Some time back in Feb when Z and i celebrated her birthday with our sassy weekend in KL, we stayed at the wonderful Fraser Place Serviced Apartments. We were choosing between several chain hotels but decided on a serviced apartment instead for a more cosy stay and we were spot on with our choice. Fraser Place Kuala Lumpur has recently been crowned the Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice® 2012 for being the most trendy and luxurious in its category.

View from the 18th floor Pool at day break

Situated right in the heart of the capital, Fraser Place is conveniently located within the KL's Golden Triangle, which has the highest concentration of renowned shopping, entertainment and commercial facilities. We were situated a mere 5-10minutes walk away from the Suria KLCC mall, Pavilion mall and foodie heaven Bukit Bintang Street.

What really impressed us was the hospitality that greeted us upon arrival. The staff were extremely helpful and made us feel right at home immediately even though we arrived way before our check in time. We were given access to the 18th floor pools and entertainment facilities where we freshened ourselves with a dip in the outdoor infinity pool before heading out for brunch. The gym is also very well equipped with new machines and also a yoga room! There are also 2 game rooms- Xbox Kinnect and Nintendo Wii available for play if one decides to stay in.

Absolutely great way to start our awesome girly weekend! 

Heated Indoor pool with Sauna facilities

The apartments were newly furnished contemporary design elements that made for a cosy and chic stay. Firm and springy King size beds that made us feel like princesses with plush pillows and silky bed sheets. The spacious lounge area could be converted into a private dance floor, with the comprehensive home entertainment system to provide music to groove to ( Yea that's what we do in hotel rooms). The floor to ceiling windows let in natural light that brightens up the place, creating the illusion of space (not that it wasn't spacious enough). 

Our studio apartment also came with a fully equipped kitchenette, induction cooker, utensils, crockery and cutleries, microwave oven, coffee maker and all! I wanted to cook lunch for Z but obviously she didn't trust me with my cooking skills. :(

Instead, we settled for takeaway tea from Ben's General Store (Read about my review here) and chilled out in the comfort of our lovely room. 

Breakfast is served at the ground floor cafe and there's a decent spread of western and local cuisine.
For about 330RM a night, you could enjoy a pleasant stay when you next head over to the cosmopolitan city for a weekend getaway or for business. Bigger apartments and long term stay options are also available.

Will definitely be back the next time i head over. :)

Fraser Place Kuala Lumpur
Lot 163 No 10 Jalan Perak, Kuala Lumpur 50450, Malaysia

Tel: +603 2118 6288

Fax: +603 2118 6388

Email: reservations.kualalumpur@frasershospitality.com

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For a work trip to Kuala Lumpur some time back, i managed to find some time for a spot of tea and cakes. Guess i didn't get enough when i was in KL the last time (more of my Malaysia/KL escapades here). Stopped by Mid Valley on the way back to Sg and i spotted some really delicious looking cakes at Delicious cafe. Obviously i had to drag my colleagues in with me. Didn't take a lot of effort to convince them to have desserts for lunch (they seem to think tt i'm the food expert because of my blog). Plus, i found out that R is a desserts fan! Funny thing for a big dude. First thing he asked was if they serve brownies. Haha.

The selection of desserts were quite amazing and they all looked very promising sitting there behind the glass walls. Took me a long while to decide what i wanted because everything looks drool worthy. I made sure it's something different from my companions' selections so that i can steal some of theirs! One of my food strategies. Heh.

Quite a cozy set up, warm lights, comfy seats that moulds to your behind, perfect for resting the legs and bum after a day of shopping. Liking the bird cages but it's not as sophisticated as those i've seen in Saigon.

My huge cup of mocha. Great coffee making techniques. Dense and thick foam that held my sugar crystals very well. No complains about the coffee but nothing particularly spectacular.

The Chocolate brownie (RM12.90) with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce sent us straight to chocolate heaven. It's quite a huge slab of brownie which had a nice brownish crust on the outside. My favorite kind of brownie is the sticky chewy sort with a moist centre and this is absolutely it. The chocolate was dark and not too cloyingly sweet. Love it when the ice cream melts and swirls in with the rich brown sauce. Sadly it's not real vanilla ice cream (NO VANILLA BEANS!).

