Patisserie Boutique @ Ipoh

One of the current charms of visiting Ipoh might be café-hopping, checking out venues that have begun cropping up in captivating shop-houses & bungalows richly endowed with decades of history.

Patisserie Boutique is a fresh entry on the row that now contains what looks like the highest concentration of hipster cafés in Ipoh's Old Town; it tries to bring a feel of Paris to this former tin-mining city, with walls that bear meticulously created images of the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe.

The menu's not exactly a Francophile's fantasy though; lunch specials cross into the Italian border, comprising the likes of spaghetti tossed with raisins & pine nuts (RM16) ...

... & another with smoked duck (RM18) as well as minestrone soup & lasagna. Well-executed enough, though the setting might be the real star, not the cuisine.

True to the outlet's name, desserts & pastries are prominently showcased; the choc meringue cake is enjoyably light & airy ...

... while the crème brûlée is undistinguished. It's nevertheless fun to eat this here while instrumental versions of La Vie En Rose & La Mer play in the background.

What we've gleaned from our tour of Ipoh's new cafés is that the food isn't the reason for KL's inhabitants to make a two-hour drive here; from an outsider's point of view, very few menus here showcase distinctive fare. But Ipoh is still absolutely worth an overnight stay for its atmospheric allure.

Patisserie Boutique

103 Jalan Sultan Yussuf, Ipoh, Perak

Open 11am-6pm, except Tuesdays. Tel: 05-241-1385

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Tak Fok & Moon Palace @ Puchong

Getting to some of the good stuff for this Lunar New Year ...

... with a salmon-prosperous yee sang (RM60) from Puchong's Tak Fok Hong Kong Seafood ...

... plus poon choi (RM398 for a serving for eight people, two-day advance order necessary), slightly less wallet-crippling compared to what many other outlets charge but still satisfying & very filling ...

... laden with 12-head abalone, flower mushrooms, mussels, Japanese scallops, fish maw, prawns, prosperity bags, pi-pa tofu, fatt choy, kampung chicken, roasted duck, pork spare ribs, bean curd, yam, broccoli, Chinese cabbage & white radish ...

... & from Moon Palace nearby ...

... lap mei fan that clocks in at RM50, with liver sausages that unfortunately are less than a knock-out.

Tak Fok Hong Kong Seafood

23, Jalan Puteri 2/5, Bandar Puteri, Puchong. Tel: 03-8060-6994

Moon Palace

Puchong Financial Corporate Centre. Tel: 03-8063-8122

It's here! The first issue of the Eat Drink KL weekly email newsletter was delivered to subscribers on Monday, Jan. 27. The newsletter is sent out every Monday, highlighting new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits for the Klang Valley.

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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).

Laguna Mabuhay Philippine Restaurant

Returning for some more unique Filipino fare at Laguna Mabuhay. Earlier entry: August 20, 2013.

Meaty soul food: Bicol Express, a simple but satisfyingly comforting combo of spicy pork with chilies & coconut milk. Tastes like pleasant home-cooked fare.

Bistek Tagalog, fried beef with onions & soy sauce. Not mind-blowing, but palate-pleasing.

Pork Menudo, a stew flavoured with pig liver (tasty!), made wholesome with tomatoes & other veggies.

Need more liver? Try the Kalderata chicken (RM15), the epitome of home-made stew, featuring fowl cooked with carrots, potatoes & hot peppers in tomato sauce laced with a lovable liver spread.

Something simpler but still satisfying: Halabos na hipon (RM30), fresh prawns sauteed with salt, oil & a splash of soda.

Tinolang Manok, a gingery chicken soup, light & a little peppery, fairly mild-tasting.

Leche Flan, essentially creme caramel. Sweet & custard-smooth, an enjoyable finish.

Laguna Mabuhay,

3, Jalan Gereja, Kuala Lumpur.

Open daily through 9:30pm

It's here! The first issue of the Eat Drink KL weekly email newsletter was delivered to subscribers on Monday, Jan. 27. The newsletter is sent out every Monday, highlighting new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits for the Klang Valley.

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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).

Kakatoo @ Ativo Plaza, Bandar Sri Damansara

Bird-watchers can consider fluttering over to Kakatoo, a parrot's paradise of a restaurant with a colourfully feathered setting at Bandar Sri Damansara's Ativo Plaza.

