the artcoffee @ Nexus Bangsar South, KL

13:10 becky-wong 0 Comments

Just few months ago I came across the name the artcoffee in Kota Damansara and they have now relocated to the happening Nexus Bangsar South.

Located on the 1st floor of Nexus, the artcoffee has a cosy and comfortable ambiance. The interior is modern and stylist. With their relocation, the artcoffee has also added a few new dishes into their menu, to satisfy the needs of the office crowd in the area.

Meatball is Love - RM 15 (6pcs) | RM 18 (9pcs). These homemade meatballs are juicy and well-marinated, served with smoky BBQ sauce. Perfect!

Smoked Salmon Salad (RM 16). I just thought the salad is simply beautiful with its vibrant colour of smoked salmon, sliced purple cabbage, capsicum, tomato salsa, walnut, dried cherry, and sesame seeds dressing. The salad is the perfect option for eating clean yet not compromising the flavours and texture.

Soup for the Soul (RM 13). A bowl of classic chicken and broccoli soup perfect for cold rainy day.

Captain's Order (RM 43). A platter of soft shell crabs, tempura prawns, creamy sauce on top of clams, shrimp and squid and salad. The rich and thick creamy sauce was definitely a crowd-pleaser, and goes well with the crispy elements in the platter.

There are 3 sets of Sharing Platter and each of the set comes with soup of the day, 2 choices of side dishes, and drink of the day.

Smoked Salmon Napoletana (RM 25). A hearty bowl of penne served with smoked salmon slice, basil, garlic, cream, tomato coulis, broccoli floret, and button mushrooms.

Seafood Marinara (RM 23). Seafood lovers, you wouldn't want to miss out this bowl of pasta that is loaded with prawns, clams, and squid.

Chicks (RM 28). Baked boneless chicken legs, stuffed with carrot, spring onion, mushroom paste and Mozzarella, on top of yellow-spiced potatoes, served with Chef's signature sauce. Another pretty looking dish. If you are love chicken, you should probably try this out.

Herbs-baked Lamb Rack (RM 45). Served with carrot puree, cherry tomatoes and chick peas, on top of garlic-mashed potatoes with cherry sauce on the side. The lamb rack was well-marinated and tender, but I would prefer it to be done medium-rare. Also, I thought the portion could be a little bigger.

Dessert of the Day - Japanese Profiteroles with Green Tea Ice Cream. Bored of the usual cakes and desserts? Let the artcoffee with their "Dessert of the Day", which they will have different dessert every day. During our visit we had the Japanese Profiteroles, and I like the coffee custard fillings.

Imperial Darth Vader (RM 15). A slice of smooth and chocolaty cake for the chocolate lovers.

Caffe Mocha (RM 15). A nice balance of cocoa and coffee.

Caffe Latte (RM 14).

Cappucino (RM 14).

Orange Sunrise (RM 15). Made from 100% pure orange, the Orange Sunrise is for those who are looking for something fresh and refreshing at the same time.

Autumn Sour Plum (RM 13). A glass of fizzy and refreshing combination of sprite, sour plum cube and mint leave.

Overall, the food at the artcoffee is really good. My personal favourites would be the sharing platter, pasta and salad. We had a chat with the chef and found out that they try to incorporate local flavours and/or ingredients into their menu. Though there are quite a number of eateries in Bangsar South, but many of them are either pubs or some drinking place. If you are looking to have a meal in a quieter environment, the artcoffee would be a perfect choice - especially for dinner and over the weekend!

For more updates on the artcoffee, check out their Facebook and Instagram.

Address: Lot 1.8, First Floor, Nexus Bangsar South, Jalan Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur
Operation Hours: 9am to 10pm DAILY
Contact: +603 2242 3888

March Azalea Kitchen @ Taman Overseas Union (OUG), KL

02:37 becky-wong 0 Comments

The name "March Azalea Kitchen" caught my attention when I first saw a posting on Instagram. Did some research and found that the cafe is located at Taman OUG.

March Azalea Kitchen is a new addition to the cafe family around OUG area, which can make getting a parking space very challenging. It took me a few rounds (I totally forgotten how many round I made) on a weekday afternoon to finally get a parking at the other of the road!

I find the name March Azalea to be very poetic. After talking to the found, we found out that his late father passed away in the month of March and his favourite flower was Azalea. Plus, he used to love a Chinese poem titled "三月杜鹃红". So, he decided to dedicate the cafe to his late father by naming it "March Azalea Kitchen".

While working in Taiwan he fell in love with the simple industrial look of some of the cafes back there, and decided if he ever had a chance to own a cafe, he'd design it that way. I love the "center court" feel of the cafe, where you'd get natural sunlight. It's also a perfect spot to take photos too!

Alone in the cafe? Why not grab a book and read!

Roasted Chicken Salad (RM 16.80). Juicy chicken served with homemade sesame honey sauce. This was a popular dish at our table.

Sambal Petai Egg Rice (RM 13.80). If you love sambal and petai, this is a must have dish. The heat from the sambal can be quite spicy, but I'm a huge fan of the spiciness of the dish.

Salmon with Tomato Salsa (RM 32.80). The salmon is perfectly cooked, and the mild acidity from the tomato salsa is very appetizing.

Aglio-Olio Spaghetti with Mixed Mushroom (RM 14.80). I would say if you really have no idea what to order, aglio-olio would definitely be a safe bet. The aglio-olio is quite decent but I love the added umami and smoky flavours from the mushrooms and bacon.

Roasted Chicken with Honey Lemon Brown Sauce (RM 19.80). Once again, we were very impressed by the homemade sauce from the cafe. Then sweet-sour honey lemon sauce is very appetizing and goes perfectly well with the tender roasted chicken.

