Pork and Gulden at the Pigs & Wolf, Pavilion KL

With a restaurant named Pigs and Wolf, you'd probably have an inkling of what sort of food's served up: Pork, pork, and more pork.

The restaurant's located on the 7th floor of the Pavilion KL shopping mall, on the opposite end from Tokyo Street, sharing a little cubby with a half dozen other new(ish) eateries.


Decor is decent but functional: You wouldn't bring a companion here for an anniversary celebration. But for a gathering of friends, family, or colleagues after work it's perfect. The darling and I are here on a Sunday afternoon, so what better to wake us up than a couple of Lattes? (RM 9 each)


We're tempted by the breakfast platters that Pigs & Wolf serves til late on weekends, but we decide instead on more 'lunch-ey' items: Starting with The Wolf's Favorite (RM 31). What this is, of course, is a spaghetti carbonara with a heaping of bacon. The pasta's nicely al-dente, the cream has a nice consistency and is pretty well flavored. I personally prefer my bacon chewy rather than crispy, but that's just nitpicking in the grand scheme of bacon-laden things.


Next up: the Mighty Piggy Burger (RM 30). A comment, first, about that salad in the background. It's laden with about ten times as much vinaigrette as is necessary and is therefore too sour to the point of being inedible. The burger's pretty good, though. Juicy, flavorful, substantial. Fries are decently crispy too.


So where does the wolf in the name come into the picture? If you were expecting some gulden dishes you'd be disappointed - no wolf meat here (yes, wolf meat is called gulden, and yes, I had to look it up for this blog post).

With a final bill of close to RM45/person after service and taxes it isn't exactly cheap. But then again, I suppose that's pretty par for the course for KL eateries these days. Pigs & Wolf opens 7 days a week; Reservations probably aren't necessary but you can dial +603 2110 4438 to make sure. Non-halal.

At time of writing, 1.00 SGD = 3.03 MYR.

Brunch with a French Twist at La Vie en Rose

La Vie en Rose is French singer Édith Piaf's most iconic song - which made an appearance in that wonderful Pixar robot love animated film WALL-E. It also happens to be the name of a French restaurant on a bungalow up on a little 'hill' along Jalan Raja Chulan in KL. On weekends it serves up a brunch menu with a French twist that you probably won't be able to find anywhere else in the city!


All brunch orders come with this bread basket loaded with croissants, bread and danish pastries, all very accomplished breads - for example the croissants were crispy and buttery enough to eat on their own! The fig and berry preserves, home made yoghurt and butter were very good, too.


The Smokey brunch set (RM65) consists of Scrambled eggs with smoked Petuna trout, mushroom and duck bacon bruschetta, and duck confit shepherd's pie. Eggs were delicious and properly scrambled, and we thought the bruschetta was just divine. Shepherd's pie could have perhaps done with a little more time in the oven as it was a little too watery for our tastes.


Eggy costs RM60 and comes with a brioche of egg benedict, truffle scrambled eggs and grilled sausage. We really enjoyed the scrambled eggs here too; with just the right amount of chopped up truffle goodness without making it too pungent.


After polishing off all the food we're stuffed but still have some room to share a Cold Strawberry Soup with Vanilla Ice Cream (replacing basil sorbet which the kitchen didn't have) and almond crisp (RM20). It's cold, sweet, sour and refreshing all at the same time - although if you're not a fan of Strawberries' natural tartness then you'd probably be better off with a different choice.


Overall the meal lands squarely in the "on the high side" pricing territory; for which it gets a little difficult to say if it is 'worth the money.' What we can say is that we thoroughly enjoyed the food, ambience and service, and that the food is at least as good as any of the other top brunch places in the city.

La Vie en Rose is at 39 Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur. Brunch reservations probably not necessary as the dining room was only about half full when we went. No pork.

Tel: 03-2078 3883
Email: info@cuisine-studio.net

Great Chinese Food at Noble House, Imbi

The Oriental Group of Restaurants is only slightly over 10 years old, but it's already established itself as one of the top Chinese restaurant chains in KL, with ten different outlets spread out around the city. Their Executive Chef, Chef Justin Hor, even won Hospitality Asia Platinum's 2010-2012 Best Chinese Cuisine Chef for Noble House Restaurant, Kuala Lumpur, where we went to celebrate my Uncle's 50th birthday :)


We started off with a couple of servings of Roast Pork (not part of the 8-course dinner for the night) - this is actually pretty good, especially if you like your siew yuk with some "substance." The meat's not tough by any standards; it's just not as flaky / break-apart-in-the-mouth as some other siew yuk's in town.


