south korean's premium organic brand famed for its soft serve ice cream - milkcow - the craze for this creamy cold dessert spread like wildfire on a summer's evening as soon as it found its first malaysian home in a kiosk on the lower ground of the gardens mall, located just across from cold storage.even months after its opening in november 2014, the long queue at the counter persisted out of the petite shop dressed the recognizable cow spots of black and white. with only a few small tables for dine-ins, it's probably a better idea to find your favorite spot at the mall to enjoy your cold cups of milky goodness..

made with all-natural organic ingredients, milkcow offers milky way, which is the starting point for the other ten options paired with some organic toppings. there is also the occasional new creations that grace the menu for a limited time, so look out for those!
organic soft serve ice cream :: milky cube | natural honey comb (rm 13)introducing milkcow's signature creation, the milky cube. the sole reason behind my strong desire to try it out for the first time despite the intimidating queue.the foundation: the soft serve ice cream itself. whispers of mild sweetness and of intense milky creaminess with a silky lightness that cools as it coats the tongue in a pleasant manner. hence, making it an ideal base for the lovely, floral notes of the liquid gold of honey that trickled down from its hexagonal wax cells. it may not be everyone's favorite due to the wax lining of the honey comb. the price tag may be a tad steep but it was evident why after the first spoonful which tasted just the way it promised - made with organic high quality ingredients.

organic soft serve ice cream :: black pearl | chocolate sauce, organic salt, cocoball topping (rm 11)with the same beginnings, this was a sweeter choice between the two... the chocolate sauce was rich molten cacao, balanced by a very light sprinkle of salt.as you savor your way to the bottom of the cup, a sweet surprise of chocolate maltesers greets you with its crunchy malt honeycomb center for a texture difference - a nice crunch against the backdrop of soft, smooth ice cream. it was slightly too sweet for my liking even with the salt and a little heavy on the richness but managed to get a nodding approval from my mom.milkcow offers at least eleven of their sweet and cold selections built from the same foundation of all-natural milk base soft serve ice cream, topped with organic toppings. what i love about milkcow is the all natural flavor and the quality ingredients that shines in their own right in each bite.

while some call it overrated, i call it 'yum'! try it for yourself to see which camp you belong to

"breakfast, lunch, dinner;

'creamy' rice, spicy sambal;

irresistible."

village park restaurant nasi lemak.

this place needs no introduction.

the proof is in the constant crowd inside and outside the restaurant throughout the day although i can only really vouch for weekend mornings.

in fact, it is one of the top searches for the argubly best nasi lemak in klang valley. i've got to admit that i was a little very late to the party and yes, i finally had my plateful a few weeks ago to try for myself what draws the malaysian crowd back for many years. trust me, malaysians are huge on nasi lemak - they take the art of this delicious local favorite very seriously!i was lucky on both visits - i managed to get a table in under five minutes, granted you have to be a little quick to snap up a table as diners leave. or perhaps be willing to share the table with strangers - a necessitated communal dining experience, if you will ;)although village park restaurant seems synonymous to nasi lemak, there are other offerings as well ranging from noodles, kaya-butter toasts and rice with dishes for your choosing. but why not try their most popular signature dish especially if it was my first time there. and yes, this entry will be dedicated to just that one dish.15 - 20 minutes of after watching many plates of nasi lemak whizzed past us (and not without me staring at the staff expectantly, hoping it was ours), it was finally here - the moment of truth. village park is famous for its nasi lemak but their speciality lies in the nasi lemak ayam goreng (rm 9) or literally translated 'fatty rice with fried chicken'. for variety sake, we also tried the rendang daging ('beef rendang') (rm 8.50) rendition.all the fixin's made their appearances - the chili sambal, the fragrant rice, half a hard boiled egg, a handful of crunchy fresh ground nuts and cripsy, salty anchovies, a couple slices of fresh cucumber and of course the huge piece of dark meat, leg quarter, all strewn almost in an organized haphazard manner.

