Zest Patisserie @ Connaught Avenue, Cheras

Since we were already in the vicinity for lunch at Summer at 17°C Cafe, we might as well kill two birds with one stone...and proceed to our next venue that was just round the corner without the need to brave the traffic again.

We know of a dessert place here that's almost a year old, Zest Patisserie @ Connaught Avenue, Cheras, within a short walking distance from our lunch venue.

Walking into the cafe located on the ground floor, it again reminded me of a similar decor in our previous lunch place with mostly white and beige furniture from...guess where?  Of course it had to be Ikea!  Ikea furniture seems to be a very popular choice among cafe owners (especially dessert cafes) as I've been to so many now with the very popular white and beige theme topping the list).

We were here for some desserts and drinks and I see that they have waffles, cakes and sorbets on their menu (there could be more which I can't remember) and they serve good quality coffee (RGB, I heard) and tea (Harney & Sons).

Waffles is a popular choice here for some sweet pleasures and I've seen a few of them (in blogs).  A highly recommended one is Caprice (a charcoal waffle with salted egg yolk sauce & ice cream).  We've already had salted egg yolk pasta earlier for lunch, so we weren't in the mood for more salted egg yolk.  Other waffles include Durian King (charcoal waffle with cendol & durian ice cream) and Joli (matcha coconut waffle with lemongrass & ginger ice cream).

But we were more interested in their cakes.  Reputed to be made with high quality French ingredients and modern French techniques, these fine and whimsy cakes looked absolutely dainty and pretty in their cake display counter which made it very hard for us to choose...we wanted them all! ;)

#Side Story:
One thing I quickly realised is that only the name of the cake is displayed...no information on the ingredients and some didn't even have specific names, they're just listed as petit gateau of the day! >.<  I ended up asking the lady at the counter what some of these cakes were and she rattled off the names of some of the ingredients which I forgot in the next second already.  You see, people (like us) who knows how to eat only(!), but knows next to nothing about baking, would find the terms alien in our vocabulary and thus find the words won't easily stick to memory.  I gave up (more like embarrassed) after asking her about a few of them. I would much rather they list the ingredients (like what Crosserie Artisan Bakery does) in their place cards (or, maybe, display it in a list at the cake counter) and let us read the ingredients (and commit it to memory at our own pace...kekeke!) thereby making it much easier for us to decide which ones we fancy.

We finally made our choices and selected three slices of cakes....Fantaisie, Le Royale and Earl.  We went with their tea set promotion of one slice of cake with a pot of tea at RM19.90.  Otherwise, the cakes cost between RM13.80 to RM15.80 a slice.  I know their cakes are a bit more on the expensive side but they're made with quality imported ingredients such as Elle & Vire whipping cream (French, no less) and the finest Belgian chocolates (Callebaut) for their pastry creations.

The first one, Fantaisie @ RM13.80 a slice, is made with coconut mousse, passion fruit cremeux and matcha dacquoise.  Now you must be wondering how I know these since the ingredients were not listed in their place cards...well, I referred to their Facebook for the details, of course! ;P

It's a soft and luscious cake with a predominant coconut flavour coming through which I found to be a bit on the sweet side.  That was why the matcha dacquoise was there to lend a hint of bitterness to balance out the sweetness, I guess.  I would have loved for more of the tangy fruity flavour in the passion fruit cremeux to come through in the cake though.

Pomegranate Oolong Tea (Ti Quan Yin Oolong infused with pomegranate)

My friend wanted to try the Le Royale @ RM14.30 featuring layers of chocolate mousse, chocolate cremeux, chocolate sponge and hazelnut feuilletine.  Chocolate lovers would certainly find this ravishing as did my friend's little girl.

Lemon Verbena Tea (caffeine free, lemony with herbal infusion)

Our final cake was the Earl @ RM14.30 made with Earl Grey milk chocolate mousse and mango custard in a fluffy Japanese vanilla sponge....and topped off with a small edible silver leaf to add a perception of luxury.

This tiny piece of cake was one-of-a-kind, so airy and light....it was just sublime...and very pretty too.  I just love the soft, delicate texture of the cake in my mouth, with a hint of chocolate, and an absolutely smooth mango custard...undoubtedly my favourite of the three! ^o^

Dragon Pearl Jasmine Tea (Jasmine scented floral tea)...all served with a little cookie (nice touch!)

