Kenny Hills Bakers (Again) @ Bukit Tunku

After a satisfying family makan outing at Teow Chew Meng, we decided to look for a place to sit down for some drinks and maybe some light bites too.  Following a very satisfying dining experience at Kenny Hills Bakers before, I suggested the place as a possible venue.  Since we were in the vicinity of PJ after Teow Chew Meng, we made our way to the TTDI branch of Kenny Hills Bakers but, on reaching there, we were told that there'll be at least a 30 - 45 minutes wait for a table.

We didn't want to wait, so I suggested Common Man Coffee Roasters (when I was reminded of the place which we happened to pass by enroute to Kenny Hills Bakers).  It wasn't our lucky day coz when we reached Common Man Coffee Roasters, we were told they were closed for a private event...haiz.  We drove around for a bit to look for other potential spots but none latched on.  We also considered the Ampang branch of Kenny Hills Bakers and called ahead and was told there's also a wait for tables.  So, at that point, I suggested we might as well head to Kenny Hills Bakers @ Bukit Tunku (the same branch I visited earlier with friends) after having driven around for more than an hour.  By the time we got there, we managed to secure a table almost immediately (even though the place was still crowded) as it was past peak hours laready.

My brother-in-law requested for something with sourdough, so I got the Smoked Salmon Rillettes @ RM26 from the Toasties and Rillettes section (the other choice being a prawn rillette).  The smoked salmon rilletette featured diced smoked salmon with creme fraiche and micro herbs on toasted organic sourdough.

Loved the taste of the smoked salmon rillette with a lightly spiced cocktail sauce (Thousand Island-like) on crisp toasted sourdough.  Overall a very good bite together with some crispy fragrant curry leaves, smooth creme fraiche (or sour cream) and a dusting of smoked paprika.  This ended up to be my brother-in-law's favourite thing he tried here.

From their Organic Wood-Fired Sourdough Pizza section of the menu, I ordered an Al Funghi Sourdough Pizza @ RM36 for sharing which comprised of an 8-inch pizza with 3 types of mushrooms (portobello, button & oyster mushrooms) with mozzarella and truffle oil.  Juicy mushrooms with a lovely textured, pliable, smoky sourdough in every bite is nothing short of gratifying! ^o^

I can't believe I'm going to say that this cheese is one that I can even say I enjoy eating.  Clearly miles away from your average store-bought grated cheese (urgh!), this mozzarella tasted really good.  If there's one cheese I can tolerate and eat is mozzarella which is the cheese used in most pizzas (unlike cheese in burgers which I believe is usually cheddar)...and that's why you do see me enjoying pizzas every now and then.  There are even some mozzarella in pizzas that I don't like (those very stretchy types) but this one tasted even better than the usual melted mozzarella in other pizzas.  I think the pizza was finished off with some grated parmesan on top (parmesan is also a cheese I can't tolerate especially those extra stinky ones that come out of a bottle but this, I believe, is fresh parmesan shavings which taste very different...and very tolerable..hehe! ;)

You'll surely find a pizza to your liking as other choices include margherita with burrata, Sicilian, three cheeses, beef pepperoni, Hawaiian, portobello mushroom & spinach, Mediterranean, smoked salmon, seafood or half & half.  Their artisanal pizzas are handcrafted to order and there'll be a 20 - 30 minutes waiting period (as stated in their menu)...but I can assure you, it's definitely worth the wait.

For a sweet bite, my sister-in-law wanted waffles, so her husband asked me to order the Bananatella @ RM26 for her which I dutifully complied.  This Banantella came with bananas and nutella (of course, the hints were already in the name of the dish), a good drizzle of homemade peanut butter, a generous sprinkling of pecan crumble and homemade vanilla ice cream.

It was a dessert that we struggled to finish....as it was sweet on sweet (nutella and peanut butter)! >_<  My sister-in-law regretted her choice, she said she didn't know it came with chocolate.  She must have missed reading the ingredients description or the word "nutella" which would clearly indicate that there's a chocolate and hazelnut spread.  We tried to scrape away as much nutella and peanut butter as possible but, in the end, it was still too sweet (I had one bite + 2 chunks of banana only).

I remember when waffles first burst onto the scene some 10 years ago, it was the rage...not so much now.  If there's one dessert I don't normally order, it's waffles...coz it almost always comes with either ice cream (or some kind of cream) and chocolate sauce.  Cafes tend to go crazy with the toppings so that it's instagrammable they can charge you more...lol.  If I do eat waffles, I prefer to eat them in their original and simplest form...with just a bit of butter and a good quality maple syrup.

The last time I was here with friends, we thoroughly enjoyed this sweet pastry, so I was keen to introduce the Peach Strudel @ RM18 to my extended family.  Super thin and airy, immensely flaky and crispy, this dessert is a must-try.  It not only loooks pretty, it tastes pretty good too.

I happened to watch Daphne Iking's Best.Ever.S1 one day (which is like a local version of Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate) and saw this very dessert featured...and she chose Chef Sherson Lian's recommendation of the peach strudel from Kenny Hills Bakers (as the winner) over the other desserts in her Best Ever Dessert episode.  If it's good enough for Daphne Iking Chef Sherson, it's good enough for me...lol! ;)

Our drinks of OG (Orange + Grapefruit) Juice @ RM16, Iced Green Tea @ RM13, Iced Lemon Tea @ RM16, Iced Latte @ RM15 and Hot Cappuccino @ RM13.  If there's one thing cafes make tonnes of money from, it's from drinks...however expensive, people will still order drinks so that they can sit and chat!

I decided to get a White Sourdough @ RM21 to take home and asked the staff to slice it up for me (and divide them into 3 separate bags so that my sisters-in-law can each take a portion home) as the bread is too huge for one to finish (since their bread stays fresh for up to 3 days if stored at room temperature).  Even when divided into three, I still got a sufficient portion of 3 huge + 2 smaller slices.

My Personal Opinion

Some people might find the prices at Kenny Hills Bakers on the higher side (and I do agree to a certain extent) but know that their food is made with some of the finest ingredients.  It shows in the taste of their dishes, so I would gladly pay don't mind paying a slight premium for good tasting food with better quality ingredients. ^_~

The food here never fails to impress and I had just as good a dining experience on my second visit as I did on my first.  There is still so much more on the menu to try (they've got quite an extensive menu) and I've still not tried any of their well-known signature pies yet.

I can see why they're doing so well in all their branches.  Great food, quality ingredients, good coffees, impeccable service and pleasant ambience (amidst beautifully landscaped greenery for this branch) all plays a key part in their success.  In the end, this was the right branch to take my extended family to seeing that my sisters-in-law took advantage of the many great photo taking opportunities with the instagrammable spots available to them.  Do give this a try if you're looking to partake in some artisanal products with organic produce.

Kenny Hills Bakers

Lot B-2 Taman Tunku

Off Jalan Langgak Tunku

Bukit Tunku

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-6206 4111