Estilo Spanish Tapas Bar and Charcoal Grill @ Publika, KL

Happy Chinese New Year!!! What better way to start off the lunar new year than with a post of one of my favourite restaurants! =D I'm a big fan of Spanish food and when I saw Estilo at Publika, I told myself I had to try it! It's located outside Publika, near Fat Boy's Burger Bar and I love its quirky decor especially its numerous hand painted ceramic plates.

Love their artwork

Assortment of cute plates

My favourite of the lot =)

Complimentary bread

They serve thick toasted bread slices for dipping into their signature creamy, garlicky, buttery aioli. Can't get enough of their bread =P

Spanish Tortilla (RM 9)

The thick omelette layered with potatoes and onions was all right but slightly too starchy even for a potato lover like me.

Patatas Bravas (RM 12)

Deep fried potatoes are absolutely the best! These have fluffy insides and went well with the Turkey Bacon Aioli which came with a dab of spicy sauce.

Chorizo (RM 18)

The paprika chorizos were really flavourful and confit potatoes were absolutely addictive as it's bite sized and slightly crispy on the outside yet mushy on the inside.

Calamares Fritos (RM 16)

These deep fried calamari were extremely crispy and done just right. Seems like they love aioli here, don't they?

Champinones (RM 14)

The sauteed mushrooms were awesome! The creamy sauce with a splash of wine was extremely good and went really well with bread.

Pinchos Morunos (RM 20)

These chargrilled chicken skewers were extremely juicy and tender. The orangey sauce - probably another variation of aioli - was really good too.

Paella Estilo - Large (RM 102)

Estillo's signature paella looks awesome and you can literally taste the rich stock coating the rice grains. They were very generous with the amount of chicken, chorizos and green beans which tasted nothing less than wonderful. The garlic and chilli infused olive oil also added another layer of taste on the paella, somewhat like what bird's eye chillies in soy sauce is to noodles.

Paella Mariscos (RM 58)

The Paella Mariscos has plenty of fresh mussels, fish, squid, clams and prawns. Similar to Paella Estilos, the rice is extremely flavourful. The single slice of lemon however did not seem sufficient for the entire pan.

Chorizo and Pineapple Paella Pan Pizza (RM 18)

I ordered this out of curiosity as I thought it was a Paella PanPizza. Turns out it's a PaellaPan (Normal) Pizza. Its base was the hard yet crispy type and really good. Although pineapples were not evident, its juices definitely seeped into the tomato base and lent it a nice sweet flavour.

I absolutely love the food at Estilo and can't wait to return for more as I only had nibbles of everything =( Surprisingly, it does not serve pork but everything tasted awesome! =D



PawPoints: 5 Paws
Pawket: Tomato


Estilo Spanish Tapas Bar and Charcoal Grill

No. 34, Level G2
Block C5, Publika Solaris Dutamas
Tel: 03 6203 9883
Daily: 11.30am - 11.30pm

Al-Amar Express @ Fahrenheit 88, KL

Al-Amar Express serves a mix of Arabian and Western cuisine. It is located outside Fahrenheit 88 and is the more affordable sister restaurant of Al-Amar Lebanese Cuisine.

Menu

Menu

Menu

Not bottomless unfortunately

Complimentary pita bread

L-R: Pastries (Lamb Sambousik, Kebbeh Kras, Spinach Fatayer),  Tabbouleh, Moutabal, Fattoush, Labneh

• Lamb Sambousik is like a mini minced lamb curry puff filled with fragrant spices.
• Kebbeh Kras is shaped like a meatball with crunchy pine nuts and minced beef, onion and bulgur wheat mixture.
• Spinach Fatayer had a nice zing of lemon to alleviate the taste of spinach.
• Tabbouleh is one of my favourites but stay away if you dislike parsley.
• Fattoush is another great salad and also one of my favourites as it has a variety of crunchy vegetables such as radish, cucumber and lettuce and is topped with crispy toasted pita bread.
• Not a big fan of pasty stuff but the Moutabal, which is mashed aubergine mixed with sesame seed paste, and Labneh, a type of Lebanese cream cheese, were creamy and decent. Next time I'll definitely order another side of Tabbouleh and Fattoush to replace these.

Pita bread topped with Fattoush and Tabbouleh

Roasted Chicken Sandwich (RM 17.90)

The Roasted Chicken Sandwich came with a juicy half chicken, roasted to perfection with super moist and tender meat, pickles and fries. We had plenty of pita bread to go with the chicken as well as a side of mayo. The thick cut fries were quite good too. Definitely for sharing.

See the huge chicken nestled within the pita bread

Al-Amar Steak Sandwich (RM 22.90)

The Al-Amar Steak Sandwich is like a panini with generous amounts of seared beef tenderloin, onions, capsicum and mushrooms, oozing with melty cheddar and mozzarella. The meat was not tough and tasted just like a Philly cheese steak. Definitely recommended.