one of the main stars that makes it nasi lemak is the chili sambal (chili paste with blended onion). my personal preference is a fiery spiciness balanced with the slight sweetness mingled with the onions. unfortunately, village park's had a milder disposition that was decent but not memorable. it was one that i didn't find myself reaching for with every spoonful of rice.speaking of which, the essence of a great nasi lemak is the rice itself, which only a handful has mastered that skill in the many different nasi lemaks i've tried. soft, fluffy yet you can taste each grain of rice with the fragrance of pandan and ginger whispering its presence softly in the midst the subtle creaminess of the coconut milk, finished with salt to bring out its flavors. the rice was yummy that i would have happily wolfed down the rice on its own although i wouldn't have mind a bit more decadence of the coconut milk.the signature of the nasi lemak ayam goreng - a generous portion of the leg quarter, fried in secret blend of spices. warm, succulent and juicy meat encased in a golden brown shell of a skin seasoned and marinated generously with spices which i detected notes of tumeric, garlic, ginger and perhaps lemongrass.i loved the little, runaway, savory crispy bits of batter that gave it that occasional punch of salty in between bites of the mildly seasoned meat. yum.the beef rendang was definitely overshadowed by the fried chicken. while the flavors had the makings of a great rendang, my mom thought the kaffir lime leaves would have elevated the fragrance and added another dimension of mild tangy-ness to the dish. on the other hand, i thought the parts of the beef pieces were a tad chewy, overcooked and borderline dry. sad face.

the plain nasi lemak had most of the foundation right while the fried chicken takes it to another level. the serving size is huge that it held me over breakfast and lunch. [#protip] if you are a smaller eater, one option is to share one piece of chicken (rm6) between two plates of plain nasi lemak (rm3) oh, take away here also means queueing up in the very long line to get your orders and then moving into another line at the payment counter. so be prepared to wait even if you were here to get a to go meal.my parents opined village park restaurant serves above average nasi lemak but they've had better and my parents has had their fair share of nasi lemak. i'd concur with them since there were some room for improvement but so far this is one of the better ones i've tasted. (my next project is to try out the nasi lemak my parents love!) however, there was probably added msg in the dishes since we were gulping down glasses of water to quench the thirst after our meal there.

a good plate of nasi lemak this is, definitely worth a visit to try it for yourself if you are willing to wait for just a bit..

if i were on foodnetwork's "the best thing i ever ate: banana edition" - this would probably be it.located in brickfields (hence, its name), mr chiam and his son set up their push cart just across from ymca, in front of a food court called one sentral restaurant that accommodates a plethora of food stalls. as i arrived to mr chiam's stall, it was warm as a table fan ran at the highest speed, trying its hardest to keep uncle chiam cool as he fries batches and batches of these coveted snacks.mr chiam's pisang goreng stall ALWAYS attracts a huge horde of followers to the stall. and yes, that statistic includes me. what amazes me is the fact that his son is able to remember everyone's order without having to write them on a piece of paper and he almost always get them right. like, how do you even do that?!80% of the time that i've been there to treat myself with a piece or two of these sinful cravings, i was always be greeted with the same answer....or variations of it:

"oh? there is none left. you'd have to wait for 30 minutes for the next batch".

- "oh? okay....," as i sighed in agreement to wait.

the other 20%: i'm thrilled by my awesome luck and leaves with big satisfied grin as i skip in glee, gently swinging a plastic bag of sweet delights in my hand.at rm1.20 each, the heart of the pisang goreng aka fried banana/banana fritter is the ripen pisang raja (king bananas) from pahang, which measures to almost twice the size of the commonly used banana.still warm and almost creamy as the banana was freshly fried in the pot of hot oil, the crunchy shell albeit slightly greasy, shattered and gave way easily as i took my first bite. it reminded me of a sweet, caramelized banana encased in a light, crispy thin shell of batter. it was then i knew i was in trouble. such a heavenly addiction.on top of the stall's namesake, mr chiam has also mastered the art of making a chinese delicacy "nin gao" (literal translation: year cake), which is also known by its malay name - 'kuih bakul' (literal translation: basket pastry). made by stacking a thick slice of the sweet sticky rice cake sandwiched in between a slice of yam and sweet potato finally coated to be deep fried to perfection.the balanced ratio the natural sweetness of the sweet potato followed by the gooey, warm and sweet sticky rice cake that has a texture that is reminiscent of soft but chewier toffee and then mellowed by the creaminess of the yam. it's a gratifying dessert that is pleasurable to the taste buds and to the soul. it may end up being too sweet for some but it is so addictive that it is hard to stop taking bite after bite after the first.with over 20 years of experience under mr chiam's belt, it was evident why the stall has earned a permanent spot in the hearts of the locals and subsequently a perpetual queue at his stall, patiently waiting for a share of their favorite snacks that some may have even grew up eating.

