Revisit to F Buffalo Kitchens

'F' by Buffalo Kitchens has undoubtedly managed to make its mark in Bangsar's culinary scene. It has been some time now, since we last visited - and indeed, plenty had changed.

The dining area and open kitchen indeed helped create a lively, yet sleek atmosphere for the diners. 'F' by Buffalo Kitchens, is situated right above Chawan on Jalan Telawi 3, in Bangar Baru.

We were given some Bread with a Balsamic and Olive Oil dip. The bread tasted rather stale, and surprisingly cold. Not the best first impression to give a customer, if you ask me.

A soup is a must-order, whenever I dine with mum, and the Wild Mushroom Soup worth RM14 was our choice for the night. The truffle oil gave it a great underlying flavour, yet it lacked some salt and should have been thicker in texture.

The Vietnamese Squid Salad, worth RM16 was hardly Vietnamese at all. Nonetheless, the squid was well cooked and in abundance. The dressing it came with with, albeit too much, tasted great.

We then ordered a Chicken Mash Roulade, worth RM28. At face value, the dish looked hardly appealing. However one mustn't judge a book by its cover, because it tasted great!

The chicken, although overcooked, contained smooth mashed potato within. The real highlight was the curry cream sauce which it was laced with. Smooth, and infused with turmeric.

Our dessert was a slice of Cherry Cheese Cake. For RM12, the slice that we had was incredibly small. Smooth nonetheless, though incredibly small. Not worth it, if you ask me.

Their Coffee there, however, is absolutely top-notch. As the place specialises in making coffee - I can assure you that they pull great espressos and make great coffee-related drinks.

If you are willing to climb the steep flight of stairs, then 'F' by Buffalo Kitchens offers food of an average standard. Their quality, however, has definitely decreased compared to our last visit, which is a pity.

Presentation: 6/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Overall Taste: 6/10

General Impression: 6/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Breakfast @ La Bodega

Before the rise of places like Plan B, Antipodean and the others that specialize in serving up the day's most important meal - there was La Bodega. Today, La Bodega still serves up breakfast, receiving a few (though not as many anymore) customers.

The service was relatively good, albeit a bit slow. We visited their Bangsar branch which is located along Jalan Telawi 2, in Bangsar Baru. We used to be somewhat frequent visitors to La Bodega, however we have stopped due to the gradual loss in the quality of their food which we noticed.

This time around, however, I ordered myself the English Breakfast, which came with two eggs (which I chose to have scrambled), beef bacon, smoked turkey ham, chicken sausages, sautéed mushrooms, a grilled tomato and a hash brown.

The eggs were rather silky, however slightly overcooked. The beef bacon was unfortunately rubbery, being undercooked. The mushrooms, however were cooked perfectly as the mushrooms retained much of their moisture.

The breakfast set was relatively reasonable in terms of pricing at RM 27, considering the fact that it came with a freshly squeezed glass of juice and a coffee, much bigger in portion to those in Plan b (however not as great in quality).

The Muesli which my mother had ordered was a disappointment. The bowl contented 70% milk and 30% content. By the time my mother completed it, there was still a bowl with plenty of milk remaining. Disappointing if you ask me.

If you happen to be in Bangsar, looking for a place to have a nice breakfast, La Bodega might not be the place for you. Plan b still tops the list when it comes to breakfasts. Or if you don't plan on spending the money as you would in either on of the establishments - then maybe a mamak?

Presentation: 5/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 6.5/10

Overall Taste: 6.5/10

General Impression: 6/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Desserts at Alexis

Apologies for the poor quality of photographs, as these photos were taken using my BlackBerry phone.

Alexis has always been a favourite destination of mine, when it comes to having dessert. I recently paid a visit to Alexis yet again for some sweet indulgence, though this time - I strayed away from the status quo, and ordered other items apart from my beloved Mixed Berries Meringue.