Creme Brulee (RM 11.80). The creme brulee is not too bad - smooth texture with a nice balance of sweetness.

Panna Cotta with Mixed Berry (RM 8.80). I don't really like panna cotta as most of the time it tends to be very sweet. However, the panna cotta at March Azalea is just nice and I like how the sourness of the berries nicely cut through the sweetness of the panna cotta.

Coffee Cube Latte (RM 10.80). Instead of usual ice cubes, March Azalea uses coffee ice cubes.

Rose Coffee (RM 13.80). Personally, I'm not a fan of rose or any beverages that has rose flavour in it. So, the Rose Coffee was ok for me, but I do know quite a lot of people enjoy this floral drink.

Jasmine Coffee (RM 13.80). Apparently, Jasmine Coffee can be easily found in India. So, the boss decided to introduce this drink to the locals here. I love the subtle flavours of jasmine, and not too overwhelming.

March Azalea Kitchen is still very new but I'd say they are already doing pretty good on the food and drinks department. If you are around the area, do drop by and give it a try, especially the salmon and sambal petai rice!

To know more updates on March Azalea Kitchen, check out their Facebook and Instagram.

Address: 40, Jalan Awan Hijau, Taman Overseas Union, 58200 Kuala Lumpur
Operation Hours: 12pm to 11pm (Monday) | Tuesday CLOSED | 12pm to 11pm (Wednesday to Sunday)
Contact: +603 7972 7330 

Feast of Prosperity @ Utara Coffee House, Armada Hotel PJ

12:44 becky-wong 0 Comments

Chinese New Year is only one month away, and I'm sure many of you are already in the midst of planning where to have your reunion dinner. If so, then try something different this year with Feast of Prosperity at Armada Hotel PJ!

Welcoming the Year of the Dog, Armada Hotel has prepared something different this year with their Chinese New Year buffet dinner at Utara Coffee House. With buffet dinner, you no longer need to figure out which dinner slot you want to reserve at a Chinese restaurant; at the same time, you don't need to rush through your dinner just because another group of diners are coming in! Speaking of dining with peace of mind.

Let's take a look at what Armada Hotel is offering!

Yee Sang Selections. Kick off a prosperous new year by raising your chopsticks with exciting Yee Sang selections such as the Marinated Scallops (Japanese version) Yee Sang, King Salmon Yee Sang, Tiger Prawns and Clams Yee Sang and Fruitti Veggie Yee Sang (vegetarian). Priced from RM 78+ per portion.

Prosperity Chinese New Year Hor d'oeuvres. Some small bites to get your appetite going.

Braised Seafood Broth with Dried Fish Roe & Crabmeat. Instead of using actual sharkfin, they have replaced it with vermicelli, and topped it off with dried fish roe for some texture. I always enjoy a bowl of hot soup, and this soup is just nice.

Steamed Chicken with Ginger & Scallion. Smooth and tender chicken meat with the subtle aroma of ginger, what's not to love?

Chinese Assortment of Meaty Rice. Cooked in lotus leaf, the rice is well seasoned and it has the fragrance of the lotus leaf.

Deep Fried Grouper with Onion and Ginger Gravy. Crispy batter and flaky meat, the group was fried to perfection.

Braised Mushroom with Mustard Plant in Fatt Choy Sauce. One of the must-have dishes during Chinese New Year.

Stir-Fried Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk. Each of the prawn is generously coated with a layer of salted egg. Finger-licking good!

Sauteed Top Shell in Yam Savarin (Yam Ring). The fillings are pretty standard, but they uses Nachos to replace the usual fried vermicelli.

Mochi & Deep-Fried Nein Koa.

The buffer dinner will be available at Armada Hotel from 1 February to 2 March 2018. If you are not a buffet person or prefer to have a sit-down reunion dinner, Armada Hotel also prepares 3 sets of 10 pax dinner set:

Blissful Abundance Set RM 1188+
Yee Sang with Crustacean Coral Oyster
Braised Seafood Broth with Dried Fish ROe & Crabmeat
Deep-fried Garoupa with Onin & Ginger Gravy
Wok Fried Tiger Prawns with Oatmeal Butter
Braised Mushroom with Mustard Plant in Fatt Choy Sauce
Prosperity Fried Rice with Diced Seafood
Sweet Red Ben with Snow Sago
Golden Fish Duet

Everlasting Success Set RM 1288+
Yee Sang with Soft Shell Crab
Herb Chicken Consomme with Scallops Flakes
Roasted Chicken with Raisin Barbeque Sauce
Steamed Estuary Garoupa in Abalone & Black Fungus
Tossed Tiger Prawns with Buttered Coconut Flakes
Braised Mix Vegetables with Beancurd
"Hunan" Style Yong Chow Fried Rice in Lotus Leaf
Double Boiled Sea Coconut with White Fungus
Duet of Fancy Fang Pei Golden Fish

Bountiful Treasures Set RM 1388+
Yee Sang with Salmon
Eight Treasure Essence Soup
Cantonese Style Roasted Duck with Sour Plum Sauce
Steamed Garoupa with Superior Ginger & Scallion
Fried Buttered Prawn with Sesame Goma
Braised Mushroom with Sea Cucumber
Fried Rice with Smoked Chicken
Traditional Sweet Dried Longan with Leng Chee Pak Hup
Admiral Fancy Duet

To know more information on Armada Hotel and their Chinese New Year meals, visit their Website and Facebook.

Address: Armada Hotel, Lot 6, Lorong Utama C, Section 52, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Contact: +603 7954 6888 ext. 4557