Two Chefs Lab @ Bandar Mahkota Cheras

I've been to Two Chefs Lab @ Bandar Mahkota Cheras before (many years ago) and remembered my experience to be a positive one.  I did want to return but somehow conveniently forgot about them (coz there were loads of other places I wanted to try) until now.

Seeing that they've withstood the test of time (and is still around almost 10 years later) is proof itself that the food is still good...and since my friends and I have been having mostly western-type meals in our makan gatherings of late, we thought we'd have Japanese for a change.

The very first thing I wanted to order was this Hamaguri Niniku @ RM18 because I remembered it so well from the last time I had it.  The price went up by only RM2 (from 9 years ago) which is highly commendable.

Nothing has changed except for the plating coz they obviously couldn't plate it the same way (because of the uneven no. of clams) now that you get 7 instead of 8...lol!  But you get the same great taste of grilled hamaguri (clams) topped in a rich, creamy, lightly salty niniku (garlic) sauce that tasted much like a torched mentai sauce with added garlic flavour (made more garlicky by the sprinkling of garlic chips on top).

The conveniently opened clams took up the entire space of the clam shells, so I'd say they were rather huge and thick.  So good that I could devour a few more plates of these! ^.^

Next was this Hamachi Carpaccio @ RM25 of yellowtail (or Japanese amberjack) sashimi known for its clean, subtle taste which makes it ideal for raw preparations in the form of sushi or sashimi.

The super fresh fish slices were served with a housemade yuzu truffle shoyu and lightly garnished with tobiko and finely chopped spring onions.  The hamachi has a delicate, buttery, tender texture with a mild, slightly sweet flavour.  Another wonderful dish.

Another carpaccio dish that I ordered was this Kuro Buta (Black Pork) Carpaccio @ RM19 featuring torched sliced pork with homemade chilli vinegar sauce.  The black pork (I believe) implies Iberico pork slices.

Lightly seared, thinly sliced, the Iberico pork slices were served with slivers of white onions, topped with a sprinkling of togarashi (a Japanese chilli blend) and sesame seeds as well as a garnish of ito togarashi (thin red threads from dried chilli peppers), the pork slices were nicely tender with a mild hint of spice.

Tuna Tataki @ RM19 was our next dish showcasing sashimi-grade tuna that's usually eaten raw or rare (lightly seared on the outside) served with a condiment of onion shoyu (finely chopped spring onions & onions) on top.

Here the slices were quickly seared on just one side and you just need to dip this in ponzu (if offered) or a little soy in this case (and wasabi if you like, I don't!) offering a fresh, light and slighly savoury bite.

We finished our starter dishes for sharing with a Japanese staple of Kani Cawanmushi @ RM16 featuring a silky smooth steamed egg custard with a topping of crab meat (kani).  I believe fresh crab meat was used instead of those imitation crab (coz those would have strips of red visually), so this tasted loads better.

What I found amusing was that this cawanmushi was actually served in a cawan (lol)....a typical coffee cup we drink coffee from......and not the usual Japanese tea cup.  Other choices of cawanmushi include ikura (salmon roe) and foie gras (duck liver).

Now...onto our mains for sharing, starting with the TCL Chirashi Don @ RM57, probably one of their signature dishes (since it carries their TCL name), which is typically a rice don topped with a variety of the chef's sashimi selection.

It highlighted a bowl full of fresh ingredients of salmon, tuna, white tuna, amaebi (sweet prawn), and octopus together with unagi (done shirayaki style which is grilled eel without the sweet sauce glaze) and tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette) and finished with a topping of ikura (salmon roe).  Everything was absolutely delicious and fresh! ^o^

This was followed by the Hamburg Don @ RM36 with a housemade beef patty on a bed of rice served with an onsen tamago and garnished with some slices of vinegared daikon (Japanese white radish) and chopped spring onions.

Cut open the egg and let it drool lusciously into the rice...and into your mouth! ;)  The beef patty was tender and flavourful (with a bit of beefy taste but in a good way) and the overflowing egg yolk provided that extra silky smoothness to the patty and rice.

Our final main dish for sharing was the Signature Cold Pasta @ RM42, something I don't often see on menus and something I've not had before (although I've had chilled soba dipped in a cold broth before and enjoying it).

This dish of cold truffled angel hair pasta, topped with crab meat, uni (sea urchin) and caviar, was sitting on a bed of shoyu concoction.  The pasta tossed in the shoyu gave it a savoury flavour and it was delightfully chilled, something different that I enjoyed. ^_^

For drinks, we had Green Tea Latte (Cold) @ RM12 and fresh juices of Guava Soursop @ RM11 and Orange Pineapple Mango also @ RM11.

