not the only outlet, for its founder Mr Fariz Abdullah , MD of SKN Leisure Entertainment and Grp Chairman Datuk Seri Shamir Kumar Nandy has set sights on opening another in KL, followed by one in Penang.

Good Ol Happy Days Diner & Bistro
55-A, grd Floor
Jalan USJ10/F
Taipan, Subang Jaya
03 – 8023 7229
W-days: 11am – 1am
W-ends: 11am – 2am

Patisserie RUI – The Velvets

November 21st, 2009 • 8 comments General
Tags: bakery, cakes, light bites, Mont Kiara

While this may be RUI’s signature, it was the Lemon Velvet that got our vote. Bangsar-babe & myself preferred the lemony-slight tangy taste and I find that it binded well with the moist buttery crumb of the cake.

boolicious has a very comprehensive write-up on RUI’s Velvet range so I shall not repeat it here since I agree wholeheartedly with her review.
Indeed the cakes here are lighter and thus would probably appeal more to those who are seeking for sweet gratifications that are friendlier on the hips. (However, if you are gluttons like us who wallop 4 velvets, a tiramisu and a Princess Torte almost clean at one go, then be prepared still for a tighter fit in your pants anyways ;p)

Patisserie RUI’s Red Velvet, however, could not triumph over FBB’s version, as Bangsar-babe, Sue (of Delectable by Su) & myself had concluded.
Fat Boy Bakes ‘s is undoubtedly richer in flavour and denser in composition. But then again, FBB’s Red Velvet will not be selling for RM3.50 each so essentially you get what you pay for.

My 1st Red Velvet was by A Taste Boutique, and if my memory serves me right, they do churn out a pretty good version. Just the cream cheese frosting itself was drool-worthy.
That has been a while though, and I can’t wait to get my fix again. Even better news, A Taste Boutique have recently (9th Nov to be exact) opened a branch in SS15, Subang & that, thank goodness, is so much more accessible than Putra Heights, Shah Alam!
Imelda, the owner/baker had advised me to wait for a week for everything to settle down & also for their full range of cakes to be available before hopping over. I do miss their carrot cakes & I’ve heard from a fellow dessert-acholic that they do a mean version of hummingbird as well. Can’t wait to pay a visit!

As far as Red Velvet goes, I can’t say the same for The Daily Grind‘s (Bangsar) version since I didn’t like the topping they used.

For light confectionaries, Pattiserie RUI would probably be your best bet.

Myself? Give me those rich Tiramisu anytime!