Kenny Hills Bistro @ Shoppes at Four Seasons Place

I've been to Kenny Hills Bakers and absolutely love their food (especially the desserts) and coffees there...but this time we decided to try out one of their sister restaurants, Kenny Hills Bistro @ Shoppes at Four Seasons Place.

While Kenny Hills Bakers is more known for its artisan breads and pastries, Kenny Hills Bistro offers a slightly different dining experience, focusing on casual fine dining European cuisine, although some similarities can be found in some of their dishes and desserts.

I had totally forgotten to take photos of the restaurant and its interior as I was fully engrossed in conversation with my friend/dining companion.  We were there for a late brunch and since I miss eating a good western breakfast lately, we started off with an order of the Bistro Big Breakfast @ RM45 (and yes, it's a little pricier than usual but know that it's compensated with quality, fresh, inhouse made ingredients).

But first things first, we must have our coffee fix to start...and that would be two Iced Lattes @ RM14 each, me and my friend's favourite coffee drink.

Back to the big breakfast, it features two eggs done your way (we went with scrambled), an option of beef bacon or smoked salmon (we chose beef), chicken sausage, homemade baked beans, grilled button mushrooms, homemade hashbrown and a tomato compote served with toasted organic white country bread and butter.  That's what a hearty, big breakfast platter should look like...filled with lots of ingredients and mostly housemade.

Everything on the plate was done right, the eggs were fluffy, the mushrooms juicy, the quality beef bacon (and they were quite generous with it too, there were 4-5 good slices) savoury and delicious and so were the sausage and baked beans.  I particularly enjoyed the thick homemade hashbrown with its crispy edges (nothing like those frozen crap) and a tomato compote with the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes coming through.  This is one big breakfast I would gladly have again. ^.^

Our other breakfast dish was The Lafayatte @ RM32 with two poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, smoked salmon and wilted spinach on a croissant served with homemade fries and a side salad.

The poached eggs were perfectly cooked to a runny consistency sitting on a bed of wilted spinach that was sauteed in some cream sauce.  I especially liked the crisp, thick-cut fries...but between this dish and the big breakfast, it's quite obvious which one I preferred.

Did I mention the coffees were really good?  We enjoyed it so much that we just had to have another glass...and more so when we know we were going to need it to pair with our dessert.

Our dessert of choice was this Yuzu Citrus Tart @ RM25 that was so elegantly presented that it was as pretty as a flower...well, quite literally! :D  We stared at it for a while not wanting to violate something so pretty. It has a buttery vanilla crisp crust filled with yuzu curd, almond cream, cream chantilly and topped with yuzu jelly, grated lime zest and a hint of luxury, a bit of edible gold leaf.

The yuzu curd had such a prominent floral aroma and bright flavours while the yuzu jelly had an intense tartness to it but yet so refreshing and tangy against the sweetness of the curd and cream.  The yuzu jelly on its own is highly acidic, so cut just a tiny piece and eat it together with the rest of the tart and it offers a sweet and tangy bite.  It was a zesty symphony of flavours and one that was absolutely delightful.  When I ordered this, the server informed me (proudly) that this yuzu citrus tart is a Kenny Hills Bistro exclusive (meaning you can't get this at Kenny Hills Bakers!)...and for this very reason it's a tart you must order here coz it's unbelievably good! ^o^

My Personal Opinion

Kenny Hills Bistro, like Kenny Hills Bakers, is yet another winner!  I'd call it a slightly more "atas" version of Kenny Hills Bakers...but serving the same good food.

Their Bistro Big Breakfast though I've to admit is priced slightly higher than most cafes offering such a dish but the portion is substantial and it comes with more quality and housemade ingredients that sets it apart from the norm.  This big breakfast is guaranteed to kickstart your day right.

As for the Bistro's exclusive Yuzu Citrus Tart, you have to so get this if you're a fan of all things sour, this dessert gives you that intense, fragrant flavour with bright acidity that you'll completely adore.  Certainly one of the best desserts I've had this year.

Although I've only tried a limited no. of dishes, I'm already confident that the food here is good from just a small sampling of 3 dishes...and would certainly like to return to try more...perhaps for dinner the next time round! ^_~

Kenny Hills Bistro

G-07 Ground Floor

Shoppes at Four Seasons Place

145 Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-8953 8985

Dondang Sayang Coffee House @ Corus Hotel

It was a celebration of some sort and we received an invite from my brother-in-law to a makan gathering on National Day at Dondang Sayang Coffee House @ Corus Hotel.  Our go-to dining venue at Corus Hotel is usually Ming Palace but they were closed on a public holiday.

