Posts Tagged ‘floggers gathering’
Kitchen Creatures, Centrepoint – INVADED by bloggers!!
January 25th, 2010 • 28 comments General
Tags: Advertlets, floggers gathering, Restaurant, review
I like this place.
And so does the other 20+odd bloggers, judging by the happy grins & noise we made that night.
Honesty, direct, peppered with bits of wit, the Kitchen Creatures menu tells you as it is. You get what you pay for, you know exactly how much you gonna have to fork out for it & you will be served FRESHLy prepared & MSG-free food. What a marvelous concept!
Favola it is not, but their repertoire of pasta is still a pleasure to eat. Fresh paste, bountiful bouncy seafood with a good balance of flavours (not too creamy nor too salty or sweet) had all of us agreeing that Kitchen Creatures’ claim of “all our food is carefully prepared to meet the highest standards set by George Creatures (the chef)…only fresh ingredients with no MSG” is no hoax.
Marinara, RM13. Spicy Aglio Olio with Shrimp, RM12. Seafood garlic cream sauce, RM13.
Other than the food, there is good eye-candy for us gals. Or gays.
Fresh off their gym workouts, muscles stretching against their shirts, crew cut hunks congregate here for the Sizzling ribeye steak, RM19; a chunky portion of red meat, done to your preference & arrives at your table smoking. My my, I can see the gym doctor nodding approvingly.
Grilled Chicken, RM13 – Charbroiled boneless chop with sauteed onions, baked beans & fries.
Chicken ala King, RM11 – Sauteed with mushrooms in light sour cream gravy, served with buttered rice.
Sirloin Steak, with a choice of 2 sides at RM16.
I can’t sing much praises for the Monster Platter, but I find the grilled chicken & sirloin steak decent for its price.
A bit dry on its own, yes, but a good order for those who prefers something savoury yet light in size.
Btw, it came with a side of mash too. We ordered a set of TWO pies for RM7.
The pizza dough is made specially for them by their supplier. All the sauces & gravy however, is made in house & fresh upon order, assured Chef JJ, one half of the brothers duo who runs this place.
Each pizza is 10 inches in diameter & we stapled the Seafood pizza with Thousand Island – RM12, The Magherita, which is mozzarealla, cheddar with spinach, special pizza sauce & the Pizza Carbonara which consisted of mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan with chicken & beef bacon, also RM12.
The much raved about stuffed mushrooms (RM7.30 for 6) was a few sizes shrunken but made up for it in taste.
Meanwhile, the Garlic bread are as crisp & buttery as it should be.
There is a lot more on the menu than what we tried that night & we were really spoilt for choices, both for food & for drinks.
Parking is FREE after 630pm & there is WIFI.
Food is affordable & FRESHLY prepared, portions are big, there is a medley of choices available, bill is tax free, environment is clean & comfortable…WOW.. Kitchen Creatures is probably the next BEST thing to happen for the BU area!
El Meson, Bangsar – mid week Lunch with the bloggers!!
January 23rd, 2010 • 37 comments Favourites, General
Tags: floggers gathering, pork, Restaurant, spanish
The unbearable heat of the mid- day sun blazed down relentlessly & I hasten my pace towards El Meson on Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar.
Well, I thought wryly, if I can’t siesta like the Spanish, at least I will dine like one.
And the latter fact holds true if one dines at the warm, welcoming alcove of El Meson.
With Chef Fernando helming the kitchen, a Spanish import to boot, my meals at El Meson (one of which I have blogged about; you can read about my indulgent dinner here ) had been pricey but never entirely disappointing, & had therefore, deservingly amassed more hits than misses in my book.
Their Ultimate Pork Burger – with mushrooms, bacon, cheese & caramelized onions, RM26 was my goal this time round, since it is part of their lunch menu which I haven’t had past opportunity to sample.
