Eat Me (Artisanal Desserts) @ Bangsar

My first introduction to this place was through Sean's blog @ eatdrinkkl.  As this dessert cafe is located just behind where my friends and I had decided to have our Christmas dinner, it was a no-brainer that we should head here for our post-dinner desserts since they only open in the evenings (5pm) and stay open till late at night.
 

The place I'm referring to is the newly opened (barely a few days old) Eat Me @ Bangsar.
 

Once inside, I was mesmerised by the beautiful, almost-white and pastel-shade (of baby blue and pink) interior.  It's a pretty small place, occuping just half a lot next to KGB (Killer Gourmet Burgers) by the same owners.  We arrived (probably around 10pm) and I was surprised to find the place pretty packed and waited for about 10 mins to get a table to fit all of us in.  [#Note: They're opened from 3pm till 12 midnight on weekends (and 5pm to 11pm on weekdays)...for now.]
 

A glance at their menu and you can see that they've got quite a selection of premium coffees and teas, signature iced teas, chocolate drinks, milkshakes, floats and desserts on offer.  [#Note: On the top of the menu, it states that this is their soft launch menu, and at the bottom, a note that says that the menu will change seasonally as they try to push the boundaries of what they do.  So, expect to see some changes in the months ahead.]
 

These cute (eco-friendly?) furry friends serve as table nos...hey, they can also keep the kids company while we wait for our food to arrive! :D
 

First up was our order of Pizookie Skillet @ RM17.90...what is a Pizookie, you ask?  Well, it's actually a hybrid term for a pizza-cookie.  So, this was a large brown butter Belgian chip cookie, with gooey marshmallow centre, topped with vanilla ice cream and filled with chocolate sauce at the bottom, served in a cute iron skillet.  This Belgian chip cookie (which I ate, phonghongbakes, not baked...hehe) had a crisp exterior and was served hot (probably due to the molten hot marshmallow inside).  This was met with a thumping approval from everyone!
 

Next came the Boston Shortcake @ RM18.90 which is a strawberry shortcake with vanilla ice cream, a strawberry reduction that acted as the sauce, and pcs of fresh strawberries and mangoes.  The fresh fruits and strawberry reduction provided some freshness and tartness to the shortcake that had a somewhat scone-like texture and taste.  Of course, the vanilla ice cream made it even better ;)  This was probably my favourite.
 

I went with something fried for our next dessert choice...their signature golden fried Spanish Churros @ RM13.90.  For this, we got 7 pcs of fried churros that have been dusted with sugar.
 

You can opt to eat them with either Belgian dark, milk, white chocolate or salted caramel....we chose Belgian dark chocolate.
 

The churros were freshly made and really crispy...we've got no complaints when it's fresh, fried and crispy!  Some might say it could be lighter, but I'm pretty happy with it as it was (nevertheless) still very good.
 

When I saw pancakes on the menu, I couldn't resist ordering the Ricotta Hot Cakes @ RM17.90.  These are ricotta milk batter pancakes served with sliced bananas, honeycomb butter (that they made themselves) and maple syrup.  Just spread the honeycomb butter (which adds a touch of sweetness) and let it melt onto the warm pancakes.
 

You need just a light drizzle of maple syrup before putting these incredibly light and fluffy pancakes into your mouth.
 

Our final order was the Japanese Ice Tarts @ RM8.90 (for 2) which are frozen mini Japanese cheese tarts with a choice of strawberry, Belgian chocolate, passion fruit or chempedak flavour.
 

This is the passion fruit flavoured frozen cheese tart....
 

.....and this is the strawberry flavoured one (which we preferred) but it still turned out to be our least favourite dessert of the evening.

Our drinks for the evening:
 

Hot Cappuccino x 2 @ RM9.90

Lemongrass Ginger Tea @ RM11.90

Signature Iced Lavender Tea @ RM10.90

Brown Cow (Root Beer Float) @ RM7.90
 

Actually, I was looking forward to chill with their (caffeine drink) Nutella Chill Pill but they (unfortunately) ran out of pills that night :(....I guess everybody needed a pill....kekeke!!
 