for a the full entry and all the photos, find it at http://sians.blogspot.com/2014/08/mr-chiams-pisang-goreng-brickfields.html

one sunday morning, i was sitting in a quaint restaurant, enjoying a similar affability and ambiance that i remembered. for proud co-owners of the kitchen table restaurant & bakery, marcus and mei wan, it was their passion and dream of opening a restaurant coming into fruition.both the chef and baker were completely in their element as former was expediting at the open kitchen while the staff was putting together the sunday brunch menu dishes and the latter was brewing lattes and cappuccinos at the front counter where her vibrant baked goods flaunted themselves in the glass display.the quaint restaurant was styled in modern minimalist accented by industrial chic details of the white-washed brick walls, echoed by the arrangement of white tiles at the counters. several vintage industrial lamps and spotlights fill the dining space which were contrasted and complimented by the warmth of the wooden floors, tables and chairs . it was a classic theme - clean and simple but at the same time cozy as the sunday morning sunlight streamed in through the windows. a comfortable and relaxing space.the dainty sunday brunch menu proffered three options - which were all classic brunch selections but marked with 'the kitchen table' twists and of course, a selection of pukka tea flavors and espresso based cuppas.teas - pukka teas :: lemon, ginger & manuka honey (rm 9)served in a clear teapot, we gave it a few minutes as the tea steeped. {mh} took her first sips and thought it was very light in flavor (maybe too light) with an after taste to the tongue that dissipates after several seconds. out of curiosity, i tried a sip of it which funnily gave me an impression of fennel notes in the steep.

coffee :: latte (rm 9)adorned with coffee art, the latte smelled promising as the comforting familiar whiffs of the coffee emanates its way to a pleasant start to my brunch. as much as the aroma was lovely, the latte was alright with sharp bitter endnotes - not quite the best but not bad.

sunday brunch :: chamomile french toast crunch, cornflakes, macerated strawberries, gula melaka syrup (rm 19)two pieces of thick cut toast (brioche, perhaps?) soaked in the egg-milk mixture infused with chamomile (it maybe that i tasted the addition of buttermilk too), caramelized in butter in a pan. the chamomile introduced itself at the first bite but quickly disappeared in the crowd of the other ingredients. but a few bites in and i think it needed more time in the pan to cook the center and to give it its crispy edges i desired.

it was a mark of ingenuity with the sprinkle of cornflakes for crunch although i wouldn't mind another small handful for more texture contrast. more than that, my favorite part was the bruleed sugar on the top side of the toast for additional crunch and pleasant caramelized sweetness of the sugar that contrasted the lightly tangy cream that was akin to mascarpone. i loved the twist with the use of gula melaka syrup to complete the french toast which exemplified the kitchen table restaurant's infusion of local ingredients in their menu. it was crunchy vs soft and tangy vs sweet done almost right. almost since i would have loved additional syrup to elevate the sweetness.

sunday brunch :: soft egg, streaky bacon, tomato jam, watercress & sourdough (rm 19)the base: sourdough slathered with excellent tomato jam, both made from scratch.
the bacon, perfectly cooked soft eggs and watercress salad were cushioned graciously.once again, the tomato jam stole the show (although i have to say the smoky, salty and crispy thick cut bacon came in as a very, very close second) with its sweetness weaving through the tartness of the tomatoes. partnering with the balanced flavor profile was the fresh crispness of watercress tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette. to top it off, the golden richness of the yolk coated each bite-fuls of sweet, salty, smoky and citrus-y herbaceous flavors to bring it to a full circle. a delicious ode to the classic breakfast favorite.the kitchen table restaurant & bakery's food philosophy was evidently reiterated in their creations, rooted in their respect and love for each ingredient in their new american approach infused with local ingredients. short conversations with marcus and mei wan hinted that the brunch/lunch/dinner spread may be expanded over time but kept to a single page menu with the possibility of seasonal menus. in fact, my second session at the restaurant is in the planning, and this time for lunch/dinner. i can't wait.