Lots of steak

Al-Amar Express is definitely recommended with its quality food and generous portions. Next time I'll try the Shawarma which I love. The only grouse I have is that their non-automatic sliding glass door is too clean, hence I thought the door was already open and knocked into it with a resounding KA-THONG!!! =.=



PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Onion


Al-Amar Express
Lot G-44, Ground Floor
Fahrenheit 88
Tel: 03 2141 3814
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Beef Noodles @ Pasar Besar Seremban

En route to Melaka, we decided to stop by Seremban for brunch. I always wanted to try the sotong mihun but that stall is somehow always closed. Perhaps it does not open on weekends? Anyhow, the obvious choice was the famous beef boodles at Pasar Besar Seremban. Apparently there are a few beef noodle stalls at the market so you should look for the one bearing the number 748 =)

      

Stall 748

       

Beef Noodles (Dry) (RM 6)

       
The springy and thick noodles are coated in a thick beefy sauce with strong hints of grounded peanuts and pickled vegetables. JS liked it but I have to confess that the taste of the sauce did not quite agree with my tastebuds =.= I guess it takes some getting used to.

                 

Extra beefballs

         
I liked the beefballs though but the soup was rather average.
         
Not too bad but we probably will not detour to the market for a meal in the future.
       
     
PawPoints: 2 Paws
Pawket: Dough
                    
Beef Noodle

Stall 748, Pasar Besar Seremban

Hanare @ The Intermark, Kuala Lumpur

Happy New Year!!! I wanted to start the new year with a yummy review but unfortunately, the ones I currently have drafted are all disappointing. Since all posts are disappointing, I might as well start the new year with a review of my favourite cuisine which is Japanese ^_^ <yoshi!>

This review is on Hanare, one of the fine dining restaurants at Intermark. Having heard good reviews about this place, especially the weekend buffet (not always available), my friends and I decided to come here after work.

Elegant grey decor

Love the chopstick cover

L-R: Grilled salmon and ikura sushi (RM 35), California maki (RM 30)

Price is no doubt steep considering it is a fine dining restaurant but the makis were just average. The ingredients were fresh but the seaweed was a tad soggy.

Tendon (RM 30)

Being on a tight budget, I had the Tendon which was the cheapest don on the menu if you exclude the Ochazuke and plain udon. The assorted seafood were extremely crispy but being the scrooge that I am, I did not find it exceptionally out of this world compared to Tendons in other Japanese restaurants.

Anyway the point is come to Hanare only if you have extra cash to spare. Perhaps the sashimi and other higher end items will taste super duper amazing for the price you're paying.


PawPoints: 3 Paws
Pawket: Cheese


Hanare

Ground Floor, The Intermark
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2164 2133
Daily: 12pm - 2.30pm, 6pm - 10.30pm

Tong's Kitchen @ USJ 19 City Mall, Subang Jaya

Tong's Kitchen at USJ 19 City Mall is a simple establishment serving yummy homemade dishes. It is great for a quick dinner without emptying your pawkets =P

Wonder what is their mascot supposed to be...

Menu

There is a huge variety of dishes to choose from which is always a good thing.

Stir Fried Sweet Potato Leaves (RM 12) 

A simple dish stir fried with garlic, the sweet potato leaves were very young and fresh.

Pumpkin Beancurd (RM 8)

JS's family love the Pumpkin Beancurd here which is essentially deep fried beancurd braised in a savoury and creamy pumpkin gravy.

Chicken with Salted Eggs (RM 18)

The fried chicken was moist and juicy and the chef was very generous with the amount of salted egg yolk which totally enhanced the taste of the chicken.

Sweet and Sour Fish (RM 23)

The portion is huge with lots of deep fried fish slices coated in a sweet and sour sauce. Very yummy indeed.

No pork is served but I am not sure if the restaurant has a halal cert. Overall, Tong's Kitchen is a great place for inexpensive home cooked fare.


PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Onion


Tong's Kitchen

G02, Ground Floor
USJ 19 City Mall

Tel: 03 8023 6153
Daily: 10am - 10pm

Fiori Corner @ Leicester Square, London

This is a super dated post considering I went to London in 2012 =P But no worries, this shop which is opposite Leicester Square tube station has been there for ages (it was there when I was in London in 2005) and it looks like it will be there for quite some time. Fiori is a great place for big breakfasts and being located at a popular spot, its meal sets are really quite affordable.

Shop Front

English Breakfast

I had the English Breakfast set which comes with two sunny side-ups, a juicy and meaty sausage, grilled bacon, half a grilled tomato and a heap of sauteed button mushrooms. Definitely one of the most satisfying breakfasts ever created in the world! 

Buttered toasts

Each set comes with a plate of buttered toasts but honestly one triangular slice is more than enough.

As expected since it was such a long time ago, I can't really remember the price but it is definitely less than GBP 10 which makes the meal very worth it. When I do visit London again, I'm pretty sure I'll return to Fiori Corner for breakfast.

PawPoints: 4 Paws

Fiori Corner

T: Leicester Square
42-43 Cranbourn Street

London
Tel: +44 020 7437 2694
Daily: 7am - 2am

Italiano's @ SS2, PJ

Italiano's is somewhat like Pizza Uno, a family Italian restaurant with quality food and affordable pricing. Lots of families dine here at night and while there are some hits and misses in the menu (definitely more hits than misses), I highly recommend you to come and try it out.

