I can’t really claim that Kepong is one of my favorite places when it comes to food, getting there during rush hour can be quite a PITA, on top of that, I don’t exactly know many good eats around the area other than Kaka bak kut teh (they have pork kidney!), the original KTZ, and several other restaurants I don’t usually frequent unless I happen to be there.
To be honest, if it wasn’t for the fact that the invitation to Sliver Spoon Trattoria was from the owner Jessica, a long time friend, I would have probably skipped this food review session already. As it turned out, I was more than glad we made the session.
Silver Spoon Trattoria
Located at a pretty unassuming part of Kepong, Silver Spoon is sitting on the first floor of Wisma Manjarala. The decoration an ambiance of the restaurant rivals many 5 star hotel eateries, and yet a look at the menu pricing shows that the place actually live up to it’s name “Trattoria” – casual, affordable, and a hell lot less up tight than those so called haute cuisine establishments.
We were seated at the private room with a bunch of other usual suspects – fatboybakes, nomadgourmand, Gareth, Kim, Terence, Horng, and Haze. Our host was Jessica, someone I’ve actually known for some 8-10 years. According to Terence, she’s grown up rather well.
feta & olive foccacia, mozarella sticks & smoked salmon rice ball,
stuffed portobello mushroom
We got started with some feta and olive foccacia, the dough served here is home made and they really tasted subtle but good. I also love the mozarella sticks with it’s really hearty cheese in almost liquid form, the salmon rice ball was alright too, but I couldn’t really taste much salmon in there.
If I had to choose one appetizer, I’d probably go for the stuffed portobello mushroom. Sitting between a bed of salad and minced meat, the mushroom was really really yummy, I had two pieces despite eating on a budget due to the number of dishes to come.
wine, silver spoon special mock tail
For those who are familiar with Kepong, you might remember that there was a place called Chef Ken in the 90s. It was a place famous for really cheap but awesome Italian food. Well, Silver Spoon got Chef Ken himself back to run this place.
According to the “old timers” like Fatboybakes who used to frequent Chef Ken, this place retains every bit the originality of his foods, down to the famous tiramisu (about that later)
wild mushroom risotto, prawn & avocado stack, smoked salmon pizza
The other appetizer we had was the prawn and avocado stack. Grilled fresh local prawn served on a bed of avocado with other salad and probably some balsamic vinegar. Though the prawn itself lacked strong flavor, overall combination turned out quite well.
Wild mushroom risotto was prepared to cater a bit towards the local taste (meaning slightly more cooked than the “real” Italian style), I love it! The smoked salmon pizza too was pretty good, but I’d love to have a lot more salmon to go with the crispy crust (from freshly made to order dough). Then again, it’s hard to argue when the pizza is priced at less than RM 30.
duck confit, grilled baby snapper, seafood marinara
The 3rd main dish we tried was the delightful duck confit. Instead of just the drum stick, this one came with the whole 1/4 duck. I loved the taste, and made some sneaky moves to acquire quite a bit of duck skin. *slurps*
Grilled baby snapper was one of those dishes that doesn’t really seem to fit in. I’ve never seen whole fish served in such setting, with potato and beans on one side, and a slice of lemon on another. It did, however, turned out to be quite tasty, just not particularly very “italian” to me.
Lastly, there’s seafood marinara. The pasta came with generous amount of mussels, clams, prawns, squid and fish chunks on a tomato based sauce. I only had a couple bites and found that the taste was quite agreeable indeed.
chocolate pot, creme brulee, tiramisu
Then there’s the desserts. We had chocolate pot, creme bruelee, and tiramisu. I find the chocolate pot a tad too rich (but goes well with wine though), the creme brulee satisfying, and the tiramisu a must order if you like your dessert to be rather alcoholic, it was niceeee!
Of course, we finished everything.
Rebecca & bf, Kim & Gareth, Terence & Horng,
KY & Haze, Jessica, Joe & partner & Cheng Yi
We had loads of fun time at Silver Spoon, the food was great, drinks aplenty (Jessica’s dad even brought out the Royal Salute), and above all, the company was excellent.