I ordered the hazelnut cheesecake (RM14). Dense and rich cheese, absolutely yummy and creamy. This is slightly of the crumbly sort as compared to the other cheesecake we had. I was trying to place what's different about it, then i realized that there is some tinge of citrus in my cake. I can't taste that much of the hazelnut actually but it's a good cheesecake nonetheless.

KS ordered the macademia nut cheesecake (RM14) which was quite very different from the Hazelnut cheesecake. On the toppings- it tasted very much like Garette's popcorn! Love the butterscotch caramel taste of savory nut. The cheese base is a lot creamier and smoother than the hazelnut (you can see the difference in the pictures). This is more of a salty cake. I guess they are going for the salted caramel taste. It's a little weird tasting the salt in the cake but it's an interesting dessert.

Delicious also serves other hot food- pasta, burgers, sandwiches and Western European mains. What interests me more would be the Afternoon Tea Set for 2 (RM60). 3 tiered tea set that comes with scones (Jam & Pure Cream), Assortment of Finger Sandwiches & Duck Confit in Filo Pastry, Strawberries with Chocolate Dip &
Hand-rolled Chocolate Truffles, Rosemary & Cheese Cookies, a slice of any one cake on display and 2 cups of hot tea or coffee.

It was only after the trip that S told me there's a Delicious branch in Sg. It opened not too long ago and is located at Scotts Square Level B1. However, i heard that the food is a far cry from the Malaysian parent. :/ May try it someday just to make sure.

Delicious
Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Singapore (Check out the website for locations in Malaysia)
#B1-16 to19, Scotts Square
Tel: +65 6636 0903
Daily: 8am - 10pm

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Good Morning folks! It's time for some breakfast food. On days like this, i would be craving for some traditional Chinese breakfast (i do have my non atas days). Why not? It's cheap, it's good and it's served piping hot. YUMS. Chewy and smooth beehoon which is at the right consistency, together with runny sunny side up and FRIED CHICKEN CUTLET. I'm so gonna get some after i'm done writing. Writing about food is so bad for my waistline. :(

Anyway, that's just to whet your appetite. The star of this article is actually Yut Kee, a hidden gem in Kuala Lumpur, which has been serving up traditional Hainanese fare (with a twist) since 1928. Yut Kee is a KL culinary institution, an establishment in fact but apparently few visitors have heard of it (don't say i never share!). My KL friend (Deb) who brought me here was only recently introduced by her friends. Anyway, they have a huge following in the Chinese community (we love porky places!). 

The set up is in an old shop house. News is that Yut Kee is looking to relocate to around the corner because the landlord intends to redevelop the site. What a loss of heritage and tradition. It's sad that culture is always being relegated to the back burner in the light of progress and development. Anyway i was glad that i managed to visit it before the move. It's like stepping into a time capsule, the atmosphere and the food is wholesome and nostalgic (before we have any of the GM crap). I think the closest we have to this is Chin Mei Chin (read about it here).

Yut Kee does a range of Hainanese staples such as pork chops, chicken chops, rice congee. What it is most famous for though is Roast Pork roll with chips and Apple sauce (RM12). They start serving that at 11.30am and sells out within minutes. I caught a glimpse of it but the aroma was the thing that first drew my attention. Sadly, we were too stuffed to try more. 

Deb suggested the Roti Babi (RM 7.50), a luscious bread pocket stuffed with shredded pork and onions that’s dipped in Worcestershire sauce. First look- it's like a ginormous french toast roll. Very plain on the outside but it's full of surprises once you split it open.

The filling is very juicy. I believe there is some turnip in it as well. It tastes pretty much like a popiah, with pork as a replacement. Well marinated with vegetable jus and a hint of dried shrimp. The bread is pillowy soft on the inside and has soaked up the soul of the of the dish. Very enjoyable. It's pretty big so i would suggest sharing so that you can order more dishes.

The french toast with kaya was quite a delight as well. Golden exterior fried to the crisp to be coated with an eggy and lumpy brown coconut paste. The Sg kaya is smoother and has more of the coconut taste with the pandan aroma but this has more character and i think the brownish colour may come from some gula melaka? Just a guess.