I’m sure discerning diners appreciate efforts by F&B outlets in attention to details, & I for one, would always have praises for a chef who doesn’t take shortcuts in the preparation of the sides that comes with a main course.
The freshly fried potatoes were fluffy & lightly seasoned; & thus was the perfect accompaniment to the burger.
Out of the series of Tapas we had, the terrine is a clear winner; an ingenious mish-mash of bacon, pork, apricot, pistachio and balsamic reduction.
The Calamares Rellenos stuffed with squid, Serrano ham, tomato (RM16) & Stuffed Tomatoes with prawns & squids topped with cheese and breadcrumbs (RM16) were divine & I was glad the mains followed quickly after, for all that actually made me hungry for more.
Pork Chop – pan roasted and served wth Sauerkraut and roast potatoes, RM42
Pan fried chicken breast stuffed with Serrano & cheese served with potato wedges and vegetables, RM38
Pork Belly and Pork ribs Stew with Chorizo, Morcilla Blood Sausages and Beans,
RM38
The THICK pork chop was juicy though I did feedback to Ek that it the sauce could have been a bit more flavourful. The tender gamey Iberico Cheeks had me pinching my own cheeks. My, I marveled as I cut the big round balls into half, Ibericos pigs does have meaty cheeks! The stuffed chicken looked dry at first & worried murmurs went round the table. Luckily, it was illusory & the stuffing of Serrano ham & cheese turned out to be delicious!
The pork belly & rib stew was certainly moreish, even more so as it is an uncommon preparation. There was a lot of different beans in the dish and we polished off every single one of them.
El Meson has upped their desserts offerings & we were given complimentary ones to share. (Thanks Ek! ;p )
My favourite was the Trifle, and here (though it may look un-photogenic) they scope it out from a big bowl and this is actually one portion. The custard layer was lovely, the jello addictive & the copious amount of fruits deceivingly assured us that this is a waist-friendly dessert ;)
Then the molten choc cake stole the show. It was heavenly. The flow of chocolate lava doesn’t seem to stop oozing out! The outer layer was lightly crisp, and it’s warm & moist chocolate sponge was absolutely to die for!
Last was the flourless, sugarless chocolate cake; which though out-shined by it’s mate The Molten Lava, was still a worthy- to- order dessert.
The Spanish creme catalana (picture not here since I forgot to take any) came in small cazuela molds, just like how they made it in Spain. Aesthetically, it was easy to pass it off as Creme Brulee but according to Ek, i’ts preparation is different. Anyhow, think creme brulee but flavoured with cinnamon & lime zest instead.
I like El Meson for its innovative preparations & uncommon ingredients used in its dishes.
My advice for those who wants to try this place is to get a min group of 5, since the dishes ain’t exactly your typical dinners prices, & there is so much worth stapling here!
The bill came up to RM45 per pax & there were 8 of us that day. For the amount of food we had, I thought it was a steal!
Buka Puasa at Bangsar Seafood Restaurant
September 12th, 2009 • 25 comments General
Tags: bangsar, floggers gathering, invited review
you can try to put up a fight
Act nasty if u wish
Go ahead, flash your menacing claws at us
Or plead and debate for your life
But you know we are coming for you…
We want you slathered, smothered & drowned in rich creamy butter..
Or fried coated in salted egg yolks…
And we know where’s the BEST place to get your crabby fix…FOR FREE!
For each of their Ramadan buka puasa sets that comes with 9 signature dishes, Bangsar Seafood throws in ONE KG of crabs at no extra charge, cooked in your chosen choice of style.
Yups, this place is HALAL and after personally trying a few disappointing Ramadan buffets priced at RM75++ and above, I honestly think this would be a better deal if you have a group of 10 pax and above.
