Lunch and Cake @ Huckleberry Food & Fare

So my office area has become more happening recently with a few more new cafes popping up, adding more options for breakfast and lunch. But urm... At a high price lah. Well, what's new lah, the area is already known to be like that anyway!

Had to steal this photo from The Yum List cos I'm too lazy to even walk over to snap a pic... :p

Huckleberry Food & Fare for instance, is one of the most talk-about bakery cafes recently. You can see the owner(s) spent quite a lot on making sure the place looks damn attractive. From the outside, it's quite normal white and glass, but be prepared to be amazed by the interior of the place! Fuhhh... So freaking grand, almost like you have arrived in a bakery in Paris! For all the money and effort spent aesthetically, I give them a BIG thumb-up!

And of I love their uniform too! 

Mind you, the place is always full house, like, almost everyday! They sell not only breads, cakes and danishes, they also have a simple hot food menu. You have to order and pay first though.

My colleague, Nellie and I were there for lunch so we skipped the breads and pastries, and went straight for hot food, wrapping the lunch up sharing a slice of cake.

Duck Bacon and Egg Pasta, RM25.90.

Old Fashion Burger, RM20.90.

I had the Duck Bacon and Egg Pasta, which is quite interesting cos there you have a poached egg with your pasta. I absolutely love the duck bacon - so tender and flavourful. But the pasta turned out to be a little too bland to my liking I had to ask for black pepper to go with it. What I like about Nellie's Old Fashion Burger was the side salad which I kinda helped her to finish LOL. The burger itself was very ordinary with the patty being too dry to my liking but taste wise it was better than the pasta dish.

Black Forest, RM12.90.

As for the Black Forest that we tried, it was pretty good! Not too sweet, especially with the fresh cherries that are a bit sourish, and I like how different the Black Forest looks like compared to the ones you normally see elsewhere. I later tried their apple tart which i really love too because of its thin crust, not-too-sweet apple with nice cinnamon scent all over. 

Hot Chocolate, RM9.90.

Cold Chocolate, RM10.90.

We weren't in a mood for coffee so both had hot and cold chocolate which were mediocre (Croisserie few doors down serves much better chocolate, trust me, one of the best). But I did try their coffee later on which I find them not too bad at all.

Nellie and I enjoying our fancy and pricey lunch...

We spent around RM85 for that lunch meal, which was very pricey but I guess for cafes standards, it's quite normal nowadays. But does the place deserves the fuss that is going on about them? For the pastries, cakes and coffee yes, for their service yes, for their fancy design yes but for the hot food nah...

Huckleberry Food & Fare 
2G & 4G, Plaza, Jalan Medan Setia 2,
Bukit Damansara,
50490 Damansara Heights,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2098 7933

Lovely Hearty Lunch @ Fat Spoon, Damansara Uptown

It was a beautiful Saturday when I left baby Rayden at home with Deardo to take care of alone, while I sneaked out for a catch-up lunch with my ex-colleagues/friends at Fat Spoon. I've walked past the restaurant many times but never had a chance to try their food until then! And Nyonya food? Anytime for me man! 

Big love for the old-school decor - so rugged, so detailed yet so random! And the entire ambiance is so good it feels really comfy to dine in the restaurant!

A glance at their menu tells you they sell Nyonya food with a twist, which is what I like in any food (and other stuff too I guess) so I said, bring it on, bring all the food and let me try them!

Pumpkin Fritters, RM8.

Prawn Fritters, RM10.

Chicken & Basil Wrap, RM11.

Because there were 7 of us, we ordered some appetizers to shared too. The Pumpkin Fritters were really awesome - tasted really fresh and crunchy, definitely something really unique too. The Prawn Fritters were not bad, especially when they aren't stingy on the amount of prawns at all! We also tried the Chicken & Basil Wrap which tasted ordinary but can turned extraordinary with the dipping sauce that comes with it, The lemongrass really brings out the flavour of that special-tasting sauce!

Moo Moo Rice Bowl with ABC Soup, RM17.

Ulam Fried Rice, RM13.

Tamarind Prawn Pasta, RM18.

Nasi Kampung, RM16.

Chicken ABC Rice Soup, RM13.

