Ground Eatery

 Did you know that other than Walnut Cafe and Bar, there is another cafe in PFCC? In fact, this other cafe is just two doors up from Walnut and it is called Ground Eatery. In the beginning, their name kept reminding me of The Grounds in Sydney but that is besides the point...

So far, I visited twice. Both visits were with different people and different purposes. The first visit with Jenny was for dessert after dinner while the second visit with Dad was for lunch.

I think from the photographs below, you would be able to deduce which photographs belonged to which visit:

Evidently a Japan-inspired pasta dish, this Mentaiko Pasta was a visual delight. Well-plated and with ingredients of attractive colours, it also tasted delicious, especially with the poached egg all mixed in with the pasta. The roe gave it additional texture, too.

Evidently a Japanese-inspired pasta dish

I found their Grilled Char Siew (MooPing) with Chazuke Rice and Zuzu Chilli to be an interesting dish. A teapot is served along with the bowl of rice. The waitress then taught me to pour the tea into the bowl before savouring.

Poppyseed cake

There was one aspect that really stood out for Jenny and I, though. On the night that we went for cake, we were served by a waiter whom we guessed is non-Malaysian. We were really impressed by his service - very obliging, friendly and helpful.

Ground Eatery

G-09, Tower 4 & 5, PFCC, Jalan Puteri 1/2, Bandar Puteri Puchong, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.

T: +603 5879 7292, M: +6012 751 1963, E: groundeatery@gmail.com

Mondays to Thursdays 11:00am to 9:00pm

Fridays to Sundays 11:00am to 10:00pm

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Walnut Cafe & Bar

 Walnut Cafe & Bar has been around for quite some time and I have been meaning to visit but never really got round to it. I finally managed to visit with Jenny for dinner one evening.

I found it quite interesting the name of their cafe was inspired by the wood material of the tables they use. Apparently, walnut wood is a highly prized domestic hardwood due to its strong, hard and durable qualities, making it a rather suitable wood choice for table tops. Each of their tables have different wood textures and are uniquely designed for sale.

They have an extensive menu, ranging from finger food, burgers, pastas, rice, dessert and a variety of drinks. As I was craving burger, I had Pollack Fish Burger that came in an oblong bun.

Jenny ordered a Fennel Chicken Pasta and I was so taken in by the egg (yes, I am an egg-lover).

We also ordered a basket of onion rings because it has been ages since I had onion rings. We could imagine this being munched on with beer in hand but no beer mood during this meal so it was lemongrass white tea in hand instead haha.

We thought it was quite clever of them to serve their signature lemongrass white tea in a barrel because it somewhat upgrades the drink from a normal tea to a "posh" tea, if that makes sense. It can get a little fiddly with the little tap though, but it does its job of grabbing your attention.

Hopefully, I would get more opportunities to visit to try the rest of their menu. 

Walnut Cafe & Bar

G-10, Ground Floor, Tower 4 & 5, PFCC, Jalan Puteri 1/2, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.

T: 03-8052 6607, E: walnutgroup888@gmail.com

Daily 11:00am to 10:00pm

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ICONS Music

This post is different from my other posts, is it not? Normally, I would talk about food, my travels, events I attended and aspects of working with Mum. This post is a super delayed favour I promised to fulfil for an ex-classmate of mine, the very sweet Tommy, a friend I have had for 19 years to date.

Although we were in the same class for only 2 years, our classes were next to each other for another 2  years, which meant that we saw each other heaps regardless. The whole group of us, in fact - all still pretty close-knit till today.

We have seen each other go through life using different pathways, the ups and downs of each journey, the many crossroads taken to arrive at where we are at today. For Tommy, he did a few other things before actualising this music studio with his brothers, Michael and Daryl. If I remember correctly, he dabbled in property and also in pharmaceuticals prior to becoming his own boss.

His music studio is called ICONS Music and is located along one of the busy Puchong stretches of the LDP highway. Conveniently, there is a big food court, the Puchong branch of Asia Cafe, should one need fuel for the body and parking (there is basement parking under the food court).

Tommy is constantly on the go, either delivering instruments to clients, coordinating events or stocking up his warehouse. He hardly gets time to rest but he ensures that he gets quality time with family and close friends. He is one of the few I proudly share quality catch up time with and also the few I can hold a conversation in Hakka with.

He carries quite a few instruments of different labels at his studio. There are drum sets, guitars, basses, ukuleles, amplifiers and other accessories. Some of the brands available include Epiphone, Gibson, L. Luthier, Pearl, Tama, Peavey, Marshall, MXR, Boss, DigiTech and Behringer.