My Personal Opinion

When you have a cafe that's called Eat Me.....you can't help but Eat Them....after all, the desserts on offer are very appealing and delectable.

This place not only satisfies one's sweet tooth....it leaves you wanting more!  Definitely warrants return visits!! ;-)

A PERFECT SWEET ENDING TO 2014!

H A P P Y   H O L I D A Y S !!!

Eat Me Dessert Cafe

23 Jalan Telawi 2
Bangsar Baru

59100 Kuala Lumpur
 

My first year anniversary....and common courtesy!

December marks the time that I've been blogging for one year now.  Seriously, I didn't think I would still be at it as my ideas and interests are usually short-lived.

At this my first year anniversary mark, I would like to blog about whether it's common courtesy for one (be it a restaurant, company or person) to ask for permission first before sharing or linking your post on their facebook page or website.

Let me share with you some of my experiences in order for you to understand what I'm talking about here.  You see, I've had a few of my posts shared on facebooks and websites by the restaurants I've blogged about.  [#Note: I say a few of my posts coz most of my posts do not have a 100% positive review...I like to tell it as it is (and no restaurant, of course, wants to share a post that is not completely positive).]

For those (few) posts with 100% positive reviews, some of those restaurants would seek my approval (by dropping me an email) first before sharing my post on their facebooks and websites.  Of course when I receive such emails, I would be more than happy to allow them to do so as it would drive traffic to my blog.  Even so, I'm of the opinion that common courtesy should prevail....it's just good manners to ask permission first!

However, some of these restaurants/companies have no such common courtesy.  Let me show you some examples.

Recently, I found out that my post on #ewew makes Penang Seafood Curry (the Maggi way) was published on Maggi's website without them asking for permission to share my article.  

I came across this accidentally (just this month) when I googled Maggi's new Korean Spicy Braised Beef Noodles.  Lo and behold....I saw my Seafood Curry post on their website.  And what was worse....was that there was no link provided back to my blog!!!

When I clicked on my article, I realised that the 'look' of my post had been rearranged (and summarised slightly).

Another one that I found out (by chance some time back) was my post on Fisherman's Cove on feastvillage.com's website.  As I've been to a few of the restaurants in Starhill, I used to visit feastvillage.com to check on dining options there.  

The consolation (this time) was, at least, this one provided a link back to my blog.  You can't help but 'jump for joy' (just a bit lar since I'm a small-time blogger) when you first realise that your post is featured in some restaurant's website or facebook!

I also found out again (all purely by chance), coz I like to google the restaurants' facebooks that I frequent to find out their latest promos, that some of my posts have appeared on their Facebooks without my knowledge.  I'm sure there are more that I'm not even aware of.  What has happened to our manners.....tsk...tsk!!  [#Note: If they were invited reviews, then I can understand but mine are not.]

However, not everyone have this impolite behavior....definitely not Boey (Malaysian artist and book author of "When I was a kid" series)!  

On the opposite end of things, there are restaurants/people who do seek permission first before they share (and link) your post.  For these restaurants (I've snapshot a few here) and Boey (of, course), I do appreciate their courteous mannerisms and respectful conduct.

As much as I'd like to detest these people for not having the common courtesy to ask for permission before sharing/linking my posts, yet I can't help but be pleased that they did share my posts on their facebooks or websites as it means more traffic will be diverted to my blog....and that's a good thing, of course ;)  I just wished that they would just drop me a line so that I could be aware (and not have to find out about it....purely by accident)!!

I am appreciative that they deem my post/s good enough to be featured on their facebooks and/or websites.  Although this does not necessarily translate to increased page views all the time (at times, it does), I've also had posts that garner more page views when they're not even featured in any facebook or website (as they're just popular posts on its own).

Although I may not have that many posts appearing in facebooks and websites, I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment for the few posts that have made it as it motivates small-time bloggers like me to keep writing.  It's not that I don't appreciate being featured....I do...it's just that I like to be 'asked' first!!