I didn't try all other dishes that the gang ordered, but generally, everyone was quite happy with their meal. The Moo Moo Rice Bowl that I had was quite interesting - mixture of basil and some sweet gravy in the beef makes it a very hearty bowl of meal, plus a bowl of ABC soup as a side, I feel very much at home yo! Flavour wise though, I really like the Ulam Fried Rice that I tried - tasted really nice with the fragrance from all the spices used in it! So good!
What I certainly love about their food is the twists they added into their dishes. For instance, Tamarind Prawn (or Assam Prawn) with Pasta? That's really creative!

Cempedak Spring Rolls, RN15.

We of course, had two portions of one of their signature dish - Cempedak Spring Rolls as dessert and that's DA BOMB, hands down! The Cempedak Paste was made so yummy and naturally sweet (and not too sweet) and goes so freaking well with the vanilla ice-cream that comes with it! I had a serious jaw-dropping moment the second I had the first bite. My honest advice here - You can skip everything, but not this Cempedak Spring Rolls!!!

Also some coffee for us!

Bill came clipped in an old book! So damn cool!

Overall, very hearty, homey and unique food. So if you are not too adventurous about food this might not be your place but personally, I'm super duper in love!!!

It felt really good to be out again with friends like this and just laugh out loud at some stupid jokes, while enjoying some lovely food!!! :D

Seven main dishes, three appetizers, two desserts and a few drinks cost us RM224.55, which was actually very reasonable! Most of their main dishes are around RM13-RM18, which is quite economical I shall say. So another plus point and another reason for a second (and third and fourth and so on,,,) visit! *wink~*

Fat Spoon
73, Jalan SS21/1A,
Damansara Utama,
47000 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Tel: 03-7728 3323

Simple, Fresh & Yummy Fishes @ Uokatsu, Sri Hartamas

For some odd reasons, I've been seeing a couple of my friends posting their food photos at Uokatsu on social media recently. I got really curious, especially with the Mentai Rice cos me love everything Mentai! :p

So one fine day when Deardo had an appointment nearby, we finally paid the very small and humble restaurant a visit. Owned and managed by a Japanese couple (or so I heard), the restaurant is definitely small with a capacity of probably just about 10 tables.

The menu is a two-pager and it really does say a lot about it being run buy Japanese cos they are not easy to understand, even for someone like me, who had some basic knowledge in Japanese language. Anyway, all you need to remember (and I've double-checked with them) is that they only sell seafood and not other meats, with most of them I read are air-flown all the way from Japan. You can even choose from their chiller some fresh or frozen seafood to bring home! 

As a first timer, we played safe and ordered only stuff we only know and that are not too expensive. Hehehe...

Mentai Rice, RM18.

Salt Grilled Saba, RM6.50.

Salt Grilled Sanma, RM10.

Air Dry Saba (half), RM20.

First up, the much-talkabout Mentai Rice was pretty awesome. Of course it was just a bigger version of a Tamago Mentai Sushi but I love it nonetheless! We had the Salt Grilled Saba (something that Deardo always order at any regular Japanese restaurants) and the Salt Grilled Sanma, both super juicy, fresh and delicious, even Deardo who is very particular with fishes approved! :) We also tried their signature Homemade Air Dry Saba which was something like our salted fish with still fresh meat instead of it being dried hard. It was fresh but a little too salty to my liking.

Miso Soup, RM4.50.

I'm not normally a fan Miso Soup but I've read about the Miso Soup here being different so I tried. It is indeed very interesting - you could taste fish in the soup with some fish pieces inside, a proof that it is not any other random Miso Soup, but Miso Soup that is made of real seafood broth. So another thumb-up for the soup!

Not in a mood for photos today *put palm in the air*.

Oh you Mentai, come to mama!!! 

With a bowl of rice (RM3.50) and a refillable green tea (RM2), the quick lunch (I say quick cos the service is quite fast and there are already whole load of people standing outside the restaurant waiting for tables) cost us RM64.50, which is not too bad for a seafood meal, especially since it was a very satisfying one! Definitely going back for more - I'm aiming some clams and cod fish next yo! Who's with me?