Minestrone Soup (RM 6)

The hearty Minestrone Soup comes boiling hot and is chockful of ingredients typical of minestrone. The tomato base is warm and well-seasoned. The slice of baguette accompanying the soup is warmed but not toasted. It is extremely affordable and very yummy on cold rainy days.

We also tried the Mushroom Soup which is creamy and overloaded with chunky mushroom bits. A must order!

Mufaletta Delight Pizza (RM 19)

As can be seen in the above picture, the pizza is laden with lots of ingredients. The crust is thick yet crispy and  fully supports the meaty toppings.

King's Special Pizza (RM 25)

This pizza tasted a bit odd, probably due to the extremely gamey lamb sausages and red chillies. Not really recommended in my opinion.

Italiano's Special Pasta (RM 18)

This pasta is coated in a thick tomato based gravy (I wouldn't call that sauce as I feel the tomato paste was thickened with cornflour rather than loading on the paste). I am not a fan of the lamb sausages as they were quite gamey (and since I do like lamb, this means that it really is gamey!). Think the other pastas would be more recommended as the portions are big and absolutely worth the price.

Braised Lamb Shank (RM 30)

We also had the Braised Lamb Shank as it was so affordable and it came in a really big portion. See the huge lamb shoulder? Admittedly, the meat is somewhat lacking, but what meat there is is very tender and has absorbed the tomato gravy fully. The mashed potatoes, side salad and steamed vegetables were a very good accompaniment to the lamb. Definitely not for small eaters =P

PawPoints: 3 Paws
Pawket: Onion

Italiano's
61G, Jalan SS2/75
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03 7873 9695
Daily: 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10.30pm

Black Forest @ Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL

Sorry for the unexpected hiatus...things were really busy for us both and I unexpectedly fell sick and we didn't have any ready posts although we have tons of material so here's a review of a great restaurant to kick start December, my favourite month of the year! =D

Black Forest is one of the many restaurants lining Changkat Bukit Bintang and food must certainly be good to ensure a steady stream of customers.

Menu

I really like the different categories in their menu =)

Who got the better deal?

Complimentary bread basket

As usual, there is a complimentary bread basket and here at Black Forest, some wholesome raisin bread is served with spicy chilli tuna paste. The bread was warmed through but I prefer mine to be toasted so no brownie points from me there. I also prefer the usual oil-vinegar dip or even the common butter to spicy chilli tuna that tasted like it came from a can.

Kartoffelpuffer Mit Lachs (RM 26)

This dish of potato pancakes served with marinated salmon and dill mustard is my favourite of the lot. I love the crispy potato pancakes and the very savoury salmon goes extremely well with it. I also love the simple dill mustard which packs in so much flavour.

Black Forest's 1/2 Metre Wurst (RM 36)

We had the black pepper sausage and I must say that this is quite a disappointment =( There was nothing special about the sausage at all and it didn't taste very homemade. I have definitely eaten better sausages from supermarkets. I really like the pickles though =P

Schweinekotlett "Natur" (RM 45)

This juicy pork loin which has been slow roasted to perfection is very well complemented by sauteed pork belly and pepper as well as the special zigeuner sauce. The juicy meat comes with a side salad as well as fluffy and crispy french fries which I love dipping into the appetising zigeuner sauce.

Schnitzel Hawaii Mit Ananas Und Kase Uberbacken (RM 45)

The boneless pork loin cutlets are baked with air dried ham, pineapple and cheese and served with a side salad as well as mashed potatoes. The cutlets were really juicy even after being pan fried and baked and retained its crispiness even when topped with ham and pineapple. I really enjoyed this dish as I love schnizels d^_^b

Bayerische Schweinehaxe (RM 45)

The crispy pork knuckle comes with beer sauce, potato gratin and red cabbage. The knuckle was extremely crispy and tender and juicy, just like siu yuk, but some of our friends found it a tad too fatty. I, of course, found it just nice but it was a shame that this dish arrived last as I was already stuffed from all the food before to truly enjoy this. The beer sauce did not have a strong beer taste but it complemented the knuckle very well anyway.

The potato gratin tasted like creamy potato sandwiched between lasagna sheets which was a nice change from the usual mashed potatoes and fries. The red cabbage was sour and tangy in a good way as I am not a fan of sauerkraut (probably I have not tasted good sauerkraut yet).

Churros 

The Churros was really good and there were lots of thick chocolate sauce to dip the crunchy sticks in.

An Australian Dream (RM 22.80)

The Australian Dream has a nice tart taste from the cherries and lots of cream and chocolate chips to make this concoction truly yummy.

Service was good although the waiters are super busy and may not be able to notice you. There is also some tradition of throwing plates on the ground before starting some pork knuckle dish which can be a tad distracting but the waiters give you ample warning before the patrons attempt such a feat.

All in all, a really good meal and all who went for the meal were really satisfied. Prices are on the high side but would definitely return for the awesome potato pancakes, schnitzel and knuckle =D


PawPoints: 4 Paws
Pawket: Cheese


Black Forest

47 Changkat Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2110 3678
Sun - Thu: 4pm - 1am
Fri - Sat: 4pm - 3am