Desserts Bar @ Casa Tropicana

There was this 50% discount on food items at the Desserts Bar last month. I managed to catch the deal on their last day. I read in their website that they take about 15 minutes to clean the fruits to remove pesticide residues! I did notice that the fruits they serve are really fresh.

The Interior

The Hawaiian Wrap tasted just alright. Bits and pieces of chicken ham, pineapple, green peppers, onions and cheese in the wrap. Nothing really very outstanding. The wrap if I am not mistaken, is actually crepe.

Hawaiian Wrap

The Caramel Banana was really good. The crepes were served with a mixture of mashed bananas, freshly sliced up bananas, crushed nuts and top it off with half a strawberry. The mashed bananas goes very well with the crepes. Not too sweet and not too bland :) Yums!

Caramel Banana Crepes

I packed 3 black sesame mochis which tasted really good and fresh. The texture is so much better than the ones you buy outside where the pre-packed it and sell it in supermarkets. The total price after 50% discount was RM13. Very cheap!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Recently, I went to catch this movie. It is based on a book by F Scott Fitzgerald. Being born under unusual circumstances, it tells the story of an "old baby" who ages backwards physically. It was an excellent show and definitely a different genre from other movies that you normally watch although there are love story bits.

It is amazing how computer graphics can actually make Cate Blanchett so much younger than her actual age and she's an excellent actress. The computer graphics made Brad Pitt look so much younger too.

Well, I did learn a thing or two from the show. Appreciate people around you while they are still alive, some things do last (though I am still skeptical about it), about being different, forgiveness, unselfishness and sacrifice. Life's material is not that important but more on the quality of time spent with each other and simple pleasures :)

During the whole movie, the part where it touched me most is when Benjamin (Brad Pitt) realised that he would have to leave his daughter and partner because he was "growing" younger. He sold off all his assets so that his family would have a comfortable life and he lived a nomadic life with little to spare.

Pulau Ketam Yong Tau Foo @ Gardens Midvalley

Yong Tau Food variations like the traditional sweet sauce with rice sheets, in curry with noodles, in clear soup noodles or even just plain in soup with steaming hot rice. Located in Lower Ground floor of the Gardens mall next to Yoo! Snacks and Homi Curry Puff kiosk.

Tried the yong tau foo with curry sauce and it was good. My friend tried the Curry Noodle and it was good too. The curry sauce and the curry that comes in the curry noodle tastes pretty the same. The only difference is that the one with curry sauce uses Chee Cheong fun instead and has lesser gravy. The yong tau food was pretty tasty and fresh. Unlike some hawker stalls where they buy those mass produced yong tau food ingredients, the ones here taste like home made and not mass produced.

Curry Chee Cheong Fun


Curry Laksa

They serve set lunches inclusive of a drink. One set is RM6.90 with noodles and three pieces of yong tau foo. Another set will be RM8.90 for five pieces of yong tau foo. It's pretty cheap by shopping mall standards.

Italliannies @ 1 Utama Shopping Center

Imagine Italian country side, with wholesome mediterranean food like pasta, seafood, herbs and spices. Green checkered table clothes, wooden chairs and tables and dim lighting. That describes the ambiance of Italliannies restaurants springing up in Klang Valley. Known for their huge portions, they do actually serve smaller portions where they call it the Lunch Portion. Even then, the portion is pretty substantial.

The Ambiance

One starter that I really like is their Clams Lombardi. Having previously tried their Mussels Lombardi, we opted to try their Clams Lombardi. It is Clams cooked in white wine and herbs. Squeeze the wedge of lemon for a more zesty flavour. Very tasty that you feel like slurping every single spoonfull of gravy. Taste great too if you dip the complimentary herbed bread to soak up the gravy.

Clams Lombardi

Next we ordered the Seafood Cioppino which is basically fettucine tossed in white wine and tomatoes. It has a tomato based sauce. The shrimps were fresh but the mussels were bad. In fact so bad that we threw all of them away. The portion is extremely huge as they do not have a Lunch size portion for this. You can actually share between three person for this. Moreover, for RM9.90 you can add their signature meatballs with tomato sauce. The beef meatballs were excellent and huge, about the size of my fist.

Seafood Cioppino

Beef Meatballs

Starbucks @ Gardens Midvalley

Do note, there are two Starbucks in Gardens Midvalley. If you consider the whole of Midvalley including the old block, there would be three Starbucks. The Starbucks that I like most among all is the one in Gardens, nestled in Borders bookstore.