RM 498+: Appetizer, Shark’s Fin Soup, Chicken with Ginger, Spicy Fried Fish, Lychee Prawns, Signature Beancurd, ‘Kampung’ fried rice, Custard Buns, Dessert
RM 598+: Appetizer, Sharks Fin Soup, Chicken with Plum Sauce, Pomfret with Bean Sauce, Prawns with Sweet Corn Sauce, Steamed “Sang Gan”, Tom Yam Noodles, Banana with “Gula Melaka”, Dessert
RM 698+: Appetizer, Double boiled soup, Roast chicken, Red snapper, Otak Otak Fried Prawns, Braised Sea Cucumber, Oyster Fried Rice, Chinese Pastries, Dessert
RM 898+: Homemade appetizers, Sharks Fin Soup with Pumpkin, Boneless Duck, Curried Garoupa, Braised Seafood, Mango Prawns, Garlic Fried Rice, Banana & ‘Gula Melaka’, Dessert
Recently a mob of us stapled some of their dishes and generally, the food left a good impression on us hard core foodies.
And of course, desserts must not be neglected..
Delicious pureed Mango Sago for dessert..
Not a drop wasted.
And since the food had already been described to death.. here, help yourself to their reviews below ;p
A Whiff of Lemongrass
Lots of Cravings
Kampung Kayell
Superwilson
Bangsar Babe
Babe In The City
Paranoid Android
Memoirs Of A Chocoholic
Eat Drink KL
FBB
Potluck At Nigel’s
August 23rd, 2009 • 21 comments General
Tags: floggers gathering, KL
Of course, it won’t have been possible without our fantastic hosts… so to Allan and Nigel, Thank you so much!!
And since we were fed by foodies who knows where’s the best grub there is in KL, a baker who has his very own fan club & some very accomplished cooks… the food department certainly wasn’t lacking in taste, texture and colour!!
Feast your eyes……and eat your heart out!!! ;p
I totally dig the luscious Charsiew from Paramount Gardens by Ciki & Alilfatmonkey…
And we got pampered by Su of Delectable, who came lugging boxes of savoury pastries..
FBB and Bee sugarcoated us with the Pear & Ginger Upside Down cake and the mind-blowing BRANDY-soaked Spencer…as well as the Hummingbird cupcakes..and 3 pieces of Red Velvet..which disappeared so fast there wasn’t any pics! ;p
Not to fret though, these are order-able HERE!!
Pey Pey @Msiagirl – Her very own handmade (LITERALLY) dark chocolates !!
And more…
Clockwise from top..
Allan & Nigel – Home cooked Asian Pesto Spaghetti
Hairyberry – Moussaka, Lagsana & Pizza from Porta Romana
La Couple Toy – Bouncy Meatballs
Bangsar Babe – Potato & Egg Salad
Lemongrass and Bald Eagle – Ah Fatt fried chicken at Jln 14/48, Section 14, Petaling Jaya (opposite end of Ah Wah hokkien mee shop).
ps: FBB’s fav. I think he chomped half the bowl ;)
And the people who made the night possible!!
Many thanks goes to The Devil Wears Prada for his Honey Sparkling Sea Coconut with Lime Mocktail!
A life saver since I don’t do alcohol. Most refreshing concoction!!
Kat, (Girl from Abu Dhabi) bought charsiew as well. By then I was too busy eating to bother with the camera. Chian Tyng also fed us delicious siu yoke.
For more on this fanta-balous night; blog hop to Ciki’s!
Vintage Bulgaria, Penang
August 19th, 2009 • 45 comments General
Tags: floggers gathering, food outing, makan-makan, penang
I marveled at the decor and ambiance as I stepped in.
Such quaint interior and cosy cottage charm! Traditional artsy craft work and memorabilias dotted the walls, giving one a flitting glimpse into the cultural facade of Bulgaria, a country not much known by the world.
The mural on the wall by our table took my breath away. So beautiful and in such vivid gay colours too!
Bulgaria is a country of 110,993 sq km, which is apprx 1/3 of Malaysia & boasted of the population number of 7.5mil.
