Nara Kitchen & Co. @ Damansara Uptown: Happy Place with Happy Food!

15:51 becky-wong 0 Comments


If you are a foodie and so happened to live or hang around PJ a lot, I'm very sure Damansara Uptown is one of the many places that you have visited frequently for food. There seems to be new eateries opening up every now and then, but Nara Kitchen & Co. has always caught my attention.

The always white and bright Nara Kitchen & Co. gives out a very "zen" vibe every time I passed by the cafe. Despite my curiosity, I've never stepped foot into the cafe until now.

Clean, white and bright with a touches of colours at the wall. Immediately I fell in love with the simplicity of the cafe.

When to Nara Kitchen slightly after lunch hours, and the cozy ambiance of the cafe made me want to stay there longer.

Assorted Veggie Chips (RM 8) + Avocado Salsa Dip (RM 6). Who says chips have to be unhealthy? These crispy veggie chips are definitely a healthier version.

Oh, not to forget the bowl of salsa dip that was creamy, bright and pretty refreshing at the same time.

Waffle Benedict (RM 26). A twist from the famous eggs benedict - buttermilk waffles topped with organic poached eggs, grilled marinate prawns, with salted-egg crumble and Hollandaise sauce. The waffles were light and fluffy, and I like the mild kick of smoky-spiciness of the prawns. The downside? If only the portion could be bigger and it'll be perfect.

Chef's Classic Tomato Bolognaise (RM 19) + XXL Chicken Meatball (RM 10). The meatball is XXL, for sure. Look at the size of that meat ball sitting on top of the spaghetti. If it wasn't recommended by Caroline, the pretty lady boss, I'll never order this dish purely because I'm not a fan of bolognese and meatballs. The handmade XXL meatball was PERFECT! It was firm yet juicy on the inside, and well-marinated. If I ever crave for meatballs, this will definitely be my go-to!

On top of ala carte, Nara Kitchen serves Executive Lunch Menu w/ Drinks + Soup of the Day (RM 19++) too. There are a total of 5 items to choose from, and we had the Japanese Curry Donburi.


Just like what you'd expect in a Japanese curry - sticky steamed rice, hand-cut potatoes and carrots, and organic egg. The curry wasn't spicy at all, instead the aromatic curry was very soothing. I actually ordered something very similar when I visited Nara Kitchen the 2nd time.

Pretty in Pink (RM 18). I love doughnuts but not when they are drizzled or glazed with sauces. So, if I were to order the dessert on my own, Pretty in Pink would certainly not make it to my order list. Yes, the glaze was still too sweet for my liking; but I like the chewy texture of the doughnuts.

Cappucino. It is always nice to balance out the sweetness of the dessert with a cuppa.

Looking through the menu, Nara Kitchen serves very simple and straightforward food but with lots of thoughts into it. The pricing might be considered steep for some, but the Executive Lunch Menu certainly worth a try.

"Nara" means happy in Greek, and just like the name of the cafe, this was how I felt when spending my day at Nara Kitchen & Co. Not only the food was good, but I was very impressed by their service and friendliness too.

To know more updates on Nara Kitchen & Co., check out their WebsiteFacebook and Instagram.

Address: 61, SS 21/1A, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Operation Hours: 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 10:30pm (Monday, Thursday & Friday) | 10am to 10:30pm (Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday) | Tuesday CLOSED
Contact: +603 7733 5897
Email: info.narawithlove@gmail.com

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Whip Up @ Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, KL: The Best Tiramisu in Town!

12:08 becky-wong 0 Comments


One of my greatest pleasures is exploring and discovering new eateries. It is always fun and exciting to try something new, and thanks to my friend, I came across a new dessert bar at KL - Whip Up.

Whip Up is located along Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, next to a hotel. Getting a parking at that area could be challenging, but you can always park at the shop next door at a rate of RM10 or try your luck at the hotel's parking by the road side.

Whip Up might not be a huge dessert bar, but it's a very cosy place to spend your day. I especially love the sofa area!

Think Pink (RM 17). Pistachio cream centre enveloped in sponge cake and strawberry mousse, with jelly finishing and fresh strawberries toppings. The flavours are light with pronounced berries flavours, and it is perfect as a first dessert to start with.

Go Limango (RM 15). Cheese cake laced with tangy lime on a bed of crumble sits harmoniously with cubed mangoes and a coconut tuille.

For someone who loves cheesecake, this was one of my favourite at Whip Up. The crumble and crispy tuille played off very well with the creaminess of the cheesecake, while the mango cubes added some freshness to the dessert.

Not Melaka, But Namelaka (RM 18). "Namelaka" means "creamy texture" in Japanese. The chocolate mousse is rich, chocolaty and infused with lime zest and topped with passion fruit foam to balance out the richness of the chocolate. Chocolate lovers, you certainly wouldn't want to miss out this dessert!

Do You Want To Build A Tiramisu? (RM 19). It is so much more fun when you can construct your own dessert, don't you think so?! Construct your own Tiramisu with a tray kit of Mascarpone Cheese, ladyfingers, wine, and a choice of crunchy toppings (caramelized almonds or chocolate curls).

Moist and light sponge, creamy Mascarpone Cheese and crunchy caramelized almonds - talk about having textures in a bowl!

Tropical Sunshine (RM 19). Yoghurt served with mango, passion fruit, banana, and granola sprinkled with Chia seeds with coconut flakes. The Tropical Sunshine is totally my kind of breakfast! For the weight watchers or light eaters, the Tropical Sunshine is a very healthy yet yummy breakfast choice.

Madam Ng's Special Nasi Lemak + Coffee or Tea (RM 25). If you think Whip Up only serves desserts, think twice. We found out that this nasi lemak is actually the recipe of the owner's mommy dearest. Sweet and spicy ikan bilis sambal paired with aromatic fluffy rice cooked in pandan juice served with tender curry chicken at the side.