Peking Duck is the opener course of the night and is also pretty good! Personally I don't like it when the waitresses serve up the skin pre-sauced and pre-wrapped; I prefer to DIY it totally to control the amount of sauce, skin, pancake, scallion and cucumber ratio. As is normal with Peking Duck, the meat is cooked and served at a later course.


Braised Sharks Fin Soup with Crab Meat & Crab Roe is also pretty nice, managing to avoid excessive starch in the broth. Although to be honest, I really don't get why some people like sharks fin so much - it doesn't contribute any flavor to the soup at all.

Incidentally, to those shark lovers among you reading this, I'd just like to give you an "other side of the coin" point of view: "... research showing 80% of the 73 million sharks killed each year are in fact caught accidentally." I'm not supporting the killing of sharks, just merely giving some alternative viewpoints that the "live finning" that people like to rave about may not necessarily be as widespread as they think.


Moving on to yet another Chinese food that I don't understand - Abalone. Specifically, the Steamed Abalone with Prawn Paste and Treasure Chest Beancurd. The dish is overall quite delicious, but I've never been a huge abalone fan.


The Steamed Deep-Sea Garoupa with Fresh Beancurd Skin & Black Fungus is a little lacking in presentation but more than makes up for it with a nice texture and bite to the fish meat, and a well balanced soy-sauce-based gravy.


The black sheep of the night was the Roasted Crispy Shatin Chicken & Thousand Layer Pork Ear Thai Style. I wasn't a big fan of the gaminess of the pigeon, nor the pig ears.


The duck meat from the Peking Duck makes its' re-appearance in the carb-dish: Fried Rice with Duck Meat & Raw Egg. Rice was fried pretty well, nice and fragrant.


For desserts we have a cold bowl of Chilled Snow Pear with Sea-Coconut served with Steamed Pumpkin Bun - fairly decent desserts but not really particularly memorable.

We thought that the food in Noble House was very solid, although we wouldn't go as far to agree with Hospitality Asia Platinum's "Best Restaurant" assertion. The restaurant is also decorated pretty nicely, staff were well trained, friendly and attentive, and parking was also quick and easy thanks to a well oiled valet system. Highly recommended. Non halal.

Have an Oinky good time at El Cerdo, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.

Happy December! December's always a fun time of month, what with the year-end, Christmas decorations everywhere, and with everyone taking a break from work (or to clear off their last remaining days of Annual Leave). Hopefully your December is full of fun and gifts and laughter too!

Anyways, El Cerdo over at Changkat Bukit Bintang has always been one of my favorite "special occasions" restaurants in KL. I've been there quite a number of times over the years but strangely I've never gotten round to blogging about it, so here goes!


El Cerdo is unashamedly all about celebrating porky goodness. The restaurant is decorated with drawings and paintings of pigs, cute little piggy figurines, etc. If you celebrate your birthday here, the staff will even add in a loud "oink oink" in between lines of "Happy Birthday to You."

The menu, naturally, is chock full of different kinds of porcine delights. Like this family-sized Jamon Serrano (RM88) - An assortment of Jamon Serrano and Iberico with Chorizo Sausages, melon balls, olives, nuts and salad. Plenty of different varieties of ham to go around the table!


My favorite dish of the night was the Oven Roasted Iberico Spare Ribs (RM88), served with a fairly forgettable Pineapple Salsa. The Spare Ribs, however, were utterly awesome. An almost-crispy outer crust thanks to the Maillard reaction, combined with the meat bursting with juice and chock-ful of porky flavor, this dish is a clear winner.


El Cerdo's main attraction, however, is the Cochinillo Alestili Segoviano (Roasted Suckling Pig, RM188 for half a piglet). When the piglet is served, one (or more) VIP's for the night gets to chop the piglet with a plate (to signify how tender it is), and then break the plate in a bucket. So that night being my birthday dinner night, I got to do the honours :)


What I've noticed over the years is that (i) the story that the waiter/waitress tells you as to why you're breaking the plate changes from time to time; and (ii) the price you pay for the suckling pig has increased quite a bit.