Located in the Balkan Peninsular, it borders Romania which is at its north, Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia to the west and Greece and Turkey at the south.
Here, in our little Penang island, the owner’s efforts to recreate and revive the bucolic feel of a cosy Bulgarian home back in her home country is deeply reflected in the outlet.
The woodwork, the bricks, the layout and the setting is painstakingly designed and leaves one in no doubt of the authenticity of the place. You do feel as if you have been teleported into a cosy Bulgarian home back in time and in Bulgaria itself.
Rustic style interior rekindling the feel and vibes of an old Bulgarian home.
Bulgarians, alike its European counterparts, customarily indulge in wine with their meals. Here in Vintage Bulgaria, a wide selection of wine is stocked in their wine cellar for your drinking pleasure.
Have your wine with your meal, or opt for a relaxing time sitting at the bar either upstairs or downstairs (they got two!) if you are here just for a drink. Your choice.
Geographically, Bulgaria has large mountainous areas, fertile valleys, plains and a coastline of the Black Sea.
However, in a short conversation with the owner, my initial self-formed opinion that seafood would feature dominantly in Bulgarian cuisine was corrected. The sea, Silviya Georgieva explained, is too cold to provide much produce.
Their climate includes mild summers and cold, snowy winters. Its temperate climate provides the right growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits.
Its cuisine, is eastern European with Mediterrenean influence, and salads are predominant. Every meal customarily starts with greens. As it is a cuisine influenced with the Greek & Mediterranean, their salads consists of typical key ingredients of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese and light dressings.
Meats are mostly roasted, grilled or oven baked. Their starch is provided for by the sides of potatoes & bread.
So one fine evening, we lucky group of Penang foodies congregate here for a night of gluttony, fun and comradeship.
Our 4th Penang Food Bloggers Gathering spurred into momentum with the first course of the most decadent seafood soup. (Not that the mushroom version were any less stellar, mind you)
An interesting mix of flaky fish meat and creamy based stock, it was very fresh and tasted of the sea. A must order, as it’s totally different from the common seafood bisque dished out at literally all western joints here!
If there’s a better seafood soup in our vicinity, I haven’t heard about it.
Their cream of mushroom is no wilt flower either.
Robust & wholesome, the chunky bits of mixed funghi with its smooth blend of well ratio-ed cream and stock was marvelous with the signature crusty ‘Vintage’ bread.
Almost 70% of us gluttons zeroed in on the Pork Knuckle (Bulgarian Pork Djolan) as our choice of main.
Rightfully so too, for the roasted arm was huge, with the mandatory gelatinous layer of fat, tender meat and crispy skin. What’s not to like??
One small vibe though, I personally felt that the flavour of the marination lacked full permeation into the inner parts of the meat & the accompanying gravy too sweet.
Nevertheless, I’m hard to please, so do ignore me ;)
This is how we foodies eat. Watch and learn.
BEFORE.
The pork fillet was soft and succulent and to me, this is mention-worthy as I find pork fillets commonly served at dining outlets to be tough and slightly chewy- dry due to overcooking.
This, however, was perfectly done!
The 2 sausages was just as good, both different in taste, low in sodium and hearty with spices & herbs.
The boiled potatoes that came with the platter was deceivingly spicy (it sure didnt look it right?) and a fellow blogger claims his tongue felt numb after a bite! Hehe..
For the hell of me, I can’t fathom the reason I ordered chicken that night.
Anyhow, my Chicken Stroganov wasn’t as bad as it looks (hey, after the knuckle and the ribs, you would have second thoughts too ok!).
Boneless chicken drumstick cut into strips, cooked with mushrooms, wine, cream, herb and spices, this is a good choice for light dining. Not too creamy, the smooth and tasty sauce, fused very well with the chicken.
And from the picture above, you can see that I have given the side of mash potato utmost attention. That’s simply cos it was divine!
Smoky roasted potato, mashed with its jacket and blended with gravy.
