Hot Pot Cafe

After the great time we had at the pool, it was time for an early dinner. And our host had an idea, a restaurant ran by a former artist, not far from his place. And it was a pleasant surprise.

The food was great, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the hosts were friendly. They even had toys for children and later in the evening - we were a touch too early this time around - they would be a live band playing, and the cook would be one of the player. Probably reason to come again another time.

The internal lighting was very nice, but maybe too dimmed for a family dinnerVery classy decorRather misleading. The actual cook was tall and slim actually.

The menu were pretty simple. Not that many items, but it made up in quality. But with the quality, you had to prepare to wait as the items were prepared on the spot and were all freshly cooked. Their specialty, daging salai cili api. I'm not much of a Malay food aficionado, but I was willing to make an exception that evening. The food was exquisite. My boys ordered jumbo sausages and finished them all. The chicken chop was also great.

The cook and the owner would be playing later that eveningThe stage was setLooked like the Jalan Jalan Cari Makan crew had been hereThe name of the place? Hot Pot Cafe. It is located in Damansara Damai. To get there? Just enter this GPS coordinate - 3.198283,101.593741, along Jalan PJU 10/3 - and pray that your GPS unit would take you there. Well worth a visit and we would definitely be going there again.

Apparently their sup tulang was also great. Taking the children suring the time the band were playing might not be a great idea, but do drop by in the early evening before the crowd built up.

The Loaf Bistro at Pavilion

After the trip for tea at The Loaf at Bangsar VIllage, we decided to give the Pavilion branch a go, as suggested by my friends. It was tucked on the third and fourth floor of the mall, just next to the Bukit Bintang entrance. Easily missed if you were not aware of it.

It was a narrow two-story lot. The lower one for the bakery. The bistro where we had dinner was on the upper floor, where you had to climb a rather steep set of stairs. Better head out and used the escalator just next to the shop if you have a dodgy hip!

The upper deck was cosy and welcoming. Despite the next day being a public holiday - Deepavali - the place was empty. There were plenty of activities at the bakery, but not on the upper bistro. Therefore, we enjoyed the best seat - the sofa - and my boys had a great time.

Kicking things off with some healthy saladGarlic bread with extra butterSo, what did we order? I had the carbonara, the boys had meatballs, Anita had salad. Before long, we went downstairs to have a look at the bakery and bought a few items, where the waiter picked up from us and put on a plate. The brownies sent my boys to sugarland, and they could not sit still afterwards.

I had my cocktail and the boys had their tea. The food was good, but I must say the Bangsar Village outlet is better. This being a bistro also meant that choices in terms of order was more limited. The meatball that Anita asked for was off menu. The outlet was also smaller, and was meant more as a cafe - hence the name Bistro - rather than a proper restaurant. But it was comfortable none the less.

Anita ordered meatballs for the boys. Off the menu here, but on them at the Bangsar Village outlet.My carbonara.Mocktails for me and Irfan.We then finished things off with tea and coffee.We would definitely be coming here again. I could imagine the place to be rather crowded during day time and late afternoon when people came over for tea. The service was also fast and friendly, although the price was relatively expensive.

Bad Experience at Ben's

We finally had the chance to sit down for lunch at Ben's General Food Store. I was meaning to do this after the visit when I accompanied Idlan for some pizza. Today, I sampled some food, and the service there first hand.

On the previous visit, the restaurant was only half full, and I commented on how good the staffs were. It was packed today, with queue outside, and the service definitely eroded. Not only that some of our orders were messed, the waiters had the cheeks to come over and explained what we did wrong. Apparently, since we ordered mains which included salad, the starter salad we ordered would come together. But the problem was, the orders for starters and accompanying salad were completely different, and still the waiter insisted that we ordered wrong.

Playing spot the foreigners ....The food preparation area ....Anita was hungry at the time, and was rather mad at the waiter, and we had to explain again what we ordered and how we insisted our orders to be prepared. It was finally rectified when the shift manager came to speak to us.

The pizza for Irfan was fine, but apparently, we had to pay for the the extra parmesan - something we did not have to do three weeks ago. Hmm! Odd. Maybe in three weeks time, we should be forewarned to bring along an oxygen tank just in case we would be charged for the air we breath. You never know!

