The Tokyo Ramen

 Always random meals and trips with the bff. When she called to ask about dinner, I assumed that we were going to just have a simple dinner nearby our homes. When I got into the car, she asked if I was good with ramen. Of course I would be. Then, she announced: We go to Lot 10 ya. I was speechless for a second and responded with an affirmative.

Bff's younger sister was already there waiting for us - she went straight from her office. What was special about this place is that it is a halal establishment. I found that interesting, as most ramen places would include pork in their menu. Not this one.

Seems like we had all the more popular items on the menu. They tried the miso base one and a black sesame base one. I cannot recall what the miso base one is called though, unfortunately, but the soup was definitely flavourful.

The black sesame base one is the Azabu Sakana Shoyu Ramen, which was a little strong for my liking. Distinctive flavours, though, and the bff enjoyed it.

I had a Shibuya Taiwan Mazesoba, as I was attracted by the onsen egg. Simple and light flavours, just right for me.

Personally, I feel that if you enjoy ramen, this is definitely a place to try at least once. You never know, you may find yourself returning more than once.

The Tokyo Ramen

Level 4, Lot 10, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T: +60 3 2119 2623; M: +6012-789 8652; E: tokyo.isetanicj@gmail.com

Daily 11:00am to 3:00pm, 5:30pm to 11:00pm

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Natalina Italian Kitchen

 Once every now and then, A, J and I would treat ourselves to a nice meal. One of these treats was at Natalina Italian Kitchen, situated on the third Level of Avenue K Shopping Mall in downtown KL. 

Natalina was the name of Frank Sinatra's mother and this Italian kitchen is headed by Chef Stefano La Penna. 

We started with some bubblies. So long since I had some, so this was refreshing.

Then we had the complimentary freshly baked bread, well matched with pesto, olive and tomato dips.

There were so many dishes that we would have liked to try but with only three stomaches to fill, we decided to not be greedy. We settled for three dishes.

First dish was the Eggplant Parmigiana because it is a non-pasta version of a lasagna. Anything with eggplant or the word lasagna never fail to get my attention. An oven-baked eggplant timbale served with mozzarella cheese in a rich tomato reduction, we could smell it even before it arrived at the table.

We licked the plate clean.

As we saw someone kneading pizza dough at the entrance, we thought that it would be good to give theirs a try. Their Napoli-style Diavola pizza hit just the right spot with savoury, tangy, spicy flavours thanks to the spicy Italian salami, fresh tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella and red chilli.

We were all craving risotto and coincidentally, the risotto of the day was seafood risotto. We were so full after that, as risotto is rather filling.

I do not mind visiting again to try the other dishes on their menu. Oh, and that next time I have to make sure to find someone else to drive, so that I could try something from their cocktail menu.

Natalina Italian Kitchen
Lot 06 Level 3, Avenue K, 156 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

M: +6012 673 3860; E: info@natalinakl.com

Daily 12 noon to 10:30pm

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Encore Pastry Cafe

 Taman Bukit Desa is where I spent a large portion of my childhood, as Dad's office was here until I was 10. Every day after school, we would have lunch at the Uncle Sunny's kopitiam downstairs from Dad's office.

Now, many years later, that lone row of shops is home to several popular cafes, one of them being Encore Pastry Cafe that occupies the first lot. This year marks their 10th year of operations and although I am not a frequent visitor, they are always in my mind when craving good dessert.

During my latest visit, I tried a cold drink for the first time - Chocolate Flotteur. Think root beer float but in dark chocolate instead of root beer. This was satisfyingly rich without being overly sweet.

Also my first time trying their Apple Almond Tart. Almond slices on the surface gives it an added layer of texture when chewing.

What I always come here for is their famous Lemon Tart. Still the best I have had in KL.

They have both indoor air-conditioned seating (which is freezing, in my opinion) and outdoor al fresco seating (which could be annoying if you do not like the smell of cigarette smoke). Parking can get tricky, especially during working hours.

They also serve main meals, so do give them a try. I believe they would be not too bad, too.

Encore Pastry Cafe

1 Jalan Bukit Desa 5, Taman Bukit Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

T: +60 3 7972 7988; M: +6012-988 9550; E: enquiry@encoregroup.com.my

Wednesday to Sunday 11:00 to 9:00pm

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Dough! Bakery & Cafe

Happy Mansion is a familiar name to cafe-hoppers. Sometimes, I wonder if it is because of the cafes that bring happiness to the place or it is because the place is a happy place that attracted the cafes there.