Latte (RM 11). Desserts and coffee always seems like a perfect match.

Sea Salt Caramel Latte (RM 12). Aromatic latte swirled in housemade caramel sauce with Malton sea salt. This was highly recommended by the owner, and I could understand why after taking the first sip. The mild sweetness of caramel and salty sea salt paired surprising well with the bitterness from the coffee.

Mix-It-Yourself Hot Chocolate (RM 15). Pure Valrhona chocoalte with hot milk served separately.

You can mix the it to your liking.

Fine Tea by Pickapekoe (RM 10/pot). There are 8 choices of tea to choose from. I don't quite remember the name of the tea we had the other day, but I love the minty flavours in it. It was very refreshing and a good palate cleanser, especially after all the desserts we had.

Whip Up might be very new, but their desserts show a lot of finesse and can tell that the chef has put a lot of thoughts and effort into creating them. I really do look forward to what more interesting desserts they are going to put on the menu!

For more updates on Whip Up, check out their Facebook and Instagram.

Address: 270, Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
Operation Hours: 9am to 10pm (Weekdays) | 9am to 11pm (Weekends & Public Holidays) | Tuesday CLOSED
Contact: +6016 254 1351
Email: whipupkl@gmail.com

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Taste of Love @ Jalan Choo Cheng Khay, KL: A Taste of Home-cooked Dishes Prepared with Love

02:18 becky-wong 0 Comments


Having theatrical cuisine or dishes with beautiful plating can be really fun; but at times, we would want something simple AND delicious. Simple and straight-forward way of preparing the dishes, and just let the ingredients shine, is also a culinary art too, don't you think so?

Taste of Love is a new cafe that took over Main Main Cafe. Just like its predecessor, Taste of Love is all about simplicity and dishes prepared with love.

Though not very spacious, the cafe is nicely decorated with dried flowers and postcards, and some souvenirs that the owner brought back from travelling.

There's a little corner at the back of the cafe, if you are going in a bigger group and want to have a bit of privacy.

I felt like a kid when I saw all these wooden goodness!! They are sooooooo pretty~~ can I bring all of these back????

I love these teddies too. They are just too cute!

OK, enough of exploring the cafe and let's explore the food at Taste of Love!

Nasi Lemak 妈妈辣死你吗 (RM 12.90). Fragrance blue rice served with rendang chicken and sunny-side up. Don't have much thought on the rice, but the rendang chicken was really good. The spices were well-balanced, the meat was tender and juicy. Not too spicy, and it's ideal if you can't stomach spicy food.

Otak-otak Spaghetti Otak-Otak意大利面 (RM 13.90). When East meets West, you have spaghetti cooked with otak-otak. Coming from Muar, I LOVE my otak-otak. Just in case you are not sure what otak-otak is, it is actually fish or prawn paste prepared with chili paste, and it is wrapped in leaves and cooked over charcoal. The otak-otak flavours in the spaghetti were very subtle, and despite the chili in it, it wasn't spicy too. Personally, I would love the otak-otak flavours to be a tad stronger.

Taiwan Sausage Omelette Rice 香肠。窝蛋饭 (RM 12.90). Blue rice topped with omelette, Chinese sausages, otak-otak, ebiko and sesame. I'm quite fond of rice bowl as I find them to be very convenient, and I enjoy the fun of mixing everything in the bowl. Don't forget to mix all the ingredients well, so that you get to enjoy everything in every spoonful.

Caramel Apple Toast 苹果焦糖吐司 (RM 8.90). Give me French toast anytime and I'm a happy girl. Crunch of the apple, sweetness of caramel and fluffy toast - the Caramel Apple Toast was a hit at our table!

Fried Chicken Balls 自制炸鸡肉球 (RM 8.90). The chicken balls were homemade at the cafe, and they were juicy!!! The chicken balls were flavourful enough, and I personally don't it required any dipping sauces.

Ice Latte Float 雪球咖啡拿铁 (RM 13). At first sip, the coffee flavours were barely there; but as I had a few more sips, the coffee flavours started to shine. However, if you prefer coffee with a kick, this might not be your choice.

Rose Honey Latte 玫瑰蜂蜜拿铁 (RM 9.90). I always find rose and honey to be one of those perfect combinations, and this latte proves me right again. The subtle floral notes of the rose and sweetness of honey was very well-balanced.

Blue Sky Latte 蓝天白云 (RM 9.90). Another favourite of mine at Taste of Love. In fact, I'm already missing this drink! I love the touch of lavender in the drink that goes so well with the milk!

Cold Brew Tea - Mi Lan Xiang 冷泡茶 - 精选蜜兰香 (RM 6). Unlike many Chinese tea, this was less tannic and an extremely refreshing choice of drink to have under a hot weather. If you always shy away from Chinese tea because of its bitterness, this will change your mind.

Thai Green Milk Tea 泰式绿奶茶 (RM 7.90). The sweetness of the milk tea was just nice, and extra milk is served at the side, if you'd wish to have stronger milk flavours.

The environment at Taste of Love is very comfy, and I especially like the white walls and balcony with beautiful sunlight. On a side note, if you are looking for a spot to snap some food photos, the balcony is the PERFECT spot! As for the food, it was really simple, homey and not too bad. Plus, the pricing is reasonable too.

For more updates on Taste of Love, check out their Facebook and Instagram.

Address: 138, Jalan Choo Cheng Khay, 50460 Kuala Lumpur
Operation Hours: 10am to 7pm (Sunday to Thursday) | 10am to 10pm (Friday) | 10am to 12am (Saturday) | Monday CLOSED
Contact: +016 258 0815

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