In addition to selling and supplying instruments, he also provides guitar repairing services at his studio.

And like any other music studio in Malaysia, they provide music lessons for both adult and children. There are rooms for guitar, drum, ukulele and piano lessons.

However, to me, what makes his studio stand out is the availability of recording and jamming studios. There are two of these studios and I have heard him sharing stories of how some college bands record demo tracks till the wee hours of the morning sometimes. They charge by the hour and from what I remember, the prices are reasonable. Best to contact them for the most updated pricing.

Oh, and they are situated on the top level of a three-storey shoplot, so be prepared for a climb. ;)

ICONS Music

30-2 Jalan OP 1/3, Pusat Perdagangan One Puchong, Off Jalan Puchong, 47160 Puchong, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Tel: +60 3 8071 5433; E-mail: enquiry.iconsmusic@gmail.com

Daily Noon to 11:00pm (except public holidays)

Banh Mi Cafe

What is a banh mi? Banh mi refers to bread and in this case, baguette. And so simply put, this cafe is a Vietnamese baguette cafe serving well, er, traditional Vietnamese baguette in a variety of choices.

I am unsure if it is because I have had different kinds of banh mi when in Sydney that made me feel a tiny bit disappointed when I saw the banh mi here. The banh mi in Sydney were all stuffed to the brim, like extremely packed to the verge of bursting. Here, it was not so. But I have only visited once, so my observation would be a little unjust.

You cannot visit a Vietnamese place without having Vietnamese Drip Coffee. Here, it is served the traditional way. Not bad in taste, too.

I tried a Da Me Asam Boi or Tamarind Drink, which I thought looked interesting. I would not say that I entirely liked it, though. It took some getting used to.

 

Banh Mi Cafe

1 Jalan Puteri 7/10, Bandar Puteri Puchong, 47100 Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

Tel: +60 3 8060 0127

Daily 10:30am to 10:00pm

Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan Tiga

We love our steamed fish head, so when we stumbled upon this restaurant, we stopped and walked in. We gave their Famous Steam Fish Head a try and were not disappointed. The fish was fresh and I liked how it was spicy with garlic flavour.

Not sure what this other steamed fish dish is called but it came in a peppery broth with lots of chopped garlic and lala (Asian clam). One dish that I would recommend.

Another dish I would recommend is Guang Xi Tofu Puffs, juicy puffballs stuffed with fish mince. 

Their restaurant is of reasonable cleanliness and we have always opted to be seated outdoors instead of indoors. Waitstaff are happy to recommend dishes when asked.

Restoran Kari Kepala Ikan Tiga
1 Jalan BPU5, Bandar Puchong Utama, 47100 Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia.
Mob: +601 16 288 2829, +60 19 647 7941 (Johnny Yap)

Kissaten Japanese Restaurant & Cafe IOI Boulevard

Puchong is an up-and-coming "cool" place to hang out at now, it seems. Lots of different eateries, including this one, have mushroomed and thanks to my ex-gang-of-cousin-students (did that even make sense?)... okay, they were my students and they are all cousins to each other, I started going to Puchong a little more.

With every progressive year, I have more and more students who get to legal driving age, so this time around, they drove me out instead of the other way around.

They brought me to IOI Boulevard to have lunch at Kissaten Cafe.

They highly recommended the signature Kissburger, the Teriyaki Pork Burger (RM13.90).

There were so many layers and the first thought that came to mind was, "How to fit that into my mouth?" But the whole pork patty, egg, tomato, lettuce and mayo glory still ended up being consumed by four hungry people.

And I think this was Ginger Pork - I cannot recall because I was more consumed with catching up with my now grown-up students.

Then there was the Katsudon (RM15.90), which was huge! Too heavy for lunch, I reckon.

Another dish that I thought was rather unique was the Teriyaki Chicken Onsen Tamago (RM24.90). The egg in the middle of the pizza definitely caught my attention and I will be ordering this again on my next visit!

Quick service with the option of outdoor and indoor seating. I would imagine that there would be lots of smoking and alcohol drinking later in the evenings and during weekends. Otherwise, it makes for a family-friendly environment, too.

Kissaten Japanese Restaurant & Cafe IOI Boulevard
D-G-57, Blk D., IOI Boulevard, Jalan Kenari 5, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. 
Tel: +60 3 8070 6307, E-mail: hello@kissaten.com.my