Hai Lam Mee Hoon (8RM) is one of the popular breakfast dishes. We accidentally ordered a portion for 2 which was HUGE. This was fried with pork (yay!) and fresh seafood. The consistency of the beehoon was just how i like it- not too dry, perfectly seasoned and a slight chewy texture (i call it mian2 mian2). We only managed to finish a quarter of this and Deb had to pack the rest.

So yea, if you ever head to KL, this is one of the must try. An interesting thing that Deb pointed out to me, Mervyn Lee, the grandson of the restaurant's founder, looks like a dead ringer of his grandfather. Check him out when you are there. His grandfather's picture is on the wall.

For those who are stuck in Sg and lives in the East/North East, the best Economic Bee Hoon IMHO is from Blk 309 Hougang Ave 5. They sell out very quickly (before 10am) and there is always a queue. The chicken cutlet is a Must have! Highly recommended. I think they are closed on Monday or Tuesday. 


Yut Kee Restaurant

35 Jalan Dang Wangi, Kuala Lumpur
T: +603 2698 8108

Tue - Sun: 8am - 5pm (closed Mon)

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Some weekends ago, Z and i celebrated her birthday in Kuala Lumpur (WOOWHEE). Our 2D1N adventure started out with hanging out in the Bangsar area after breakfast at Antipodean (will write about that soon). Debs recommended Antipodean over Ben's General Food Store and Plan B for breakfast but it was still a far cry from what we are used to in Sg. Anyway, since BGF was in the area, we popped by to take a look.

Ben's General Food Store in the Kuala Lumpur Bangsar Village area is akin to Jones the Grocer in Singapore. They have a good selection of condiments, pasta (dried and prepared), spices, chocolates etc. at the Shop section. Some cheeses and cured/marinated meats for easy cooking are available too. I wanted to cook Z a birthday lunch back at our place (Fraser's Place provided us with all the cooking tools) but obviously she didn't trust me/my cooking skills enough so that didn't materialize.

The restaurant is quite popular with the yuppies and expats, just like what you see here in Sg (at WH, Epicurious, Jones...) Breakfast food, Lunch food, milkshakes, coffees, desserts and all are available. We didn't know how good the food is till much later... 

Love window grocery shopping. I can spend hours in the supermarket just looking and buying stuff. :)) Anyway because we were so stuffed, we decided to forgo lunch and pack something for tea instead. The pastry selections looked pretty yums. They have 3 tiered carrot cakes as well as chocolate cakes! Imagine layers of frosting in between the 3 layered sponge. They only serve the slices if you dine in and they didn't have the smaller ones for sale so we had to forgo eating them.

Anyway, we settled for the spiced chorizo muffin as well as sausage bun (not the one in the picture). We got another cheese sausage roll from Starbucks (surprise surprise) because it looked really good. The Sg Starbucks is an absolute failure when it comes to food.

The savory muffin was real deli. See the chunks of chorizo? They added a nice saltiness to the muffin. The texture of the muffin is a dense but surprisingly fluffy sponge. Reminded me of the corn muffin from Kenny Rogers (one of my fav!). There is a nice cheesy flavor to the muffin as well. I also love how the chopped up spring onions and spices added a breath of freshness to the butter, flour, egg batter. There are also sundried tomatoes in them. YUMS!  This is a HUGE muffin btw, Z had to finish most of it because i'm a mouse when it comes to eating (only when i choose to be). After trying the green egg muffin at the Muffinry, i have to conclude that M does it better because it's more moist. Perhaps it's to do with the avocado in it and the smaller size of the muffin as well?

 Anyway, i would certainly head back to try the other food at Ben's next time i'm headed to KL. On our way back we spotted the same cakes at Plan B. Apparently they are all under the BIG Group of restaurants. So i suppose you could dine at either.

Best way to enjoy a cuppa? With BFFs of course. Cheers to one of our favorite meals and to friendship!

Ben's General Food Store
Bangsar Village IG17 & G18, Ground Floor
No 1, Jalan Telawi Satu
Bangsar Baru 59100 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: +603 2284 8790
Daily: 10.30am – 10.30pm

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I love weekend getaways! Nothing beats leaving everything behind, work, worries and all and just having fun. Made great use of Z's birthday as an excuse to head up to KL town for a weekend of non-stop eating and partying (actually who needs an excuse for a getaway right?). I'll update with our other yummy meals but first, the highlight of our trip- Elcerdo.

