Desserts at Alexis

Alexis is well known for their desserts, and we decided to try a few after having had a dinner with some family friends. We visited their BSC branch, which is located on the 1st floor of Bangsar Shopping Centre, right next to Busaba.

It was unfortunate that there were no slices of the mixed berries meringue available, but heck - I guess trying other cakes didn't seem that bad an idea. Lets face it, always good to break away from the norms every once in awhile.

The Black and White Chocolate Cake was a descent choice, though I personally felt that the cake was nothing out of this world. I felt it was a bit too dry and maybe a bit too one-dimensional.

The Tiramisu with strawberry coulis, however, is something not to be missed. Personally, I ate very little of it as I am not a fan of nuts - however having been the first cake to have been finished, it was safe to say that the cake remained a hit with the rest. The caramelized nuts provide a good crunch, whilst shards of chocolate within the cake and the strawberry coulis provide a nice sweet and tart contrast.

We ordered an Apple Pie a la mode as well. The apples were perfectly cooked with a hint of cinnamon - they maintained their crunch very well. The crust was a bit too hard, though pairing it with the ice cream compensated for that 'crusty' hiccup.

All in all, Alexis remains a great place for dessert and a popular choice for many. Though the quality of their deserts tend to remain inconsistent, it is safe to say that you will leave satisfied - at the very least. 

Presentation: 6/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Overall Taste: 6.5/10

General Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

F1 Paddock Club @ Sepang Perdana Suite

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to have watched the GP2 Series finals and the F1 Malaysian GP qualifiers from the Paddock Club at the Sepang Perdana Suite.

The club is without a doubt, the most exclusive seating area from which you can watch the race, with views of practically half of the circuit.

Upon arrival, you are escorted to your table, donned with a Hermes tablecloth specially designed for the Paddock Club.

With access to the Perdana Suite, you are given special views of the main grandstand, as well as a top-down view of the pits and of the podium.

Drinks at the Paddock Club are free flowing. One can have anything, with a wide-array of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. As I arrived in the morning, I ordered myself a cappucino. This was followed by...

...an affogatto later in the afternoon. It wasn't strong, however it did do me reasonable justice. Certainly allows you to have more than one cuppa without feeling any guilt (if you're like me, trying to cut the caffeine).

For breakfast, we were served some oatmeal with raisins, which I found incredibly satisfying

 We also had a bowl of fruit at our disposal. I had with my oatmeal, some freshly squeezed guava juice. A healthy breakfast to start the day!

In between breakfast and lunch - as the buffet spread was being set - we were given a selection of small snacks.

I managed to pick up a king prawn dish with an aubergine base and garlic aioli aside. My juice was topped continually whilst I watched the cars from the balcony.

Our lunchtime spread was a buffet, consisting of numerous items. My first plate, pictured above, consisted of the following. 

The roasted vegetables infused with thyme jus was sweet and perfectly cooked. Prawns with a turmeric-infused cream sauce were succulent. The pandan chicken in a sweet peanut sauce was a bit of a let-down unfortunately - but the roast beef compensated it - unbelievably soft and tender, possibly being the best I've ever had. As for the cod, there was a great texture to it: firm, yet flaky. 

I also had a rigatoni with a spicy lobster bolognese. The rigatoni was perfectly cooked, and the sauce provided a great accompaniment - however the lobsters were a bit dry and overcooked.

Other items on the spread included Mashed Potatoes, a Potato and Wasabi Soto, Smoked Aubergines, Celeriac Mousseline and a Coriander-Lemon Rice.

Throughout the race, you can pretty much ask them to serve you anything you want to drink, be it Beer/Champagne/Juice/Coffee or Tea. We consumed around 8 bottles of S.Pellegrino. 

Try avoiding the bread with dip we had - addictive, but it fills you up immensely.

After lunch, lay an assortment of delectable desserts that lasted the crowd through till the end of the day - we indulged in this till the very moment we left. The desserts were made with good quality ingredients and tasted great!

The panna cotta with raspberry glee was smooth, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour

Meanwhile, the chocolate mud cake with vanilla sauce was decadent, yet not overwhelmingly sweet - giving you the urge to have one more (as I did, an hour later).

Mud cake no.2 came with chocolate sauce and some apple strudel with strawberries and cream. The strudel was crisp, however I found the filling albeit a little tart for my liking.

Before leaving, I had myself some Darjeeling tea and biscotti. The teabag was a product of Fortnum & Mason - a company founded in 1707, and renowned for their teas.

I also had some mango mousse. It was smooth, however I found the fact that they paired it with a  strawberry a bit weird. Talk about an identity crisis.

The strawberry macaron was fantastic - eggshell-like exterior and a meringue-like interior: just how every macaron should be.

The experience included a walk around the F1 pits, some up-close-and-personal experiences with some of the drives, free merchandise, amazing service as well as a swanky pass around your neck. Not to mention the priority parking, and the sweeping views of Sepang. Here are some of the shots I managed to take:

Panoramic view from the pits.

