Checking out a trio of noteworthy F&B newbies at 1 Utama's old wing, starting with the first Malaysian outpost of U.S.-based toasted submarine sandwich franchise Quiznos.
Quiznos Malaysia's specialities: Chicken & steak sandwiches, toasted on order to coax out pleasurable flavours. Both stay fairly faithful to their American counterparts, with recipes like the Baja-named chipotle sauce or carbonara-inspired sandwiches for chicken & peppercorn or Swiss cheese for beef. Bacon-wise, pork is completely out though.
Mesquite chicken with optional beef bacon, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce & ranch dressing, served nice & warm in crisp, fresh-tasting rosemary parmesan bread. RM13.90 for a 6-inch sub that should prove a satisfactory lunch. Bountifully stuffed, with well-balanced, savoury flavours, no less than what we'd hope for from a brand that's been in business since 1981.
Beef fares equally well; we like this one, made sticky with mozzarella & cheddar, onions, mushrooms & what the menu lists as honey bourbon mustard & a zesty grille sauce (RM16.90 for a six-inch). The copious slices of meat are tender but still taste like real beef; ideal for those mealtimes when we feel more like a jackal than a giraffe.
Next up, barely a dozen paces away from Quiznos, there's LifeJuice, which hopes to kick-start a craze for cold-pressed juices that pack multiple pounds of wholesome produce into each nutrition-filled bottle. Note the background here, with organic juices prepared fresh on-site in a striking setting that's cannily constructed for shoppers to see.
The industrious entrepreneurs of LifeJuice seem to have worked hard to create an interesting range, showcasing varieties such as Eau de Vie (coconut water, aloe vera, kyuri cucumber & agave nectar) & 300 Days Of Summer (watermelon, mint leaves, rock melon, pink guava, lemon & honeydew). Each can be refrigerated for three days.
They're understandably not cheap though, so we only tried one bottle for this round; Pasion, with pineapple, passion fruit, chok anan mango, turmeric & lemongrass, was worth the RM12+ price tag for a 300-ml portion. Thick & potently flavoursome, but free of any cloying sweetness. Most crucially, it does feel nourishing & rejuvenating, more so than many commercial juices.
Final stop: For coffee, naturally. Infusion is the start of a potential mall-based speciality-coffee franchise - think Artisan perhaps - complete with espresso-based & filter coffee with reputable single-origin beans & blends, paired with pastries & cakes.
The latte's reasonably robust, made with a Coffex-roasted blend (Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala & Vietnam). Served hotter than we prefer, but that's nit-picking. It's a pleasant, calm stop in a relatively less busy part of the mall.
Quiznos Sub Malaysia: Ground Floor (near TGI Friday's)
LifeJuice: Ground Floor (near Putien)
Infusion: Second Floor, 1 Utama, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya
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Sausages to sambal. Muffins to marshmallows. Peanut butter to mango chutney. Cornflake ice cream to honey aloe yogurt. Lavender-laced lemonades to lychee-&-guava juices.
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