Creatively conceived crepes might make some customers coo here: We rather like the signature one (RM16+), well-stuffed with a fried egg, chicken ham & mushrooms.

No-fuss comfort food; adventurous diners can also order a Malaysian-influenced crepe that's filled with a fish fillet, mango kerabu & Nyonya gravy. Maybe we'll try that one next time.

What we like about Kakatoo is that it's confident enough to be transparent about its inspirations. Kakatoo's owner freely acknowledges that the idea for this charcoal-coloured Moo Moo Crepe (RM20.90+) stuffed with a beef patty, cheese, pickles & aioli dressing comes from MyBurgerLab's signature burgers.

Naturally, sweet crepes are on the menu too. No regrets gobbling up this sugar-packed one, elegantly plated & generously laden with apple compote, oatmeal crumble, salted caramel sauce & vanilla ice cream. RM14+. Cool prices here.

The rest of the menu is somewhat something-for-everyone: smoked salmon fettuccine & lamb shanks for fans of Western fare, alongside cencaru fish with stuffed sambal, curry fish head & otak-otak for local cuisine lovers.

Surprise! Wine's available; the red turns out to be a sweet Lambrusco (RM80+).

Ativo Plaza's kinda nice, a family-friendly complex with outdoor playgrounds, fountains & plenty of space for strolling.

Kakatoo

Block B, Ativo Plaza, Jalan PJU 9/1, Damansara Avenue, Bandar Sri Damansara

Daily, 1130am-10pm

It's here! The first issue of the Eat Drink KL weekly email newsletter was delivered to subscribers on Monday, Jan. 27. The newsletter is sent out every Monday, highlighting new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits for the Klang Valley.

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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).

Rondaevoo @ Ativo Plaza, Bandar Sri Damansara

Meeting up with Rondaevoo, a new cafe at Bandar Sri Damansara's Ativo Plaza, a promising complex where interesting eateries have sprouted in recent weeks. It's probably only a 15-minute drive in off-peak traffic from Bandar Utama & Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

Rondaevoo stresses wholesome, nutritious recipes; its 'burger' comes in the form of a house-made prawn patty with chopped avocados, crisp veggies & roasted potatoes at a wallet-pleasing price of RM14.80 before taxes. Rondaevoo's pastas comprise whole-wheat spaghetti, while its Malaysian-style 'bee hoon' vermicelli is built with red rice.

The all-day breakfast (RM17.80) is also well-executed; have your eggs either poached, scrambled, sunny-side-up or as an omelette, partnered with accompaniments like Rondaevoo's own chicken meatloaf (made with herb-laced thigh & breast meat) ...

... plus baked pinto & broad beans that feature a firmer bite & fresher, more natural flavour than canned varieties.

Rondaevoo's pumpkin soup (RM14.80) is exemplary. Beautifully creamy, with terrific texture from finely cut carrots within. The combination of pumpkin & carrots makes this a delectably sweet beta-carotene powerhouse. Served with wholemeal garlic bread

Rondaevoo serves Puro fair-trade coffee; the soy latte (RM10.80+) is not bad. All in all, this is a nice venue with twists in its food that we're thankful for & an enjoyably casual, relaxed vibe.

Ativo Plaza still has shop-lots to fill, but there are sufficient attractions here already, ranging from Mello Yello, a bakery-cafe operated by Hero Market that offers roast beef sandwiches, scones & illy coffee, & Cafe D'Fong, an offshoot of Damansara Utama's Chinese restaurant D'Fong that serves the likes of freshwater prawn noodles ...

... to Brewery Tap, an alfresco bar with a balcony view that extends many miles into Petaling Jaya, & BMS, the organic restaurant chain.

Rondaevoo

Block A, Ativo Plaza, Jalan PJU 9/1, Damansara Avenue, Bandar Sri Damansara

Daily, 930am-10pm

It's here! The first issue of the Eat Drink KL weekly email newsletter was delivered to subscribers on Monday, Jan. 27. The newsletter is sent out every Monday, highlighting new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits for the Klang Valley.

Please consider subscribing to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link: 

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Thanks very much; subscriptions are appreciated.

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).