Tedboy Bakery @ Bangsar, KL

A short review on my birthday cake from Tedboy, one of the many bakeries in Bangsar. Aside from cakes, they also have a variety of mini pastries and the usual breads.

Tiramisu

The Tiramisu had many light and airy cheesy layers, topped with liberal dusting of cocoa powder and blobs of gooey dark chocolate.  I'm definitely not an expert on Tiramisu as I usually find them average tasting considering I'm not one of those who have an extra stomach for desserts but I really liked this version from Tedboy a lot!

You can even order their cakes online. Check out their menu at their website below.

http://www.tedboy.com/home

PawPoints: 5 Paws

Tedboy Bakery

10 Jalan Telawi 4

Bangsar Baru

Tel: 03 2202 1312

DIB Coffees of Hawaii @ Damansara Perdana

DIB aka Deaf in Business Coffees of Hawaii is a cafe run by the deaf and mute. It really is so kind of the owner to open such a shop to assist the deaf and mute waiters and waitresses in making a living. The staff are always so polite, always smiling, always cheerful. It is a delight to visit this shop for a nice cup of coffee and to chill when you are stressed.

       

Aloha!

     
The shop signboard clearly reflects the Hawaiian theme employed for the cafe.

   

Menu

   
On the back of the menu are various pictograms depicting the sign language for various expressions. This is to help you communicate with the staff and also for your own general knowledge.

       

Lovely ceramics

   
Hot tea is served in a lovely ceramic pot with an exquisite print in a soothing teal colour. The pot lid knob is thoughtfully made from wood as I can't remember the countless times I've been unable to hold ceramic pot lid knobs because they were the same temperature as the hot tea! A tea leaf strainer is encased in the pot to allow the leaves to steep without being released into the cup as the tea is being poured. Now I must go find myself a treasure like this =)
     
The small cups are very cheerful with contemporary prints. I have seen the design of the cup on the left somewhere but now I just can't remember where.

      

What a good idea!

       

Passion Fruit Iced Tea (RM 9.80)

   
I had this which came with numerous edible passion fruit seeds. The seeds, being rather tiny, were a delight to munch on although it got tiring after a while to munch on ice-cold seeds >.< But I will still order this on my next visit as I like the sweet taste of passion fruit =)

       

How about a cup of coffee?

      

Chemistry lab equipment

   
They've got a really cool-looking coffee-brewing machine which looks like they are part of a distillation process which is probably what was going on. There were equipment such as the Bunsen burner, stand and its clamp, round-bottom flask and glass rods for stirring.

      

See the contraption?

       

100% Maui Mokha

   
The taste of the coffee was really unique as the grinded coffee beans were dissolved into water in the flask before allowing it to slowly drip into a second flask under it. This resulted in the release of a really pleasant coffee aroma and strong caffeine undertones.

      

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

The cheesecake was really creamy and sweet with the passion fruit jam on top. My favourite out of all the cakes. JS thought it was so-so only.

Lemon Cheesecake

The Lemon Cheesecake was quite tart and sourish. 

Pineapple Cheesecake

The Pineapple Cheesecake was all right.

Overall, DIB Coffees is quite a nice and novel place to chill and have a nice cuppa. Downside is it is quite out of the way for most PJ folk though. We would give 4 Paws for the drinks especially the coffee and 2 Paws for the cakes and so we've adjusted the rating to 3 Paws.


PawPoints: 3 Paws 
Pawket: Onion

DIB Coffees of Hawaii
11-A-1, Jln PJU 8/5A,
Bandar Damansara Perdana
Tel: 016 480 1040
Daily: 9.30am - 10.30pm

Delicious @ Bangsar Village II

I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of Delicious, the eatery that most likely sparked the change in the eating habits of Malaysians. All of a sudden, dozens of cafe-style eateries serving light Western meals and simple, comfort food popped up across the Klang Valley. But since most people are familiar with its menu, I'll just showcase my favourite that I always order when I frequent Delicious =)

     

Spicy Seafood Spaghettini (RM 25.90)

   
I used to get this confused with the Seafood Linguine but that is a heavy version with thick, sundried tomato sauce and lots of cheese. This Spicy Seafood Spaghettini is very light and refreshing on the palate. It consists of spaghetti's baby sister tossed in oil, chilli flakes and coriander - my favourite combination =D Best of all, it comes with lots of squid and prawns of decent size. A squeeze of lemon and liberal sprinkling of ground black pepper immediately brings the flavour of the dish to another level. 

    

    

PawPoints: 5 Paws

Pawket: Tomato

    

Delicious

Lot GF-1, Ground Floor
Bangsar Village II
Tel: 03 2287 1554
Mon - Fri: 11am - 12am
Sat, Sun and Public Holidays: 9am - 12am

The Red Beanbag @ Publika, Solaris Dutamas

What a cute name! Seriously, all the cafes popping up like mushrooms all over the city have some catchy name that is totally unexpected. The Red Beanbag is located at the hipster Publika. It was quite difficult to locate the cafe and even when we asked the security guards and concierge, none of them knew where it was. Of course, it would have been easier if we had the address with us but since it's at a relatively small mall, we thought how hard would it be to search for it right? Anyway, The Red Beanbag is located on the 1st floor and is quite easy to spot once you're near it.