I also thought that despite the 24 hour soak they put the suckling pig through in the marination process, that the meat tasted relatively ... plain. I loved the crackling of the crispy piglet skin, but once that was done, the remainder of the meat was honestly not as succulent/delicious as I used to remember it.


The downside, of course, is that prices aren't cheap - and especially when you consider drinks (e.g. Peppermint Tea at RM8.50 ... really? Why do I pay 1500% mark-up for you to put a teabag into a pot of hot water?!?)

Nevertheless, El Cerdo remains one of my favorite joints in KL. Thanks to the constant choruses of "Happy Birthday" and all the plate-smashing going on, the restaurant has a very lively and happy atmosphere. Wait staff are friendly and charming, too. Reservations are essential on Friday and Saturday nights. Non-halal.

Degustation Menu at Cilantro KL - Sampling the best Chef Kimura has to offer.

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Cilantro - Malaysia's top restaurant (and 6th best in Asia) according to the Miele Guide. Even if you're not into the whole foodie scene it's likely you've at least heard about the restaurant, or its' mastermind behind the scenes, Chef Takashi Kimura. For the vast majority of us it's not a place you go to other than for special occasions, though, so when the darling mentioned her intent to give me a nice birthday dinner treat here, I jumped at the opportunity!

Who wouldn't? :)


Three different kinds of bread were served nicely wrapped up in a napkin. I have to say that the bread itself was rather ... ordinary, unlike the uber-delicious loaves served at Prime (for example). Perhaps it's done on purpose so as to not overpower the heavenly Truffle Butter? We didn't want to stuff ourselves too much so we didn't finish the bread - but we did manage to almost finish two helpings of the butter.

It wasn't too long before the first course of the night's degustation menu is served - the Hokkaido Sea Urchin with Carrot Jus - cold, creamy, fresh & sweet sea urchin sandwiched between a layer of carrot foam on top, and carrot juice/puree on the bottom. Superb dish to whet the appetite and set the tone for the rest of the evening.


The magic continues with the Capellini Pasta with Abalone. Perfect al dente pasta with abalone slices and what certainly tasted like shaved sea salt - can't find any fault with the dish at all.


Don't be fooled by the colour of the fishy flesh in the next course - it's not salmon, but Ocean Trout! To be exact, it's Lightly Smoked Ocean Trout with Eel and Potato Chips. And Beluga Caviar. I loved the pairing of the semi-cooked, semi-raw fish with the crunchy texture of the potato chip. The other pairing ... not so much, mainly because after finally being able to try it, I can't understand what's so great about Beluga Caviar. Probably just my pleb taste buds talking, though.


The course of the night that we least enjoyed was the Fillet of Doraude Royale with Oyster and Autumn Truffles. Firstly, because neither of us like oysters (I know, right? A "foodie" who doesn't like oysters?!?). And also because we thought the fish had a slightly muddy/mushy texture, and a very strong fishy taste. I prefer my fish with solid meat - like cod, or the garoupa families (七星斑 and all his brothers & sisters).


While we're on the topic of "least enjoyable," I'll go on a tangent and say that ambience was nice, but sort of very ruined by a very loud, very boisterous birthday group. Despite being in a private room, they were so loud that practically every other table in the room was throwing glances their way!

No matter, though - back to the food, with the Roasted Partridge with Foie Gras and Périgueux (a rich brown sauce flavored with Madeira and Truffles). Foie Gras is, well, Foie Gras! Everything is better with Foie Gras. Although we would have perhaps preferred it to be seared a little more to get that little contrasting "crunch." For the partridge, each plate comes with both "types" of meat - a tender, juicy slice from the breast, and a firmer, stronger (gamier)-tasting cut from the wing/drumlet. Oh, and the white cubes are pear cubes.


The sixth course is where you have a choice of Blackmore Wagyu, Limousine Veal or Pyrenées Lamb. Me being a meat person, the natural choice is the Wagyu! I'm not sure if this qualifies as the medium rare I ordered (looks closer to rare to me), but no complaints - nice slightly-charred surface taste/texture, juicy and flavorful on the inside!


