Marmalade Cafe @ Bangsar Village 2

Whenever it was past 12pm on weekends, I would normally tell Jenn that I don't wanna drive to the shopping malls anymore. The reason was simple - I don't want to spend 30-45 minutes looking for a parking spot. Those who had faced similar predicament should know how it feel to drive around just to find a empty parking lot. And if you see one, some other cars would probably be waiting for it too. The next thing you know, the excitement is gone and you are left frustrated thinking to yourself "why is it so hard to find a decent parking in this freaking place?"

The alternatives are of course the neighbourhood malls such as Bangsar Village and now also Bangsar Village 2. What not to love about this place? Within 15min drive from my house, parking relatively easy to find, and variety of restaurants to choose from. One Saturday while we were at Bangsar Village 2, we decided to check out Marmalade Cafe which I'd read from Bangsar Babe (http://bangsar-babe.blogspot.com). Since it was almost time for Sher Ryn's afternoon nap, the lunch would be a quick one.

I had the Avocado accents @ RM17 - roasted chicken cubes, peppers, avocado, apples, raisins, cashew nuts & sundried tomatoes over a bed of lettuce with zesty mustard dressing. I just love the colourful salad with so many ingredients that I love to eat. And yes, healthier too!

Smoked salmon quiche @ RM17 - Jenn's choice of this particular quiche proved to be a hit. A baked dish with a delicious combination of eggs, cream, cheese, smoked salmon, onion and leek :)

My choice of drink - Ginger Beer (ahhhhhh) while Jenn had the Cappucino. I don't have to say the bottle of milk is for whom right??? Ever noticed the small leg?

Leo's verdict - I'll be back for more :) period!

MM Cafe @ Happy Mansion, Section 17 PJ

I heard about this place for the first time after reading Cumi&Ciki's blog... I know that I can rely on them to get to know more places to eat :) after all, I have put a link to their webpage in which I clicked almost everyday to see if they've been to any new places lately. This was actually my second time coming to Happy Mansion area, the first being to 6To10 Grill & Nasi Lemak which is located nearby.

Tuck in the corner of Happy Mansion, this place is quite secluded and you will easily miss it if you don't look carefully.

The interior is kept simple and nice, and they even have a VIP room for private function.

Or you can just relax on the sofa, while sipping drinks and snacks if you plan to hangout with friends here.

This place is also children-friendly, as they provide Ikea's high chair for those who bring along their kids.

The menu was given once we were seated. The recommended foods are highlighted with a Star.

Since Jenn was not feeling that hungry, she asked for their Caesar Salad @ RM8.90. Jenn said that the salad doesn't worth the price stated, as it was plain with only lettuce, egg, bread crumbs. However, she really loved the cheese bits that provided extra flavour to the salad.

As for me, I wanted to try their Kam Heong Chicken Fried Rice @ RM8.90. I'm not a fussy eater and since the fried rice was not very oily with a strong aroma of kam heong (which I like), I gave this dish a thumb up!

Leo's verdict - the waiter was very attentive (maybe there were not many customers at that time) and made effort to have a friendly conversation with me after the meal & to check on how we felt at the end of the meal. I also love the simple interior of the place and the service was fast too. Parkings are ample around this area, maybe because it's weekends.

CM Home's @ Tropicana Mall, SS2 PJ

Your family cafe... this is what they try to sell to the public. Not that I'm dumb enough to take the bait, but I'd done my chores for the day, and it was time for lunch. Initially we planned to go to Solaris Mont Kiara which we'd passed by earlier, but Jenn wanted to go someplace nearer to home... so we settled for Tropicana Mall. Parking was not a problem at all, as it was newly opened and not many people. I think most people still prefer to go to 1 Utama, Mid Valley or Sunway Pyramid as opposed to this neighbourhood mall due to more choices.

The whole place looked deserted even on weekends... well, it's too early to tell as the mall was new and not all shops were opened yet.

We scouted from Ground floor to Second floor for a place to eat. Sushi Tei was one of the places that I wanted to try but since Jenn couldn't eat raw stuff, we passed. In the end, we settled for CM Home's. The name didn't sound attractive nor creative enough but its menu looked promising.

Bunting outside its entrace to show some of their foods... plus very short mascot of the premise.

The interior decor is nothing to shout of... look like regular cafe everywhere.

I ordered what made me came here at the first place... pepper salt sotong @ RM8.90 - crispy on the outside, chewy and piping hot on the inside! A bit salty though...

