I have been to RAW coffee twice prior to this visit and I loved the place.
Oh, I haven’t blogged about it; simply because like all my other blogposts, it’s been sitting in drafts for like ….forever.. yes, cos I’ve been busy, REALLY BUSY.

But when an email came from Michael, (and it was a very adroit and articulately worded one too), I made exception to my “stay-home easy Sunday” policy to drive into the heart of KL; curious to meet the man behind the cafe/email, as well as to deepen my knowledge about coffee.

Upon arrival at RAW Coffee, we were asked if there was anything that we’d like to have, which we did order some sandwiches and soya milk (having coffee right before a coffee workshop is asking for caffeine OD, literally) since I haven’t had breakfast. Also, I had the sandwiches here before and I liked how they prepare it, healthy & fresh ingredients in wholemeal-based bread.

My order: Pumpkin Hummus and Veg Sandwich.

I love it! Especially so for the smooth pumpkin mash, which was naturally sweet and freshly made.

Frankly speaking, I can’t take much coffee, which is a pity as I’m a huge coffee fan. My gastritis is not getting any better, and I’m on medication most of the time. Hence, my partner in crime, coffee lover and connoiseur Kevin was here to save the day.

Kevin’s breakfast: 3 cheeses sandwich. This was lip-smacking good as well. Wholesome (albeit a bit fatty) and flavourful due to the mix of 3 different REAL cheese (not the processed slice ones!), toasted til the cheeses were all melted.

As we’re about to eat, Michael started his presentation but luckily we’re allowed to go on tucking into our sandwiches. The workshop will be conducted in a backwards fashion, starting with taste then going into preparation, roasting and finally the green beans to help us understand more on what goes into a good cup of coffee.

Our classroom. Yes this was in Wisma Equity on Jalan Ampang, just opposite KLCC.

In order to make a good cup of coffee, one needs to be very methodical as the whole process is akin to dominoes, where a fault in one of the stages will affect the rest. Any improvement initiative should only take place at one factor at a time.
Good beans grown in ideal conditions which are harvested and processed properly, will taste great if roasted and prepared properly.

Starting with taste, the main terms used in the cupping (tasting) are as follows:
Gustation – taste perceived on the tongue. Bitter, sour, sweet, salty, umami
Olfaction – nasal (breathe in) and retro-nasal (breathe out) – the smell processed by the brain differs when we breathe in and out.
Mouthfeel- – physical sensation in the mouth, helps to detect the oils and dissolved solids. Generally perceived in the whole mouth and around the tongue.

As explained by Michael, there are generally a few taste that are perceived when drinking coffee, which are bitter, sweet and sour. A good cup of coffee should have a combination of these three tastes.

However, the taste perceived on the tongue of each person may differ as to which part of the tongue is more sensitive to tastes. To explore which part of the tongue detects the taste more, a small experiment was conducted involving sweet, sour, bitter and salty solutions, which are prepared in 2 concentrations accordingly.

Me: Taste test…

After the taste test, we moved on to the preparation part. Here at RAW Coffee, the espresso is prepared using a Kees van der Westen machine, the “Rolls Royce” of coffee machines available in the market.

As with all method of coffee preparation, the coffee beans should be grounded right before extraction as the aroma of the coffee will escape soon after.

For espresso, the ground coffee needs to be tamped to have an even bed so that it can withstand the water pressure from the machine during extraction. According to Michael, best method is straight down and straight back up in a single motion.

Once done, it is now ready for extraction. At RAW Coffee, they pre-infuse the coffee before the actual extraction. For the first round, Michael divided the extraction into 6 stages, which the shots are halted at certain time intervals to show the flavours extracted from the coffee.

Stage 1: Thick and very sour tasting
Stage 2: Less thick but still sour tasting
Stage 3: Slightly sour with a natural sweetness
Stage 4: Sweet with a hint of bitterness, faint sourness still tasted
Stage 5: Bittersweet
Stage 6: Mostly bitterness, happens when the coffee is overextracted. (Taste like a coffee prepared by press which was left to infuse way too long)

When it comes to espresso drinks, by general preference it is served with some steamed milk, of which there are a few stages to it.

Firstly, heat up and froth the milk to create micro bubbles followed by swirling to refine the texture.

Once done, pour the milk into the espresso and increasing the pour rate after the cup is ⅔ full is so that the thick foam on top will flow down which helps to create the latte art.

Slurpilicious cappucino!

Now for the roasting process. The coffee beans at RAW Coffee are roasted using this machine.

When it comes to roasting the beans, there are 3 forms of heat that need to be taken into consideration, which are:
Contact: Heating by direct contact with the drum
Convection: Heating from the hot air circulating inside the machine
Radiation: Indirect heating from the hot machine parts

Below: Raw coffee beans inside the machine. Yes, they are green in colour!

When asked on the roasting darkness of the beans, Michael’s reply was rather than focusing on the colour of the roast, it is better to ensure even roasting of the beans, so that the roast is even inside out.