There were a couple of other cakes that looked just as stunning (that we didn't choose as we could only eat so much after lunch) >.<  I've listed some of them here for you (I wished I had this list earlier)...it would have made our decision-making so much easier! ;)

1)  Petit Gateau of the day (second from left) - Vanilla/Mascarpone/Summer Berries

2)  Kaffir (third from left) - cream cheese/sour cream/kaffir lime zest/kaffir juice/digestive biscuit

3)  Ruby (no idea what the ingredients are)

4)  La Fraise (extreme left) - some kind of strawberry cube cake

(this one is quite common and I've eaten quite a few of them recently)

5)  Petit Gateau of the day - red wine berry ganache/chocolate tart/crisp raspberry/raspberry mousse

6)  Lavender - lavender cream/blueberry compote/almond tart/lavender chocolate cremeux/honey sponge

7) Eclate - Chocolate chilli cremeux/raspberry jam/dark chocolate sponge/chocolate glaze
(I'd probably would have picked this one, instead of Le Royale, if not for the little girl in our midst as chocolate with chilli sounds intriguing)

8)  Tarte au Citron - I've already had some very outstanding lemon tarts lately, so I thought I'd skip this one

9)  Baked cheese tarts are also available on weekends

They also have sorbets on their menu and I wanted something tart to follow after the sweetness of the cakes. The moment the Berries Sorbet @ RM6 caught my eye, my mind was made up already.  The sorbet had some kind of sugar coated crushed biscuits at the bottom to offer some crunch and some fresh berries on top.  It was tangy and refreshing.

My Personal Opinion

The creations at Zest Patisserie are certainly dainty and irresistible with some unique and uncommon flavours. Prices may be on the higher end but rest assured that they're made with some of the finest ingredients.

For this part of the town, this is surely a have-to-try patisserie!  I hope to return to sample some of their other delectable cakes (and maybe a waffle) in future ^_^

Zest Patisserie
K-G-3 Connaught Avenue 
Jalan 9 Taman Bukit Cheras
56000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 016-617 6644

Lancelot Tea-Guild @ Bandar Sunway

Although my friends and I are more of a coffee lover, we decided to have tea for a change when we met up last Saturday (since our last tea meet up was more than five months ago at Two Scones One Cup).

I chose this place, Lancelot Tea-Guild @ Bandar Sunway, after spotting it featured on eatdrinkkl...and remembered being enchanted with the looks of the place.  A check on their Facebook Page revealed that they've been around since December last year.

Stepping into this English-inspired tea house, I was pleasantly surprised to find a cafe of two halves with contrasting decor and ambience between the front and inner part of the cafe.  The front portion of the cafe was modern and sleek with clean white lines (from the walls to the counter, table and chairs).  I especially loved the pristine white wallpaper on the walls.

The inner portion, on the other hand, was medieval in style with portraits of knights in shining armour and shields adorning the walls.  It was dark and warm with comfortable plush red sofas and armchairs.  It was like a medieval kingdom set in a modern world! ;)

It was 3.30pm by the time we got there and the place was packed at that hour...that's because they have high tea sets (3pm - 6pm during weekends) @ RM68 (Tea for Two).  Probably the seats of choice for the afternoon tea would be those big plush sofas and armchairs that are really comfortable for you to sink into and relax. But, if you intend to have a meal, I would suggest those white table and chairs instead that seem more comfortable since the seats aren't as low.

Since there weren't such seating available, we had to take the last table with these tufted couches instead.  In the end, it wasn't all that bad...and we ended up having our late lunch in really comfortable chairs...hehe! :D

Unfortunately, that table also happened to be beneath a chandelier with surrounding blue lights....so, my apologies if the photos are tinged with a blue hue >.<

Their a la carte menu offers anything from starters to soups, salads, snacks, sandwiches, main courses and desserts.  When I got down to ordering, I quickly noticed that none of the dishes on the menu were the ones that first enticed me on eatdrinkkl's blog.  I immediately gestured for help and a pretty young lady (one of the owners, perhaps?) came to my aid.  I told her, "your dishes are different from the ones I saw on a blog"....and 'lo and behold', she completed my sentence...."different from the ones you saw on eatdrinkkl?"  She then told me that those dishes are part of the revised menu which will only be available starting next week (which should be launched by the time this blog post comes out).