My Personal Opinion

My return visit resulted in the same good dining experience I had almost 10 years ago...my only regret was that it took me so long to return.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything I had here but the standouts from this visit were (still) the grilled garlic clams (that never failed to impress), the impeccable freshness of the chirashi don and the unique signature cold pasta.

If you happen to live in the area (like one of my makan buddies), this neighbourhood gem of a Japanese restaurant should be on your must-visit list.  Haiz, if only it was nearer to me (or in my neighbourhood), you'll see me there regularly! ^_~

Two Chefs Lab

23-G Jalan Temenggong 27/9

Seksyen 9 Bandar Mahkota Cheras

43200 Cheras

Selangor

Tel: 03-9011 9910

Making My Own Sourdough Sandwiches

For those who have followed my blog long enough, they'd know how much I love bread.  It's one carb (my one weakness) I find extremely difficult to give up...and so, I shall not!

Well, according to my blogger friend (phonghongbakes), there are better/healthier breads (like wholemeal bread and, specifically, sourdough)...and not-so-good/less healthy breads (like white bread).  Well, I'm no doctor or nutrionist but if it's good enough for phonghongbakes, it's good enough for me...lol! ^_*

There's this neighbourhood cafe, CoffeeLicious, I visit regularly to get my bread fix...specifically sourdough. And well, they sell sourdough too...and that was what I bought after breakfast one morning (one whole loaf at RM15 which I thought was a very decent price).  I asked them to slice up the loaf for me...and as you can see, there are 8 slices...but the slicing (by hand) was poorly done (very uneven, some parts thick and thin within the same slice).  The other drawback with buying a whole loaf is there'll be wastage of the not-so-good parts...both ends of the sourdough as it's mainly crust and can be very chewy and too hard to eat/bite into.

So, when life gives you sourdough, you make western-style breakfasts, of course...starting with a Scrambled Eggs & Bacon Sourdough Open Sandwich.  Everything starts with bacon...hehe....3 rashers of fragrant, crispy goodness! ^o^  Sorry, my scrambled eggs seemed a little overdone (that always happen when it's homemade) but it's alright since I prefer it slightly overdone at home coz I don't know how fresh my eggs (from the supermarket) are.

So good when having it with a cup of iced coffee...unfortunately it's not a coffee from a cafe but my favourite brand of made-at-home instant white coffee.

I also made a Bacon & Omelette Sourdough Sandwich for lunch one day with layers of bacon, omelette and sliced cucumber on buttered and lightly toasted sourdough slices.  Two thick, huge slices of sourdough make for a very filling lunch.

Sometimes I would just simply have my toasted Sourdough with Butter & Jam accompanied by two soft-boiled eggs...a super quick breakfast to whip up but a super satisfying one to eat.  Simple but good! ;)

Besides sourdough, my other go-to for a healthier bread option is the wholemeal bread from GBB Bakery (RM4.80 for 6 slices).  I actually prefer to buy these smaller loaves from bakeries as it takes a shorter time for me to finish them (since I'm the only one eating), so I can always have fresh bread.

This is my homemade Big Breakfast with sausages, bacon, fried egg, mushrooms and baked beans served with wholemeal toast and butter.  This wholemeal toast is studded with some chopped walnuts...nice! ^o^

Judging from the portion size, this was definitely not for breakfast.  Only the name is Big Breakfast...but I like to make them for lunch and dinner too.  I can eat this breakfast dish anytime of the day coz I love it so much!

Sometimes when I'm a little bit more hardworking, I'd make French Toast and eat them with bacon, sausages, mushrooms and baked beans.  Again, I ate this for dinner...so good! ^.^

For breakfast, it'd be a simpler (and smaller portion) with just French Toast & Bacon.  Can anyone tire of eating bacon?  Well, certainly not me! :D

I was even naughtier here...I had some leftover luncheon meat (another thing besides bacon that one does not get tired of eating...lol) and made a Wholemeal Sandwich with Bacon, Luncheon Meat & Omelette.

I bought these gourmet ham from Aeon and they tasted pretty good when I made French Toast with Ham & Omelette.  If you're lazy to go through the trouble of cooking bacon in your pan or air fryer, ham is a more convenient protein for your sandwiches as they're loads easier to fry than bacon.

Since I can't give up bread (just like phonghongbakes), the only viable solution is to, at least, choose a better bread in sourdough or wholemeal.  Don't force yourself to stay away from something that makes you happy (I'm not going to anymore)...and bread (and coffee) makes me happy. ^o^

There were days when I thought I felt depressed when I had to refrain from bread (and coffee)...and I find myself much more contented now when I don't restrict myself.  Of course, anything we eat...we must eat in moderation.  We all should eat things that make us happy coz we live only once..and we might as well enjoy our one life when we can...live well, life is short! ^_~

Coffeeboy Club @ The Campus Ampang

Coffeeboy @ The Campus, Ampang was a cafe my friend brought me to when she wanted to drop off her daughter (and her friend) there.