Watch the expert…

She keeps her fingers on the controls …

At RAW Coffee, the roasting is adjusted accordingly to the bean and preparation method, i.e. the beans for espresso and filter coffee are roasted differently.

However, it is preferable that the beans are not roasted to the point where the oils rise to the surface as it will become rancid on exposure to air, not to mention loss of flavour from the beans due to the excessive caramelization.

Below: She also picks up any inferior beans, the cracked, dried out ones etc..

After the lesson on roasting, Michael showed us the storeroom where the coffee beans are kept at 18 deg C.

As RAW Coffee purchase their beans direct from the estates, the beans arrive in their original shipment packaging. For the beans that are packed in hessian bags (or gunny sacks), the beans are stored in airtight containers until roasting. Some estates do vacuum pack their beans as to preserve their freshness. Based on his experience, the best coffee Michael had was roasted right after drying.

And at RAW Coffee, the roasted beans are vacuumed packed right after roasting to extend their freshness and to allow resting as coffee beans emit carbon dioxide gas after roasting. Also, this resting period allows the flavour to develop as well.

In accordance to the workshop programme, Michael takes us back further to the cultivation, harvest and processing of the coffee beans. Then as another step in appreciating high quality coffee, there was a short session on grading the beans.

2 350g samples of coffee beans were allocated, with one being a high quality one and the other one being a sample which Michael himself declined to roast after taking a look.

Good coffee beans.

Bad coffee beans.

Grading of the coffee was done according to the Speciality Coffee Association of America’s Arabica Green Coffee Defect Handbook, which indicates the types of defects of the beans ranging from minor to major defects.

While this pretty much sums up the workshop, Michael took another step in indulging Kevin with some African bean prepared using the Aeropress.

Here, about 16gm of Yirgacheffe beans (from Ethiopia) are ground up and placed into a preheated Aeropress, which looks like an oversized syringe plunger.

Then about 170gm of hot water is poured into the press, the water is about 90deg C, and the coffee is allowed to steep for about 30 seconds then pressed into a glass.

Tasting notes: Notable acidity with balance of sweetness and bitterness, somehow expected of African beans. According to Michael, another few seconds would have allowed more flavour to be extracted.

Another highlight at the end of the workshop was the affogato made with rooibos espresso and mango sherbet.

The rooibos tea by itself has the complex balance of sweet bitter earthiness, which combined with the sweet-sour of the mango sherbet creates a whole new sensation for a dessert. One has to try this to believe it.

But if you insist on your affogato with ice cream, RAW Coffee offers New Zealand Natural ice creams.

If you do drop in at RAW Coffee, there’s wholesome and healthy cereals, sandwiches (as you have seen above), cakes and pastries to pair with your cuppa.

Rest assured that your coffee are expertly prepared by trained baristas.

WIFI is speedy and reliable. Chairs and environment are comfy and spacious.

Your cuppa won’t cost you a bomb.

There’s really any reason why you are not dropping in for a cuppa at RAW Coffee.

So, if you’re seeking a good cup of coffee, don’t say I didn’t tell you where you can get a good one! 

RAW Coffee
Wisma Equity opposite KLCC.

Note: Michael has opened another one named Artisan Coffee, right besides Maybank at TTDI (on the same row as Sid’s, Tom, Dick & Harry) so PJ folks rejoice! There’s where you can get your coffee fix!

This sweet and tangy beverage is a new addition to Starbucks’ core Frappuccino. The same goes for the Valencia Macchiato if you choose to have a hot version.
 The Valencia Frappuccino uses sweet Valencia orange syrup blended with coffee, steamed milk and foam. More Honey Valencia syrup drizzled over the whipped cream added to the citrus-y bouquet of the drink.

Made out of Mandarin Orange and infused with Cream Cheese combined with Chocolate Cream Cheese Mousse, Eastern Sunrise (RM9.90) is Starbucks CNY festive cake. While Starbucks is not going to win any points for originality (‘Mandarin orange = CNY = duhhh),  Eastern Sunrise is not going to win any awards for taste either.

In essence it’s an orange mousse chocolate cake. Yes, fancy name but a pretty uninspiring creation really.

The new Espresso Caramel Muffin (RM5.90).got me excited for a bit. If there’s anything remotely decent to eat at Starbucks, it’s their muffins. My favourite is the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin. The Starbucks Reduced Fat Mandarin Cranberry Muffin (introduced last year in May 2011) comes a close second.

This Espresso Caramel Muffin was decent enough; though I felt it could do with a stronger coffee essence.

Hhhmm.. nothing really great to shout about for the festive offerings this time. None of the above warrants a re-order for me. Have any you tried the above festive drinks and cakes?

Read about my previous Starbucks experiences HERE -> 
NEW @ Starbucks: Kapitan Pie, Chicken Stack, Peanut Butter Cream Brulee and Chocolate Tuxedo

Starbucks’ Reduced Fat Mandarin Cranberry Muffin & Low Fat Apple & Carrot Muffin.

All pictures taken with:

Below: Bel Jee’s White chocolate cheese longan. This was incredibly good!