I think common courtesy should prevail!  What's your opinion?  Do you think it's too much to ask?  Or am I just being too picky?  [P/S:  When they come across this article....some of these posts may be "un-featured"....kekeke...and if that's the case...so be it!]

As 2014 draws to a close, it's been a year of happy blogging (especially in the last 3 months) when I got to share comments (and links) with the few online bloggers I've come to know...thanks for all your comments (and support).....I really do appreciate it!  It definitely motivates me to keep writing into 2015 :)

H A P P Y   N E W   Y E A R   E V E R Y O N E !!!

Maria's SteakCafe @ Bangsar

For my Christmas get-together with my friends, we decided to have our Christmas dinner at a place well-known for its steaks, Maria's Steak Cafe @ Bangsar.

Maria's steakhouses first opened in Ipoh about 15 years ago before venturing into KL with a branch in Damansara Perdana.  Their latest outlet in Bangsar was opened about 8 months ago.

As we had plans to proceed to another venue for desserts, we didn't want to overstuff ourselves here to make sure we still have room to 'stomach' our desserts later.
 

With that in mind, we decided to share our starters starting with the Oxtail Soup @ RM20.  Although this is the most expensive soup on their menu, it turned out really good.  The oxtail was really tender and the soup...thick and delicious.  

 

This was served with 2 slices of toasted garlic baguette.  It was nice and well needed to mop up the very last drop of soup.

 

The other soup we ordered was the Mushroom Soup @ RM9.50.  We actually had 2 orders of this as it's a crowd pleaser with the kids.  The soup was creamy with a nice dose of mushroom flavour...no complaints on this heart warming soup.

This was accompanied by an extra order of Garlic Bread (5 pcs) @ RM7.50.

For our main courses, we started off with none other than what they're famous for....steaks, of course, and my choice was a 200g slab of Australian Chilled Black Angus @ RM96 (RM48/100g).  [#Note: For those on a budget, there are lower priced steaks of Australian Chilled Rib Eye (@ RM52) and Fillet (@ RM59) or, if you have a 'bigger' wallet, go for their Australian Wagyu 5 (@ RM80/100g) or Wagyu 7 (@ RM95/100g) with sizes of around 200g.]

The Black Angus was perfectly executed to medium rare as requested (in fact, they recommend that you have it cooked to medium done at most and nothing beyond that).  [#Tip: Rare or medium rare is the best way to eat a good piece of steak but many of us would probably not be so comfortable with rare.]  One bite into the meat and you'll go....this is an honestly good slab of meat.  The meat itself was really tasty and juicy and the beautiful sear on the meat and char on the edges added a tremendous smoky flavour to the meat.

The only thing that I didn't appreciate was the cuts in the meat (as if they were used to check the doneness of the meat) as it wasn't aesthetically pleasant looking (plus the cuts could have caused some juices to leak out from the meat).  They do provide a sauce (on the side) but I strongly suggest that you eat it on its own to savour every bite of the oh-so-flavourful steak.  [#Tip: I don't know what sauce that was but it was very pungent and pretty horrible (I suspect it's mustard)...so, I'd stay the hell away from it!]

The steak is served with sautéed vegetables of potatoes, French beans, Japanese cucumber, carrots, cherry tomatoes and button mushrooms.

Our next main was the NZ Roast Leg of Lamb @ RM35 served with their traditional brown sauce and sautéed vegetables.

This came with a pretty generous amount of lamb slices which were tender with just a slight tinge of gaminess (but that's just me as I'm not that into lamb).  The well cooked brown sauce was what I liked most about this dish.

The Grilled Salmon Fillet @ RM45 was next.  The salmon was fresh but a tad overdone for my liking.  What made it all better was the tangy and refreshing tangerine sauce that came with the salmon.  It was also served with the same sautéed vegetables.

