CoffeeLicious (Lunch Options) @ Pandan Indah

CoffeeLicious @ Pandan Indah has been a regular haunt of mine (since discovering its existence months back) for a good western breakfast and a cup of coffee in the mornings to kickstart my day right (and I'm there on a regular basis).

I enjoy the tranquility of a quiet morning while sipping on my cup of coffee.  But CoffeeLicious isn't just about breakfasts, they have lunch options too.

And seeing how much I did enjoy their breakfast items, I came with a friend for lunch one day.  She chose the Spaghetti Carbonara Lunch Set @ RM25 inclusive of a drink.

The moment the spaghetti arrived, we were bowled over by just how large the portion was.  It came generously filled with chicken ham and fresh shiitake mushrooms (button mushrooms would have been better, of course) topped with cheese and a sprinkling of dried parsley served with a piece of crunchy sourdough toast with garlic spread.

I had the Spaghette Bolognese Lunch Set @ RM23 (which also includes a free drink) and served with the same garlic-infused sourdough toast as above.  You can again see how plentiful the meat sauce was...and they were not kedekut (stingy) with the minced chicken either.

I found myself enjoying this bolognese more than I thought I would as the tomato sauce was just nicely balanced, not too acidic like many I've had before.  Of course, I told them to hold the cheese in my spaghetti.  Again, it was a very big portion and you'll definitely come away feeling full.

Our drink of choice was of course Iced Latte....which is my friend's favourite choice of coffee and mine too, a firm favourite when I'm here.

Besides these pastas set, they've also introduced a couple of new sandwiches that are heartier (and probably more suitable for lunch though they can also be for breakfast if you're extra hungry or have a bigger appetite) and they include the Chicky Chick Sandwich, Avo Prawn Sandwich and AvoWhole Sandwich.

As you can see, many of their dishes are avocado-focussed, so if you're fan of avocado you know where you can get your fix....and I'm a fan! ;)  So I started with this Egg & Avocado Toast @ RM20 comprising of scrambled eggs and avocado over a piece of sourdough toast (with coffee, of course, a Hot Long Black @ RM9).

The scrambled eggs are as per usual, nice and fluffy, with slices of fresh, creamy avocado.  If you're a fan of avocado, you'd know that avocado and eggs is a perfect combo! ;)

Although I love eggs and avocado together, I would have liked it better if the avocado was mashed for that creamier texture instead of just sliced.  I made a special request the next time I had this and was happy they obliged and agreed to make it into an avocado mash for me...yumzzz! ^o^

On one of my visits here, I tried something from their new sandwich menu, the Avo Prawn Sandwich @ RM28 paired with an Iced Latte @ RM12.  I was a bit taken aback when the dish arrived as it looked nothing like the pic in the menu...it was served more like a Japanese-style sando sandwich.

Releasing the sandwich from its packaging, I could see that it was filled wth prawns, scrambled eggs, mashed avocado and cherry tomatoes.  I'm afraid I didn't like the prawns as they were those frozen, translucent-looking prawns with an overly crunchy texture.

Needless to say, this was the least favourite thing I ate from here.  I would have preferred if it was served exactly like the one shown in their menu or, even better, an open-faced sandwich coz wrapping it up made the sourdough soft (like those soft, fluffy milk bread used in a sando sandwich)...but I want that nicely toasted, crisp, crusty texture of sourdough as it's supposed to be.

My Personal Opinion

A convenient and pleasant stop for me in the mornings to get my fix of coffee, breakfast and (sometimes) lunch on days when I'm hankering for a western meal.

If you're a lover of avocado (like I am), they have quite a few options on their menu for you to sink your teeth into like the Mushroom Egg & Cheese Bagel + Avocado and Avocado Beet Hummus Toast besides the two newly launched sourdough sandwiches...but their Egg & Avocado Toast is still my favourite (and I make a special request for the avocado to be mashed). ^.^

CoffeeLicious

3G Jalan Pandan Indah 4/33

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-4288 3387

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

CoffeeLicious @ Pandan Indah

My neighbourhood is now home to a quaint little new cafe, CoffeeLicious @ Pandan Indah, that's been around a little over a year ago...and I only just discovered it recently, some 3 months back actually.  That's because it's located in the quieter part of the neighbourhood which I seldom venture out to.