From when the first cafe opened there, Happy Mansion progressively had more cafes popped up. One of them is Dough! Bakery and Cafe, which is known for its croissants and sourdough bread.

I visited on a Sunday with my usual makan kakis. We ordered a croissant and a waffle to share. The chocolate croissant that we tried lived up to its crispy and flaky name. Dark chocolate was in every bite, which left us feeling satisfied. We also appreciated the plate that it was served on.

Although the chocolate waffle looked really rich, it was not overwhelmingly so. We enjoyed it to its last drip of chocolate.

Despite it being late arvo, we still had a good amount of natural lighting. They had a few potted plants around, too, which added to its cosiness.

With the fragrance of good coffee and freshly-baked pastry, we quickly made plans to visit together again to try their main meals.

It gets really crowded on the weekends. We drove round the block four times before we found a parking spot. Be prepared. Also, as there are still people living in the low-cost flats above these trendy cafes, be respectful and not park in places where you ought not to.

Dough! Bakery & Cafe

B-G-7, Happy Mansion Block B, Jalan 17/13, Seksyen 17, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

M: +6016-647 2775; E: doughbakery01@gmail.com

Daily 10:00am to 5:00pm

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The Ice Cream Bar Malaysia

There have been many local brands that make really impressive ice cream flavours in recent years and one particularly caught my attention when I realised their online presence, The Ice Cream Bar Malaysia. Why? Because I like eating ice cream and because they make ice cream that contains alcohol. Yumsss...

One night, the bestie and I made a trip out in search of dinner and set out to the nearest branch for dessert. We ordered a set of three scoops (note that ice cream with alcohol would cost more than "normal" flavours) - Bacardi Chocolate Crunch, Absinthe Frangelico and the classic Rum and Raisin.

My favourite was the Rum and Raisin, perhaps because I am familiar with that flavour. The other two flavours had their distinct tastes, but because I was less familiar with the two blends, I did not enjoy them both as much - this is not to say that they were not tasty.

The bestie and I quite often lament about how we lack a proper ice cream parlour where we live. Although The Ice Cream Bar opened a new branch in nearby Puchong, it is still not exactly right smack where we are. We sometimes talk about how we should establish one in our area to fill in the gap (cos if I am complaining about a lack of such a place, that would mean there would be other people like me, right?). Sometimes, our conversation on this topic would be so serious that we would talk about types of ice cream machines, types of alcohol and chocolate to mix in, even what furniture to have in our imaginary ice cream cafe.

So in the meantime, we shall just continue with the non-imaginary ones to fix our cravings.

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Suagu @1502A

Finally, there is a rooftop bar in SK! I remember I used to lament how we SKians have to travel to get to a decent bar but no longer, there is now one in our hood! With a catchy name like Suagu or rather, country bumpkin, it was easy to remember. 

Their entrance is located on the back lane of the complex of shops. When they first started, you could waltz straight through but now, you would need to make an appointment with them to secure your spot and for them to give you the pass code to the security door. I suppose it is a sensible security and safety measure for a place that is open till midnight and along a really quiet stretch, at that.

Be prepare to climb a really steep flight of spiral staircase. As they are a rooftop bar, you would need to climb pass three floors (hint: you definitely need that can of beer post-climb).

They offer a variety of craft beer from across the world and also drinks that are non-alcoholic.

I know the glass looks normal but I like the shape of the "bottom" (what are they called?). I find it to be a cute shape. Gotta get myself my own set of drink ware, as each home should have one set, ey, since there are 9.9 sales coming up...

They also offer skewers that are freshly grilled and other snacks, which you could enjoy with your drinks in their cosy open-air environment. 

They biggest selling point is the mesmerising sunset and nightscape over the new village of SK.

The only thing I have an issue with is that it is located along the main road of SK, where traffic is one-way. Therefore, if you could not find a spot to park the first time around, you would need to turn a big round and try again the next time.

Suagu @ 1502A

1502A Jalan Besar, Kampung Baru Seri Kembangan, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia

T: +6012-549 2018

Tuesday to Sunday 6:30pm to midnight

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Engi Patisserie

As I was browsing Insta one day a long time ago, a (then) new account started to appear on my feed. From its name, it was hard to tell what type of cafe it was other than it served pastries. From browsing the pictures and captions, I deduced that they served Japanese-style pastries, or at least, someone there (perhaps the owner?) was trained in Japan.

The clean and simple atmosphere inside the cafe contrasted with the noisy atmosphere outside. I particularly liked how they had a signature futuristic-looking chandelier.