for full post and more photos: http://sians.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-kitchen-table-restaurant-brunch.html

this plate of awesomeness deserved its own entry. it's been around since nov 2o13 but it was only about 8 months later that i stumbled upon this brunch delight on my instagram feed.

it was an immediate reaction. waffles always catch my attention effortlessly and the rest was history. i knew i had to a piece of it and quickly. thus, off i went to standing theory in ss2 that very weekend.all for this must-have dish: THE b.b.c. waffle.


we reached the cafe that was situated within a commercial row in the midst of the housing area and finding a parking space was a little challenging since parking was so limited and the road was narrow.the decor took on an affinity towards industrial minimalist with a splash of red punctuating the grey walls. similarly, the collection of mismatched tables, stools and chairs seemed to echo the theme with some injection of colors and finally finished with exposed bulb lamp to complete the story. i kinda adore the blackboard art on the menu behind the counter as well as the signs for the restrooms - a personal touchthe petite menu for brunch/ lunch (11 am - 4:3opm) was limited and all four items were unrelated and from different regions.my first impression, this cafe has the case of identity crisis. however, on the flip side, it offers enough variation and perhaps they only serve food that they are proud to have their reputation pegged onto - as they have admitted on their facebook page.

i think it took me longer to decide on the drink since the food was decided even before i got here. lol. btw, orders and payment are at the counter, cash only [#protip] but the food & drinks will be served at your table. glasses of plain water - self service at the counter, please.

drinks all day -- tea/chocolate :: earl grey | (rm 7)standing theory serves ronnefeldt tea which is founded in frankfurt by its namesake and it has been served in premium hotels and gourmet restaurants all around the world. {owy} seemed to enjoy the brew.

drinks all day -- white :: cappuccino | (rm 1o)their coffee menu offers flat white and cappuccino but no latte. however, the layer of coffee foam suggested this cup was more akin to a latte instead of cappucino. a lovely presentation with the coffee art and tiny cookie on the side. a decent cuppa joe but not as smooth and had a borderline over-brewed bitterness end note on the tongue.

lunch :: b.b.c. waffles | waffles, smoked bacon, banana, fat baby cornflake ice cream + gula melaka syrup (rm 16)

this was the classic case of savory + sweet combination, which is probably one of my favorite-est flavor profile.b.b.c.= bacon. banana, cornflakes ice cream.

say whattttttt?

what intrigued me more than the combination of the ice cream, waffles and bacon was the cornflakes ice cream. and the fact that it bore the name fat baby ice cream.

fat baby ice cream lovingly describes their cornflakes flavor as ::"we’ve all done it, soaked our cornflakes in the milk to get that slightly smoky milk flavour – that flavor is, what we believe, the best bit of eating cereal in the morning. This ice cream captures that and we’ve even added clusters of cornflakes caramelised with honey to boot. Truly a breakfast of champions in our books!"

how i see it, this dish could do no wrong. it has already won half the battle even before i tasted it with its main elements√ bacon {my motto: everything is better with bacon.}
√ waffle {well, it is my current obsession.}
√ ice cream {and a breakfast for champions one at that. 'fat baby' says so.}
√ banana { add something healthy to make us feel better}

first bite : yummmmm.. i smiled. *pause*
such satisfaction.the flavors of warm, smoky and savory, crispy bacon contrasted harmoniously with the cold creamy, slightly sweetened milk flavored ice cream with a the soft banana forked with waffle that absorbed some of the rounded sweetness of the palm sugar syrup. what made the dish special was fat baby's cornflakes ice cream which was as promised and i was pleasantly surprised with the occasional cornflakes that remained crunchy. it was reminiscent of frosted flakes in very cold milk.

i loved the bbc waffle despite the waffles itself was overcooked where its texture was crispy all the way through with burnt edges where i was hoping more of an airy inside encased by crispy shell. (fix this pleaseeeee!) it also made me wonder if the dish could be elevated with the banana caramelized.i have to admit that i am very biased towards savory + sweet combinations especially when it involves bacon and waffles. the b.b.c. waffle at the standing theory has clinched a spot on my favorite brunch food list and i can't wait to go back to have seconds. so i guess it doesn't matter if their menu only limited to four dishes for lunch cos i will always go back for the chosen one.

disclaimer this is written based on personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

more photos and full entry can be found at :: http://sians.blogspot.com/2014/07/bbc-waffles-standing-theory.html