       

Quirky

   
For some reason, I keep thinking of it as Bag of Red Beans...

        

Menu Part 1

   
The menu is relatively simple with fun names for the offered fare. There isn't much choice which can be a good thing if you're the indecisive sort, or a bad thing if you don't like anything on the menu.

      

Menu Part 2

        

Trouty Mouth (RM 18)

     
Two sourdough bread slices piled with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with capers may not look like much but coupled with the thick cut fries and side salad, the portion is just right. No comment on the taste as I did not try it but I must say the smoked salmon looked...really thin and not substantial at all. The fries must have been really good though as one friend couldn't stop eating it =)

        

My Crustacean Cousin (RM 28.90)

     
I was captivated by the words "tiger prawns", "scallops" and "pasta" all in one sentence but when it came, I was utterly disappointed. It is hard to tell from the picture but in reality, the pasta was just one tiny dollop sitting on a huge plate =( I finished the freshly made tagliolini in less than 10 mouthfuls =( The taste itself was quite yummy with juices from the seared scallops and mini-clams adding much flavour to the angel hair-like pasta. The seafood was very fresh and plump.

      

Fowl Luck (RM 25.90)

     
The roasted chicken thigh was really good with moist, tender flesh and a crisp, well-flavoured skin. Paired with mushroom gravy over herbed potatoes, mushrooms slices and olives as well as a sweet strawberry sauce, this is one yummy dish.

     

Beef Me Up Scotty (RM 19.90)

     
Beef Me Up Scotty is made up of grilled beef fillet, caramelised onions, rocket and olive oil on toasted ciabatta. No comment on this as I did not try it.

      

Homemade Tiramisu (RM 13)

   
The Tiramisu was average with slightly dry layers of cake.

     

Chocolate Banana (RM 13)

   
The Chocolate Banana Cake was really good with creamy chocolate cake and super sweet melty bananas.

     

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake (RM 15)

     
The Molten Chocolate Lava Cake was extremely yummy with a warm and chocolatey, melty centre and cold vanilla ice-cream.

Overall, the Red Beanbag is truly a nice place to hang out with friends with awesome desserts and the trendy menu. Prices are average for some items and steep for others. Portions here are relatively smaller though.
   

   
PawPoints: 3 Paws
Pawket: Tomato

The Red Beanbag
A4-1-08 Solaris Dutamas
Tel: 03 6211 5116
Tue - Fri: 10am - 10pm
Sat - Sun: 9.30am - 10pm

Maya Brasserie @ Maya Hotel, KL

I think many companies always hold corporate events at Maya Hotel so here's a quick overview of the dishes available for dinner buffet at the hotel's all-day cafe Maya Brasserie.

Love the look!

I love the dark colours employed in the decor of Maya Brasserie and the orchid arrangement in a gigantic cement-coloured vase looked absolutely elegant. Very zen-like and peaceful with several ponds in the restaurant. However the pools do not have any barriers around it so watch your step or you might just hear a splash =P

Oysters and Crabs

Raw oysters and crabs which I did not try as I didn't want to risk a diarrhea and I was too lazy to wrestle with the crabs =(

Salad Bar

The salad bar here is quite interesting with a variety of combinations and flavours. By the time I got to the salads, they were half gone and I only took two varieties which interested me =(

Satay and Otak-Otak

It's quite rare to find otak-otak in hotel buffets, no?

BBQ Station

There were tons of ingredients ready to be barbecued such as sausages, marinated chicken and lamb, and assorted vegetables. A variety of sauces and condiments were also available to go with the barbecued items. Not pictured here was a station for deep-fried items too.

Minuscule Japanese Section

Imagine tons of people queuing up for this plate of sashimi =.= Do they not realise Japanese food is popular with the masses? Anyway when you finally get your turn, you can forget all about the others and just zoom in on the rectangular, shiny orange blobs on the plate. I'll tell you why after you scroll down...

Sarawak Kolok Mee Station

I've always wanted to try Kolok Mee but I definitely wasn't about to waste my tummy space with this so I still don't know how it tastes like =(

Haagen Dazs Ice-Cream

There were 3 flavours of Haagen Dazs ice-cream, namely chocolate, strawberry and chocolate chip cookie dough. There were also ais potongs which I doubt anyone would take when there is Haagen Dazs?

Cakes and Local Dessert

Plenty of local kuihs and cakes to choose from =)

Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate Fountain is always a favourite with the patrons and they have the obligatory marshmallows and strawberries as well as preserved fruits.

Main Course

As always, I need some main course items to fill my tummy so clockwise from the rice are chicken and beef satay and the usual accompanying onions and cucumbers, kam heong bamboo clam, stir-fried squid, crab with spices, assam stingray and lamb provencal. I racked my brains for descriptive adjectives for each dish but they were all average and tasted exactly as you assume they would taste (hope that helps =.=). I quite like the satay as both the beef and chicken were well marinated and were adequately charred yet juicy.