Just looking at the pictures, i think you would have guessed. YES! They serve little pigglets! OINK! All the dishes are porky ones. Nose to Tail eating- that's what El Cerdo offers and i think it's a brilliant idea (though i don't eat all the parts). I suppose we ought to feel guilty for eating the piglets, especially with all these cute piglety pictures hanging around the restaurant, but nope! Our tummies were too satisfied to feel any pangs of guilt. Our stomachs have no conscience. Even Z who is not a pork fan was raving about the food. YUMS.

First came the bread basket with some pate. We were both really excited because we had some really yummy ones with croissants during our stay in Saigon. But this.is.really.bad! I almost vomited. The taste is really gamey and "fishy" and it felt like it has been left out in the heat for days. EEWS. Thankfully i only took a little. Should have just stuck to our regular olive oil and vinaigrette. The bread on the other hand was spongy and tasty. Some onion bits in it which reminded me of that lovely onion bacon roll at the Ledbury. Sigh.

For appetizers, we had the pork croquettes which had more pork than potatoes. I still had the phobia of the rancid tasting pork from the pate and was really afraid to taste this. Thankfully it turned out ok. Nicely battered and tender shredded pork- perfect combination with mayonnaise. 

The prawns wrapped in bacon was spot on. We were surprised at how good the seafood is (you'll see in a bit). Crunchy, crystal clear meat, succulent, sweet seafood freshness. I could almost feel the prawn swimming in my mouth. The bacon added a nice smokiness and flavor to dish. LOVE THIS!

This has to be DA BOMB. The birthday girl decided that she wanted the Cataplana- a Portuguese seafood dish cooked in a copper cookware shaped like a clam. This is a popular dish on the country's Algarve coast. The pot is sealed by the 2 clamps and the seafood is left to stew in its own juice. The result, a rich seafood base that tastes oh so sweet and heavenly.

There are tiger prawns, shrimps, mussels, squid, fish wrapped in bacon and sliced mushroom in a tomato-ish gravy which contains the essence of all the seafood. Some potatoes and zucchinis were thrown in to add some natural carbs and sugar to the broth. We were both amazed at how fresh all the seafood were and how nicely done since they are require different cooking time. Somehow everything was perfectly cooked. This must be a magic pot or something!

We couldn't stop raving about the seafood. Birthday girl was really happy with the food of course. Gotta thank Debs for introducing this restaurant to us when we mentioned our Spanish tapas craving. The stew is essentially a lobster bisque and I've never tasted one so full-bodied before. You know how food can make one feel so contented and satisfied with life? This is the dish. My last meal has to be this for sure (ok maybe one of the dishes of my last meal. I'm greedy that way!).

While we were having dinner, we noticed that many people were celebrating their birthdays at the restaurant. They have a special birthday song which the servers would sing as they bring out the desserts. Of course i had to make an arrangement with them. While everyone went for some ice cream thingy (boring), i chose the tiramisu (as Z was kinda craving for them) and I brought the "cake" out while singing the song so loudly that the entire restaurant could hear me. Anything for my BFF! She was so excited that she didn't managed to video record the stellar performance by me but i'm sure no other birthday song would beat mine. :))

The tiramisu was as lovely as the other dishes. Creamy yet light mascarpone with rum soaked ladies' fingers, dusted with cocoa and served with a mango drizzle at the side (which i mistook for nacho cheese. HA.). That was 2 huge scoops of desserts after all those food. We managed to finish everything though because it was so yummy.

Elcerdo has to be the best porky restaurant i've been to so far and the spanish food was really well executed. There is a variety of European, English and Western pork dishes such as sausages, pork knuckles, pork chops etc etc etc. Really attentive service and friendly staff. Perfect place for birthday celebrations too! I'll definitely be back, birthday or not.

Changkat Bukit Bintang has a lot of other good restaurants so you could also check them out if you don't like pork. :)

El Cerdo
45 Changkat Bukit Bintang,
50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: + 603 2145 0511

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