Irfan went hyper after all the fizzy drinks ...The pizza has arrived ....Told you I was not into green peas .....I think, the problem was not so much the food, but the "we know best" attitude of the staffs there. Anita thought it was more to do with the fact the majority of the patron that afternoon were foreigners, and hence we were treated as second-rate customers. To be honest, I kind of agree with her. Unfortunately, this was still true in many of the more affluent areas and hotels in the capital. I guess, all of us have the urge to please the foreigners more than our own people ……

As a result, I had to reduce the rating for this outlet, and warn that it may be best not to visit it during busy hours ….. unless that you are a foreigner ….

La La Chong Seafood, Damansara

Usually, we drove all the way to Kuala Selangor for our routine seafood feast. Yesterday was the first time we actually had something similar to this - a Chinese seafood meal - in town. And it was near Damansara, a place I was not really familiar with, but was glad to have come.

The occasion was Puan Anita's birthday. I wouldn't tell you how old she would be then, but there was a reason why all our cars carry the plate number 9972.

Earlier in the day, she was treated to a day at the spa in Ampang by my friends from the UK. After she was done, I picked her up from the spa, and we drove across to Damansara. The traffic was kind. The direction to the place was a bit tricky though, but I just followed the car in front.

There, we were joined by other friends - Amin and Syahril. In the end, it was a table for 13. We had the usual stuff - steamed fish, sweet and sour crab, soup, prawns etc. Azida, one of our friend, ordered lala - cockles - which was appropriate given the name of the restaurant. We were well bloated by the end of it.

My favorites were the steamed fish and crab. God knows how high my cholesterol went. The sauce went down really well with the hot steamed bun. All sticky and yummy. Unfortunately, I forgotten to snap pictures before we settled down for the food as there were plenty to catch up with the friends. And of course, I was busy stuffing myself as well.

The sight of my plate at the end of it. And this was my forst plate. I had two more after that ....I pity whoever having to clear the table after us .....I swore Syahril did this ....All the photos I had were of the damage that was done after the meal. I would definitely recommend the place again. Parking was aplenty, but the trick would be to find the restaurant in the first place. If you were keen, just enter these coordinates on your GPS - 3.124067, 101.607992 - and hopefully you'd be pointed to the right direction. Oh! And the Thai fresh coconut drinks were not to be missed as well!

I could see that the place would be packed for an evening meal. We actually arrived at the place after 3 pm, and there were hardly anybody there. The place were opened from lunch till late evening, and there was a separate air-conditioned area. The facilities there were clean, with plenty of places for handwashing as well. Refer at the photo above for the address and telephone number. Oh! They provide free wifi at the venue - albeit a slow one.

Chinoz, Bangsar Shopping Center

On a recent visit to Mid Valley Gardens, we noticed that the Chinoz Cafe in the middle of one of the main foyer had been closed. That was curious considering the demography of the visitors at that neck of the woods. We were more familiar with their branch at KLCC.

The last time we were at Bangsar Shopping Center, we decided to give the Chinoz branch there a visit. We had light lunch and as usual, the boys wanted pizza.

The seating was outdoors, right by the main entranceA nice place for people watching and chill outIrfan enjoying his fruit punchThe menu was similar to the KLCC branch, with pizza, sushi and the usual choices of salad and drinks. They even offer Sunday Roast, just like at KLCC.

We sat at the outdoor bar area, very cosy and suitable for people watching. Seats were very comfortable. The boys selected the sofas. The waiters were very attentive, and took our order very efficiently without even taking notes. Service was very prompt.

I had rocket salad, and a Japanese rice and salmon set for the mains. The boys had their pizza and Anita ordered smoked salmon and avocado salad. Anita's salad was amazing. The menu was also very clear about which food used alcohol in their preparation. No problems there.

My iced coffeeAnita's gorgeous salmon and avocado salad. Highly recommended.Idlan's hot chocolate in a nice little mug.My rocket saladThe boys, with what else, but pizza.Last but not least, my main, which was sushi rice with salmon and miso. Very nice.

My salad and mains were very well-prepared. I really couldn't complain about the food quality. The service was prompt. I would definitely be returning, not just for the food and service, but for the ambiance as well. Highly recommended, although I suspect the place would be packed in the evening.