Sides

My favourites =D Clockwise from the soy sauce saucer are sashimi, futomaki, california maki, potato souffle, kerabu and strawberry chicken salad. The kerabu packed quite a punch in the sour department while the strawberry chicken salad tasted a little odd as the strawberry was sweet and my brain keeps telling me that chicken doesn't go well with sugary sweet stuff =.=

The potato souffle was very comforting and fluffy - I'd have taken more if I wanted to risk looking like a glutton but I was quite full from all the waiting for VIPs so we could start the meal. Both the futomaki and california maki were bite-sized and good...too bad there wasn't enough space in my tummy.

The sashimi were not too bad but the clear winner is that little blob of criss-crossed orange next to the saucer =D It was salmon belly sashimi and it was soooo juicy and fatty and slippery and melt-in-your mouth-y!! It was such a small piece but it certainly beat every single dish on the menu. Be warned though that it is quite tough to get more than one piece as they only display a few pieces of sashimi at any one time and I thought it'd be rude if I scooped up every piece of salmon belly from the display plate (scroll up for picture) =P

Dessert

Last but not least, I had chocolate-covered strawberries, marshmallow and rock melon, a small square of chocolate cake and strawberry and chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream.

I hope you found the pictures (at least) informative. The buffet items were not too bad but I definitely wouldn't pay to eat these at a hotel.

PawPoints: 2 Paws
Pawket: Salami

Maya Brasserie

Level 1, Maya Hotel
138 Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2711 8866

Daily: 6.30am - 12am

Vogue Cafe @ Renaissance Hotel, KL

I had a training course at Renaissance Hotel and I took the opportunity to take pictures of the buffet at Vogue Cafe. Of course I had to put on a really thick face mask to go around snapping pictures like a madwoman while my colleagues were quietly enjoying their meal =.= It also didn't help that the lunch hour was only for 45 minutes so I only managed to take a few pictures of some of the main courses. As such, I will only comment on the dishes I've tried and let you do the judging of the other dishes in the photos.

     

Nice sign on the wall

     

Cold Cuts

       

Salad Bar

      
There are loads more salads in addition to the ones photographed above such as Lebanese salads and a DIY Caesar Salad.
    

Fresh oysters

     
Did not try this so not sure how fresh the oysters are...didn't want to risk a tummy upset in the middle of the workshop >.<
     

Blanched seafood

      
The prawns, though fresh, were actually quite small in size once you separate the head from the body =.= I felt it was too much effort to de-shell the prawns in return for a small blob of flesh.
      

Condiments, Maki Sushi and Sashimi

     
They've also got fresh sashimi, maki sushis which I was sorely tempted to take but was reminded of JS's stern warning of "Eating rice at buffets will fill you up quickly" =.=, lots of pickled items and dressings.
     

Penne in Cream Sauce

     

Stir-Fried Spaghetti

      
I took this during an earlier visit and it was quite yummy with lots of calamari and peppers but on this visit, the Stir-Fried Spaghetti was quite a disappointment. The pasta was sort of soggy and there was not much calamari, let alone flavour in the pasta. Maybe this is just a one-off thing.
      

L-R: Cooked Salmon in White Sauce, Chicken Curry

    

Assorted Curries

     

L-R: Lamb Provencal, Roast Beef

     
The Lamb Provencal was tender and rich with the flavour of stewed tomato and vegetable gravy.
    

L-R: Steamed Seabass in Ginger and Soy Sauce, Stir-Fried Chicken in Chilli and Peppers

      
The Steamed Seabass in Ginger and Soy Sauce is typical Chinese fare. Also, there is a Noodle Soup Station where you can choose the ingredients that you want with your noodles and the standby chef will prepare it on the spot to ensure you get a piping hot broth.

     

Carving Station

     

Chocolate Fountain

     

Local kuih

        

Cakes and tarts

    
The cakes are all yummy =)
      

My favourites =)

        
And here is a recap of my favourites: shiromaguro, salmon and tuna sashimi, pickled yellow radish, pickled seaweed and potato salad =D The sashimi were thickly sliced and so fresh and juicy. If you ever visit Vogue Cafe, just go for their sashimi alone and it will be well worth the trip! The pickled radish was crunchy and appetizing with just the right tanginess whereas the pickled seaweed was well marinated. The potato salad was creamy and full of potato cubes. Too bad I couldn't get some cracked black pepper over it.
    
One most recommended dish which was not available that day but which I sampled on an earlier visit is Baked Salmon in Sea Salt. The presentation is amazing...a whole rack of salmon covered with sea salt on a wooden serving board and all you have to do is scrape at the flesh. The salmon was juicy with hints of lemony taste. You can top it off with salsa - absolutely yummy.
      
In conclusion, Vogue Cafe is quite worth it if you're looking for quite an affordable buffet with Western, Japanese and local dishes and a whole lot of desserts.

     

PawPoints: 3 Paws

Pawket: Salami

     
Vogue Cafe @ Renaissance Hotel

Corner of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03 2162 2233
Daily: 6am - 11am, 12pm - 2.30pm, 6.30pm - 10.30pm