So, we decided to meet at the hotel's coffee house instead.  It has been a while since we last ate at their coffee house...our previous visits here were always for their high-tea buffets.  Since there was no buffet offered on that day, my brother-in-law made orders from their a la carte menu...and everything was ordered by the time my family and I arrived.

He ordered 7 individual plates of food (mainly local dishes) for the seven of us...but all for sharing...and all the plates arrived almost simultaneously.  The Biryani Lamb @ RM58.62 came served with a flavourful tri-coloured biryani rice accompanied by a very refreshing vegetable pickle (of pineapples, cucumber, carrot, onions & chillies) and crispy prawn crackers.

The lamb shank was adequately tender and full of flavour from being cooked in all the rich and aromatic spices.  The tri-coloured biryani rice was delicious as hidden within the centre of the perfectly cooked basmati rice was some sauce (presumably from the lamb shank) which made the rice even tastier.

This was followed by a dish of greens, the Caesars Salad @ RM22.41 that was made up of really fresh, crunchy romaine lettuce, sliced onions, cherry tomatoes, olives, hard boiled eggs and sliced ham served with caesar dressing, of course.

There was this sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top but, luckily, this wasn't as pungent as some of the Parmesan cheese I've tasted before, so it ended up as a salad I enjoyed.  Only thing missing were some crispy croutons to bring that crunchy element to the dish.

Next was the Fried Mee Mamak @ RM24.13 garnished with a sunny side-up egg (that was executed well with a still oozy yolk), some crispy prawn crackers, some greens, a wedge of lime and a dip of bird's eye chillies in soy sauce.  I think there were some prawns in there too.

The mee mamak was fragrantly fried with egg bits and lots of vegetables (of choy sum, onions, tomatoes and taugeh).  The flavours turned out better than I expected and was really appetising with a squeeze of lime.  I'd even say loads better than many of the mee goreng I've had at mamak restaurants.  I really enjoyed this.

The spaghetti in the Seafood Aglio Olio @ RM24.13 was cooked al dente and tossed with ingredients of prawns, squid, green bell peppers, carrot, onions and served with a slice of buttered garlic baguette.

It was alright but probably my least favourite dish from here as it needed more chopped garlic and chilli flakes in the noodles for a punchier flavour.

Following after that was the Hainanese Chicken Rice @ RM28.44 which my brother-in-law said is a best seller here....and I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.  For a more atas hotel version, the plating must be different lah! :D  The poached chicken was served with cucumber slices and tomato wedges, a soup that contained some silken tofu cubes with three dips of a fresh chilli paste, blended ginger and a not-so-common condiment of dark soy sauce.

Everything was respectably executed, the chicken tender and smooth, the rice sticky (I think there's some glutinous rice in there somewhere) and flavoured and both the chilli and ginger pastes were of very acceptable standards.  I was pleasantly surprised by the pretty commendable effort (for a hotel version) I've to say.

Next up was their rendition of Char Kuey Teow @ RM24.13, another highly popular hawker dish of kueh teow fried with prawns, egg, taugeh and chives served with a fried egg on top.

You'd find this plated up exactly like the earlier fried mee mamak with its prawn crackers, greens and fresh bird's eye chilli dip but minus the wedge of lime.

Our final dish was the Oxtail Rendang @ RM41.37 and it was super tender, flavourful and delicious.  I don't think I've had oxtail rendang before.  It's a little bit more unique that the more common beef rendang.

It was served with the same tasty tri-coloured rice, pickled vegetables and crispy prawn crackers...and the plating again was very similar to the earlier dish of biryani lamb).  The plating may seem a little old-school (and repetitive) but (hey) it evokes nostalgic moments in our past.  A bite of those three-coloured crackers with the yellow, green and red rims (which featured prominently in more than half the dishes here) brings back fond memories of eating it as a child.

For desserts, my sister-in-law picked some mooncakes @ RM36 each (since it was mooncake season!).....though we didn't eat them as desserts but as appetisers while waiting for our food to arrive...lol!

Of course I had to finish my meal with a Cafe Latte while others went with Teh Tarik, Fresh Orange Juice and a selection of ice cream.  The drinks here can be a little pricey (as would be expected in a hotel) but water is always available and refilled promptly as what you'd expect from a hotel's good service.