 

Instinctively, we walked over to the cake display first to have a look at what cakes are available (and whether they look as good as they do in photographs).

There are separate displays for breads and croissants.

On both my visits with different friends, we tried different things and all had their unique tastes, which we enjoyed. They did not just look good, they were tasty, too!

Ichigo (so aptly named)

Citrus tarte

Ferrero Rocher croissant (sinful to say the least)

Pistachio rose croissant

The barista did an adorable latte art on my matcha because he forgotten the order due to the crowd.

They also serve main meals - we saw other tables being served pasta and soup. 

Parking here, like in any part of Cheras, is a nightmare, so do pick your time and date wisely before visiting.

Engi Patisserie

14 Jalan Nadchatiram, Taman Taynton View, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

M: +6017-666 2192

Tuesday to Sunday 8:00am to 6:00pm

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Red Kettle

Located along the only row of shops in Taman Bukit Desa is Red Kettle. Their wood panel signage at the shop front and signature red kettle at the entrance welcome patrons. Also to welcome patrons is a whiff of freshly-baked pastry, which they display at the counter. Throughout the years, I have visited with family and friends for various occasions, and have tried different things.

They seem to have some Japanese elements infused into their menu. A memorable dish was their Porkie Mantau (RM24.90), which is a set of two deep-fried mantaus with grilled pork, cucumber, pickled vegetables, kimchi mayo, sesame and herbs. Small in size but packed full in flavour.

During a different visit, I had their Smoked Salmon Avacodo and Eggs (RM36.90), which was something I had quite frequently when I was in Sydney. Here, they serve theirs with a generous dollop of chia seeds.

Their signature Portuguese Egg Tart did not disappoint (RM5.50). We always start by sharing one and more than once, we ended up ordering more.

For cakes, they serve different cakes every now and then.

An interesting drink here is their Maple-Thyme Hojicha Latte (RM16.90), which you could have either hot or cold. Interesting blend of flavours, I feel this glassful of pure hojicha powder, maple thyme syrup and oat drink.

Also recommended is their Vietnamese Drip Coffee (no photo to show, sorry), which in 'kao'-ness I can still taste in my mouth.

Try to visit them during non-peak work hours, as there is the roadside parking is limited.

Red Kettle

37 Jalan Bukit Desa 5, Taman Bukit Desa, 58100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

T: +603 7988 0801; E: contactus@redkettle.com.my

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Bukku Cafe

We got wind of a rather "young" book cafe in the royal town of Klang, which got me interested. But Klang is erm, considered far from where we normally hang out.

I got the impression that they were Japan-inspired as their name had Japanese characters. Was not sure what I was expecting from the decor and menu but I left feeling unsure of which aspects of the place was Japanese. Not that I am an expert on Japan but...

It was a weekend when we visited and it was when the government had just relaxed the SOPs on the MCO. Therefore, there was a queue when we arrived because there were fewer seats compared to before to adhere to physical distancing requirement.

Immediately after we placed our orders, I started to look for the "book cafe" aspect of the place. I found shelves against a whole wall. But that was it. Not sure what I was expecting to find but perhaps it did not help that it was a weekend after the MCO and therefore, many people were out to catch up with people they have not seen for 2.5 months, so books would not be top on their priority list.

Not sure if I was expecting more books but perhaps, I was let down by how no one in the cafe (at the time I was there) was reading a book. People were either talking to each other or fiddling with their electronic devices.

Otherwise, I thought it felt rather cosy (note to self: do not visit on a weekend in future).

Okay, now to the noms.

Not sure what transpired at the time but we decided to order chocolate instead of coffee. Rare, right? I know.

Very satisfying, I tell you. We tried their finest Belgian chocolate (RM12) because we think that not many cafes choose to use Belgian chocolate - had one Milk 34% and one Dark 54%. Two thumbs up!

Jenny had coffee, which came in a bigger copper mug. So fancy.

Jenny also ordered a Big Breakfast (RM23), which consisted two gourmet sausages, two sunny-side up eggs,  sourdough bread, grilled tomato, baked sweet potato and fruit salad:

 

Just before we left, we tried their popular Salted Egg Yolk Croissant (RM7.50):

Verdict: They would do well with a branch on this side of the state, so that we do not need to cross districts 😉

Note: Always check their social media sites for updates on opening hours due to the ever-changing (x)MCOs.

Bukku Cafe

1 Jalan Singgahsana 4A/KU2, Bandar Bukit Raja, 41050 Klang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

M: +60 12 567 7392; E: bukku.cafe@gmail.com

Daily 9:00am to 7:00pm

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