i worked in Public Bank Sungai Way about 2 years ago, but i never know there is such a nice home cooking restaurant until my godfather brought me there for lunch~ occupied the spacious corner lot at the roadside, is not difficult to find... only problem is the parking problem... on Sunday lunch time, it was packed and got to park real far~
they wrapped the tables with layers of plastic, saw them cleaning up some tables there... is really easy and efficient as they just took away the top layer and the table is ready for the next customer... but i think it was kinda not so eco-friendly...
The Home Cooking Dishes was featured in the newspaper before... they printed the news coverage on buntings and hang around the restaurant... the highlight in the featured story was the famous barbecue pork named as Mop Char Siewthere is also another name for the Char Siew which is Crystal Char Siew...
because it looks shinning and melted in mouth~
well marinated too... really as good as what it was reported...
a must have item if you visit The Home Cooking Dishes... the most popular vegetable dish in Malaysia...
no matter the Malays or the Chinese have their own way of cooking it...
and they made it very well~
very generous on the belacan but not too salty... nice one! this goes very well with rice...
especially with all the ingredients like eggplants, long beans, tomatoes and bean curds...
but the Asam gravy can be slightly more sour and spicy i think...i don't fancy Kampung chicken as the meat is too hard for my liking...
but the gravy was good and the taste of the chicken was good too...
the chicken absorbed the flavour very well~the pork knuckle was tender~
but the soup was a little tasteless...
not sour and not spicy enough for my liking...
it could be easy to drink, but it lost the essence of the traditional Pork Knuckle Vinegar...

after all, The Home Cooking Dishes is still a gem in Sungai Way~
the barbecue pork itself can already drive the crowd...
it's worth for people to travel all the way there...

Nathalie's Gourmet Studio was already in Solaris Dutamas while the construction of the mall still going on... it was very much earlier before Publika completed... Nathalie's Gourmet Studio has very simple but stylish interior, with half opened kitchen concept, allowed their guests to see the busy chefs in the kitchen...

They change their menu every 2 months, that is why they are using arch file like menu i suppose~ their menu is very limited, but inclusive of every type of selections, even vegetarian... let's see what they served for the month of May & June... a creamy soup mixed with half-boiled egg served with cheese stick...
AWESOME! it was so nice...
the waiter brought an empty soup bowl, a jar, an egg and a plate with cheese stick to our table~
we were wondering what's going on...
then he started to put everything into the soup bowl...
1st, the egg, then pour the mushroom soup from the jar and put the cheese stick on top!
it was so great with one condition: finish it before it gets cold...great appetizer ever~
marinated scallops in carpaccio mixed with citrus and avocado salad...
served with crispy ginger and lime dressing...
the sourness opened our taste bud and stimulated our appetite...bread was offered while we enjoying our appetizers...
the butter was great and bread was soft... we love it!
and i like the way they served the butter~ so cute! juicy and tender beef tenderloin cooked to perfection...
served with revised bearnaise sauce, crispy polenta and vegetable skewer~
i have no idea how to describe the moment i had the beef in my mouth...
it melted in my mouth and with the fragrance of the sauce...
it was so so so nice! big slice of cucumber grilled to perfection...
topped with lots of vegetables and egg...
is a vegetarian dish i suppose~ and it was really great!slowly cooked lamb shoulder stuffed with fresh thyme, white beans ragout and lamb jus...
served with cherry tomatoes...
this was AWESOME! the lamb shoulder was juicy and tender...
the cherry tomatoes and white beans ragout were great too...
we finished it in seconds... recommended by the waiter~
both were best seller in Nathalie's Gourmet Studio...
and yes! they served the best macaron in town!
not too sweet, crispy outside and chewy inside...
a MUST TRY item~ ^^a coffee tuile as a tube, chocolate fondant cake and mousse, espresso espuma and coffee ice-cream...
decorated with chocolate caramel...
when it was served, we stared on it for some times...
then, the waitress told us "it's meant to be messed up"...
yea! you have to mess it up, mix everything together and eat~
nothing is better at that moment!