Like I said before HERE, Bel Jee little’s outlet here at Wisma Volkswagon on Lorong Maarof, opposite Rebung, (some of you might be more familiar with Restaurant Rebung by Chef Ismail) catered mainly for office workers within the vicinity.

Her opening hours (Mon – Sat : 8.30am — 6pm) remained unfriendly for office hours people, but it’s worth a Sat brunch visit if you love homely cakes and pies.

I love homely cakes and pies and I work odd hours so I managed to catch Bel Jee one fine afternoon at her pretty baby blue and white cafe with my glutton partner -in- crime Verne.

Starting off with the savouries, we tucked into her Shepherd’s Pie (RM7.80) , Baked Pasta and Moussaka (RM7.80) and Tuna and Pasta Pie.

Surprisingly enough, my favourite pie was the Tuna and Pasta one. I had thought one of the meat based pies would have gotten my vote since I’m a carnivorous creature.

But the lovely creamy tuna with corn and pasta was really tasty and thankfully wasn’t too laden with the mayo. The portion was just nice too, for a light lunch.

Next in my list of preference was the Moussaka Pie. This was seriously alike “lasagne-in-a-cup”,with layers of aubergines, tomato-based sauce, pasta and finally topped with a layer of cheese, slightly torched.

The Shepherd’s Pie was a bit dry. The saving grace was the smooth, buttery mashed potato topping.

Once we were done with the savouries, we started on the sweets. The Double Chocolate Brownie was fudgy and rich, yet pleasantly very well balanced as it didn’t come across as too cloying.

The Chocolate Mars Cheesecake didn’t quite hit the spot for us, with both of us concurring that it was way too sweet.

I’m saving the best dessert for last, and that is the Chocolate Blueberry Cheese cupcake. I’m not a fan of cupcakes but since this came HIGHLY recommended by Bel, I surrendered and gave this a shot.

The ordinary sponge base was replaced instead with a soft, sticky layer of chocolate. The next layer up was delightful blueberry-filled cream cheese  followed by luscious frosting on top. This was no ordinary cupcake, and deserves praise of the highest order.

If you’re in the vicinity of Bangsar, I do recommend you to hop in at Bel Jee’s.
Alas, for the coffee purists I’m sad to say she hasn’t started to serve any specialties coffee brews as yet ( currently it’s just Illy’s) but her desserts certainly warrants a visit.  It’s also a good alternative from the usual Telawi joints.

TeaRoom by Bel Jee
** Belinda also runs a designer cake business. Cakes are available via advance order. Pop in here to see her catalouge or speak to her directly for your cakes!

Previous post: Bel Jee – The Lychee Cheesecake is a must-try! 

Monday – Saturday (8.30am — 6pm)
Address: Wisma Volkswagen, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
(it’s just opposite Chef Ismail’s Rebung Restaurant)
Tel: 03 – 2201 1806

All pictures are:

From the moment I stepped onto the grounds of this quaint and pretty bungalow everything had appeared promising; from the colourful decor on the walls to the water elements running round the bungalow and the spacious cafe seating. I was immediately put at ease and a smile lighted up on my face.

I pushed open the doors leading inside the restaurant and the first thought that hit me was the spaciousness of the dining area.
It is inevitable to compare PH Pastry House to Levain Boulangerie, which incidentally, is located just a stone’s throw away.

PH Pastry House has obviously placed top priority on the dining area. Majority of the available space within this plot of land was allocated for the cafe. The kitchen and ovens remained hidden while the display area for the selection of baked goods are relegated to a pretty small corner.

Below: Long tables for the big groups.

Below: Plenty of  tables allocated for groups of twos and fours.

Below: At one side, “counter top dining” for the singles/individuals who are here for a quick bite.

Below: Alfresco dining with soothing waters running alongside the perimeter of the bungalow and the gardens.

It is indeed lovely to sit outside, (if the weather permits) as the trees provided natural shade and a soft breeze perpetually caresses your face as you sip your cuppa.

While top marks are awarded for the interior and exterior design, the same can’t be said for their cakes.

Esthetically, they didn’t look too good. And the selections were boring too, with the usual suspects staring back at me; Opera Cake, some green tea cake, Chocolate Dome.. *yawns*.

Moving on…

Below: The only area where the selections of breads are displayed.

Below: Cashier and cakes counter. 

Since the cakes didn’t intrigue, I concentrated on the breads selection instead.

Left: Cranberry Walnut RM4.90. Right: Rosemary & Raisin RM3.90.

Left: Blueberry Danish RM5.50. Right: Croissants RM3.90.

Nuts Butterscotch RM4.90.

Ebi Cheese RM4.90.

Parsley Bun RM5.90.

Left: Custard Raisin Danish RM4.90. Right: Ham & Cheese Roll RM3.90.

Left: Danish Pizza (Tuna) RM5.90. Right: Danish Pizza (Chic) RM5.90.

Left: Pretzel RM4.00. Right: Cinnamon Pretzel RM4.00.