It was my mistake for "jumping the gun" and not taking note of the date in eatdrinkkl's blog.  She later came back with the 'soon to be launched' set meal menu offering three of the dishes I saw on eatdrinkkl.  And then, like 'music to my ears', she said they were willing to prepare them for us if that's what we want.  Yes, yes...that's what we want....all three sets, pleeeeeze!  Hmmm, I wonder if that makes us the first paying customers of the new menu :)

Since there were four of us, I ordered an extra dish of Fish & Chips @ RM19.90 featuring almond coated crispy fish fillets served with french fries and tartar sauce.  No complaints on this simple dish which my friend's little kid was happy to help wolf down.

All the set meals came with a starter of Mushroom Soup.  Although we ordered only three set meals, four mushroom soups came which I highlighted to the server.  In the end, the server told us 'no worries' and to consume the extra bowl with compliments from them.

I found the soup to have the right thickness and consistency...just nice and creamy.  The meal started promisingly with a very decent mushroom soup.

The first main course of our set meal to arrive was the Pan-Fried Chicken with Rosemary Gravy @ RM25.90 served with slivers of a medly of softened vegetables comprising of eggplant, yam bean, carrot, green and yellow zucchinis.

The rolled chicken thigh was tender and well seasoned.  I loved the rosemary infused brown gravy which was nice and flavourful...so good!  You can't go wrong with a simple dish of pan-fried chicken with a good jus.

Next up was the Salmon Infused with Apple & Pomegranate @ RM29.90.  You get a thin slice of poached salmon topped with a mixture of cooked, softened fruits and some greens.  The plating and presentation was certainly a feast for the eyes with bursts of colours...of red cherry tomatoes, black olives, yellow sauce, green frisee and some red, blue and yellow flowers thrown in.

The slow-cooked salmon (without skin) was respectably executed and remained moist and juicy.  The accompanying saffron sauce had zesty and refreshing notes and complemented the salmon perfectly.

Our third and final main course was the Honey Glazed Lavender Lamb Rack @ RM29.90 for two lamb racks served with mint sauce.  My friends loved the tenderness and flavour of the lamb racks (although not beautifully frenched like the ones I saw in eatdrinkkl but, then again, there's no cause for complaint since they weren't even supposed to serve this menu until the following week).

The vegetables of purple, orange, green and yellow (eggplant, carrots, green and yellow zucchinis) again was aesthetically pleasing and added a splash of colour to the dish.

The meal came to a befitting end with a dessert of Scones with Tea Ice Cream. 

We weren't told and couldn't quite make out what house-made tea-flavoured ice creams were served that day with the set meal.  One tasted cherry or strawberry like (menu says it's cherry blossom) while the other, very mild in taste, could possibly be Morrocan Mint or Apple Elderflower Tea (based on the colour and the menu)...but it was all good! ;)

Of course, as the name of the cafe implies, you can't leave without tasting some of their teas and here were our choices.  Check out this cool apparatus for brewing teas.

The first was from their English Tea menu, Very Very Berry @ RM16.90 which is a blend of elderberries, grapes, blueberries, blackcurrants and hibiscus flower.  This obviously had an intense fruity berries flavour, otherwise it wouldn't be called Very Very Berry...hehe! :D  If you like your teas very fragrant, fruity and strong, then this one could be for you.

We also tried one of their Cold Brew Teas, Gunpowder Green @ RM12.90.  I think this is more suitable for someone who likes their tea really, really light.

Finally, we went with two Tea Mocktails, the first was Berry Promegranate @ RM14.90 coz you know how I like my berry-licious drinks! ;D

The second was the Jasmine Lemonade @ RM14.90.  You can taste the berries flavour in the first and lemon in the second.  Both drinks were truly refreshing and absolutely lovely on a hot day.

My Personal Opinion

This place offers accessible "atas" (luxury) dining but at affordable prices (check with offpeak.my for discounts) with a great decor and ambience to boot.  Service is friendly and engaging.

The portions of food may be a tad small (for hefty-eaters) but know that they come in wallet-friendly prices. What more can you ask of a main dish that's priced under RM30 which also comes with a starter and dessert. My favourites were the salmon and chicken dishes.