The salmon was decent, just that I had better salmon elsewhere (like at Fisherman's Cove and The Pressroom).  It was missing the crispy skin and the pinkish centre that I liked.

The Grilled Chicken @ RM20 was the choice of another in my dining party.  It comes with sautéed vegetables (again) and a choice of honey mustard or mushroom sauce.  This is the one with honey mustard sauce which was good.

There's nothing to complain about this dish, it's chicken (but, thankfully, it's not breast meat).  It's a value-for-money dish and (probably) the cheapest main on the menu.

The last main was the Chicken Parmigiana @ RM26.50 which is a bread-crumbed pc of chicken topped with a tomato salsa sauce and cheese.  This was the least successful dish as I found the chicken to be on the dry side but something kids will probably enjoy coz it's crumbed and fried and topped with melted cheese.

We refrained from ordering any drinks here as we knew we'd be drinking at the dessert place.  But we did end our dinner with a dessert 'teaser' first!! ;)  I brought the Godiva chocolates (that I got from a neighbour earlier on) and shared it with my friends.

This one is from their Truffle Flight series (there are 6 in the series from what I gather from the little brochure inside)...a very good way to tempt you further:

1)  Nut Lovers Truffle Flight Tasting Experience

2)  Dark Decadence Truffle Flight Tasting Experience

3)  Milk Chocolate Lovers Truffle Flight Tasting Experience

4)  Cake Flight Tasting Experience

5)  Heavenly Mousse Truffle Flight Tasting Experience

6)  Ultimate Dessert Truffle Flight Tasting Experience
 

The one we had is from the "Heavenly Mousse Truffle Flight Tasting Experience" series.  Inside, the mousse was made up of dark chocolate vanilla, milk chocolate, strawberry, lemon, peach and cafe au lait.  These are darn good chocolates I must say....and it was 'heaven in a bite' as the name suggests! =)

 

P/S: And then, I received even more chocolates from my neighbours (many thanks)....the Godiva milk chocolate is absolutely divine!

 

Last, but not least, we had our gift exchange....the perfect ending to our meal.  With that done, we moved on to our next anticipated venue for our sweet indulgence ;-)

 

My Personal Opinion

Maria's is definitely up there among the many good steak places....but their prices tip the higher end of the scale.  Their other more budget-value dishes (though still pleasant in taste) are not as enticing compared to their steaks.  If someone in your eating party doesn't eat beef (however), lamb would be the next logical choice.

So, is this place worth another visit?  Of course, but I would stick to what they do best (and taste best) here.....and that's their steaks!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Maria's SteakCafé

58 Jalan Maarof
Bangsar Baru

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2282 2220
 

Madame Waffle @ Mid Valley

My friend and I came to Mid Valley for two reasons...1) we wanted to attend Boey's book signing event and 2) we planned to visit Pandora ;-)  So, on an eagerly anticipated Saturday afternoon, we found ourselves at Madame Waffle @ Mid Valley (a week after it opened) for a quick bite before Boey's book signing session.  As the name suggests, this place deals in.......waffles!
 

Their menu states that their Belgian-style waffles (made fresh in store daily) uses premium quality ingredients from Japan through the brand's tagline "Belgian waffles meet Japanese flavours".  [#Note: Initially, I didn't know what type of waffles they were but got this definition from Wikipedia..."the Liège waffle is a richer, denser, sweeter, and chewier waffle. Native to the greater Wallonia region of Eastern Belgium – they're an adaptation of brioche bread dough, featuring chunks of pearl sugar which caramelise on the outside of the waffle when baked. It is the most common type of waffle available in Belgium and prepared in plain, vanilla and cinnamon varieties by street vendors across the nation".]
 

First up, we ordered a Coffee Tiramisu @ RM16 which is a coffee waffle with a tiramisu gelato, served with coffee whipped cream and strawberries, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce at the bottom.  When the dish was brought to our table (you order and pay at the counter first), we could see that it was prettily presented.

If you enjoy coffee, you're sure gonna enjoy this tremendously ;)

The tiramisu gelato was nice and creamy...everyone loved it!