Left: Almond Pretzel RM4.50. Right: Raisin Pretzel RM4.50.

Banana Butterscotch RM6.50.

Baguette RM4.90.

Left: Turkey & Egg RM3.90. Right: Chicken Onion RM3.80.

Left: Veggie Bread RM7.90. Right: Multi-Grain RM7.90.

Left: Brioche RM3.90. Right: Parsley Bun RM7.90.

Queen Bread. RM6.90.

Left: Sausage Cheese RM3.90. Right: Cheese Stick RM3.90.

Cinnamon Roll RM4.90.

Bread Roll RM4.90.

Naturally, I gravitated towards the healthier loaves, and bought myself a veggie loaf and a rosemary and raisin bun. Both were decent and substantially aromatic due to the herbs used.

Rosemary and Raisin.

Parsley Bun. RM5.90. This wasn’t bad either.

However, that’s about it. The rest of the breads were disappointingly generic-tasting for the prices I paid. My turkey and egg roll below is RM3.90 and it didn’t taste anymore premium than the ones bought in other large bakery chains out there.

This Almond Pretzel that cost me RM4.50 didn’t taste anything like a pretzel, but more like a white roll shaped into a pretzel. There were barely any almonds either.

Lastly, I tapau-ed a Caesar Salad – RM9.90.

The menu said my Caesar Salad is supposed to come with lettuce, turkey bacon, egg, croutons and the dressing (Duhh!). Luckily I checked the salad prior to paying, as they omitted the turkey bacon, saying that it was unavailable. Mind you, I was probably their 2nd customer for the day at 9am on a Sunday morning.
What I got me peeved was not so much that turkey bacon was unavailable at the start of business on a blardy weekend but more on the fact that I wasn’t informed beforehand, and no substitute was offered. It was only when I asked then they only added in an extra egg and more lettuce.

My verdict in short:
1. Absolutely nothing exciting, and in need of a stronger identity and better quality products if they were to come anywhere near Levain. Levain; although in my opinion is not that great either at least offers better variety and cakes.

2. Prices are not in tandem with the quality of breads offered.

3. Service staff at the cashier counter needs training, for both the ones manning the counter on a Sunday morning were barely helpful. Heck, one of them couldn’t even slice my veggie loaf properly and the end result were flattened and uneven slices.
I spoke to the chief baker for a while as I chose my breads and he couldn’t explain how and why the breads here are priced as such and when I queried further about the flour and ingredients used, he wasn’t able to elaborate much either.

4. Has much potential and better space than Levain. Lovely place to hang out over coffee, which I heard were pretty decent.

BREAD LOVERS check these out! 

Hagen Bake and Brew – Mont Kiara

Craft Bakers Bakery and Cafe – Solaris Dutamas

Breads from Singapore – Gardenia, Bonjour

Levain Boulangerie Patisserie – Jalan Delima

Levain Boulangerie Patisserie- most recent visit!

Yups, my favourite bakery is still Hagen Bake & Brew at Mont Kiara. Too bad Hagen does not have the space like Levain and PH Pastry House. It has so much potential!

**My weekly bread stash –> Yeah, that’s how much bread I eat in ONE week!

My previous article on Craft Bakers at Solaris Dutamas had garnered much response about the lack of good artisan, hearty European-type breads in KL. I find it heartening to know that there are like-minded people who refuse to be subjected to fluffy, empty & commercialized loaves from Bread Story, Gardenia and the likes. Thank god there are still bread lovers out there who value quality, well-baked dough.

What’s even more encouraging now is that there are many bakeries sprouting up in KL that offers good quality loaves at reasonable prices.

My favourite bakery currently is Hagen Bake & Brew in Mont Kiara. This little gem of a bakery cum cafe has an easy enough to find location, though most unfortunately it’s a bit hidden due to lack of signage.

However if you know where Plaza Mont Kiara is, look for the Baskin Robbins opposite it.
Then bingo! That’s where Hagen is located.

It’s entrance is at the side of Baskin Robbins. Hagen Bake & Brew cafe & bakery occupies the whole floor above.

Once upstairs, you will find yourself in a long narrow passageway, with both sides lined with high chairs and tables.

The bakery is on your right, with shelves of wholesome and freshly baked loaves against a wall. A small kitchen that prepares the food served at this small cosy cafe is located on the other end.

I will go into the food later. Right now, feast your eyes & drool over the plethora of baked goods available here!

Let’s start with this amazing PORK BACON loaf. Ok, perhaps it doesn’t quite fall into the “healthy” category but trust me, it’s REALLY good!

Each slice is generously studded with PORK BACON bits and because the loaf is baked with the bacon, every slice is perfumed with the salivating fragrance of pork bacon.
I normally eat this toasted and I’m sure you can imagine how heavenly it must have tasted when it’s nice & toasty!

A normal sized loaf is RM12.90, but Hagen has a smaller loaf as well as a bacon roll version (see below).

Getting back on the healthy breads track, Hagen offers the customary wholemeal & brown bread. Prices for each are as stated on the description card.