Portugese Chicken Chop rice @ RM10.50 - I don't really like the sauce on top of the chicken chop, as it felt like mayonnaise mixed with some seasonings... but then the portion was big.

Special Taste Spare Ribs Rice @ RM12.90 - the pork meat was stewed together with a secret recipe (trade secret according to them) and it was very tender and the gravy went very well with the rice. But be careful of the bone bits that were scattered inside the gravy.

Honey Lemon Ice @ RM5.90 - now, I finally found a place that offered full flavoured drink... unlike other places which are diluted!

Leo's verdict - I used my ixus870 for the first time to take pictures. The quality was good :) by the way, the food was OK but not that great and the portion can be quite big for some people.

Greenwood Cafe @ SS2 PJ

If you read my blogs a lot... you would notice that I blog about PJ area a lot, just because I stay in this area. SS2 is an area that I go to... A LOT!!! In fact, I have seen this particular cafe for a long time too. I only came here when I read from the magazine review on it. Situated on the same row as Bread Story and Eu Yan Sang, it is not that hard to find.

It was 3pm when Jenn & I stepped into the cafe. We wanted to try their set lunch but the supervisor-looking man informed us that the lunch hour was over. Sensing some disappointment in our looks, he made an exception by asking us to sit down and served us the set lunch menu. That put back a smile on our faces. Talking about customer service :) I'm sure that he knows that both of us were new patrons.

They wrote their menu list on the huge mirror too...

Their set lunch is priced at RM6.50++ - Jenn had their Nasi Lemak with Ayam Masak Merah, which also came with complimentary Chinese tea (apart from that, you can also opt for Ayam rendang, sotong sambal or sotong with satay sauce). The nasi lemak was good... the rice smells good with pandan leaves. The sambal was quite spicy but tasty nonetheless. The ayam masak merah was quite tender and the gravy was not too salty. The minor setback was that the hard-to-chew anchovies.

As for me, I went for spicy buttermilk with fettuccine with crispy fried chicken @ RM20++ - fusion between CHinese and Italian style. It tasted exactly like our Chinese "nai yau", creamy but not too thick. However, a bit spicy due to the curry leaves and chilly padi. The chicken was deep fried and went on well with the buttermilk. Thumbs up for this dish!

Bon appetit!

Feeling hot, I ordered their Greenwood Smoothies - ice blended with fresh mint, lime and Sprite @ RM8.90++ - just like mojito less the alcohol content. Definitely a cure for the spicyness in my mouth :)

Leo's verdict - it gave me a good first impression due to the service given and also the good food. I will definitely come back to try their other dishes.

Simply Fusion @ Jaya 1, Section 13 PJ

We didn't know what to eat for dinner... so I asked Jenn to decide on one particular place/area and I would figure out the rest. Jaya 1 came into her mind and so off we went... We took our time to explore around, as this place is relatively new and we have only been here for about 3 times. This place has a lot of new restaurants popping up recently.

My eyes locked at the dessert section :)

This place looked quite interesting with its decor. Usage of mirrors and chandeliers + dark interior created a comtemporary feeling. There were quite a number of patrons inside, so we thought that the food would be nice.
The menu

The waiter was fast to attend to us once we were seated. Looking at their menu, I ordered their Value Set (total of 8) which was Seafood Garlic Fried Rice. And it came with complimentary coffee/tea/iced lemon tea & a choice of cake from their bar. The price?? RM19.20++! Iced lemon tea was rather plain. However, the fried rice was good... prawns were fresh and the accompanied grilled chicken on skewers with teriyaki sauce really made the difference. Thumbs up!
Iced lemon tea.. not so good. Oh well! At least it's free

Jenn opted for Chicken Shogayaki - Chargrilled chicken, saffron butter rice @ seasonal vegetables @ RM11.80++. This dish was similar to mine, as the chicken was marinated with teriyaki sauce as well. Generous portion of chicken while the butter rice was sweet too.

I had mentioned earlier that I got to choose a slice of cake of my choice... Brownie Cheese Cake. It looked very nice on the shelf and it certainly tasted very nice too. A perfect dessert to conclude my dinner here.

Leo's verdict - A relatively new restaurant which offer diners with a variety of food to choose from the menu. The lunch and dinner sets that they offer were meant to attract new crowds and working executives. I'd say that they really gave me a good first impression... first the overall outlook and then the food. I'll be back to try their other food on my next trip.