Eat Drink KL

Sunday, October 27, 2013

C.E.O Burger @ Bandar Menjalara, Kepong

The wait is over: Hipster burgers have finally come to Kepong.

C.E.O is a feel-good joint, with cheerful artwork on its walls & a service team that's friendly, helpful & efficient, leaving the most positive first impression imaginable.

The burgers here score an A for effort but a B for execution. Looks-wise, this 'Hungry Man' (RM19.50 nett with fries) is a faultless construction of a beef patty topped with chicken breast, streaky bacon, cheese & smoked hickory BBQ sauce; in terms of flavor, the patty doesn't quite deliver the explosively savory juices that some customers will demand.

C.E.O's pork patties fare a bit better than the beef ones, though both might be more gristly than desired; try the 'Spicy Tom' (RM17.90), topped with a brazen combo of sun-dried tomato sambal, parmesan crisp, gherkins & caramelized onions. Playful mix.

The inventive streak is clearest in the 'B.A.D. Breakfast All Day' Burger (RM18.50), substituting the patty with a spiraled chicken sausage, partnered with fried egg, bacon & hash brown. But while this seems like a laudably terrific recipe, it needs tweaking too; the flavors fail to come alive _ the sausage is fat & moist but bland, while the bacon's dry & chewy.

Still, we're optimistic C.E.O, which only opened this month, will get better as the weeks go by. One thing's for certain: The outlet cares about satisfying customers with its generous servings. The Santa Fe (RM18.90) features not only a genuinely hearty beef patty but plenty of guacamole, cilantro-tomato salsa, orange cheddar cheese & sour cream.

Our favorite burger here? Probably the Wacky Burger (RM18.90), since it comes with both a runny egg & ripe avocado for certifiable creaminess. Nice one.

And we like C.E.O's vegetarian burger (RM13.90) too, a thoughtfully considered concoction of mushroom ragout, hash brown, Swiss cheese, parmesan crisp & basil pesto mayo. This one works well, signaling that what needs fine-tuning would be the meat patties.

C.E.O's fries are fine; fluffy & fresh, paired with a spicy-tangy 'Magic Sauce.'

The final secret weapon in C.E.O's arsenal: Tater-tot-style fried potatoes (RM12.90), showered with guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos & nachos cheese sauce, a carb addict's fantasy come true in the calorie-laden flesh.

C.E.O also wisely serves mille crepes, ensuring customers can leave on a sweet note.

CEO Burger

G-11, Ground Floor, Plaza Menjalara, Bandar Sri Manjalara, Kepong

Currently open daily, noon through 10pm, but that could change

The Oct.-Dec. inaugural edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites is now available in an eBook for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. It comprises reviews & information for 100 pretty nice eateries that span various locations, cuisines & budgets.
Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013
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Saturday, October 26, 2013

Steam N Grill Burgers @ Setiawalk, Puchong

This burger joint does try to supply a twist with its Malaysian take on burgers.

Our top two picks: Serunding beef burger (RM19) & Muar otak-otak burger (RM16).

Shredded beef cooked in coconut milk & spices replaces the traditional patty for the former.

The meat's supremely succulent & hearty, though this is an acquired taste. Some will love it, some won't. We're torn; we're not completely sold on the flavor.

The otak-otak burger is a better bet for us, encased in our choice of a spinach-tinged bun.

Ultimately, both of these possess their merits; they could have ended up tasting like sandwiches, but they do bear the feel of full-fledged burgers.

Milkshakes aren't spared from Malaysianization; this one's made with durian. It's thick (almost too frosty initially, as difficult to drink as ice cream would be) & well-defined in flavor & fragrance.

Bonus burger stop (kinda): Bear Paw, which has finally opened a branch in Sri Petaling.

Those increasingly ubiquitous, insanely cute buns (in milk, brown sugar & whole wheat flavors), enveloping crispy fried chicken thigh. A guilty pleasure.