When it’s labelled as wholemeal, it is really wholemeal. The ratio of wholemeal to flour was very well-balanced, not too rough with excessive wheat yet substantial enough.

All the baked goods at Hagen are made using imported German and unbleached flour. Each of the buns and loaves are beautifully crusty on the outside yet soft & fluffy inside. I love the texture and taste of all the breads that I have tried so far, which by now is almost 90% of their range!
I find the prices pretty reasonable as well for the quality offered.

The herbs loaves & buns were delightfully aromatic and savoury. Good to eat on its own or with some good old butter.

Below: No cheating here! Actual bits of garlic and generous specks of basil, parsley and chives.

I’m not fond of sweet breads; especially the ones with cherries as they tend to have a weird chemical taste but the one below by Hagen was wonderful.

Very fragrant and slightly sweet with nibs of almonds for a nice nutty texture, I polished half a loaf at one go. It’s sinfully addictive I tell you!

More healthy breads – The Carrot Loaf.

This is Carrot Loaf as well, but Croissant style. Honestly I couldn’t spot a shred of carrot in it; perhaps it’s pureed into the dough?

Oh wait, those tiny brown slivers must be it.

I have yet to try the French croissant as I’m not a fan of pastry (I’m worried about those layers of butter pastry you see) . Hhahahhah…

Moving on…… there are a small selection of German breads of which has names I can’t pronounce..

…and this is German doughnuts, which is supposedly one of their must-try. I promised the owner I’ll try it soon. Deep fried dough and sugar icing on top tends to turn me off.

I’m not sure what’s the different between a bagel vs. New York bagel vs. German bagel. All I know is, from all my prior experiences I have yet to eat a good, dense, chewy bagel worthy of its name. The previous Departure Lounge at Aman Suria serves pretty decent ones, but it seemed that the Uptown branch doesn’t maintain the same quality. Another was freshly baked by the French Chef from The Cuisine Studio, which is unfortunately unavailable for retail purchases.

This is another German specialty – The Marzipan Strudel. Nope, I haven’t tried. Simply cos Marzipan = SUGAR.

And of course, french breads are a must for any bakery.

I could go on and on about the breads here, but you’ll have to try it for yourself! I have bought almost every bread they sold here. But I will be back for more soon!

What’s not that great though  –> The cakes and food. This cake was awfully diabetically sweet and tasted really weird.

And my previous visit for dinner was pretty disastrous. The sausages was weird, the grilled skewers were salty, the pasta was oily and bland while the pizzas were decent at best. The duck sandwich was the only saving grace of the lot.

Well that was in August. I will be back for another round as I was informed they have PORK BURGERS now! Hhahah.. so much for wholesome healthy eating huh?

Oh, just a heads up, Hagen only provide brown bags for their breads.

Below: More pictures!

Some of Hagen’s desserts.

There are imported pasta and olive oil, etc for sale too.

Hagen Bake & Brew

Mont Kiara Shoplex, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-6201-1628

Open Daily from 8am till 12pm * Breakfast starts from 8am till 11am
* Imported Beers available throughout the day

All pictures:

It may not be on the popular Telawi stretch, but location didn’t seem to matter for Belinda Jee’s little gem ” TeaRoom by Bel Jee”.
It was only opened last June but has already gained quite a reputation. Of course it helped that her previous set of of clientele from her home-based designer cake business followed her wherever she goes; and while the little cafe does allow her to serve walk-in guests, I can see that retail has yet to be the core of her business.

TeaRoom by Bel Jee – Wisma Volkswagen, Lorong Maarof.
Yup, this is it. All the space & tables there is for the cosy cafe.

The cafe mainly attracts the working crowd in the vicinity. Taking into consideration the time factor, Bel has cleverly created homely but “fast” food that can be served immediately – or maybe with a bit of reheat. Take for example the pies.

From Moussaka Pies (RM 7.80) (layer of chicken minced meat and baked aubergine, topped with yogurt) to Tuna Pasta Pie (yes, it’s pasta in a pie!) RM7.80, it’s all a little reheat and it’s good to go.

I didn’t see these on my visit on Sat, but I heard there’s more like the chilli con carne (a Mexican minced chicken and kidney beans dish, RM 7.80). Anyhow, I was there mainly for desserts that day & was a tad disappointed to see the limited choices available.
Nonetheless, we ordered the below to test the waters.

Goey butter cake – RM4.20.

The “goey” part obviously refers to the custard-like middle which was nice & cheesy. All Bel’s cakes has a fair sweetness level that doesn’t make you feel like you had too much.

 White chocolate cheese longan. RM8.50. This was VERY GOOD! As you  can see from its appearance, it’s a very homely made cake with not so much emphasis on looks but totally delivers on the taste. The refreshing scent & mild floral sweetness from the lychees cuts through the richness of the cheese very well.

Even our Ice lemon tea was also nicely brewed with perfect tea/lemon/sugar ratio. TeaRoom by Bel Jee currently only serves coffee & chocolate from Segafredo.

