Awesome Canteen @ Taman Paramount, PJ

Awesome Canteen is garnering quite a bit of interest for their quirky burgers and old school style decor. They have artfully renovated an old shoplot in Taman Paramount so the place looks bright and inviting, thanks to the clever incorporation of a skylight.

Menu

Menu

Menu

Counter

Soup of the Day

The price for their soup of the day varies but the Mushroom Soup which was served that day seemed quite little for its price. It is served in an enamel tin mug with a slice of toasted garlic bread. Did not try this but the soup looked thick and hearty.

Kangkung!

To keep with the times, the staff served every table with a small dish of stir-fried kangkung - on the house of course since it costs next to nothing =P It was extremely well executed, super fragrant with the taste of fried anchovies and shrimp paste. I was so tempted to ask for a bowl of rice to go with it...

Baked Japanese Curry Rice (RM 18.90)

Again I did not try the Baked Japanese Curry Rice but the curry smell was quite strong so I assume it must have been good?

Paleo Chicken Burger (RM 18.90)

The Paleo Burger comes with a choice of chicken or beef and is served with a side salad, scrambled eggs and Dorritos. Unlike the usual burger, the portobello "bread" is a single piece which covers the patty so we were all quite disappointed that there is not extra portobello mushroom at the bottom of the burger. I only tried a piece of the mushroom and I must say it is very juicy.

Roast Beef with Roasted Vegetable Sandwich (RM 21.90)

Finally my dish where I can comment on! =D I had the roast beef sandwich which came with roasted vegetables and Dorritos. The thick cut sandwich slices were toasted and went well with the beef which was neither tough nor dry. The entire combo was very light and refreshing and the flavours of roast beef and juicy roast vegetables complemented the other very well.

Really fresh greens

See the roast beef?

Sambal Chicken Burger (RM 16.90)

The Sambal Burger, also with a choice of chicken or beef patty, is truly a fusion of local flavours. It's like a nasi lemak burger minus the rice. The burger comes with fries and coleslaw. Again no comment as I did not try it.

Sambal and cheese?

Awesome Canteen is a nice cosy place, perfect for a quick catch up with friends. They should probably increase the number of menus though as there was not enough to go around. Refillable water is available at a charge of RM 3.90 per table.


PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Tomato



Awesome Canteen
19 Jalan 20/13

Taman Paramount
Tel: 03 7865 8048
Tue - Sun: 11am - 10pm

J Tean Kitchen @ SStwo Mall, PJ

J Tean Kitchen serves some unique Chinese fusion dishes and its signature dish is its fusion Dry Bak-Kut-Teh and Porky Pie. It's located in the totally deserted SStwo Mall although its plus point would be ample parking.

The J-Ribs (RM 38.90)

The ribs are quite huge and really quite good. The well marinated meat is super tender and falls off the bones so effortlessly. This is apparently due to pre-stewing the meat prior to baking it. It is served with a small portion of coleslaw and potato wedges as well as char siu sauce. Both the coleslaw and potato wedges were really good and comparable to Western restaurants. The char siu sauce tasted good too but the meat itself has plenty of flavour so I left most of the sauce in its container.

Complimentary dessert

Complimentary desserts are always welcome and the one served at J Tean that day happened to be a refreshing chrysanthemum tea jelly. Definitely no complaints there =D

Nice meal but quite pricey for a dish even though it's ribs. I love the chairs and tables there but it really is a shame about its location. I'm sure there would be more patrons if only it was located somewhere more popular.



PawPoints: 3 Paws
Pawket: Olive


J Tean Kitchen

Lot G-58, Ground Floor
SStwo Mall
Tel: 03 7954 0819
Daily: 10am - 10pm

Moolis @ Frith Street, London

A shop specialising in wraps? A shop famous for its goat curry wrap? A shop selling modern Indian street food? This really piqued my curiosity and I ticked off Moolis as a compulsory stopover in my itinerary.
   

What a cute name!

   

Quirky artwork

   
Love the pomegranate wheels - totally reflecting the menu!
   

Self-service Station

 
They've got a really handy self-service station with the usual napkins and cutlery, water, olive oil, sauces and even chilli oil.
   

Menu

   
The menu is relatively simple but the description of the wraps is totally tantalising. Prices are relatively cheap too which is great for tourists on a budget. Small eaters even get to order mini-moolis!
   
Aside from the main wraps, they've got salad boxes, a whole range of chutneys, side dishes, pappadom bites and dessert as well as plain daal and roti. They've also got really unique feast spreads.

  

The goodies

 
As usual, I did thorough research on the eatery and the most famous item on the menu is the goat wrap. Being such a porky lover, I couldn't resist ordering the pork wrap as well with the tempting addition of pomegranate salsa. There was a daily special of lamb kofta and I was really tempted to try it too but it was more expensive and it didn't sound as though it was in the form of a wrap.
   