My Personal Opinion

This was the first time I've had eaten from their a la carte menu and I'd say I was pleasantly surprised at how successful they were at dishing up some hawker favourites.  Not only was I pleasantly surprised with the taste of the food, I was equally surprised that the prices weren't that upmarket (which I'm sure many, like me, will think they are seeing that it's a hotel coffee house).  I'd say the prices are within the range of some of the cafes and restaurants out there.  If I'm a guest at the hotel, I'd surely consider eating at the hotel coz the prices aren't that different from the nearby malls in the area.

If you're planning to hold a little celebration or get-together, this venue could possibly be a great choice since it's more quiet and not as hectic (as some overly popular cafes/restaurants)...but, most of all, you'll be eating in comfort amidst good service.  You can linger and chat for as long as you want (no-one's going to chase you off as there's plenty of space...lol....unlike some restaurants who would like to do so when they're packed). Less people also means less noise interference, so it's a place that encourages conversation with members of your dining party.

We stayed for more than 3 hours....food is always more enjoyable with good conversation.  If I had to pick a favourite, my top three would be the Fried Mee Mamak, Oxtail Rendang (with biryani) and Hainanese Chicken Rice.  Who knew that a hotel coffee house can be quite adapt at churning out good hawker fare.  If you're a tourist or hotel guest (or even a non-hotel guest), I think you'll be pretty pleased with their rendition of some hawker favourites! ^_~

Dondang Sayang Coffee House

Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2161 8888

Super Saigon @ Persiaran Ampang

When we last dined at The Daily Grind in mid-July, we noticed a new restaurant next door that had taken over the space vacated by Flint Bar & Restaurant.

So, we made a trip here wanting to try Flipp, a new Japanese fusion restaurant, but was politely informed that they were fully booked when I walked through the door.  Oh well, another time then...and that's how we ended up at Super Saigon @ Persiaran Ampang since we were already in the area.

The only decor that caught my eye were the beautiful blue ceramic plates (that I adore) adorning their feature wall.  Hey, I wouldn't mind owning some of these. ^_~

Since we were at an eatery specialising in Vietnamese food, obviously Pho would be top on the list of things to order.  I was pretty excited when I saw my bowl of Beef Pho @ RM18.90 arriving with medium rare Aussie sliced beef (as the ones I've had before usually comes with cooked through beef) together with some white onions, scallions and cilantro.

It's also common to see pho served with garnishes of bean sprouts, Thai basil (sometimes Vietnamese mint might be included), a wedge of lime and fresh Thai chilli peppers.

Vietnamese dishes are also usually accompanied by condiments of sweet, salty, spicy and sour flavours for you to tweak to your liking, so expect to find chili oil and hot chili sauce (like sriracha), fish sauce, hoisin sauce and their special sate sauce (or what we'd call sambal) on the table.

Well, just in case you don't know how to go about eating pho, there's even a guide (at the back of the menu) to show you how you can eat pho like a pro! ;)  But there's no hard and fast rule, you can eat it anyway you deem fit.

I dunk the bean sprouts in, squeezed in the lime and added a drizzle of fish sauce...that's how I like mine.  I'd leave the stinky Thai basil leaves alone coz I just hate those.  I usually leave out the fresh chilli peppers too but this time I added them in (and I'll tell you why in a jiffy).

My first mouthful of the rice noodles (much like kuay tiao), I immediately detected something unpleasant.  I took a second bite and confirmed that the unpalatable taste was still there...and that's why I added all the bird's eye chillies in the hope that it'll help mask the taste.  But, unfortunately, it didn't.  The medium rare beef was perfectly fine though, nice and tender (and if you need your beef cooked a bit more, just dip them into the broth though the broth that came wasn't all that hot, not even hot enough to cook the bean sprouts which retained its raw taste).  In the end, I just ate up the beef slices and left the rest of my pho untouched (the noodles even tainted the broth).

I've come across this offensive taste (and smell) of kway teow before but it's always from our local noodle stalls, never from a Vietnamese eatery.  I've rejected quite a few kway teow based on this but if the noodle shop is still good, I just make sure I don't choose kway teow as my noodle of choice.  I don't know how best to describe this unpleasant taste but it's almost like cockroach smell to me (sorry if the comparison sounds offensive to you).  I don't know if any one of you has ever experienced this before but I have many times...and it only seems to happen with kway teow! >.<  I don't know if the noodles weren't fresh (that day) or if it's due to the choice of their noodle supplier (as in chemicals used in the manufacture of the noodles) or that the handling and storage of the noodles was compromised or merely that my tastebuds are just overly sensitive.  That's why I usually stay clear of kway teow in soup noodles unless it passes my taste test after trying.