Last but not least, we sampled the Bread & Butter pudding – courtesy of Bel Jee. Thanks! 

The use of Croissants in the pudding gave it a rich flavour. The accompanying cream was lovely, delicately decadent without being too creamy. So far so good. I’ll definitely be back soon for more! 

Oh, my only peeve about Tearoom by Bel Jee?
It’s the odd operating hours & days. It’s closed on Sundays & if you were to visit on Sats, the range of desserts are pretty limited as she clears off as much as possible seeing that they are not operational the day after.
On weekdays it’s closed before most of us can even leave the office.

TeaRoom by Bel Jee

** Belinda also runs a designer cake business
Cakes are available via advance order. Pop in here to see her catalouge or speak to her
directly for your cakes!

UPDATE:  The luscious Chocolate Blueberry Cheese cupcake! It is so-so very good! I tried the pies as well. Recommended is the Tuna Macaroni Pie.

Monday – Saturday
8.30am — 6pm
Address: Wisma Volkswagen, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. (it’s just opposite Chef Ismail’s Rebung Restaurant)
Tel: 03 – 2201 1806
All pictures are:

I have tried both; and unfortunately the pictures are missing at the moment so there will probably be no posts on them. LOL.

Anyhow, I first realized there is another option for mille crepes in KL when I walked past a small florist shop in Telawi, Bangsar.

“Humble Beginnings” says the forlorn lone bunting standing at the corner of the small florist shop. Me being me, I made enquiries immediately, only to find out that this is just a pick up point for WHOLE cake orders, and there are no retail purchases available on the spot. Hence then my hope of sampling Humble Beginnings mille crepes vanished.

Until recently that’s it.
Guess what? Humble Beginnings’ mille crepes are now available by slice in Austin Chase at Gardens, Mid Valley & Sunway Giza!

Yup, although Austin Chase does not stock the whole repertoire of Humble Beginnings’ mille crepes, the 4 -5 varieties available is enough for you to have an idea of HB’s mille crepes.

Peach Passion Mille Crepe. RM14.90.

French Vanilla Mille Crepe. RM13.90.

Swiss Chocolate Velvet Mille Crepe. RM14.90.

The Swiss Chocolate Velvet is a chocolate lover’s dream. Layered with decadent chocolate cream & with additional chocolate bits in between the layers, this was forkfuls of sinful scrumptiousness.

The French Vanilla, on the other hand, was all fragrant vanilla and delicately pristine. Start your mille crepe experience with this, and be bowled over by its luscious and silky smooth cream.

The Peach & Passion fruit uses the same vanilla base, but with supplement of thin slivers of fruits in between layers. Opt for this if you are craving for a mellifluous fruity flavour in your mille crepes.

Mille Crepes are works of perfection. Assembling one is a tedious task, and requires much concentration to keep each layer perfectly symmetrical and spread with the right amount of vanilla custard & fresh cream to ensure evenness in the final product. For the uninitiated, “mille” means a thousand, though now mille crepes comes in realistic layers of 20 or so.

It is then not surprising that such a delicate dessert originated from the French. The name Mille Crepe is given because the cake resemble a “thousand” layers of crepe stacked together; a layer of crepe, spread with a coat of cream, another layer of crepe, another flim of cream and the process is repeated til the last top layer is put into place.

I love this picture ;-) .

An example of the size of a whole Mille Crepe cake by order.

One last mille crepe pic…

Other inspiring flavours by Humble Beginnings:
Cheesy Cheese
Coffee Bliss
Mango Cheese
Macha Latte
Oreo Cookies Cream
Pandan Kaya
Peanut Butter
Blueberry
Raspberry Cheese Yogurt
Reese’s Surprise
Royal Milk Tea
Strawberry Heaven

Do visit www.humblebeginnings.com.my for more info & prices.

Humble Beginnings Mille Crepes
Pick up point for orders of whole cakes: Bangsar - Flower Cottage, No. 30,
Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, 59100 KL besides Subway.
PJ/KL – + 6 017 245 8035 (Mr Alex)
Johor Bahru – + 6012 – 635 8035
Penang – + 602 – 485 8035


By slices: Visit Austin Chase, Gardens, Mid Valley or Sunway Giza.

All orders of mille crepes cakes requires a min of 2 days notice. Humble Beginnings’ Mille Crepe contains no preservatives or artificial flavourings.

A little digression here: During the recent Christmas season, Plaza Damas had an actual horse – drawn carriage giving customers complimentary rides. Isn’t that so fun??

Back to the desserts; the post & pictures below is an accumulation from my many visits. I have sampled almost all of her (Ms. Li)  desserts but there is always something new whenever I visit so I’m far from bored yet. ;-)

The Tiramisu here comes in both alcoholic or non-alcoholic form. I have always opted for the alcoholic one (RM16) which is pretty heady due to its generous content of alcohol. But the search for the best tiramisu in town is still on-going, for as much as we like Haute Food’s version for its alcohol load, we opined that the mascarpone cheese layers is a tad too mild in taste.