Alexis has many different outlets that you can visit - such as their outlets in The Gardens Mall at Mid Valley, or along Jalan Telawi 3 in Bangsar Baru, or at Bangsar Shopping Centre, or at their establishment in the Great Eastern Mall at Ampang. The photos of this post were taken when we visited their outlet along Jalan Telawi 3.

One of the dishes we ordered was the Sticky Date Pudding served with Vanilla Ice-Cream. The texture of the pudding was perfectly moist, though I did find the combination of ice-cream and pudding a bit of a sugar-overload. Despite that fact, it was a pretty good dessert nonetheless.

We then had a Nutty Chocolate Meringue, instead of the mixed berries. The meringue in this dessert had a crisp exterior and a marshmallow-like interior. The various nuts such as almonds, pecans and walnuts provided different types of crunch and flavours to it.

Our third dessert was a Banana Bread and Butter Pudding with Cream and Vanilla Ice Cream. The dessert was incredibly filling and absolutely delicious. The bananas and raisins provided a lovely complement to the bread pudding, and the contrasting temperatures of the ice-cream and pudding worked brilliantly well.

In conclusion, it is quite appropriate to say that Alexis serves fantastic desserts on the whole. You truly get your money's worth, with all desserts priced at around RM15 each. Each dessert has its own unique quality to it, and you will not be disappointed when you try this establishment's sweet temptations.

Presentation: 6/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Overall Taste: 8/10

General Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

G3 Kitchen and Bar

My friend and I stumbled upon G3 last week while scouring Bangsar for a place to dine. G3 is a relatively new establishment is located smack in the centre of Bangsar Baru, on the same row as Alexis along Jalan Telawi 3.

I found the interior rather chic, and the jazzy renditions of hit songs such as Michael Jackson's Thriller were a wonderful accompaniment. Apart from selling food, G3 also sells products such as pasta, sauces, chocolate powder and different flavoured beers. We were very hungry and in the mood to eat as soon as possible, but the extremely slow service really got us worked up.

The food eventually came in the end, with our Roasted Pumpkin served with Almond Flakes, Feta Cheese and Garden Salad worth RM 20,being the first to arrive. The dish was wonderfully presented, with a large piece of grilled pumpkin acting as the centrepiece. The pumpkin was cooked on one side and slightly raw on the other. There wasn't any almond flakes, though there were chickpeas in its place. The crisp salad with pesto provided for a nice addition to the dish.

Next up was our Deli Sandwich with Turkey Ham, Avocado Aioli and Cheddar Cheese, worth RM 17. The sandwich contained a lot of meat in a warm toasted bread, with the meat, cheese and aioli calling for a marriage made in heaven. The sandwich was accompanied with a helping of amazingly fluffy chips and some simple greens.

As a dessert, we placed an order for a Raspberry Crème Brûlée worth RM 7. Though the dessert took quite some time to arrive, the smell of caramelised sugar filled the air of the restaurant while they were blowtorching the dish, which tantalised our tastebuds. The dish was phenomenal, with the crispness of the surface, creaminess of the filling and tartness of the raspberries providing a myriad of flavours and textures to the dish.

Still hungry, we ordered a Chocolate Truffle Torte worth RM 7. The dish took quite some time to arrive, and the chocolate seemed more like syrup than that of a chocolate truffle. Despite that, the dish tasted swell, with the orange and the chocolate forming the ideal combination, as odd as that combo sounds.

As a whole I was really impressed with this new establishment. G3 served us great tasting food, of a reasonable quality, for a reasonable price. The only point of contention for the restaurant is that it needs to buck up on its service if they intend on surviving because in Bangsar, nobody likes slow food.

Presentation: 8/10

Ambiance: 6/10

Service: 5/10

Overall Taste: 7/10

General Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

F for Fantastic

When asked to think of a word beginning with the letter F, most 23 year olds would have a nasty 4-letter word running through their minds. This, however, wasn't the case for Hsiao Tung Wei - a 23 year old graduate in diplomatic relations and the owner of F, Concept Dining by Buffalo Kitchens, right above Chawan on Jalan Telawi 3, in Bangar Baru.