Steam N Grill Burger,

J-03A-1, Setiawalk, Pusat Bandar Puchong.

Tues-Sun, 1130am-930pm

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Friday, October 25, 2013

Fat Butter @ Desa Petaling & Heritage Village @ Solaris Dutamas

A contemporary kopitiam that channels a deft dose of nostalgia, underscored by a soundtrack that segues from P. Ramlee's 'Rasa Sayang' to Nat King Cole's 'Unforgettable' & Frank Sinatra's 'The Way You Look Tonight' within a fifteen-minute span.

Fat Butter, which opened this month, looks pretty nice, furnishing a purpose to finally venture to Desa Petaling's Megan Salak Park, a short drive on the KL-Seremban Highway from Bukit Jalil, Sri Petaling & Taman Desa.

Fat Butter's nasi lemak (RM12.90) is decent; the rice is fresh, warm & moist, fairly fragrant but perhaps not as punchy as some might seek in flavor. The accompaniments get passing grades.

Laksa Mee Pantai Remis (RM8.90), a recipe from Perak's coastal town. Fans of soupy-spicy prawn mee might like to give this a shot; otherwise, other Malaysian pleasures like Mee Muar, ubi kayu kukus, keropok lekor & rojak buah are available.

Fat Butter also serves a wide range of Western comfort food, from Salisbury steak to cannelloni, French toasts to chocolate muffins.

This place takes its Southeast Asian coffee seriously, with a selection reminiscent of Chawan's.

The Indonesian Kapal Api coffee milkshake is enjoyable; creamy, with a caffeinated kick.

Batu Pahat ice-blended coffee. Ice-blended costs RM5, milkshakes RM7.

Nasi lemak lovers, this entry's for you: Checking out another kopitiam newbie, Heritage Village, which opened this week in Solaris Dutamas to complement its existing Paradigm Mall branch.

Heritage Village's nasi lemak is founded on a Penang family's three-generation-old recipe, with herbs & spices added at intervals while the rice is steamed. The flavor is well-nuanced, but the texture of the broken rice makes for a mushy mouthfeel. The interesting side course of ikan acar, fish pickled in turmeric vinegar sauce, is substantial & pleasantly sourish. RM12.90.

Duck egg char kuey teow (RM14.90). Adequate to address CKT cravings, though not as rich & creamy as it could have been. Other attractions on Heritage Village's menu include Penang-style chee cheong fan, jiu hu char, pie tee & chicken pongteh.

Fat Butter,

A9-LG-02, Megan Salak Park, Jalan 2/125E, Taman Desa Petaling, Kuala Lumpur.

Daily, 830am-11pm

Heritage Village,

Block A1, Level G2, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Beside Mee Jawa, across from Chawan.

Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013

This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

D'Fong @ Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya

Motorists crawling on the Sprint Highway might recently have noticed D'Fong's signboard taunting them by the road; it's worth stopping here sometime for satisfactory Chinese cooking.

If a thing of beauty truly is a joy forever, D'Fong supplies eternal bliss with its sang har meen.

It might only be our prawn-loving imagination, but this plate looks divine from every angle.

We have to post these photos for posterity. Or at least to remind ourselves why sang har meen ranks so high among our most cherished recipes.

But how does it taste? Not bad at all; the noodles were nice & crisp, the prawns were plump, & crucially, the gravy proved reasonably rich with the flavor of roe.

Plus, at RM58++, it isn't much more expensive than what we'd pay at, say, Imbi.

Those noodles filled us up well, but let's uncover a few other potential treasures at D'Fong.

Baked free-range chicken (RM36++). Could be a bit more herbal, but that's nitpicking.

Chilled tofu with century eggs. Naturally, we prefer the latter component of this combo.

No complaints about D'Fong's barbecued meat either. We enjoyed both the roast pork ...

... as well as the duck. D'Fong also serves dim sum on weekends; that's something we're sure will be written about in the weeks ahead.

