Casa Rosa, Mont Kiara

Dated visited : 10 May 2017

This is one of my favourite place to have a nice and fancy meal with important people in my life. My first 2 visits here were 2 years apart and both my Birthday treat from the same person. So this place is really special to me.

This is not a very common place that you can spot by the road side or in any commercial areas. It's located within the compound of Mont Kiara Pines Condo. 

You just have to inform the guardhouse that you're going to Casa Rosa and they'll let you in with a visitors pass. Just drive straight in towards the clubhouse and you'll see the visitor's parking and the entrance to Casa Rosa.

Since it's within a condo compound, you won't expect to see an overwhelming crowd at this place. That makes the atmosphere very private, peaceful and cozy.

Once you've placed your orders, they'll usually serve you complimentary bread and butter.

Let's begin with the starters and soup...

This is the Beef Nachos. It may look like a total mess and so not Instagram worthy, but it's delicious.

If you're wondering why the colour of this Garlic Bread is like that, that's because we requested for it to be a bit more toasted.

My youngest sister loves mushroom soup, so she had to order the Homemade Fresh Mushroom Soup. Her comment for it's good but not awesome.

This is one of my favourite here, the Oxtail Stew With Toast. It comes in 2 sizes, regular and large. The regular is enough for 2 to share whereas the large is enough for 4. It tastes almost like a beef flavoured minestrone soup.

This the Grilled Gourmet 6 Inch Sausage. It comes in 2 pieces of sausages and served with sauteed potato and salad.

If you like salmon dishes, there are 2 selections on the menu for you to consider. If you prefer something light, you could order the Grilled Salmon & Scallops with orange & lemon thyme sauce.

However, if you prefer something stronger in taste, you could order the Grilled Salmon Arrabiata with spicy tomato and mozzarella cheese.

This is Hungarian Lamb Shank. The lamb shank is braised and served with spicy sour cream, mushroom sauce.

I will usually order the Paella when I come here because their Paella is delicious but the portion is too big for me to finish on my own. Since no one else would like to share the Paella with me, I ordered the Homemade Vegetable Strudel with pesto cream sauce instead.

And last but not least, this is the Chicken Kebab with Garlic Rice. The chicken pieces are grilled to perfection with their very own basting sauce, served with tortilla chips and hot dip.

It's not easy to describe the food here with just words, you just have to go try it out yourself. My friend's who have been here liked the food here, so I'm pretty sure you would like it too. For those who have been here but didn't like the food, maybe you could share your experiences with me.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 4.5/5

Service : 4/5

Food Quality : 4/5

Price Range : $$$

Status : Non-Halal
Will we go back for more : Of course!!

Other information:

Address : Mont Kiara Pines, Aspen Clubhous, Jalan Kiara 1, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur

Contact No. : 03-6203 1978

Business Hours : 12.00pm-3.00pm / 6.00pm-11.00pm (Tues-Sun) / Closed on Mondays

Transaction : Cash & Credit Card

Links : https://www.facebook.com/casarosakiara/

Fatty Porridge, OUG

Date Visited : 6 May 2017

Porridge? Congee? Which is which? Some of you may be confused about this. 

When the word porridge is used, it's suppose to be an oats based recipe. Congee is a savoury porridge made with rice and has a broad recipe variety across the Asian countries. However in Malaysia, the word porridge is more commonly used compared to congee.

When it comes to porridge, most would say that it's food for the sick. But for me, everyday can be a porridge day... especially if it's Paddy Frog Porridge. I know that this particular type of porridge may not be liked by some but it is my favourite kind.

I've tried Paddy Frog Porridge in various places around Klang Valley but I personally thinks this place serves the best Paddy Frog Porridge in Klang Valley.

It's a stall located inside a kopitiam restaurant called Restoran Double Nine and the stall is only open for dinner and supper.

This stall actually serves more than Frog Porridge. I heard the steamed fish head is also good but I have never got the chance to try it yet.

This is the man behind the magic.

The porridge was so fine and smooth. It's not lumpy and not too watery.

If you're not into something spicy, you should order the Ginger Spring Onion Paddy Frog. The texture of the meat is like chicken and the gravy is delicious when it's 

My personal favourite is the Gong Pao Paddy Frog. When the gravy is mixed with the fine, smooth porridge, it's spicy but also very delicious.