In the end, I had to order something else and went with the Crispy Spring Rolls @ RM13.90 (for 6 pcs) wrapped in minced chicken and prawns, served with a sweetish-sourish dip containing pickled vegetables of carrot and jicama.  The rolls were freshly fried, came piping hot, were super crispy and had a good ratio of filling...so, no complaints on this.

Our other order of Broken Rice with Grilled Lemongrass Chicken @ RM18.90 was served with lemongrass chicken, fried omega egg, pickled vegetables, cucumber shreds and a slice of chicken meatloaf together with a dipping sauce.  Nothing stood out, it was just edible.

For drinks, we had Pandan Lemongrass @ RM4.90 (a tall glass but diluted in taste) and La Juiceria's (bottled) Fresh Orange Juice @ RM5.90 (that turned out to be pretty sour).

When the server came to clear our plates, he was at least alert enough to notice that my bowl of pho was hardly eaten and asked if there was something wrong with it.  So I told him.  He just acknowledged what I said and walked away without offering any gesture to mitigate the situation.  Well, kudos to him for noticing...but he might as well not have! >:(

My Personal Opinion

The fact that the server didn't offer to mitigate (or resolve) the issue clearly demonstrates the level of service here. Maybe it was for the best as it made it that much easier for me to decide not to return.

Looks like this was an un-PHO-gettable experience for me...and I don't mean that in a good way.  Un-pho-tunately for them, I'm not so pho-giving, so this bowl of pho would be my first.....and last! >_<

Super Saigon Pho Cafe
No 34 Persiaran Ampang
55000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2856 9998

The Daily Grind @ Persiaran Ampang

If there's a street not too far from where I live that's filled with abundant restaurants similar to those in Jalan Telawi 2 (Bangsar), Jalan Batai (Bukit Damansara) or Jalan 23 or 24/70A (Desa Sri Hartamas), it'd be Persiaran Ampang.

If you walk down this street alone (though this one is just a short one and on one side only), every lot is practically an eating/drinking place of some sort with cuisine ranging from Italian to Spanish, Latin American to Japanese, Indian to Vietnamese or western to tex-mex, you won't be short of choices here.

And that was what brought me to The Daily Grind @ Persiaran Ampang, the third restaurant on this street after two good eats at 28 Fireplace and Flint (though this has since closed, apparently to relocate elsewhere).

Their menu encompasses mainly burgers, light bites, salads and what they term as comfort food, desserts and even a few choices for children.

We began with a starter of Fried Onion Rings @ RM12 for sharing (this actually isn't on the menu but since it's served with some of the burgers, we requested if we could have it as a starter.  The onion rings were good, the batter was very light and crisp.

This place also reputedly makes their own ketchup & chilli sauces which have been favourably reviewed.

So I poured a little of each onto a side plate to have with the onion rings.  But no, the sauces didn't wow me, in fact it didn't even impress me one tiny bit...give me any local Maggi chilli or ketchup sauce will do (not that I like ketchup to begin with). ;P

Needless to say, I resorted to eating the rest of the onion rings without any chilli sauce.  Those specks of fried, fragrant, crispy droplets of batter I found at the bottom of the plate, you won't want to leave them behind coz those are the best bits.

For our mains, we had to start with one of their many burgers on offer and decided on the Mushroom Trio Burger @ RM33 with a choice of salad, fries or sweet potato crisps.  Other choices include beef, lamb, fish, foie gras, soft shell crab burgers and a vegetarian burger with just mushrooms.

The burger patties are all made in-house and this one came with a fairly juicy grilled chicken patty and three types of mushrooms, crispy deep-fried enoki mushrooms, creamy sauteed button mushrooms and grilled portobello mushrooms.  We liked the button and portobello mushrooms but not the batter of the deep-fried enoki mushrooms which, though crispy, was in dire need of some seasoning.