So, if you want the feel of medieval dining atmosphere, why not go on a knight's quest to Lancelot...it'll certainly be a knight (or, in our case, an afternoon) to remember! ;D

Lancelot Tea-Guild
No 5A Nadayu 28 Dagang

Jalan PJS 11/7 Bandar Sunway
47620 Subang Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 03-5613 6639

TWG Tea @ Pavilion

I came to Pavilion on a mission to look for a particular type of watch brand as a birthday present for a friend. But it was not until I walked the length and breadth of two floors that I managed to find the watch shop that I was looking for.  And it was in the most unlikely places...just at the entrance to Tokyo Street.  Finally!!  But that was before I found out they didn't carry the design I was looking for! >:( 

Looking for some respite, I stepped into TWG Tea @ Pavilion to soothe my tired legs after an unsuccessful mission.

I've walked past this place many times but have never stepped in coz I'm more of a coffee person, and then I thought to myself, why not have a TWG tea drinking experience...at least once...since it's been said that if you've never tried TWG tea, then you've missed out on one of life's great pleasures.

Walking in, one can't help but be mesmerised by the fine and exquisite salon and boutique that's TWG.  From the dark wooden chairs and white linen table cloth to the servers' white uniforms, it was like a page off the Orient Express (not that I've been on the Orient Express....kekeke!) :D

TWG teas on display

More teas on display

What attracted me even more were these beautiful teapots and teacups on display.

Even more colourful teacups on display

Fancy buying some expensive tea sets for your tea party? ;)

Seated down and confronted with an all white ensemble, you know you'd be in for some stylish and chic dining experience......"tai tai" mode on! XD

I was given two menus, one for food and the other for tea.  It was mind-boggling the types of teas they have which filled something like 8 pages of the tea menu.  Most are priced around RM19 to RM33.50 though I did see one as high as RM423.50 (yikes!) O_o

The breakfast set menu offers 4 breakfast sets...Paris, London (RM32 with scones or muffins), Singapore (RM41 with poached eggs & truffle oil) and New York Breakfast (RM45 with eggs benedict & smoked salmon)....and all come with a selection of TWG tea from their extensive tea list and a freshly squeezed juice.

I chose the Paris Breakfast @ RM32 as I wanted just a light breakfast.  The set came with a choice of a plain or chocolate croissant served with TWG tea jelly and whipped cream.

The Plain Croissant was one of the worst croissants I've ever eaten...it wasn't crisp, nor buttery, nor flaky.  It tasted like yesterday's croissant, otherwise why would there be a need to warm it up if it was freshly made that day.

TWG prides itself on making their own Tea Jelly.  It was alright, not too sweet but certainly nothing extraordinary.  The Whipped Cream I didn't care for really.

Also included in the set was either a freshly squeezed orange (or apple) juice and your selection of TWG tea, of course.

Since I don't drink tea (all that much) and know next to nothing about teas, I asked the nice gentleman to recommend me something floral or fruity and he suggested Pink Flamingo Tea (I think I remember seeing this one priced at RM21).

So, Pink Flamingo Tea it is then.  It came in an "atas" (high class) looking gold-coloured teapot, the bottom of which has obviously seen better times.  You probably get about 3 cups from one teapot (and it's non-refillable).

A tea blend of green tea made with crimson hibiscus blossoms, it had floral, fruity overtones...and in a pretty shade of rose....lovely :)

Ahh....soothing and nice...no complaints here!

These tea sets are for sale should you want to bring one home.

The dainty teacup in which the tea was served was wide and shallow.  I'm not sure why it's like that coz it didn't help one bit in maintaining the temperature of the tea.

The tea didn't keep hot for long...so much so that the crystal sugar (not regular sugar) had difficulty melting when I decided to put some in.

My Personal Opinion

Looking at the price of RM32, most would find it not worth the money as you can probably get a good breakfast platter at any cafe for under RM32 but, then again, you won't be sipping TWG tea with it.  So, think of it as a tea experience (for RM21) rather than a glass of orange juice and a crappy croissant (for RM11) >_<

Maybe if I had been there at the right time (with some lady friends) and gone for an afternoon tea set with scones, finger sandwiches, mini desserts and what-nots, my tea experience could have been better.  Having said that, would I be back for another tea experience?  Probably not.  Unless I truly love teas.  In the end, it was just a nice tea experience in an elegant place...and nothing more (for me).  But I'm glad I did it anyway...for the experience of "been there, done that" kind of thing..and, along the way, I managed to capture some nice photos for my blog.

TWG Tea
P2.16.00, 2.34.01 & 2.34.02 
Level 2 Pavilion KL
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2142 9922