I bumped into the place when trying out a new mamak restaurant on the same row.  After my breakfast of roti canai, while walking back to my car, I chanced upon the cafe...and was eager to try it out as there's a lack of such cafes (that's any good) in my neighbourhood.

I came back immediately the same week to explore.  The inside of the cafe is small with a simple decor but certainly cosy and comfortable, even a little posh for a residential cafe.  You don't need a big space (really) for a neighbourhood cafe as most of the clientele would probably come from the residents staying here.

I'm always on the lookout for a good western breakfast and coffee to start my mornings, so I started my taste test with one of their breakfast sets (that's available between 8 - 10 am)....the Egg Sourdough Toast @ RM18.

You get some fluffy scrambled eggs on a piece of crispy sourdough toast accompanied by some baked beans and a simple salad of lettuce and cherry tomatoes lightly tossed in roasted sesame dressing.  For those who enjoy their scrambled eggs a little bit more cooked (and less watery) like I do, you'll be pleased with the rendition here.

But what's great with getting the breakfast set is that it comes along with a free drink...coffee or tea (hot/cold)....and I chose a Hot Cappuccino (which otherwise would have cost RM11 separately).

On another morning, I tried another of their breakfast set, the Tuna Croissant @ RM25 which came abundantly filled with tuna flakes well dressed in mayo for a creamy bite.  It came with the same sides of baked beans and salad.  This time I had an Iced Latte.

The croissant was utterly flaky and crisp...and buttery enough, which are the very hallmarks of a good croissant.  There's no way of eating this other then to make a mess as the super flaky croissant crumbles into tiny little pieces easily (all over the table) as you cut/bite into them...lol!

There's only 4 breakfast set choices and the other sets was between a choice of Plain Croissant/Bagel (RM15) or a Salad (RM20)...now who wants a salad for breakfast! :D  So, this was followed by an a la carte order of the Big Breakfast @ RM25 one morning.  Since this was not a breakfast set, I had to pay for the Iced Latte @ RM12 separately.

No false advertising of the Big Breakfast...it was indeed big!  It proved too big/heavy for breakfast and I had to tapau some of the items home.  It arrived at the table comprising of ham, sausage, scrambled eggs, hashbrown, sourdough toast, baked beans and a salad.  Although most of the items on the plate are ready-made, store-bought items, it's still nice to have someone cook it for you once in a while instead of making it yourself at home. 

Next I had the Egg Mayo Croissant (or Bagel) @ RM15 with chopped hard-boiled egg mixed with mayo served with the same sides as the earlier breakfast sets with my favourite Iced Latte.

I found myself enjoying this simple egg with mayo filling quite a bit as the mayo brought a little sweetness to the chopped egg.  If you're one who loves an egg + mayo sandwich (like I do), this is certain to give you pleasure.

Then there's also the Ham & Egg Croissant @ RM16 with scrambled eggs and ham (which you can't really see coz it's hidden beneath the scrambled eggs).  I had this with a Long Black (Hot) @ RM9.

Just be forewarned that the scrambled eggs here are cooked a little bit more.  In fact, this one (I've to admit) was a little overdone that day.  Consistency in cooking eggs (like steak) to the right doneness is always tricky.

My Personal Opinion

They're open only for breakfast and lunch which is perfect for me as I've been looking for a nice, quiet place to sit down and enjoy a good cup of coffee to start off my day...and if it comes with some good bread and eggs, even better!  Recently they've introduced a couple of new menu items, so I'm sure I'll be checking those out pretty soon. ^_~

Even though they don't make their own bread inhouse, both their supplied croissant and sourdough are of a very decent quality.  The croissant (especially) stayed extremely flaky, light and crisp even after reheating.  I liked that they pay attention even to the smallest of details as the lettuce leaves are always fresh and crisp, even the baked beans served are warmed up.

I'm happy that I've this little cafe in my neighbourhood...and I've been coming here on a weekly basis ever since to get my coffee fix as well as a good breakfast to kickstart my day.  Of course, the standard can't be compared to the many well-known, good cafes out there...but for a neighbourhood cafe, this will do just fine.

CoffeeLicious

3G Jalan Pandan Indah 4/33

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-4288 3387

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