I’m definitely going there again. The pricing was definitely very reasonable, lamb shank for RM 38, marinara for RM 29, desserts at around RM 15 or so, soup at RM 12. Great food, reasonable pricing, and awesome ambiance. What more could one ask for? Open a branch next to my house la Jessica!
Address:
Silver Spoon Trattoria,
1st Floor, Wisma Manjalara,
Bandar Menjalara,
52200, Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.195364, 101.632456
Tel: 03-6277 0445
Many eons ago when I was slightly younger and poor enough not be able to afford decent hair cut, I studied at the States. The photos on the following collage were taken with an actual film camera and scanned on a computer slower than the handphone I’m using now.
don’t laugh at my hair style, it was cool back then
During those days, many of us used to take up part time jobs while studying full time, and though I never had to work at food services, many of my friends did, and one of my classmates happened to work at Pizza Hut located at the cafeteria in our university.
That was the period of time when I had a lot of pizza hut meals. Wholesome pan pizzas and chicken wings were my staple diet, and when my buddy’s on shift, we sometimes get a dozen wings for the price of six. It was an awesome time.
Pizza Hut is awesome!
I wouldn’t have thought about that period of time if not for this session of food review at Pizza Hut last week. Together with a bunch of other bloggers, I was invited to one of Pizza Hut’s outlets at Kota Damansara for the introduction of Fish King Pizza.
Many of us somehow associate Pizza Hut with fast food, but nothing can be further from the truth. The restaurant is nicely decorated, comfortable, and the recently expanded menu includes quite a large number of dishes and drinks to choose from too.
Fish King Pizza, comes with regular and cheesy lava crust
After everyone got there and a bit of exchange of pleasantry, the star of the night was served. The Fish King Pizza comes with 8 Alaskan Pollock fish fingers on a bed of Mozzarella cheese, roasted bell pepper, onion, crab stick, pineapple, and a couple slices of fresh lemon in the middle.
It was good! The pollock tasted fresh and yummy, I particularly like the sweetness of pineapple in the mix too. A bit of a Hawaiian feel to it, goes well with the seafood. I had a slice of regular and another with cheesy lava crust. *slurps*
BBQ wings, tempura king prawns, calamari ring, smoked deli wings
Our hosts then brought more food out of the kitchen, we had sweet chili wings, honey bbq wings, smoked deli wings, tempura king prawns, and calamari rings from the appetizer menu. They make very good finger foods, my favorite would be the smoked deli wings, reminds me of old times when I had them back in the States.
carbonara, asam boi drinks, seafood lasagna
And as if that wasn’t enough food, we were served creamy carbonara and seafood lasagna. I didn’t actually try them (way too full), but those who did gave good comments. Pizza Hut serves more than just pizzas these days, there are pastas, salad, rice, and even kebab on the menu to ensure there’s always something for everyone.
And by the way, you gotta the asam boi drinks when you’re at Pizza Hut!
Audrey, CityGal, Vivy, KY
Together with Audrey, CityGal, Vivy, Huai Bin, Iza, and others, we had an awesome dinner at Pizza Hut. Check out their accounts of the occasion too.
If you’re a blogger, there’s also a contest from Pizza Hut that gives out RM 2,000 for 5 most creative blog posts. All you have to do is by writing a post titled “Big Fish Moment with Pizza Hut” and share the experience at one of the outlets or delivery. For more information check out the post at Nuffnang’s blog.
Good luck folks! and eat more!
Sometimes late last year, some dude who probably shares our collective frustrations in calculating service charge and government tax when trying to split bills came up with an idea: Why not a restaurant that doesn’t include the 5% or 10% extra charges?
While at that, why not have it decorated decently, comfortable, and yah, price the food cheaply too? And that was how Kitchen Creatures was born.
Kitchen Creatures, no frill dining
Of course I made that up completely and never really talked to the owner, but I suppose the truth shouldn’t be too far from my conjecture.
Kitchen Creatures is located at the first floor BU Centrepoint on the lot that previously occupied by Manhattan Fish Market. You could mistake the restaurant for an Ikea showroom, brightly lit, with furniture made of glass, metal, paper, and plastic. Not exactly a bad thing.
chicken wings, baked mushroom
We went there recently for early dinner and had us some different dishes. The chicken wings (RM 9) was delicious, it seems like they marinate it properly with the flavor not only skin deep.