The caramel pecan cheesecake (RM12?) is a wonderfully smooth, soft cheesecake with the rich sweetness of caramel. It is certainly a pleasing deviation from the common fruits/chocolate/etc cheesecakes elsewhere. A dessert-holic myself (if you do not know that already) I’m on a constant quest for extraordinary or creative desserts & I’m always thrilled to discover something new.

The cake has a base of almonds nibs in crushed oreos biscuits & is generously topped with chunks of pecans & chocolate chips. Oh, another thing worthy to note of Haute Food’s dessert; one can really taste the quality of the ingredients used, meaning Li does not cut corners by, for example, using inferior chocolate chips.

But that doesn’t mean we should ignore the common fruit based cheesecake here. The Raspberry Cheesecake. (RM10?), is alright, with the solidity of the cheese in good balance, ie it is not too cheesy or light.
I’m afraid I have lost some receipts from my previous visits. Anyhow, the cakes here ranges from RM9 – Rm12.

As you might have noticed, the base of the cheesecakes are the same. And I appreciate that she uses actual fresh berries as toppings rather than the “jam”/fruit puree spread which is the norm with other bakeries.

I had the scones on my prior visit but those were the plain butter ones. This time, we tried the cheese scones, (RM4.90 each) & we loved how the cheese added an overall dimension of savouriness to it.

Li has never failed to surprise me with her creations. On a recent visit, I was greeted by this scrumptious banana bread & butter pudding with chocolate chips (RM12) in the display chiller.

Oh mama.. I love bread & butter puddings! ;-) The lowest layer was eggy, followed by overlapping layers of bananas, chocolate chips, bread and custard.

While I did enjoy it, I do hope she could improve on it as some parts were just too mushy. A firmer custard would be nicer. See how it can barely hold it’s shape in the bowl?

Still, one’s got to love the crunchy walnuts though! ;-)

Almond croissant. RM6.90. Flaky, nutty & sweet. Nice!

And here goes another dessert-binging session recently with a bunch of cooks/bakers. They are even fussier than I am! LOL.

The Orange & Basil Cake ( RM10) didn’t score high points with them though personally, I liked it. True enough, the basil aroma takes a little getting used to but it kinda grew on me after a while.

Well, I could be biased, as I love a moist cake with citrusy flavours running through it and a slight lilt of zesty-ness. ;-)

Another shot for you to drool over. ;-)

They couldn’t resist ordering the boozy Tiramisu.

And they concurred on the lightness of the cheese layers. Still, it’s hard to get a booz-ier version of this elsewhere, unless you made it yourself of course. ;-)

Dark Chocolate Cake - RM10.

This is every chocoholic ‘s favourite. A superbly rich & moist dark chocolate that won approval even from my fussy baker friend. Beware though; it is quite a tall cake & took the 4 of us a while to polish it off!

Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream – RM10.

We are still looking for the best apple pie in KL. Anyone can recommend? Haute’s apple filling was wonderful as it was not too sweet or too gooey with syrup. But the problem lies with the pie crust; which was unfortunately thick & tasteless. We thought this crust would have worked better with savoury pies.

Beverages options here are the typical coffee & tea selections. Juices are available but it is prepared with Monin syrup. There are some creative mixes though, like the lemon + berries + etc below, priced at about RM10. The Honey Lemon Tea (not pictured here) is RM8.00 per glass. Ginger & Mango Tea is RM7.50 per sachet/serving.

Directions:

A foolproof way would be to park in Hartamas Shopping Centre & to go to the 2nd floor where Starbucks is. Exit through the glass doors & you will see Aji Don Ramen. Proceed to the row behind it and turn right. Walk til the middle of the row, keeping a lookout for 2 big blue and white stripes umbrellas (which is quite obscure as well) on the opposite side. It is somewhere in the middle of the row.

The Haute Food Co
Unit H-0-2 Block H, Plaza Damas 60, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1
Telephone:03 – 6201 3168

No taxes. All prices are nett.

http://www.hautefoodco.com. Open from 10am – 6pm Closed on Tuesdays

Note: There are hits & misses (it could be that I’m very fussy with my desserts) but Haute Food’s desserts are still a good bet for a satisfying & overall pleasant experience. The homeliness & reasonably priced desserts just got me returning with my friends whenever I’m in search of a nice quiet place to chill & indulge in some cakes.

June & July’s menu is HERE,
August Menu HERE,
September Menu HERE,
October Menu: HERE & Oct 2nd visit HERE.

The previous month – November menu is HERE .

The rotating menu has been consistently intriguing, and has kept me revisiting religiously by the first week of every month. On the whole, NGS’s appetizers are simply divine, while the mains can be a hit or miss, depending on your taste & choice.

I have a tendency of choosing something leafy & raw as my starters, and the Herbs Blinis with Basil Cream & marinated tuna, fresh lettuce – RM25 fits the bill for this month.

A dome of fresh tuna peppered lightly came sitting prettily on top of a Blinis (a type of pancake) . The whole ensemble tasted as good as it looks. The greens was ordinary though, doused with some good shakes of vinaigrette.

