Sweet Montage Patisserie

Chilled handmade pudding at its softest & smoothest, now available at select cafes, crafted by Eugene & Emrys, who both studied the art of pastry-making in Tokyo.

Sweet Montage showcases nine flavors, including Gula Melaka with sea salt & caramel sauce, French Vanilla made with natural Madagascar Bourbon & Tahitian bean pods ...

... Horlicks with Belgian dark chocolate ganache, Mango with fresh fruit & coulis, plus Teh Tarik with black tea leaves & infused ginger.

 Our favorites might be the Salted Gula Melaka & the Horlicks, both luscious. Other varieties: Pandan, Strawberry, Cendol & Chocolate-Banana.

About RM8 each; eaten cold, the ideal refreshment for heat-haters on steamy afternoons.

Pursue the pudding at these five places: Setiawalk Puchong's Tipsy Brew O'Coffee, Bukit Damansara's Mollydookers, Bangsar Shopping Center's Tea Republic ...

... plus Pickle & Fig as well as Artisan Roast, both in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. 

Bonus sweets stop to wrap up this entry: Delectable desserts at Medan Damansara's La Risata.

Zucotta dome cake filled with vanilla & choc ice cream & almond & hazelnut bits.

Torta di parmigiana, sweet-savory cheesecake with distinct notes of parmesan.

Sweet Montage Handmade Puddings
www.sweetmontage.com

Mr. & Ms. Cafe @ Oasis Ara Damansara

Here's the real oasis in Ara Damansara: Opening with little fanfare, Mr & Ms could prove one of this year's nicest new cafes, the epitome of an eatery where folks can relax & revel in unstinting servings of hot, nourishing food & warm, comforting smiles.

Mr & Ms refers to two friends: He's the chef who returned to Malaysia recently after honing his craft in Perth & Melbourne, while she's the young entrepreneur who's embarked enthusiastically on her first F&B business (with a little help from her brother & buddies).

The cafe now opens through teatime, with dinners starting next month. Our spotlight shines on brunch recipes where egg runs rampant with fun, flavorsome flourishes.

Poached eggs with slow-baked portobello mushrooms, nuts, grapes & lentils, served on toast (RM20.90+). An enjoyable change from favorites like Eggs Benedict & Atlantic, though those two reassuringly remain on the menu here.

Fluffy-creamy scrambled eggs (RM15.90+), prepared close to perfection, proudly piled with smoked salmon & feta cheese. Chef Alex has been toying with throwing pumpkin & leeks into this; we hope he does.

More eggs, fried this time (RM15.90++); shift them slightly to uncover a savory underbelly of turkey ham, melted mozzarella cheese & mashed avocados.

Spiced baked eggs with sausages, olives & minted yogurt (RM17.90++). Might be a tad too tangy for some, but still worth licking the spoon for this.

Not an admirer of albumin? No worries: Mr & Ms also serves a wholesome breakfast platter (RM19.90+) that features mini-pancakes with grilled bananas, muesli with roasted nuts & milk, plus a bowl of fresh fruit.

Mr & Ms uses Sumatra's Gayo mountain coffee beans. Wine is unavailable for now, but folks can bring their own to sip while savoring this cafe's Mariah-focused playlist.

Mr & Ms,

B-G-3A, Block B, Oasis Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7859-6665

Open 10am-5pm, except Mondays. Dinner service commences July.

Shell Out @ Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara

Going crustacean-crazy at this new seafood restaurant, where customers won't have to shell out too much cash to savor an ocean's bounty.

Nautical ornamentation of fishing nets, lifebuoys & shellfish-themed wall artwork ensure that even landlubbers know what to expect. Forget about feasting on fowl here.

Aussie crayfish steals the spotlight; it's well worth getting our hands dirty to scrape out every sweetly moist morsel of meat. RM42.90+ per 500 grams.

Shell Out's sauces include Cajun Sensation, Lemon Pepper & Garlic Butter. Levels of spiciness range from Mild to Medium to OMG.

Shell Out's opening promo makes us happy as a clam: Get 300 grams of mollusks free for every 500 grams of crayfish ordered. Offer valid through June 16.

Meaty crabs, RM7.50++ per 100 grams, about RM20 per crab. Shell Out's forte is fantastic freshness; much of its seafood is kept live here, as far as possible.

Prawns, RM26.90++ for 300 grams. Caution: Customers who must nitpick might pounce on the flavorful sauces, which threaten to prove overpowering sometimes.

Battered baskets are available too, showcasing steaming-hot, crispy-juicy shrimp, shishamo & calamari with fries, roughly RM10++ each.

In the aftermath, the carnage is absolute: No crayfish survives to tell the tale.

Shell Out will charge corkage eventually but not for now. Denise Wine Shop is 100 meters away on a nearby road.

Shell Out,

16-1, Jalan PJU 5/15, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara.

Tel: 03-7497-1137

Open for dinner daily.

Arun Residence @ Bangkok

An atmospheric restaurant with a lovely view of Bangkok's Chao Phraya.

Sip some cocktails at the terrace & watch the sun slowly set before dinner.

Everything's reasonably well-prepared here, from Pad Thai with chunks of chicken ...

... to river prawns, cooked in a mildly spicy-herbal essence ...

... to a humble-looking fried rice that should satiate carb cravings ...

... to some cod fish with fresh red-&-green veggies & a pesto-like sauce ...

... to more prawns, fried in a sinfully buttery style ...

... to mushrooms that were mostly walloped before I could photograph them ...

... to satay-like fish cakes, juicy & fresh-tasting ...

... to the ubiquitous spring rolls, crunchy as can be ...

... to everyone's favorite finisher, mango with sticky rice.

Arunsawas (Mekhong Thai whiskey, lychee syrup, Sprite).

Sala Sensation (Malibu, pineapple juice, lemon juice, syrup).

Arun Residence,

Bangkok, Thailand.

Yuniku @ Jaya One

Good Japanese food at Jaya One; it's a shame that Yuniku seems to be currently closed; we hope it'll reopen sometime soon.

Soft-shell crab salad is a pleasure when there's as much crab as there is salad.

Steamed rice with green tea soup & grilled cod roe. Unbeatable for a rainy evening.

Snapper head braised in shoyu sauce. Gloriously glutinous & gelatinous. We're gluttons for it.

Beef rolls. Skip these; the meat is only marginally more tender than leather.

Gotta have noodles. Simple but satisfying buckwheat ones with assorted "mountain vegetables." Fundamentally guilt-free carbs.

Baked eggplant, looking more like horror-movie alien fetuses.

Hot buttered potatoes, melt-in-the-mouth-ish. Fundamentally guilt-filled carbs.

Wrapping up with even more carbs, in the form of a well-prepared traditional porridge with slivers of crab meat & egg for some high-grade protein.

Yuni Ku,

Jaya One, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7957-6689