It's a community hub featuring retail stores, F & B restaurants & cafes, sports facilities, education, art, music, a grocery store and a kids' zone.  Well, basically it's a place to shop, dine and engage in various recreational activities, so it's pretty popular with the youngsters.

So, my friend's daugher (and her friend) joined us for lunch before heading off on their own.  It was already past lunch time (and my friend wasn't very hungry), so I ordered a few light dishes for the three of us to share starting with the B-fast Sandwich @ RM18.

It's a milk bun served with scrambled eggs and torched cheddar cheese @ RM11.  Can't fault a simple dish of fluffy scrambled eggs with a soft milk bun.

Next was the Sauteed Mushroom & Eggplant @ RM16 on a piece of sourdough with torched cheddar cheese.

Again, can't go wrong with juicy, sauteed button mushrooms that's always a delight to eat though I don't remember it having much sauteed eggplant.

Our final dish was the Seabass Mayo Sandwich @ RM25 featuring housemade seabass with mayo and tomatoes in a sourdough-filled sandwich served with a refreshing salad of cruncy lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes with sesame dressing.

This was my favourite sandwich of the day as a filling of seabass isn't something commonly found on cafes' menus.  I liked the taste of the small chunks of seabass in between the well toasted and crisp sourdough...yumsss! ;)

My friend's daughter's friend chose the Fried Chicken Garlic Rice @ RM20, a dish of butter garlic fried rice with buttermilk fried chicken, fried egg, bok choy and (what looks like) a sambal (or kuah kacang) to me.

I didn't taste the dish (obviously) but seeing that she polished off everything was probably an indication she enjoyed the dish.  It looked appetising and the portion seemed very filling.

Of course, coffee is a must and I was pleasantly surprised just how decent...and (more importantly) cheap the Iced Latte was (RM8 + RM1 with ice).  You can hardly get an iced milk coffee for under RM10 these days in a cafe.

And it was these very affordably-priced coffees that brought us (me and my friend) back here again two weeks later.  I've got to say for an Iced Latte that costs only RM9, there are (and should be) no complaints whatsoever. ^_~

Seeing that my friend enjoyed this dish of Sauteed Mushroom & Eggplant @ RM16 the last time round, I ordered this again for our shared first dish.  This time the cheddar was better torched and it was served with some chilli sauce (very Malaysian-like...lol....but it wasn't needed really).

Next on my radar was the Grilled Salmon @ RM32 in a lemon butter sauce served with sauteed french beans, cherry tomatoes and roasted potatoes.  When the dish arrived at the table, I was surprised it was not served skin side up (in fact, I think it was skinless if I remember correctly) but that didn't matter one bit coz it looked super inviting with the seasoning contributing to a fantastically seared crust.

The lemon butter sauce was also very tasty with its citrusy tang and not too harsh sourness making it absolutely amazing to eat.  Loved the simple accompaniments of lightly roasted smashed potatoes, french beans and cherry tomatoes done right too.  I was quite taken aback but its deliciousness as it was one of the better grilled salmon I've had in a while.

The only setback was that the salmon dish portion was rather small (and we were still hungry), so I went to the counter and ordered another two dishes to share.  One of them was this Fried Fish Fingers @ RM18.

The fish fingers were made in-house with battered seabass fried to crispy perfection.  I usually don't expect much from fried fish fingers but these freshly made ones took me by surprise just how wonderful they were. Served with a chunky tartar sauce that looked housemade as well.

I also got us a plate of Not So Chunky Chips @ RM12.  Nothing to complain about these French Fries as they were well seasoned (salted with a sprinkling of chilli powder and fresh parsley).  In the end, we couldn't quite finish these two extra plates of food, so the balance went into my trusted container that I so happened to have in my bag.

My Personal Opinion

The place is quite small (especially the indoor space with air-conditioning) but their menu is pretty extensive for such a small cafe with the majority of their menu focussed on sandwiches and burgers.

What surprised me was the quality and affordability of their food (with most priced between RM10 - RM30) with coffees as cheap as RM8 (and black coffee at just RM6) + RM1 if you want it with ice (crafted lattes cost between RM10 - RM15).  My favourite dishes from here were the Grilled Salmon and Fried Fish Fingers.

Imagine getting a quick sandwich and coffee for breakfast or a simple lunch for around RM20, so there's really no cause for complaint based on the very reasonable prices that's matched with quality too.  Well, I'm certainly up for that! ^_~

Coffeeboy

L1-6 The Campus

Batu 5 Jalan Kerja Ayer Lama

Ampang Jaya

68000 Selangor