Since it's an open style street seating kind of place, please don't expect air conditioning. Just dress casually, take a seat and enjoy. It's totally worth it... even if you're sweating buckets.

Other information:

Address : Restoran Double Nine, No 2 Jalan Hujan Rahmat 2, Taman Overseas Union, 58200 Kuala Lumpur 

Business Hours : 5.00pm-12.00am / Closed on Mondays

Transaction : Cash Only

Strangers at 47, Sect 17 PJ

Date Visited : 16 & 30 April 2017

I've been to this place 3 times before I started this blog and it took me another 2 visits recently to gather more photos for this post. It's one of my favourite brunch place.

When I first came here, it was only 1 shop space. But now they have expanded to 2 shop space. The reason why I like this place so much is mainly because of the attentive and pleasant staff and second is because of the food. If you want something light, they have it. If you want something meatless, the have it. If you want something sweet, they have it. And this place is all about crepes! Let me show you.

This is my personal favourite... Lethal Shrooms. It's a meat free dish consists of a variety of mushrooms, spinach, caramelised onions, tomato relish and poached egg. I'll always order this on days that I don't feel like having any meat or preferred something light instead.

This is also another one of my favourite... Miss Dory. The breaded fish fillet is so delicious... crispy on the outside but soft and juicy on the inside. The potato pumpkin mash makes a great combination with the rest of the ingredients.

This is another delicious fish dish... Uncle Salmon. I usually don't prefer cooked salmon but the taste of this dish is really something else. The ingredients complimented each other so well. The best part is that the salmon is cooked so well that it doesn't have that heavy fishy taste to it.

For a much more heavier choice, you might want to consider the BBC (Big Breakfast Crepe).

If you're feeling more meaty, you could try A Hen's Crush. It's a combination of chilli baked crepe, pan seared cajun boneless chicken thigh, sweet capsicums, golden hash brown, citrus-cucumber-onion salad and house made spicy tangy sauce. This one has an additional sunny side up.

This one's a bit special... more localised. It's a special addition to their current menu... the Nasi Lemak Crepe. And as for taste wise, it's quite subjective. I like it but my brother who ordered this finds the crepe a bit out of place. Other than that, the nasi lemak itself was quite tasty.

Now it's time for dessert!

They have 9 dessert crepes for you to choose from but my favourite is the Dark Side. Again, I usually don't fancy chocolate desserts but everything is just right with this. The sweetness, the texture, the combination of flavours. It's simply delicious!

OUR RATING

Ambience : 4.5/5

Service : 5/5

Food Quality : 4.5/5

Price Range : $$

Status : Pork Free
Will we go back for more : Of course!!

Other information:

Address : 47, Jalan 17/45, 46400, Petaling Jaya

Contact No. : 03-7497 2409

Business Hours : 11.00am-10.00pm (Mon-Fri) / 9.00am-10.00pm (Sat-Sun) / Closed on Tuesdays

Transaction : Cash & Credit Card

Links : https://www.facebook.com/strangersat47

Tae Yang Korean BBQ, Puchong

Date Visited : 15 April 2017

Puchong is known to be a food heaven for most people and this has also made the food business here very competitive. Residents of Puchong have very picky taste buds. They will always give a newly opened restaurant a first try but if the food is no good, you will never see them again.

Recently I've noticed a new Korean restaurant in Bandar Puteri, Puchong called Tae Yang Korean BBQ. Since I'm a lover of Korean food, I do have a favourite go to restaurant, which I'll be sharing with you when I have more photos,  for my usual Korean craving. I was at home on a Saturday, tired and in need for some simple Korean food fix... so I decided to give this new place a try.

I arrived at about 6.45pm for dinner and this place was already packed and I had to put my name in the waiting list. Luckily I didn't have to wait for too long as I was already seated by 7pm.

I decided to order the basics because if they can't get the basics right, we can forget about the fancy stuff.

Let's start with the banchan first. The variety was reasonable and 4 out of 5 of these dishes were okay. The egg roll was not that great for me because it was cold and a bit hard.