The baked stuffed mushroom (RM 7.80) ordered by Suan must be at least decent, as the lady proclaimed “ohh it’s good!” after the first bite.
beef stroganoff, seafood cream sauce pasta, big daddy burger, aglio olio prawns
I chose one of the less common dishes from the menu – beef stroganoff (RM 14). It was a semi curry/cheesy sauce with beef, a bit of mushroom, onion, and rice. It wasn’t exactly great, I found the beef a bit too tough, but the sauce was pretty alright though.
The pastas ordered by the ladies: seafood cream sauce (RM 15) and aglio olio shrimp (RM 13) were both reported to be satisfying, and Gareth’s big daddy burger (RM 18) that came with 2 thick meat patties, egg, ham, cheese, and a side of chips was good enough to meet this mat salleh’s expectation.
Suan, Horng, Kerol, Gareth, Kim
Kitchen Creatures definitely offer great value for what you get, if you stick to seafood, chicken, or pretty much everything that doesn’t involve beef or lamb, they usually turn out pretty good. The problem with beef/lamb on a budget is that they’re usually of inferior cuts/quality, and I’d usually rather not have them.
Address:
Kitchen Creatures
Lot F110, Centre Point
3, Lebuh Bandar Utama,
47800 PJ, Selangor
GPS: 3.137988, 101.610124
Tel: 03-7729 8039
Early last month boo of masak-masak called me up for a year end dinner with a few other food bloggers at Favola. As it turned out, it was a food review session at the new Italian outlet of Le Meridien KL. Thank goodness I had my newly acquired S90 handy with me.
the capable chef Antoine at Favola
The restaurant has a very cheerful mood with its spacious tables, comfortable chairs, and light music further compounded by a very jolly chef Antoine who loves to mingle with diners. Meena, Ciki, and Fatboybakes were among the bloggers who were there.
Like most proper Italian restaurants, we started off with some lovely breads. Other than the standard olive oil with balsamic vinegar, there were guacamole and the very flavorful potato truffle dips. I had to stop myself from eating more of these to save some stomach space, but if you’re on a shoe string budget…
cold (freddo) antipasti, bread with potato truffle dip, and crispy pizza dough
There’s a pretty good selection of antipasti available at Fivola. We had the sampler of five antipasti (RM 35) which had the following:
Of course, the descriptions and names were copied from the menu as there was no way I could remember all of them. I particularly like the beef as well as the octopus, they were tasty and had a nice texture to it too. This was sorta parellel to the old Chinese cold dish, I think.
warm (caldo) antipasti, Conchiglioni Marinara al Cartoccio
Warm antipasti came next, and we had these little curry puff look alike items that were made with pizza dough called panzerotti. They were filled with marinated mushroom, mozzarella and grilled bell pepper and makes perfect beer snacks.
We also had cod fritters, but my favorite has got to be the sardines. Unlike the canned version we’re familiar with, the sardine’s sauteed with onions, raisins, pine nuts, and bell pepper to a crispy texture. They were absolutely delicious.
For pasta, we had the conchiglioni marinara al cartoccio (RM 40), in laymen’s term – shell shaped pasta with seafood, extra virgin olive oil, herbs, and tomato sauce. I’m not a huge fan of conchiglioni, but this tasted pretty good.
lobster risotto, roasted lamb shoulder, wagyu beef lasagna, veal osso bucco
They were quite a few main dishes to share among us. For a taste of luxury, we had the risotto con argosta (lobster risotto, RM 45) and lasagna al forno (wagyu cheek lasagna, RM 40) and both dishes didn’t disappoint the ingredients used. The lasagna was especially the yums, Garfield would have approved.
The two veal dishes – veal escalope (one pan seared, one coated with bread crumbs, RM 60) and veal osso bucco (RM 70). They were decent, but to be frank I’m not a huge fan of veal and would probably opt for something else (the lasagna for example) if I had to choose. I prefer the pan seared veal and could give a pass to the bread crumb preparation method though.
veal osso bucco, scallop with cauliflower, mussels with chicken, veal escalope “due modi”
Another two antipasti dishes we had (in full serving instead of sampler) were roasted scallops (RM 20) and fresh mussels (RM 20). The scallops came on a bed of cauliflower and truffles and were absolutely delightful. The mussels had minced chicken stuffing, garlic and tomato sauce. I am quite sure suan would have loved to have this, they were quire good too.