Shereen had the Potato Galette with wild Mushrooms, mushroom emulsion – RM23.

A signature of Nathalies’ here, we have the “foam” & there’s plenty of it on this plate. By this month, I’m starting to tired slightly of funghi-based sauces.

Don’t get me wrong, her appetiser were delicious; but it does get predictable once you lunch-ed here every month..

Her main of cod elicited no negative feedback so I assume she is happy with it. I had a bite, & deduced that it’s a fine piece of cod, with all the necessary prerequisites characteristic of flaky, firm, sweet etc..

Personally for me the lentils emulsion were a bit salty. Anyhow, it was an interesting ensemble; “cod with lentils“. Hmmm…

Porcini Breaded Cod Fish, Green Lentils Stew, Lentils Emulsion – RM53.

Now his duck breast was something else.

It was tender, without being too chewy.The necessary slightly gamey taste of duck was prevalent, and that’s alright for me as I somehow preferred it so.

The inner stuffing worked wonders. Herb-y from the Italian Parsley with sweetish tinge from the blueberries. All of us concurred this as the best dish for lunch that day.

Duck Breast stuffed with Blueberries & Italian Parsley, creamy hazelnut polenta, hazelnut emulsion – RM40. WORTH EVERY PENNY. ;-)

The dessert we had were sort of ordinary. It’s good, (that goes without saying for NGS’s desserts), with quality chocolate and all, but for frequent diners like myself, it has became predictably boring.

Menu for the month of Dec 2010:

Let’s hope Nathalie has something new up her chef sleeve for next year! Oh my..I just realized it’s Jan 2011 in 15 days time!! :wacko:

Note: All pics taken with the Sony DSC-N2. So different from the Sony Nex & GF1 right????? I want my GF1 !!!

GPS:  N03 10.25′    E101 39.91′

Nathalie’s Gourmet Studio
A-4-1-5 Dutamas Solaris,
Jalan Dutamas, 50490 Kuala Lumpur.
T: 6 03 62079572
W: www.nathaliegourmetstudio.com

The menu held a lot of promises, and the cakes (as seen HERE), were just coo-ing “eat me eat me!”. Hence I scheduled as many appointments & meals with clients at Plan B as possible over the last week. ;-)

Nasi Lemak, RM25.

Spicy Lamb Chorizo & Gruyere Cheese Muffin, RM10.

The meaty, loosely packed and herbs-seasoned lamb meatballs..

I love my eggs and that’s no secret. For RM14, I slurped up 2 perfected poached eggs, drenched in creamy hollandaise sauce on top of meaty, juicy mushrooms & superbly fresh fluffy English muffin (menu says Portobello but somehow, it didn’t taste like portobello so…).

An added order of Avocadoes and Feta Mash for RM5; just because I couldn’t resist avocadoes. I barely finished it though, as it was sour-er thanI would have preferred.

A noodle/pasta fiend, he thought the pasta was good, albeit lacking in crab meat. I told him crab meat is expensive marrr.. ;p

Plan B’s Spicy Crabmeat Linguini - RM19.00 – scented with lemongrass & Kaffir lime, tossed with tomatoes, garlic & prawn oil. We can testify that all the ingredients listed were present in the bowl of pasta. ;-)

My choice of pasta usually doesn’t involve seafood. And this hearty heap of Spaghettini with really, really meaty & well herbs- seasoned lamb meatballs is seriously good. All of approximately 6 meatballs for RM19.00.

The pride of Malaysia – Nasi Lemak.
Probably not an order one would normally make here at Plan B, but seeing how Plan B excels in homely food, I can’t help but order their RM25.00 Nasi Lemak.

I would rate it higher than Madam Kwan’s legendary Nasi Lemak, which is of similar price range. And I get more squids here too! :good:

The sambal (chilli paste) is much spicier than the usual nasi lemak ones. There seem to be a shortage of nasi lemak that offers spicy sambal in KL, with most leaning towards the sweetish type.Thankfully, Plan B’s nasi lemak has a bit of heat to it.

The fried chicken was well-marinated & tasty enough. No complaints there.

I had the amazing Tomato & Zuchini muffin HERE, & thus had similar expectations for the Spicy Lamb Chorizo & Gruyere Cheese Muffin. Similarly priced at RM10, this big muffin- top packed chunks of chorizos and pungent Gruyere cheese and it’s better eaten warm.

Would I be back for more?
Well, I’m still missing the Orange Flourless Cake, and I have yet to try their dinner menu. So yea, for the cake and for dinner, Plan B should be expecting me soon! ;-)

Updated 6th Dec 2010.
From the time of the previous post HERE; til today (7th Dec), there have been varying degrees of feedback from the other foodies & my friends. The general concensus is – service is bad & their western repertoire fares better than their Asians.

Plan B, (at the right-side of the entrance of BV I, opposite of Starbucks & taking over the vacated Theobroma Lounge)
Ground Floor, Bangsar Village I,
59000 Bangsar, KL.