So delicious!
Delicious moist and so so FRESH sweet, soft flakes of oily cod. I should have ordered this!!
I totally heart this but there wasn’t much to go around that night as many of us ordered the knuckles and the platter.
Not unlike our local tai chow BBQ ribs, these marvellous ladders of sweet, caramelized outers and tender inners was nicely done.
I noticed there were 2 different mash of potato, one which is moist, but minus any gravy, with rich buttery aroma and another (which I preferred) mashed with onions and gravy, with its jacket on, providing me the satisfaction of nibbling on roast-y potato skin.
The piquant side of chutney-like mix of cucumber, carrot and onions plus a small serving of sourish coleslaw with corn provides the palate a refreshing diversion from the savoury meats.
Of course, a break in between course are a must and I couldn’t help taking a picture of the doors to the wash area ;p
Courtesy of Dennie Yeap, of Winter Butterfly Homemade Cakes, we polished off a Strawberry Mousse Cheesecake, which was sublime with its moist cheesy sponge and fresh cream,
an Oreo cheesecake which was REALLY rich and a Chocolate Brownie which I find to be a bit dry in texture but made up for its shortcoming with its decadent top layer of dark chocolate fudge.
And yes, I repeat, we bloggers are a lucky lot.
Courtesy of Gelatissimo, we licked clean 5 tubs of gelato even before our desserts were served.
Thank you Mr Hong! The matcha gelato was fabulous!
Bottom right pic above: Clockwise: Rum and Raisin, Matcha, Chocolate, Strawberry Cheesecake and Mango Sorbet.
After all that, our desserts were finally served.
Chocolate Soup.
This, to me was alike gourmet chocolate drink with ice cream. Think premier “milo” , as in richer, creamier and full bodied chocolate. Deliciously chilled & smooth.
My my my..even as a non-choc lover, I could have slurped up every drop of this!
I ordered the Chocolate Creme Brulee, since I was curious .. “eggs and chocolate??”
The crackly caramelized surface hides the smooth and sublime eggy custard underneath.
I’m glad to report that this surpassed my expectations. It’s got the ideal ratio of eggs to chocolate where the taste of eggs and cream remains prominent to ascertain that it is indeed a creme brulee and yet with the flavour of chocolate still intact.
Scrumptious stuff!
And then there were camwhoring sessions..
The guy bloggers.
Whose pics were taken by the girls photographers.
We girls bloggers, had our pic then taken by the guys of course. But sorry no pic for now. (Ok, could any of you guys forward me a pic of us gals please??? )
The cool and quiet Silviya Georgieva and her friendly outlet Manager of Vintage Bulgaria.
Hats off to the kitchen that night for the preparation of the food. More often than not, during such events, I get my food served lukewarm or cold, mainly due to the meals being mass produced and re-heated just before serving.
That night, service was a tad slow yes, but I do appreciate that the food served didn’t taste like it was prepared hours ago!
But of course, this is NOT all that they have!
Vintage Bulgaria does an expansive menu, with some interesting dishes that includes “parts” eg, livers and onion, gizzards in butter and veal tripe with mushrooms.
Barbitarians rejoice!!
As with most European influenced meals, cheese, cream, wine, mushrooms, herbs are prominent in the preparation of the dishes here.
Location:
Vintage Bulgaria Restaurant & Bar
(next to Ingolf’s Kneipe German Restaurant)
1-E, Jalan Sg Kelian
Tanjung Bungah
Penang, Malaysia
Tel: +60-4-8981890
Business Hour : 12 pm to 12 midnight (last order at 10pm)
GPS Coordinates : N05 2753.9 E100 1732.8
Definitely worth a visit if you are in Penang..once you are done gorging yourself silly on Char Kuey Teow, Laksa and Chendol (& for some, Chee Cheong Fun) of course! ;p
I love the concept and the place is gorgeous!
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