RedBull car coming through...

We saw the teams busy at work in their garages.

Up close and personal with a McLaren car.

What's F1 without the pit-chicks?

We were given a tour of the Sepang media centre.

The one and only Michael Schumacher himself. With him, Nico Rosberg and Mokhzani Mahathir.

Jenson Button (above) and Fernando Alonso (below) cruising right below our noses.

A quick pit-stop during the GP2 Race - before the F1 qualifiers.

F1 Teams at work. McLaren boys take first and second places for Sunday's race.

The Paddock Club will set you back USD4200 for 2 days or USD4600 for all three days. Personally, I would purchase the tickets once I'm out of school, working, and (hopefully) have a reasonable amount of money with me :P

Ultimately, the value you place on the ticket depends on just how much you love F1. And I do. Very much. Hence the unofficial endorsement.

So long Paddock Club, till we (hopefully) meet again in a few years to come!

Presentation: 8/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Overall Taste: 8/10

General Impression: 7.5/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic

Delicious Favourites

My family never used to patronise Delicious outlets due to their low standard of service and poor quality food - until recently, when we have discovered hidden gems in their menu. These gems (as well as smiles on the waiters' faces) have brought us back again and again.

The Delicious Group have many restaurants restaurants such in the new block of One Utama Mid Valley, the G-Floor of Bangsar Village II, in Marc Residences on Jalan Pinang and Dua Residency along Jalan Tun Razak. All these restaurants can be easily recognised by their iconic birdcage lamps and blue cushions. They have the same menu, though the quality of certain dishes may vary depending on the establishment.

One of our favourites would have to be the Green Curry Chicken worth RM 20. This dish isn't spicy, but contains enough of aroma and flavour to keep you satisfied. The bowl of curry also contains mushrooms, green peas and eggplant - and served with a refreshingly sweet Pomelo Salad and Rice with Kaffir Lime Leaves.

The Thai Styled Steamed Sea-Bass worth RM 22 seems to be done a lot better in the Mid Valley outlet than the Bangsar Village one. The fish was firm, but flaky - and without any hint of fishiness to it. The tangy, flavourful sauce complemented the fish wonderfully - and the simple combination of rice and fish made for a great dish.

My sister loves the Classic Beef Lasagne worth RM 20. This dish is comfort food at its finest, though I have to admit that the portions were unbelievably small. Despite the small portion, the beef was plentiful and the sauce was present in the right amounts. The Salad with Dressing was a great accompaniment to this dish.

On the whole, Delicious seems to be the ideal place to go to if you and your family can't decide on a place to eat. The portions on most dishes are large and the quality and service at the establishments have certainly improved. A great place to see and be seen, chill out, or discuss business - Delicious is not to be missed.

Presentation: 8/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Overall Taste: 8.5/10

General Impression: 8/10

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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

On Top of the World @ The Skylounge

If you love dining with a view just as much as I do, then you will be pleased to know that I have discovered a hidden gem of a place, which definitely boasts some fine views. This hidden gem is often overlooked, due to the presence of 7atenine, a well-known establishment throughout KL.

The Skylounge is located on the 22nd floor of The Ascott, along Jalan Pinang, right opposite Mandrin Oriental and nearby Suria KLCC. Unlike Luna Bar or Skybar, the Skylounge maintains a more casual and family-friendly atmosphere whilst boasting the same breathtaking views.

The Alfredo Chicken with spaghetti in herbed cream sauce and turkey ham, worth RM 19.70, was a hearty serving. There wasn't any herb element that I got from the sauce, but the dish was great comfort food nonetheless, containing plenty of tender chicken pieces, and large pieces of turkey ham.

The Sky Salad, worth RM 15.70, consisted of a bit-too-generous portion of mesclun mix with huge tomatoes slices, quite a bit of croutons, a few pieces of fresh smoked salmon and a homemade tangy dressing - essentially, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This dish was easily forgetful, though nothing to complain about.

The Sky Club Sandwhich consisted of pieces of rather dry chicken breast, a normal fried egg and rather chewy beef bacon, on an over-toasted bun. Not exactly what I hoped for - looks can be deceiving. Though the fluffy potato wedges with a spicy chilli-mayo dip were addictive. This dish was alright, being priced at RM 17.70.

Our Coffee flavoured Crème Brûlée was more like coffee flavoured cream, then crème brûlée. Despite having an amazing taste, the dish's texture didn't quite work out as caramelised crust was barely crisp, and everything likened to a texture, similar to that of melted ice-cream.

On the whole, I felt that the Skylounge is a must-visit place if you love breathtaking views, though I felt that their food was average. Apart from western cuisine, the Skylounge also serves some local delicacies. The service, on the other hand, was excellent and I (being a lover of panoramic views) am definitely set to return.

Presentation: 7/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Overall Taste: 6/10

General Impression: 7/10

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Cheers,

BrianandRepublic