I ordered a Pork Dolsot Bimbibap and Pork Kimchi Jiggae.

The ingredients in the Bimbibap was fresh and the added pork meat makes it delicious.

The Kimchi Jiggae here is not too strong and I think can be accepted by many people as it was not too spicy and has the right level of sourness. It was acceptable to my taste buds for that day as I was looking for something simple.

This is their version of the Yukgaejang. The portion is huge and might be even enough for 3 person to share.

Their version is not too bad but if compared to my favourite place, it's still a bit lacking in terms of flavour.

And for something non spicy, this is the Kal Guksu. It's a Korean noodle dish consisting of handmade, knife-cut wheat flour noodles served in a large bowl with broth.

It's not something I will usually order in a Korean restaurant but it's not bad. If you don't prefer a spicy dish with a strong Korean taste, you can definitely give this a try.

After tasting the basics, I might want to return to try the BBQ stuff. This could be my near to home, quick fix for my Korean cravings.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 4/5

Service : 4/5

Food Quality : 3.5/5

Price Range : $$

Status : Non Halal
Will we go back for more : Yes.

Other information:

Address : 72, Jalan Puteri 2/4, Bandar Puteri, Puchong

Contact No. : 012-300 5735

Business Hours : 12.00pm-3.00pm / 5.30pm-10.00pm (Daily)

Transaction : Cash & Credit Card

Links : https://www.facebook.com/taeyangbbq/

Secret Garden, Ho Chi Minh

Date visited : 31 March 2017

This is another recommendation for good food in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. It's a well hidden gem as most locals don't even know nor heard of this place. This hidden gem has a name to match... Secret Garden.

To find this hidden gem, you'll have to go through a quiet lane off the busy main road and climb up a few flights of stairs to the rooftop. Don't worry about the stairs, it's really worth the climb.

Once you've reached the rooftop, you'll be amazed by the change of scene to a charming, semi open air, garden style seating, surrounded by greenery and with a great view of the Ho Chi Minh city skyline.

Again, this place is very popular among the foreigners and expatriates. So to avoid a long wait, do make prior reservation and arrive on time to be seated.

Now let me show you some of the dishes we've ordered and all the dishes were so tasty.

This is the Deep-fried Sticky Rice with Minced Pork & Shrimp. It's best to have this as starters before your main dishes are served.

The next dish is a MUST have when you're in Vietnam... Fried Spring Rolls. You can eat these as starters or even with rice. It is small in size but the filling is generous and tasty.

This is a simple vegetable dish, Bokchoy and Mushroom. Vegetables are a must for my rice meals.

Next is the Fried Egg with Minced Pork. It's like our Malaysian Omelette but tasty in its own special way.

This is the Lotus Root with Minced Pork. I love lotus root dishes so I had to try their only lotus root dish in their menu. The lotus root slices were crunchy with a tasty and juicy minced pork patty in between.

The photo of this dish looked interesting so I decided to add this dish in my order at the very last minute. The name of this dish is Stir-fried Baby Squid & Fish Sauce. However, this dish would have been better if it was not overpowered by the onions.

This last dish is the best one among all the dishes that I've ordered. This dish has a very unique name and it's definitely not a common dish or vegetable found in Malaysia. It's called Tonkin Creeper & Garlic. The way this dish is prepared and the vegetable taste itself makes this dish so delicious. If you're a vegetable lover, you'll definitely like this dish.

So if you're in Ho Chi Minh city for whatever reason and would like to have a proper sit down dinner with great ambience, do give this place a try. You will not regret it.

OUR RATING

Ambience : 5/5

Service : 4/5

Food Quality : 4.5/5

Price Range : $$

Status : Non Halal

Other information:

Address : Top Floor, 158 Pasteur, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam

Contact No. : +84 90 990 46 21

Email : nhudangngochuynh@gmail.com

Business Hours : 10.00am-10.0pm (Daily)

Transaction : Cash & Credit Card

Links :
https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Restaurant_Review-g293925-d4573158-Reviews-Secret_Garden_Home_cooked_Vietnamese_Restaurant-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html
or
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Secret-Garden-Restaurant-Teahouse-Rooftop-158-Pasteur-Dist-1/460687490679257