Breakfast at Harrod's

My brother-in-law just left for Turkmenistan again on Sunday morning, the day before Ramadhan started. It was not a disaster though as he should be back for Hari Raya, but it was sad nome the less. Therefore on Saturday morning, he took us and her parents put for breakfast. But this was not any ordinary breakfast. It was over at KLCC, at Harrod's.

I did not know that Harrod's do breakfast until I was told last week. They ha limited menu though - 7 items on my count between 10 to 11, and an even more limited selection between 8.30 to 10, mainly catering for Peteonas executives coming for power breakfast during weekdays.

My boys were grumpy, firstly since they were forced to get up and was hauled into the van - they were still on holidays. But, woke up they dis and try were initially in a merry mood in the van. But that would soon change after they learn that their usual order at Harrod's were missing. They loved their roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and fruit punch there. But at 10 in the morning, those were off the menu. And they were proper grumpy especially Idlan pulling a strop! That did not stop the rest of us though.

The grumpy boys grudgingly went up the escalatorsIdlan in a stropFinally agreed to play ball

So, what were the 7 items? Nope, no nasi lemak or roti canai. We had omelet, croissant, poached salmon and of course hot baguette. The usual British breakfast with sausages and eggs of course. Not to mention the glorious morning tea and coffee. The limited item meant that service was swift and as usual, the waitresses were very accommodating, especially with my boys in a strop.

The food was good, but personally, I prefer La Bodega, partly with it wider selection and lower prices, but also dare I say it, better food offering. The egg Benedict at La Bodega was bordering on "to die for", especially with a strip of smoked salmon on top. Here, even the omelet was surprisingly dry and bland. It was too British I supposed. The most disappointing was the sautéed mushroom. They could have done a lot better.

Some toast to start things offAnita's choiceMine was the omeletFinally content with his English Breakfast TeaThey were also offering special Ramadhan buffet - roast beef on Wednesdays ....

To be honest, I probably give the breakfast here a miss in the future. I definitely prefer the roti canai near my house, of should I feel adventurous, either La Bodega or Delicious. But for lunch and dinner, I would definitely return.

Happy Ramadhan Mubarak

It's that time of the year again. It would be the glorious month of Ramadhan starting tomorrow. As usual, I would visit my parents after prayers on the evening before the first Ramadhan. This year, all the restaurants in Bukit Antarabangsa and Ukay Perdana was either closed or filled to the brim.

Finally, we found one and Dad went straight for the jugular - lamb curry! Dinner was done. Preparing for the early breakfast tomorrow morning. I would be free tomorrow, so, again would be looking forward to see what the Pasar Ramadhan had to offer tomorrow ......

Night at an Indian

In the UK, most of the halal restaurants were run by Indians and Pakistani. There were Indian restaurants everywhere that it was often joked that the national food of the UK was curry. Every once in a while, we loved to have du ne'er at Indian restaurant. In fact, my boys, Irfan especially loved Indian food - especially if they came with papadom. One of our favourite was Spice of India in KLCC. However, we noticed lately that the service and the quality of food has deteriorated. We also had an incense last year where thSave & Closee waiters actually served some foreigners before us, and since then he have yet to return.

We were rather apprehensive when we entered the Spice of India branch at Pavilion the others evening. But it turned out better than expected. The service was very good considering that the place was full. Food came fast, the waiters we're efficient, and I must say that the food was better than the branch in KLCC even though the menu was similar. It was a great night out in the end. Irfan had his papadom of course while Idlan reluctantly finished his poori. The cheese in spinach that I had was exquisite and the meat and chicken dishes were tender as expected.

It looked like we probably return here again in the future, but I couldn't really go there'd too often as the meal there were not really cheap. the restaurant also appeared crowded and if the service was slow, I was sure that my boys would be restless. The small dining area also cause some of the fumes to fill the room a times, and luckily we had our inhalers in the ready just in case. The pace between the tables were also rather small. So the restaurant area could have been bigger.

Chinoz for the Roast

After the morning ward round today, I had to head out to get the boys haircuts. The choices were pretty clear - it was either The Curve, Great Eastern Mall or KLCC. Since we wanted to have some lunch, plus I needed to head for the currency exchange, I thought the best bet was KLCC. There was Saw Hair Saloon there as well - which I mentioned in another entry.

For lunch today, we headed for Chinoz at the Park, on the Ground Floor of Suria. They do serve a mean pizza there. After being sat, the waiter mentioned that on every Sunday Lunch, the do a roast buffet. I wouldn't mention the price, but I thought Puan Anita deserved a treat with me flying off to London in a couple of days for a conference. Roast buffet it was, and I must say, it was gorgeous.

The buffet was actually very simple. You pick up your starters from the buffet spread, then the mains - a choice of lamb, chicken or beef - I went for chicken, never really into lamb of beef if I can help it, unless it was cut as a sirloin. And grilled well done. Then you finish things off with desert and either coffee or tea. As usual, the boys had their pizza.

Even though the starter spread was simple, it did offered what I wanted. You can have a couple of choices of pre-prepared salad, plus other entree such as roasted asparagus, smoked salmon, and my favourite, sashimi. I was almost done by the time I finished my starters. My roast chicken was succulent and the gravy was rich. Anita's roast beef was really soft, tender and very well cooked. No raw bits, and you can also have a Yorkshire pudding with that should you wish.

To finish things off, I had bread and butter pudding - with custard sauce of course, taking me back during my A level days when pudding was the highlight of the meal. Anita had apple crumbles instead. the boys had some brownies, which sent their sugar level through the roof. They were running around the foyer to burn it off after that.

At the end of the day, it was a very enjoyable lunch. Everything on the buffet spread was nice, and you certainly get your money's worth. I gather that they only offer this buffet on Sunday afternoon, from noon to about 3 pm - there was always afternoon tea after that. The choices when you get in, in terms of food on the buffet table was pretty straight forward. It also came with a complimentary cup of tea or coffee as well. Since it was a hot barmy afternoon, I ordered some extra fruit juice to go with it.

How the mighty had fallen

After a trio around town to run errands and visit some family members who was admitted into one of the local hospital in KL, myself, Anita and her parents had lunch at the once famous Cosy Corner, at Ampang Park right in the middle of town. The place used to be and to a certain extend, still was full of patron come lunchtime, with queues of legendary length. The food there was really good, both of the locals and Western variety. The service was fast and prompt, making it ideal for a quick lunch meeting for the corporate types on a budget.

The laser time I was here must have been a good couple of years ago. I used to remember the food being excellent, or at least much better than its sister outlet, Cosy House at Great Eastern Mall. Unfortunately this time, the food was frankly bad and the service - as the core of the waiters and waitresses comprised of Indonesian workers, the order were messed up, and the right ones did not go to the right table. It was frankly a mess. A far cry from what it used to be.. To make mattered worst, I ordered a sirloin steak - cookers to well-done. It came with some basic vegetable and a few slices of French Fries. It did not even come with gravy. When asked, apparently, I had to pay extra for them, and they only came in in black pepper or black sauce. I just shook my head in disgust. How do you expect me to guzzle down a dry piece of steak with some chilling sauce. Disgusting!

The irony was, the steak came with a small Malaysia flag. I felt like assaulting the Manager's eyes with it ..... I was that disappointed. Suffice to say, I would not returning the any time soon. I would rather have the McDonald's downstairs ....... and that was meant to be an insult .....