D'Fong has an excellent wine list, serving some by the glass. And its service is solid. The restaurant seems to be gaining popularity quickly; we were here for an early dinner on a Sunday evening & more than two-thirds of the tables were filled by the time we left at 8pm.

D'Fong Chinese Restaurant,

Ground Floor, Wisma TA, Jalan SS20/1, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya.

Opposite Tropicana City Mall, somewhat. Or is this Damansara Kim. Hmmmm.

Open daily for lunch & dinner. Tel: 03-7725-2918

Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Oct-Dec-2013

This link expires Dec. 31, 2013; see blog entries after that date for new link.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Hotodogu @ The Gardens, Gourmet Hotdog Cafe @ Setapak & Fifteen's @ Bangsar South

Sound the sirens, it's the Attack of the Hot Dogs! A storm of sausages is coming, one in which the wiener takes it all. No point being prickly about it.

First up, an early-warning look at Hotodogu, which runs a current base in Cyberjaya & will launch a second war room by this weekend at Mid Valley's Gardens mall.

Hot dogs here score for heartiness: We like the one with an Aussie beef sausage wrapped in beef bacon, topped with cheddar cheese, mashed potatoes, BBQ sauce, mayo & onion rings (RM14.90). The sausage has a real-meat bite to it.

Tasty, though it's unlikely that hot dogs will supplant burgers as the people's choice; ceteris paribus, there seems to be something more satisfying about sinking our teeth into a burger patty.

Did someone say burger? Man cannot live on phallic fare alone (tempting as it may be), so Hotodogu serves rice burgers too, stuffed with the likes of yakiniku-inspired beef striploin with house-made barbecue sauce & sauteed onions (RM12.90).

The fries are OK; buy the spicy chili or wasabi mayo dip for a dose of extra-creamy flavor.

Next up on this sausage fest: Gourmet Hotdog Cafe in Setapak's PV128 complex.

GHC's menu of 14 different types of hot dog recipes will surely torment indecisive customers. We narrowed our best bets down to the New York Cheese (RM12.50), a whopper of a big banger with candied beef bacon & Gouda, Monterey Jack & mozzarella cheeses.

GHC also does the Windy City proud with the closest thing in KL to a Chicago-style hot dog (RM11.50), a halal Aussie beef sausage in a poppy-seed bun with (deep breath) garlic dill pickle, sweet green pickle relish, pickled chilies, mustard, tomatoes, onions & spiced celery salt.

Vegetarian hot dogs are also available here: Try the "Angelina" (RM9.50), featuring a sausage constructed with veggies, mushrooms, onions, parsley & garlic, partnered with a chopped salad mix, sweet corn, kidney beans & jalapenos.

Or have a falafel-filled bun with guacamole & sour cream (RM10.50); GHC's recipes are imaginative & painstakingly elaborate. Plus, to uphold quality, the cafe bakes its buns & uses good meat (skinless chicken breast, lean topside beef & New Zealand lamb) for its sausages.

So whatever happened to old-fashioned hot dog stands? Glad you asked; here's one _ inexplicably named Fifteen's _ that's surfaced in The Sphere complex at Bangsar South.

Customize your own hot dog at Fifteen's: Our creation comprises beef sausage topped with mashed potatoes, cucumber relish & mustard (RM7.40).

Or opt for one of Fifteen's own recipes, like chicken sausage with carbonara sauce, melted cheese & chili flakes (RM5.90).

Fresh-tasting toasted bagels (RM4.90 each), warmed up to order, with butter are available too.

Hotodogu
The Gardens Mid Valley, opening by this weekend outside Cold Storage on LG Level.
Also at Shaftsbury Square, Cyberjaya.

Gourmet Hotdog Cafe,
37, PV128, Jalan Genting Klang, Setapak, Kuala Lumpur.
Daily, 11am-11pm. Tel: 03-4131-4330
Fifteen's,

LG, The Sphere, Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily 10am-10pm