To him, the letter 'F' symbolises Food, Friendship, Fusion and Family, and judging by the look of determination on his face you could see that he clearly wasn't 'screwing around'. I was told that the menu changes often, to allow diners to try out different items and I'm glad that this concept of dining has finally come to Bangsar.

The restaurant's interior was chic with mood lighting shining down from the ceiling, and the stainless steel pans along with the open air kitchen added a contemporary touch to it. Oddly enough, this was blended perfectly well with the wooden floors, chairs and tables that added a rustic feel to the restaurant.

Ladies won't have to worry about placing their handbags on the floor or on other chairs, as the bags can be placed on a special sliding platform that slides out from under the chair. The above picture was of my mother's bag, placed right next to her chair. Seeing as it was the restaurant's first day in business, the food took a little bit of time to arrive, but it came in the end, nonetheless.

The first dish to arrive, was our appetiser of Pan Seared Tuna Salad with a Miso Mustard Dressing, worth RM15. The dish, truly was like art to the eyes. The seared tuna was fresh, and the subtle sweetness of the dressing complemented both the tuna and the salad. The salad consisted of enoki mushrooms and lettuce, which provided an interesting variety of textures to the dish.

The next dish to arrive was the Duck with Homemade Soba Noodles, worth RM25. Though not as elegantly presented as the salad, this dish was no doubt the best rendition of soba noodles I've ever had. The combination of noodles with the small shitake mushrooms and what seemed to be a sweet miso sauce sent shivers down my spine. The only complaint I had about this dish was that the duck was slightly undercooked, though I would definitely consider ordering the dish again when I return.

Finally, we were served our dessert, which was a Chocolate Tart with Filo Pastry, worth RM10. The tart was pure decadence and was truly filling, despite being small in size. Upon tasting the bittersweet chocolate, you could tell that high quality chocolate was used. The only down bit to the tart, was that the filo base made the tart slightly hard to cut and eat. Though on the whole, the chocolate tart tasted brilliant.

The 23 year old owner Tsiao Tung Wei, told us about his future plans for the restaurant, such as providing cooking lessons in their kitchen and stocking up their book corner to allow customers to borrow books. He also hinted at the fact that the restaurant was packed on its first day, despite not having any front signage. Other than selling food, the restaurant also sells sells kitchenware by Buffalo Kitchens, and is known for their specially imported coffees - which I have yet to try.

On the whole, I can envisage a bright future for this interesting new restaurant, here in Bangsar. I know for a fact that I will definitely be back as I had a near-perfect experience at F Concept by Buffalo Kitchens. The food was superb despite the minor hiccups with the duck, and the ambiance was pure-class. F, concept dining by Buffalo Kitchens, is a must try.

Presentation: 9/10

Ambiance: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Overall Taste: 8/10

General Impression: 9/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Tapas @ El Meson

It had been a long time since my dad and I tried tapas, and so we decided to head over to El Meson and give the place a try - rather than the our usual La Bodega. El Meson is a Spanish restaurant located right next to Madam Kwan's, on Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru - right opposite Bangsar Village II.

Upon arriving at El Meson, we were told that the kitchen was closing at 10. I found this quite odd, considering the fact that tapas was meant to be 'late night eating'. Nonetheless, we sat down outside and ordered three varieties of tapas dishes from the 'hot tapas' section of the menu.

Before the tapas was served, we were given a complementary Basket of Baguette Slices with Garlic Aioli. The bread was soft and warm while the aioli - an emulsion of olive oil, garlic and egg yolk - complemented it nicely. My dad on the other hand, felt that the aioli was too bland and tasteless for his liking, as he prefers more bolder flavours.

We were then served Queso Frito worth RM14 (no picture available), which was essentially deep fried goat's cheese with tomato jam. The cheese was crisp on the outside and soft and stringy inside. The tomato jam complemented the fried cheese well as it added flavour to the cheese, rather than overpowering it.