Why you may ask. Well, it is because you can take books to the cafe and browse it there for free while enjoying your little cuppa. There's free Wifi too. So you can sit down, relax, enjoy your cup of coffee and read a book of your choice or browse the net with your notebook. Cool eh? The service is pretty good too. The only grudge that I have is that there are limited seats as a lot of people hang out there too!

I tried the Starbucks Bluberry Cheesecake that day. Was absolutely delicious. The cheese was light, the blueberry topping not overly sweet with a cookies base and a layer of sponge cake. Simple pleasures in life :)

Blueberry Cheesecake

Ko Hyang @ Gardens Midvalley

Ko Hyang is a Korean restaurant situated in the Lower Ground (LG) floor of Gardens Midvalley mall. It is not exactly a shop but more of a kiosk. The food here is pretty home made and not too oily or salty. All their mains are served with soup and a side of kimchi and another type of vegetable. Not sure what it was but it was super tasty. You can see it on the Kimchi Fried rice picture clearly. Green shoots and tiny bits of anchovies. It is refillable. Saw some Koreans enjoying the food as well.

I decided to tried the Jap Chae - Glass Noodle with Mixed Vegetables (RM14.90) that is cellophane noodles (similar to glass noodles but thicker and not so slippery) fried with sesame oil and vegetables. They have two choices, either beef or chicken. I chose the latter. Although it looks plain, it was really tasty. The chicken pieces are very well marinated and very tasty. The noodles are very fragrant. It tastes better than it looks :D

Jap Chae

The Kimchi Bokem Kap - Kimchi Fried Rice (RM13.90) is ok. A little on the "wet" side. They serve it with a sunny side up egg on top the rice.

Kimchi Fried Rice

I wouldn't mind coming back to try their other mains. However, guys would find their portions a little small.

Alexis @ Gardens Midvalley

Just Like Stars

I have always liked Alexis. The ambiance, service and food. The western food may be a little on the pricy side but they do have eastern fare which is more on the affordable side. For about RM20 + you can get a decent meal. The outlet in Garden Midvalley does not have jazz performances like the one in Great Eastern (GE) mall. The food and ambiance nevertheless is still good compared to the one in GE mall.

This time I had the Wagyu Beef Cheeks Braised in Red Wine (RM45) which was excellent. Although the portion looks small but you will feel pretty stuffed after finishing the whole thing. The medallions of beef was deliciously tender, with just-nice amounts of fats marbling the meat, infused with red wine and tasted oh-la la! In fact, the meat tasted a little as though as it could melt in the mouth! The sides of rocket leaves and mash potatoes are really good too.

Wagyu Beef Cheeks Braised in Red Wine

For dessert, I had their infamous tiramisu (RM12). It is similar to the tiramisu from Succhan but I do feel that the one from Succhan tasted better but the one from Alexis is good too. Just prefer the one from Succhan. Hmm..I read from somewhere that the tiramisu in Alexis are supplied from Succhan. Not sure how true it is though. The tiramisu have loads of nutty bits, crystalized sugar on top and it is served with strawberry sauce! The marcapone with chocolate bits blends well with the sponge cake.

Tiramisu

Relaxing ah...

Pasta Zanmai @ Midvalley Megamall

East meets West? Fusion pasta? Japanese Italian to be more precise :)

This is my second time trying out Pasta Zanmai. The first at the outlet in One Utama. This is my second time but at the outlet in Midvalley. It is situated about two shops away from Madam Kwan's. You can order ala carte or you can order set. The set consists of a miso soup and a side salad.

Hot ocha (RM6) was served in a pot and it is only limited to maximum two person. Cute teapotware :)

Pot O' Hot Ocha

We ordered two types of pasta. Choosing one cream based pasta called Toriniku to Kinoko no Cream Sauce (RM19 for ala carte, RM23 for set). No, it doesn't mean that it does not contain cream. Hehe... The cream sauce was excellent with bits of mushrooms. Having tried the cream sauce pasta before, the taste is as good as before :) However, the chicken that they use tasted stale but the cream sauce was really good. Not too heavy and not too light.

Toriniku to Kinoko no Cream Sauce

Next is the Chicken Teriyaki no Spicy Pasta(RM19 for ala carte, RM23 for set). It is actually spaghetti lightly tossed in chili flakes. The taste is on the mild side and not really fragrant. However, the chicken teriyaki fillets are good as they are fresh and slightly on the crispy side. Oh how I wish I could combine the chicken from this pasta with the spaghetti noodles sauce from the cream one. It would be an explosive combi!

Chicken Teriyaki no Spicy Pasta

Will be updating the post with their contact details once I find the name card :)