The roasted lamb shoulder (RM 50) was the other meat dish we had. I remember it to be quite rich but couldn’t really recall much otherwise. I think my stomach was already over stuffed at this point.
panna cotta, fruitti di miso, illy coffee inspired tiramisu
Then of course, there were desserts. Illy coffee inspired tiramisu (RM 20) was nice, and the fruitti di miso (ricotta cream and mixed red berries RM 20) gives a jolt to the senses after the heavy meal. However, the panna cotta (RM 20) had to be the recommended choice – almond custard cream, minestrone of fruit sugar veil and orange wafer might not mean anything to me, but it was very delightful. The contrasting tastes of custard with the berries and sugar was just perfect.
Meena, KY, and ciki; potent Grappa
To finish off the dinner, we ordered some grappa, basically grape based pomace brandy (or distilled wine) with alcohol content as high as 60%. These drinks cost anything from RM 20 (Grappa Limonico) to RM 50 (Alexandar Red Rose Grappa). The red rose grappa was quite good, but I can’t say I’d be able to justify the price for it though.
The Grappa Platinum (RM 40) was especially nasty and left a grimace to anyone who’d tasted it. Perhaps it was an acquired taste, I don’t know, and probably wouldn’t ever order this particular type of drinks anytime soon.
By the time we wrapped up, it was already 11pm. I think I still felt full when I woke up the next morning. It was definitely a nice session and Fivola would make a pretty good place if you’re looking for some authentic Italian food. The ambiance is good, the food did not disappoint, and the price is fair too.
Address:
Favola
2 Jalan Stesen Sentral,
Kuala Lumpur 50470
GPS: 3.135631,101.686476
Tel: 03-2263 7753
The first time I went to d’italiane kitchen at Jaya 33 was actually more than half a year ago when I was still working in my previous company at PJ. I’ve since visited this place quite a few times but somehow haven’t gotten around to post about it.
Well, there is no better time than now.
The last time I visited this classy Italian restaurant at Jaya 33 was on the 11th January, a date that is rather significant for it was the first time Mellissa and I went out (I had used the excuse of needing her help in doing the U Mobile advertorial, and fortunately she was a very willing victim)
Mell studying the menu
d’italiane kitchen is located on the ground floor of Jaya 33, right next to Bruno’s, and a few shops away from the Nagomi Shabu Shabu. The restaurant has a pretty nice alfresco dining area over looking Jalan Semangat as well tastefully decorated indoor seatings.
Angel hair with Scallops, my favorite!
Angel hair with scallops has always been one of my favorite pasta dishes, if you recall, I’ve even cooked it before. I tend to order them whenever the chances arise, and did so on this particular occasion.
The dish come with four pieces of very good size scallops that is slightly cooked, just like the way scallops are meant to be served. The angel hair pasta has the right flavor and proper garnish, not something over the top but fresh and complimentary to the overall taste.
Spicy Crab Meat Linguine
The spicy crab meat linguine was equally tasty. Pine nuts and cherry tomatoes mixed with decent amount of spicy crab meat, a slightly unorthodox taste in pasta but a pretty good one. Mellissa gave it at thumb up.
Other than the two dishes here, I’ve also had their Agli Scampi (prawn pasta that is cooked similar to the angel hair scallop) and one of their chocolate cakes. The food quality held up pretty well over the few visits.
faster snap this picture so that I can have my scallop!
I find prices at this outfit pretty reasonable, pastas are priced from RM 18.90 (bolognaise, alio olio) to RM 25.90 (scallop, salmon), desserts from RM 12.90.
The menu is pretty big, you have some ten starters and half a dozen soups and salad to choose from as well. Give it a try!
Adress:
Jaya 33,
No. 3, Jalan Semangat,
Seksyen 13,
46200 PJ, Selangor
GPS: 3.110274, 101.637139
Tel: 03-7986 2330