We were then served Champinones worth RM16, which was button mushrooms in a garlic cream sauce, flavoured with white wine. The mushroom flavour was a bit too bold for my liking though the sauce curbed it - being mallow in taste. Unlike my dad, I did not fancy this dish very much as I felt the sauce was not thick enough.

Lastly, we were served Albondigas - meatballs in a tomato sauce, also worth RM14. Though simple in nature, the dish tasted fantastic as the meatballs were wonderfully prepared, being crisp on the outside and juicy inside. The tomato sauce did not overpower the flavour of the meat, but rather complemented it very nicely.

On the whole, I really enjoyed my time at El Meson. The menu had a considerable variety of tapas, which I felt were very well prepared. I feel that this establishment poses a threat to La Bodega, due to the fact that in my opinion, La Bodega has slightly dropped in quality.

When in Bangsar, I highly recommend you try El Meson if ever you're in the mood for tapas, as the restaurant offers good service and good quality food with a considerable amount of variety. Our total bill came up to around RM60, including a glass of lime juice which my dad had ordered.

Presentation: 7/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Overall Taste: 7/10

General Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Revisiting Lanna Thai

Last Friday marked the first day of a week of work with my cousin, a notorious solicitor named Gary. This notorious solicitor happened to take his entire staff out to lunch that day and to my surprise, they chose Lanna Thai as our place of lunch - a place I had already been to a few weeks ago with my friend.

The first thing I had noticed upon walking in was that they were still playing cheesy Westlife songs at their restaurant. Sigh. Anyway, thats beside the point. If you must know once again, the restaurant is the 17th shop-lot along Jalan Telawi 2 in Bangsar Baru.

I was under the impression that we were going to order from the set lunch menu - which still remained the same as when I previously visited. I was wrong. We ordered from the a la carte menu, and we ordered quite a bit. I was really looking forward to this as I was finally about to be given a taste of what Lanna Thai really has to offer.

Upon ordering the dishes, my cousin had tested the service at Lanna Thai by asking them if they could give extra cushions for his staff - they felt uncomfortable. The waiters happily obliged and stole some cushions from the other seats, just for us.

As our appetizer, we had Deep Fried Spring Rolls with Shrimp. It was incredibly hot and crisp, indicating to me that they had just been deep fried. The simple dish was served with a sweet Thai chili sauce, a combination which worked very well. I had taken note that the prawns however, were a little bit overcooked and tasted a little dry.

Up next, we were served Butter Prawns. All of us came to the conclusion that the name was very misleading, as the dish simply looked more like deep fried, battered prawns to us. What did they actually mean by butter prawns? Nonetheless, the prawns were large and succulent, with the batter, nice and crisp - both ingredients being present in their appropriate amounts.

Up next, came the Stir-Fried Vegetables in Oyster Sauce. The vegetables were nice and crisp, with each type of vegetable retaining its own flavor. Upon tasting the dish, I also noticed that the sauce and vegetables were present in adequate amounts. The sauce had added to the flavour of the vegetables rather than overpower it. It was a wonderful dish.

We then had Thai Green Curry with Chicken. I must warn you that this dish can only be eaten by the faint of heart. I could, sort of - but I was sweating like mad. This dish though, was truly one of the better green curries I've tasted. The chicken pieces were in abundance and were really tender too - despite the other vegetables tasting unusually bitter.

Our last dish that arrived was the Stir Fried Chicken with Basil Leaves. This dish was a killer as well, as those really small chillies had been finely sliced and added into the dish. Nonetheless, the chicken pieces in this dish were really tender too. The flavor of the basil, the soy sauce and chicken complemented each other very well.

On the whole - apart from the music, I really enjoyed my lunch at Lanna Thai, which served me good quality and authentic Thai food that day. If you are in Bangsar and in the mood to try Thai food, then I would highly recommend Lanna Thai to you.

I didn't manage to look at the total bill or menu, but the food is slightly pricier than most Thai restaurants. Though, if you want quality food and classy ambiance, you simply must be able to pay up for it. Nonetheless, I still think it is quite worthwhile to give this place a try.

Presentation: 7/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Overall Taste: 7/10

General Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic