Whenever Brussels Beer Cafe is mentioned, most people immediately think of groups of people drinking a variety of mostly imported beer. The name “beer cafe” certainly contributes to that impression.
However, Brussels is more than just a place beer, as I found out on this invited food review session organized Michael, the dude who is known for his alcoholic beverages review column.
Brussels Beer Cafe, at Solaris Mont Kiara
While waiting for the others to come, I noticed this little gadget they have at the bar – instant glass chiller (or whatever you call that).
This thing spews out really cold water and instantly chills beer glass to almost freezing temperature. Very nifty, there is no need to have tonnes of beer mugs kept in fridge all the time.
Brussels summer fruit salad, moules Hoegaarden / mariniere
The first dish was Brussels Summer Fruit Salad, fresh tasting but otherwise not particularly special. It is a salad dish for those who really want a low calorie meal (sans the cheese, of course.)
Then came moules Hoegaarden / mariniere (mussels marinated with Hoegaarden). I thought it is a bit of an overkill to imported beer for marinate, but the mussels really does taste very good. The serving isn’t exactly big though, and the dish came across a bit pricey (close to RM 50 if I remember correctly, well, did I say imported beer?)
prawn bisque, potatoe skin, blind finches, chicken waterzooi
I thought prawn bisque is like the poor man’s lobster bisque, but it turned out to be pretty much a thicker, cream version of Penang prawn noodle soup. It’s pretty interesting to be honest, but I reckon not everyone’s taste.
Potato skin goes well as beer food, I thought blind finches (beef with ham all rolled up, Dutch dish) was pretty good too, if not just a little bit too strong a taste in the beer gravy.
The chicken waterzooi, a traditional Belgium dish, did not click with me. I thought it was just buttery breast meat without much kick in it. Your mileage might vary.
roast pork – one of my favorites!
The roast pork at Brussels has got to be my favorite dish. The style differs from traditional hawker version (ala Wong Kee), the skin is a lot less crispy but instead the overall texture much softer. Flavor is quite intense and I love it with mustard, very lovely actually!
pork knuckle – fit for a group!
The pork knuckle, ironically, tastes pretty close to traditional roast pork instead of what you’d expect from normal pork knuckle ala German style. It was pretty good! Though I think the gravy could be improved a bit, perhaps chicken rice style chili paste?
brussels style pork bacon cheese burger, grilled baby beef ribs, the big one
I didn’t try the pork bacon cheese burger, but those who did liked it. The grilled baby beef ribs was juicy and sumptuous, and the big one brought really did make a big impact on its size, but I think you’ll need about 4 hungry souls to finish one serving.
we were obviously having tonnes of fun at Brussels
As for beverages, Brussels of course never disappoint. We had Hoegaarden, Blackthorn cider, and Paulaner Konig Ludwig and Franzkainer too.
It was overall a very enjoyable session, chef Pele (what a name, right?) and Mike Chang the manager were very friendly chaps whom I’d hope to meet again.
Address:
Brussels Beer Café, Solaris
Lot K-OG 13 & 14, SoHo KL,
No. 2, Jalan Solaris, Mon’t Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.174689, 101.659595
Tel: 03-6205 2999
When we think of fast food, what comes to mind would usually be the big American chains. Burgers, fried chicken, and maybe even of porridge and sandwiches are usually to be expected.
However, one of the truly fastest dinner you can get is at a Chinese tai chow style eatery located at SS2 by the name of New Paris Restaurant.
KY, Rachel, Horng, Kimberly, and Kerol at New Paris restaurant
New Paris had a humble beginning, many years ago this was an operation with tables and chairs sprawling under a tree. Today, the restaurant has grown to occupy three shop lots and three floors.
The ambiance might have changed, but the one thing that stays true is the speed of service.
Business is often pretty brisk despite the size of the restaurant. Once customers leave a table, the workers will simply detached a layer of plastic table cloths together with all the plates, and new diners can take their seats within about 10 seconds.
pork knuckle, spinach, Guinness pork ribs, four types of beans
Here’s the blow by blow account of our dinner at New Paris, time stamp gathered from JPEG EXIF data.
8:22 p.m. – we were ordering our final dish.
8:24 p.m. – first dish arrived! The German pork knuckle (RM 38), one of their claim of fame, was crisp on the outside, but juicy and fatty on the inside. Very savory, very sinful.
8:27 p.m. - sautéed spinach with garlic and topped with salted dried “silver fish” (RM 9). Not anything particularly special, but provide balance to the meat dishes we ordered.
8:28 p.m. – Guinness pork ribs (RM 18), one of my favorite new style Chinese dishes. Tender ribs soaked with the goodness of Guinness black beer, providing that hint of bitterness that is so addictive.
8:34 p.m. – spicy squid with long bean (RM 15). A little bit of spicy seafood with the meat and vegetable dishes. This dish was somewhat a disappointment, squid tasted a little stale. I wouldn’t order this again.
9:03 p.m. – paid and left the building
Another famous dish at New Paris is their watermelon chicken w(Huai Bin blogged about it here) which we did not order this time around. Though the food at this place isn’t exactly the best nor they are very special, they are still pretty tasty. Of course, the super fast service makes up for any short falls.
Where else could you have a full Chinese tai chow meal within 45 minutes?
Address:
New Paris Restaurant
No. 62, 64, 66, Jalan SS2/72
47300 Petaling Jaya Selangor
GPS: 3.118758, 101.62938
Tel: 03-7955 9180
BB battery tips:
For the Blackberry addicts, including the newly converts from Xpax BB, one of the most tragic things that could happen is when you are out and the Blackberry starts to run low on juice.
For casual users, most BB models could last for 1.5 to 2 days under moderate to heavy usage. However, for the true addicts, you might find yourself left stranded with your BB notification light blinking amber before the late night is over.
Good news is, there are some adjustments you can make to prolong the battery life.
When I was working at Leisure Commerce Square, we used to travel quite a bit for a good lunch. We’ve been to the siew yoke (bbq pork) place at Aman Suria, pork tripe soup at USJ, and even banana leaf rice at Raju at PJ State. Just before I left the company, we decided to venture into the parking hell that is USJ Taipan and give Meaty House a try.
Meaty house is located just a couple of shops from Starbucks
Meaty house is located just a couple of shops from Starbucks, facing the multilayer parking lots that you should use lest boiling your blood away looking for a street spot (that you have to pay anyway.) The interior of the restaurant is a little dated and not very well lit either. The seats and tables were a bit old, but we were there with only one objective, and romance wasn’t it.
pork belly, pork knuckle, ribs & sausages
The server was very friendly and recommended us the three dishes we ordered for the day. Pork belly, pork knuckle, and a ribs & sausages dish. We also had 3 glasses of home-brewed barley drinks to go with it.
Food didn’t take long to arrive as it wasn’t busy during the weekday lunch time we were there. All three dishes were actually very good, and I particularly love the German pork knuckle, very crunchy on the outside and yet flavorful and fatty without being too oily inside. The home-made honey mustard sauce was perfect for both the sausages and the pork knuckle.
Pork belly was good too, although I could probably use a slightly fattier cut (I’m one of those pork lard people). The ribs too were equally good, with the hint of char siu (roasted pork) taste to it. The side dishes of coleslaw and some unidentified vegetables though, were nothing to shout about.
*slurps*
Each dishes cost less than RM 30. Ribs & sausages RM 26.80, pork belly RM 23.80, pork knuckle RM 29.80. Overall I would say that this place offers very good value for what you get. A slightly higher class place would be EURO DELI at Damansara Kim or Jarrod & Rawlins at Hartamas, and if you really want it splurge a bit, there’s always Bermuda & Onions at Cangkat Bukit Bintang, and Bruno’s at Jaya 33. If you love pork, either one of these places would be pretty satisfying.
Meaty house is located in USJ Taipan Triangle
Address:
37, Jalan USJ 10/1D,
Taipan Triangle, Subang Jaya
Selangor
GPS: 3.049244, 101.584289
Tel: 03-5633 5634