From their menu (which I think you can take away incidentally), your other options of waffles with gelato ice-cream (all priced at RM16) on offer here are:

1)  Classic (waffle with strawberries and bananas, topped with Belgian chocolate sauce and vanilla gelato)

2)  Signature Green Tea (green tea waffle with matcha gelato, strawberries, whipped cream and azuki beans)

3)  Banana Nutella (waffle, nutella, banana & double chocolate gelato, glazed with Belgian chocolate)
 

We also picked up a 6-pc Assorted Waffles @ RM36 where you can choose from their 7 types of waffles available.  The flavours include original, honey, cinnamon, matcha, coffee, white chocolate and dark chocolate (we left out the matcha flavoured one).  Strangely, the waffles came in a very nice take-away box (even though we were dining in).

Let me give you a sneak peak inside!  Unfortunately, the chocolaty ones looked a bit messy in the take-away box (as they've been squished together), so excuse the not-so-nice pic :(
 

As you can see, the 7 available flavours are printed on the box...and these are the different types of waffles if you were to order them separately.  As some of them looked pretty similar, and I can't remember the sequence of my pics, I hope I've paired the right flavour to the right pic (otherwise, my apologies if I've gotten them mixed up).
 

Original @ RM5.90 (vanilla infused waffle with pearl sugar)
 

Honey @ RM6.50 (pure honey glazed waffle)
 

Cinnamon @ RM6.50 (with cinnamon sugar topping)

Matcha @ RM6.50 (Japanese green tea infused waffle) - this is the one we chose to omit.

Coffee @ RM6.90 (coffee espresso infused waffle)

White Chocolate @ RM6.90 (with Belgian milk & white chocolate topping)

Dark Chocolate @ RM6.90 (with Belgian dark chocolate topping)

Overall, the waffles were crisp on the outside and fluffy and chewy on the inside....they were very good!  I think out of the 6 flavours I tried, I preferred the traditional flavours of vanilla, honey and cinnamon (though I enjoyed the original one the most).  The pearl sugar that had caramelised on the outside gave it the crispy, crunchy texture...it was a heavenly bite ;)  For chocolate lovers, I'm sure you'd find both the white and dark chocolate waffles to your liking (but a bit too rich for me towards the end and we had trouble finishing).  I guess we were too greedy and ordered too many to try.

My friend had the Flat White @ RM10.50.  Their coffee selections are fairly priced between RM7.50 - RM12.50.

I must say their house-blend speciality coffees here are pretty strong (leaning towards slightly bitter).
 

I went with the Piccolo Latte @ RM9.50.

If you're not into strong coffees, I suggest you go with the other drinks on offer like Japanese green tea (hot or ice), hot teas, hot or cold chocolate and homemade sodas, priced between RM8.50 - RM12.50.

We had actually planned to have dinner after our shopping at Pandora but we were too stuffed by then....don't underestimate the waffles, people!  They may look smallish and light but 7 waffles (+ ice cream and coffee) for 2 adults & 2 very young kids turned out to be too much for us.  But, we went home feeling utterly happy and satiated coz 1) we got our book signed, 2) we left Pandora with "something" and 3) we ate at Madame Waffle....triple yay!!

My Personal Opinion

If you have never tried a Belgian Liege waffle, then you should give this a try. They're really good!  But my utmost favourite had to be the one eaten with tiramisu gelato and strawberries.  It's the combination of ice-cream and strawberries (to cut through the sweetness of the waffles) that made it all work so well together.

Choose any one (or more) of your favourite flavours for take-aways or dine-in where you can enjoy them with their gelato ice-cream and speciality coffees...now that's a dream come true for any gal :)

Like their catch line.....these are "life's simple pleasures"....so, what are you waiting for?

It's the sweetest time of the year!

Madame Waffle
T045 Level 3 Mezzanine Floor

South Court Mid Valley Megamall

Mid Valley City

Lingkaran Syed Putra
59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 016-716 1098