I was first introduced to Delicious Café @ Dua Residency by some ex-colleagues of mine and decided to try it out one evening. From the cafe's website, it seems Delicious started out as a tearoom in 1 Utama Shopping Centre in 2004 and have since mushroomed into 7 outlets in the Klang Valley with one each in Penang and Johor Bahru.
The 2nd time I was here, it was nearing Chinese New Year as can be seen from the décor (bottom right pic) on their ceiling.
If you happen to come here for an early dinner, the sunlight streaming through the glass windows and the lush green scenery outside exudes a calm serenity.
The review below is based on the food I sampled over 3 separate visits (not inclusive of the first visit, about a year ago, which was not documented as I had not started blogging then).
On my 2nd visit, I chose a starter of Cream of Pumpkin Soup @ RM14.90 with Parmesan and Truffle Oil. This was a mistake (purely on my part).....why (because it was listed as a chef's recommendation on their menu)....and unless you truly like pumpkin (which I didn't), you should stay the hell away from it! Stick with the Rustic Mushroom Soup instead.
The pumpkin soup was very thick and, mind you, I do like my soups thick and hearty (with some bite) but not quite like the pureed kind that was served. It had the texture of pureed baby food....urgh!! Worst still, there was this piece of (brown) thingy (don't know what it was...kinda like some mushroom??) in the soup that tasted really foul. Can't understand why this is a chef recommended dish.
Our next starter, the Cajun Fried Calamari with Tartar Sauce @ RM22.90 (also a chef's recommendation) was a bit pricey for the small portion. However, this was far better than the previous starter. The fried calamari was crunchy, although the batter did not adhere to the squid very well, plus the squid was a little chewy. It tasted better the last time we had it (which was incidentally my very 1st visit)....consistency in cooking is something many restaurants strive to upkeep but sometimes fail miserably!
On my 3rd visit, I tried the Potato Wedges with Sour Cream @ RM10.90 which was just a plain and simple dish. The potato wedges was well fried till crispy but the sour cream was just too thick with a slightly hard consistency (like it had been semi-frozen and just taken out from the fridge).
The Crispy Fried Mushrooms with Aioli @ RM15.90 were white button mushrooms which have been lightly coated in flour and fried. I didn't enjoy the mushrooms as much probably because the aioli that was served with it had a foul taste (as if it had gone bad). I highlighted this to the waitress and she came back with a replacement that tasted the same.....just as foul!
Our first main (on our 2nd visit) was the Seafood Marinara Spaghettini @ RM25.90 with squid, prawns and anchovies in a garlic tomato sauce. The spaghettini was cooked right and the prawns were fresh and fairly large (no complaints here) but the tomato sauce was way too acidic. This was probably due to the ratio of sauce to spaghettini being too much, otherwise this was an ok dish and the portion was quite substantial.
Our other main was the Hainanese Chicken Chop in a Hearty Tomato Sauce @ RM24.90 (another chef recommended dish) which was served with chips and snow peas. [#Note: Even the coriander garnish looks 'dead'!]
The chicken chop had a nice, frizzy egg batter and the tomato sauce was still acidic but (thankfully) was served separately, thereby allowing you to control the acidic taste of the sauce by pouring in more or, in my case, less! But hey, don't compare this to the uber famous and delicious Hainanese Chicken Chop (from Yut Kee) or you'll be highly disappointed.
The Aglio Olio Spaghettini (RM15.90) with Added Beef Bacon (+RM9.90) @ RM25.80 was the choice for mains on our 3rd visit. The spaghettini tasted plain and was difficult to finish as you reached the bottom of the plate as it was oily. [#Note: The garnish (which I think is basil) again looks wilted!]
The final main I tried was the Teriyaki Salmon Steak @ RM38.90 (also chef recommended) served with stir-fried Soba Noodles, Pea Sprouts and Asparagus. The salmon was cooked right (with a pinkish middle) and tasted ok while the skin was crispy (though the salmon was not as good, nor as fresh, as the one I had on my 1st 'undocumented' visit).
However, the soba noodles were underdone (as they were quite hard) and (again) very oily. [#Note: The salmon was served with pan-fried potatoes (on my 1st visit) which were way better.] Luckily, the teriyaki sauce (and the lime juice I squeezed over) helped to cut through the oiliness a bit but it still left a trail of oil on my lips. [#Note: The piece of lime had very little juice as the skin of the lime was already yellow (a tell-tale sign that the lime was no longer fresh).]
My dessert (on our 2nd visit) of Coconut Cake with Fresh Coconut Filling @ RM12.90, topped with Hawaiian coconut shavings, was my favourite dish of the night. It was moist and light and the sweetness from the fresh coconut filling was lovely, albeit a tad sweet but still ok. Finally, the coconut shavings provided a little crunch to the fluffy cake.
Some of the drinks we ordered on our last 2 visits....
....and one of them was the 'Delicious' Iced Tea @ RM8.90 (thinking it would be 'delicious', of course, by its namesake) which was a combination of English Breakfast tea, strawberry and mint. It looked nice in terms of presentation (the colour and the strawberry on top) but taste wise, it was so foul! This has to go down on record as the worst drink I have ever had (can't quite fathom why some blogs describe it as 'delicious').
The mint taste in the tea was so overpowering that, to describe it in a 'nutshell', it was like drinking....liquid toothpaste!! To call it 'Delicious Iced Tea', when it was nowhere near delicious, was beyond me (they should be careful before putting the 'Delicious' name on it).
Iced Latte @ RM11.50...no oomph one!
Orange Juice @ RM12.90 (which was not even filled to the brim....so stingy!)
My Personal Opinion
Verdict....was the food delicious? Some were fairly delicious (like the Coconut Cake and Fried Calamari), some were barely delicious (like the pastas, soba noodles and chicken chop) and some failed miserably (like the "Not-Delicious" Iced Tea, Cream of Pumpkin Soup and their sauces) to live up to the 'Delicious' name!
I remembered the food to be fairly palatable on my 1st visit (about a year ago) but the taste and freshness of the ingredients seemed to have deteriorated over time.
Based on my bill of about RM135 (for 2 persons) on my 3rd visit, I can certainly think of many better places to eat for that amount. People say.....third time's the charm but, unfortunately, not for Delicious, it was three strikes and you're out!
Delicious Café
1st Floor Dua Annexe
No 211 Jalan Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2166 2066
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