We chose sweet potato crisps which turned out to be bland pre-fried potato crisps and they were screaming for some salt too.  Since the crisps were pre-prepared, there was no point in sprinkling salt on them at this point since the salt won't adhere to the cold, pre-fried crisps.  The orange potato crisps at least had some sweetness to them and so weren't as bland as the other two (the yellow and purple ones).

I had the O'mega Salmon @ RM33 which featured a pan-seared salmon steak in a light sun-dried tomato sauce with sauteed vegetables.

The salmon was sitting on a bed of sauteed vegetables that were made up of strips of carrot and yellow & green zucchini.  The zucchini strips were soft and tender but the carrot needed to be cooked longer.  I left them on the plate as they were just too hard to eat. >_<

The cook on the salmon was well executed....the outside nicely browned with the centre still retaining its pinkish flesh. ^.^

Even though the tomato-ey sauce was poured over the salmon, the skin retained much of its crispiness when eaten.  The sun-dried tomato sauce was tasty with lots of onion bits and fresh herbs (I detected the fragrance and taste of oregano in the sauce?).  The sauce was rather good as it turned out to be very light, thin and not acidic at all (phew, thankfully it was nothing like their unpleasant ketchup recipe!).

On another visit, we sampled their Fish & Chips @ RM36 featuring golden battered, deep-fried barramundi fillets served with coleslaw and fries.

The barramundi fillets were fresh and crisp with a nice, flaky texture but the batter coating the fish needed more seasoning.

No complaints on the crunchy coleslaw in a light mayo dressing and crisp, thick-cut fries with housemade tartar sauce.  A simple dish that's easy to like.

I was in the mood for steaks and noticed that there was only one on their regular menu.  I was given a separate menu though with more steak choices...BBQ Australian chilled grass-fed ribeye (RM28/100g), sirloin (RM25/100g) and tenderloin (RM40/100g) + a couple more options including tomahawk.

Though the description 'smothered' isn't necessarily something I'd gravitate towards when it comes to how I like my steaks, I decided to go with Smothered Steak @ RM58 (from their regular menu since it cost about the same except you need to pay extra for the sides).  It highlights a piece of chargrilled Australian chilled grass-fed ribeye (I was told it's about 180g) smothered in mushroom sauce and served with sauteed vegetables.

They were also very accommodating when I requested to change the mushroom sauce to brown sauce instead.  They nicely prompted me to ask if I wanted the sauce served separately and I, of course, said, "Yes, please."  Though I like to eat my steaks naked (aka without any sauce), sauces are needed when the steaks are presumed to be of not premium quality (judging from the prices).  I prefer brown jus (usually my first pick) with steaks and black pepper sauce if the lesser-quality steaks doesn't have much flavour.  This not-too-thick nor too fatty piece of ribeye had decently adequate flavours, well executed to medium rare, and came with a nice, charred flavour.

I poured over a little of the sauce just to see if I like it and ended pouring more and more of it as it was rather good.  Only thing that could make it better was if it had a thicker consistency.  The sauce was thinner than expected, it needed to be reduced further for a thicker consistency to coat the back of a spoon, so to speak.  Because of that, it didn't cling as well to the meat but luckily it was still flavourful.  I ended up asking for a spoon so that I could spoon more of the sauce onto the meat (and into my mouth!).  In the end, I liked the sauce enough to actually finish two-thirds of it. ^o^

The sauteed vegetables was the reason that swayed me to go with this steak and I was happy to see the plate graced with yellow & green zucchini, eggplant and potatoes.  I enjoyed the perfectly cooked vegetables so much more than the vegetables that came with the salmon dish.

Ahh.....a refreshing, thirst quenching Fresh Pineapple Juice @ RM12 that's perfect for the hot and humid weather we're faced with of late.

I was surprised at just how large the glass of Iced Latte @ RM11 was, even a little heavy to lift up to drink (now that no straws are given, not that I'm complaining).  A decent enough coffee, it was like drinking out of one of those big-ass beer mugs.  A value for money glass of coffee for sure.

My Personal Opinion

The dining atmosphere is a little dim with a bar-like feel to it and seems more suited for a social gathering among friends than a venue for a family dinner (with young children especially even though there's a limited children's menu).  But that's just my observation...but hey, a hip and outgoing family could find themselves right at home here.

I was certainly satisfied with what I tried.  I especially enjoyed the Smothered Steak and O'mega Salmon, so I wouldn't dismiss the place for a third visit. ^_~ 

The Daily Grind
26 Persiaran Ampang
55000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-4265 7600