Eat Drink KL

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Salad Atelier @ The Weld, Raja Chulan

Ready to turn over a new leaf? Healthy eating in the city can now be easier, thanks to the wholesome nutrition at Salad Atelier.

This cheerfully colourful cafe caters for customisation: Patrons can choose a base that comprises the likes of fresh lettuce, radicchio & oak leaves, then pile on toppings that range from cucumber to carrots, Parmesan to Swiss cheese, beef salami to smoked salmon, mint yoghurt to sauteed garlic dressing. The selection is sweeping.

Our creation combined spinach with mussels, pumpkin, poached chicken, grapefruit, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, beetroot, couscous, feta cheese, blue cheese & wasabi avocado dressing.

It's a big bowl that's perfect for a meal that's filling but not TOO filling. Ours cost RM22.90, but salads with fewer components can start from as low as RM13.90. Everything inside tastes satisfactory.

Also worth trying: Delicious smoothies, creamy & flavoursome. We like the avocado (RM10.90); others might opt for orange, strawberry or kiwi fruit.

Salad Atelier's inspiration came partly from one of its founders' time spent in Singapore, where he saw salad bars flourish near offices. Salad Atelier is striving to fill that gap for KL; here's hoping we'll see this name show up in several more malls this year.

Salad Atelier

Ground Floor, The Weld, Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur

Mon-Fri, 8am-9pm, Sat 8am-2pm

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As a separate initiative, the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. This eBook of restaurant recommendations is available for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires March 31, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).

Monday, March 10, 2014

Barn Thai @ Plaza 33, Petaling Jaya

Plush stylishness permeates every corner of this contemporary Thai restaurant that launched this past month at PJ's Plaza 33, a buzz-worthy 21st-century reincarnation of the venerable Barn Thai that previously was a pioneering name at the 1 Utama mall.

Barn Thai currently opens only in the evenings, dishing out Thai tapas that the after-work crowd will be chuffed to share, from basil chicken wraps (RM12 before taxes) ...

... to corn fritters (RM12) ...

... & cups of sweet-&-sour crunchy vermicelli (RM12), all served pretty promptly by Barn Thai's friendly team.

Heartier fare range from khao soi (RM19), Chiang Mai's crispy noodles in a creamy curry with chicken & soft noodles at the base of the bowl for further textural contrast ...

... & the needs-no-introduction 'pad thai' (RM19), a nicely executed rendition here.

Come for the cocktails too: Barn Thai is set to surprise with 'molecular cuisine' cocktails that comprise components like popcorn & peanuts. For a start, this "Hot & Cold" (RM48), served in a smoke-clouded container, is a super-tasty concoction with vodka, absinthe, grapefruit, lemon juice & rosemary.

Vodka shooters in tubes stuffed with real watermelon, with the fruit soaking up the liquor.

Beer Mojito with Heineken is available, as is wine by both the bottle & the glass.

Even Barn Thai's restrooms are worth visiting; they're beautifully lush, not a typical description for a restaurant's loo.

Follow the gleaming stallion; it'll lead you to Barn Thai's entrance.

Barn Thai Restaurant & Bar

Ground Floor, Plaza 33, Jalan Kemajuan, Petaling Jaya. Beside the Jaya 33 mall.

Daily, 5pm-1am or even later. Kitchen closes really late. Tel: 03-7932-2233

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Sunday, March 9, 2014

Barbecue Garden @ Life Centre

Perched on the rooftop of Life Centre, the newly launched Barbecue Garden is a leafy outdoor oasis where customers can feast on grilled meat & seafood in the shadow of the Kuala Lumpur Tower.

Arrestingly atmospheric, the alfresco area is among the city's most unique dining venues, ideal for chilling out on breezy nights.

Here's the drill for the grill: It's a DIY barbecue with an a la carte menu that supplies a sweeping selection at reasonable prices.

The best bets: Lemongrass-marinated wild boar (RM14+) & five-spice venison (RM18+), both packing plenty of flavour.

Cinnamon-grilled chicken wings (RM6+ for three), finger-lickin' very-good.

Succulent skewers: Beef-wrapped sugarcane (RM17+ for six) & peanut pork satay (RM5+).

Squid with peanut sauce & lemon leaf chicken. What makes Barbecue Garden extra-worthwhile is that its food is not only unique but undeniably tasty, beautifully marinated with lovely nuances.

Spice-rubbed pork ribs & Vietnamese-style braised eggplant, the latter a nod to the roots of the Barbecue Garden franchise, which has multiple branches in Ho Chi Minh City.

Painstaking to cook though; we could have used some wine & cocktails to help ease the effort (intoxication makes time fly), but those will only be available later this month. Thankfully though, service is fairly friendly here.

Finish on the nicest note: Barbecue Garden's grilled bananas (RM4+) are pleasurably caramel-sweet, soft but not mushy.

Barbecue Garden Malaysia

Level 3 Rooftop, Life Centre, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

Daily, 11am-2pm, 5pm-midnight. Tel: 03-2181-8226

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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Favourites Waffle @ SS15 Subang

Waffles are becoming a hot food trend this year; one of the most budget-friendly new choices is Favourites Waffle, which specialises in Liège waffles enriched with fresh milk, eggs & pearl sugar.

A small serving topped with melted Belgian chocolate & marshmallows costs a mere RM5.90. Freshly prepared to order, it's respectable enough _ certainly worth the price. Other sweet options come with toppings like Nutella, bananas, strawberries, mangoes, peaches, kiwi fruit & ice cream.

There's one savoury choice, topped with cheese & mayo (RM6.90). Simple but satisfactory, thanks to a base that's successfully crisp & pleasantly dense. Would be better with more striking toppings, but this is fine for a budget-conscious cafe.

Favourites Waffle

78, First Floor, Jalan SS15/4D, Subang Jaya

Daily, 10am-9pm

Bonus stop for desserts: The Dessert Parlour, which offers soft-serve ice cream & milkshakes at Oasis Ara Damansara.

We usually like soft-serve ice cream, but the vanilla one here proved powdery, with an artificial-tasting flavour that was off-putting.

The Dessert Parlour,
Oasis Square, Ara Damansara,

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Friday, March 7, 2014

Anya Kitchen @ Southgate & The Grizzly Bear @ Paramount Garden

Visiting two no-frills, no-fuss venues for protein-packed meals, starting with Anya Kitchen at the Southgate commercial centre.

Rosemary-tinged marinated chicken burger with thigh meat, fried egg, cheese, tomatoes & cucumbers (RM12.90). The bun's a bit too mass-market, but this works well enough to satisfy a simple (read: non-hipster) burger craving.

Roast pork with noodles & egg (RM10.90). Soul food that might hit the spot for certain customers on stress-filled afternoons.

Egg emerges again for the final course, conspiring with pork bacon, basil & capsicum to create a satisfactory pizza for RM15.

Next up, The Grizzly Bear at Taman Paramount, which serves a mean range of meaty specialities spanning lamb chops to chicken chops.

The big breakfast is basic but it isn't bad; there's a plump sausage, plus a substantial omelette (more egg! it's all about the albumin for this entry) stuffed with cheese & more sausage meat, partnered with baked beans, fries, toast & a salad. RM18.