Uokatsu
B-0-7, Ground Floor Plaza Damas 3,
63 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1,
Sri Hartamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6201 0339

Stealing Some Time-off for the Kitchen

I was so eager to start cooking and eating normal food again after the one-month confinement month. MIL bought us a lot of stuff too so I had to cook anyway to free some space for my breast milk in the freezer so here are some of my cooking that I managed to do while taking care of the little one at the same time! 

#1

Simple lunch for one: 10-grain rice porridge with minced pork, carrot and potato with a tablespoon of Bovril, served with some boiled broccoli and cherry tomatoes.
Story behind this lunch? Finished in 2 hours while taking care of a attention-seeking baby. FML. :p

#2

Super yummy One-Pot Chicken 10-grain Rice with Chinese Sausage, Shiitake Mushrooms and Edamame! So easy to make, packed with all the needed nutrition yet super yummy!!!

#3

Cooked up this Simple Chicken and Mushroom Porridge to go with some French Beans Omelet for the parent who are now pretty much domesticated.

#4

And then Mamo came to visit Rayden and got the two sisters over for dinner where Mamo took care of Rayden while I cooked up this beautiful table of dinner! Mamo contributed the yummy Fu Chok Soup and Peanuts Soup while I made Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Fu Yong Egg, Stir-fry Mixed Vege and Garlic Butter Prawns. :)

#5

Learned this very simple Chicken Rice recipe from Mamo and made it again when she was around (cos I need her to cut the chicken when they are done. LOL). Goes so well with the bowl of gravy that came out from the steamed chicken. Served with a Stir-fry Watercress with Goji Berry yo!

#6

Same Chicken Rice to go with some Dong Gui Chicken (not homemade), Stir-fry Kailan and ABC Soup. Hmmmm this is making me hungry!!!

#7

Still trying to clear the freezer... Stir-fry Ladies Fingers with Sha Cha Sauce, Ginger and Onion Pork Slices with some 10-grain rice for dinner.

#8

Awesome lunch for one: Leftover Chicken Rice with some simple sauteed Zucchini, Tomato and Minced Pork and a fried egg. So delicious and healthy!

#9

Made some Steamed Minced Pork with Preserved Cabbage and Stir-fry Kangkong (both Deardo's favourite dishes) and a Herbal Soup for another dinner for two. :)

#10

Yes, purposely cooked so much of chicken rice so that I can eat them for lunch when I was alone at home. Same ingredients as #8 you see but different method of cooking. Here I made Steamed Minced Pork with Egg and Sauteed Zucchini with Chili Flakes. Very hearty meal indeed!

#11

Now adding zucchini into porridge is pretty weird but you know, it was only for myself so it's fine! 10-grain porridge with the leftover Steamed Minced Pork with Egg, Zucchini and drizzle with sesame oil. I think it was pretty yummy though!

#12

Pork Ribs from MIL so recipe also from MIL. Here's the first time me cooking Steamed Pai Kuat with Preserved Black Beans (quite nice actually), served with some Shrimps Omelet since we ran out of vege.

#13

Braised Pork Belly, Garlic Butter Prawns and Stir-fry Spinach for another dinner for two.

#14

Making full use of the leftover Braised Pork Belly at #13 and made myself my own version of Ja Jiang Mian with Spaghetti, carrots, cabbage and Omelet! I call this creative cooking yo! :p

#15

Shark Meat from MIL so recipe also from her. Just Fried them up with some onions, ginger and dried chili and it was quite tasty already! Went with a side of Stir-fry French Beans with Shrimps and Turmeric Powder.

#16

Cabbage and Pork Balls Soup with Glass Noodles for lunch for one! Get the recipe here!

#17

Dinner for three (FIL included) in another attempt to clear the freezer! Braised Kampung Chicken with Shiitake Mushrooms and Hard Boiled Egg, Stir-fried Cabbage with Dried Shrimps and surprisingly awesome Curry Prawns and Shark Meat. I said 'surprisingly' cos it was a random curry paste I got from the supermarket and I replaced coconut milk with fresh milk and the dish still turned out to be super awesomely delicious! Yay! More curries in the future! :D

I've come to a realisation that I really prefer cooking over taking care of a crying baby. I mean, who doesn't? LOL. Hasn't been cooking like this since I got back to work though. Shall attempt that again maybe the next few weekends?