we had a great dinner at Nathalie's Gourmet Studio~ their service was really good, polite and alert... they have changed their menu for the month of July and August... visit them and share with us what's best from the new menu~ Happy Dining...

one of my friends told me before~ he wanted to have a home dining business when he is retired... the idea sounds great and warm... that is why when i 1st read about Huck's Cafe, it attracted me~ planned to give it a try with my beloved buddies on my birthday... something went wrong, i didn't manage to visit as planned... an invitation given as sincere apologize... and we decided to accept~
1st impression of Huck's Cafe: they are so understanding that they thought about the car parking problem of their guests... spacious courtyard for the guests to park their cars... walked into the bungalow, warm lighting, soft music and of course nice decor and furniture gave me a cozy and comfortable feeling like i'm at home~ that's the most important element of home dining i suppose... i didn't take any picture of Huck's Cafe's interior... visit them if you are keen to find out~
as soon as all of us were seated, 1st drink served... before we were there, plain water in bottle and glasses, basic table settings were already nicely set on the table... a table of 6~ let's see what Huck has prepared to surprise us... tasted great with the chopped asparagus in it~Huck said he created this specially for Lovebirds~
3 types of fresh mushrooms fried with olive oil, garlic and black pepper...
wrapped with chicken breast and again with layers pastry...
served with creamy mustard sauce that cooked with white wine...
the pastry was crunchy, the chicken breast was tender and juicy...
overall was a great matching...this Nyonya fusion was great!
when it was served to our table, the fragrance of it already stimulated our taste bud...
spaghetti in Nyonya style with scallop, New Zealand muscle and prawns...i believe this is another Huck's creation of fusion dish...
with lots of wild rocket, chili, mushroom and lemon~
topped with fresh vegetables and sprinkled with cheese...
it was great~ i only managed to have very little bit...
they forgot i haven't tasted it... the disadvantage of eating slow~ boneless chicken drumstick topped with cheese and grilled to perfection...
the very special mushroom sauce added some extra points to it~
the chicken drumstick was well marinated and juicy...
another hot item of the night~ finished in seconds... the best selling item in Huck's Cafe according to Huck~
and i will agree to everyone who said it was awesome!
the homemade lamb patty with special sauce...
healthier bread to replace the normal burger bread...
fresh vegetables and the cheese... hmm~ yummy!
i love the side dish very much too... the cheesy sweet corns... slurp!lamb shank marinated with rosemary, thyme, garlic, cumin and other herbs~
roasted for 2 hours... served with mashed potatoes and button mushrooms...
the lamb shank was tender and juicy... the mashed potatoes was great!
but because we cut it into small pieces for sharing, the sauce wasn't enough... we picked a 5 sharing dessert which named Bird Nest...
it was a mixture of ice-cream, chocolate bar and chocolate cookies...
served in a dark chocolate made bowl and topped with toffee...
it was nice but we tasted the durian taste in it~
i guess they must have keep some of the ingredients together with durian in the fridge...
but still we finished most of it!

it was a great dining experience in Huck's Cafe... we may have an unpleasant starting, but now i will recommend Huck's Cafe to everyone that is looking for a quiet, private and cozy place for gathering or dinner... i like the way Huck treat his guests... with all his sincerity, his passion and his creative cooking... for a man who is not from cooking background, he really has the cooking blood in him~ he told me, he started with cooking for his kids... then his friends, his friends' friends... and now he has his own real Huck's Cafe... i believe what the fortune teller said was right... he was a chef in his last life~ and his talent remains... =) will definitely go back to try more of his cooking... this time, with family maybe? ^^
little tips for you who wanted to visit Huck's Cafe~ go on Tuesday or Wednesday, so that you can enjoy a quiet and peaceful dinner... if you like the environment to be more lively, Thursday to Sunday will be good as they will be full house and you can see kids running around~ (information provided by Huck) to make reservation, kindly go to their Facebook page for details and information... and of course, for your choice of menu... Bon Appetit!