Goat Wrap (GBP 5.50)

   
Tada, the infamous goat wrap! The wrap is not the usual tortilla bread but, in keeping with the Indian theme, a non-greasy roti. It is chock full of tender fragrant goat meat marinated in dry roasted cumin, coriander, cloves, chillies and cinnamon and accompaniments such as tomato and pickled onion cubes, lots of fresh coriander and bite-sized potatoes sauteed with dry mango and cumin. My brother and I both enjoyed this tremendously. The only downside is that there's quite a bit of oil from the dry curry which seeps through the roti and might end up being too oily for some.
   

Pork Wrap (GBP 5)

   
The pork wrap consists of shredded slow-cooked pork marinated in red wine vinegar, chillies and garlic, interspersed with lots of fresh vege and the sweet pomegranate salsa. The pork wrap can be a little dry at some parts of the wrap which can be easily remedied with the chilli oil (I didn't quite like the  raita). Also the pomegranate salsa lends it a distinctive sweetness which helps the overall flavour.
   

Go get your goat NOW!

    

With such yummy North Indian offerings, I would definitely get the loyalty card if I lived in London and I would definitely visit Moolis if I ever return to London again. It is a great place to grab a quick lunch as testified by the lunch crowd.

  

  

PawPoints: 5 Paws

http://www.moolis.com/

Moolis

Tube: Tottenham Court Road
50 Frith St
Soho
London

Tel: 020 7494 9075

Mon - Sat: 8.30am - 11.30pm
Sun: 8.30am - 10.30pm

Cristang Restaurant @ 8 Avenue, PJ

After hearing so much about Cristang's famous pork burgers, we finally had a chance to try it. I'm not a big fan of the location though as it is situated in a part of PJ I hardly ever step foot on. Although it is housed in a rather new establishment, I still find the place a bit dodgy, especially if you visit it at night. There are lots of students milling about though - I assume there is a student accommodation nearby. Anyway, on to the scrumptious pork burgers...

     

Signboard

     

Welcoming Exterior

   
The exterior is really lovely and welcoming. I especially love the broken marble / granite floor.

    

Interior

   
The picture of the interior above is a bit dim since it is dim inside the restaurant but there is a homey feel to it.

     

Pork Burger Classification

   
As we were here specifically for their pork burgers, we only took a picture of that particular page in the menu. All their burgers come with cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and crunchy gherkins with a dressing of mayo and Dijon mustard as well as a side of Cajun potato wedges.
   
Cristang also offers a wide variety of the usual mains and pastas in the menu which we would definitely return to try.

     

P3 - The Original (RM 25.70)

   
JS, always the safe one, opted to try The Original Pork Burger, codenamed P3, which consisted of pork patty topped with bacon, chilli con carne and the usual toppings, sandwiched between a buttered bun with a side of Cajun wedges.
   
The pork patty was moist and juicy and the knobbly chilli con carne was the perfect accompaniment to the burger. I also love the slightly toasted and buttered buns. There was a huge piece of bacon which was good but I much prefer it to be seared till crispy and charred with lardy bacon goodness =P The roasted potato wedges were really good and crispy with fluffy insides. I finished them all even though I was super full =D

     

Dissected version of P3

   
I know it looks kind of gross but we just wanted to show you the burger components =P

     

P5 - Getting Creole (RM 30.80)

   
I had the P5 burger, which had a petai pork patty instead (I requested for regular pork patty) and additional Cajun prawns. Everything else was similar to The Original hence I'll just comment on the Cajun prawns which were of medium sized and half-shelled, making it super easy to chomp away. You might wonder how does a combo pork and prawns burger work but just think of it as a Surf n' Turf burger, porky style. I'll definitely order this again =D

     

Dissection of P5

     
JS insisted on all these dissected shots >. >

    

P10 - Some Like It HOT! (RM 35.65)

     
VJ had the works - pork patty blended with habanero and jalapeno peppers topped with bacon and jalapeno tomato salsa as well as everything else. We didn't try this but it smelled soooooo good when it arrived and I was so tempted to snitch a bite >.< As I was originally contemplating between this and the Creole burger, I'll probably order this on my next visit.

     

P7 - The Urban Legend (RM 30.65)

   
MW had The Urban Legend <cues spooky tune> which consisted of petai pork patty, bacon and minced pork with petai sambal. A very petai affair this is. Again we did not try so no comment there. It should be awesome for petai lovers =P
   
The pork burgers are slightly on the expensive side but they are really worth it for the amount of toppings and juicy patty. If only Cristang would relocate to my preferred side of PJ, I'd gladly return anytime.

   

PawPoints: 4 Paws

Pawket: Olive

   
Cristang Restaurant

B-G-19, 8 Avenue
Jalan Sungai Jernih 8/1
Seksyen 8
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 7956 7877
Tue - Sun: 11am - 3pm, 5.30pm - 11pm

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