The darling had the Pyrenées Lamb, which comes with 2 cuts of lamb and an unidentifiable third food item (served with encrusted cheese). The waiter mentioned that it was hoba miso, but a quick google search seems to suggest otherwise. If any of you are able to identify it do enlighten us in the comments!


By this point in the meal the both of us are stuffed to high heaven, so it's with mixed feelings that the next course, the Pineapple Granité, is served. Happy because it would be difficult to eat more food, sad because the Granité signals the end of the culinary journey :(


There's always room for dessert, though, especially for one as awesome as the Chestnut Crème Brûlée Feuillantine. With caramel ice cream, too! Presentation was interesting because I've only ever eaten crème brûlée in a bowl. Tasted as good as it looks, too!


And finally to let the stomach rest before heading home - Chamomile Tea with Petit Fours, and that marks the end of the night's dinner. Huge *muaks* to the darling for the treat! Cilantro's not exactly cheap - it starts at rm150 for a lunch set and goes all the way up to rm300++ for the degustation menu, but in our opinion - most definitely worth the money. For special occasions only, of course :)


Personally, the food was great and I felt that Cilantro & Chef Kimura definitely deserve the accolades they've been getting - but I also felt that the experience was ruined somewhat by the rowdy, noisy birthday party group. I mean, if you're going to make so much noise, do it in a bar or a club somewhere, not a fine dining restaurant. I was also a little annoyed that the wait staff did nothing about it - surely they should have politely requested the offending party to would you please be a little more considerate? Or were these unrealistic expectations? Let me know what you think in the comments!

British Goodies at Albion KL - Revisited!

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A couple of weeks ago, Queen Elizabeth became the UK's second longest serving monarch - a staggering 59 years and 95 days. That's longer than the average life expectancy of some countries! In belated celebration, we're re-visiting Albion KL - Time Out KL's Best Independent Restaurant for 2010! You know. Cos it's British. And Malaysia's a commonwealth country. Or something like that.

Anyways we'd previously written about Albion a couple of months ago, so we'll just skip to the important stuff this time - the food!

We start off with Soft Shell Crabs with Caper & Anchovy Butter Sauce (MYR21.00) which, unfortunately, are disappointingly ordinary in every way.


The Crab Cakes are slightly better, but are a bit soggy and miles away from top-notch crab cakes such as those at Prime.


Third appetizer's a charm though, as the Seared King Scallops with Pumpkin Purée, Roasted Cauliflower (MYR21.00) is good. Nicely seared and fresh, and go remarkably well with the pumpkin and cauliflower.


For mains, we had a decidedly sub-par Salmon Pie with Asparagus. Bland and mushy, both the salmon and the crust need a lot more seasoning to suit our Malaysian taste buds.


Our Traditional Fish Pie, by comparison, was pretty decent, with a nice creamy sauce filled with chunks of fish.


Finally, the Pan-fried Duck Breast with Potato Rosti, Spiced Peaches (MYR32.00) seemed to be the table favorite - for some strange reason I didn't try it though, so I can't really say for sure how good it was.


After the somewhat lackluster appetizers and main courses, we are pleasantly surprised by the desserts. The Apple Crumble with Fresh Custard was a huge serving of warm apples and crust in a delicious custard, but my favorite was the Sticky Toffee & Date Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream - definitely not to be missed if you find yourself eating here (MYR18.00 for each dessert).


Dig in! And happy birthday to the birthday girl!


Overall I found this dinner overall disappointing, considering the restaurant's Time Out KL award and high ranking on TripAdvisor. The appetizers and main courses were below par, and the night was only saved by the desserts that were to die for.

Albion
31, Jalan Berangan,
Changkat Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur

Savory and Sweet at Levain boulangerie & patisserie, Jalan Delima, KL

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Levain boulangerie & patisserie (French words for bread bakery and pastry/sweets bakery respectively, for us Malaysians :P) has opened for a while now in the heart of KL. They've been making quite a name for themselves for their bread, pastries, cakes and desserts, with a special imported stone oven that supposedly makes everything just taste better. They also do food, though, so we head over for dinner and dessert - emphasis on the dessert, of course :)

Like many of the eateries around the area, Levain has been converted from a residential bungalow, which makes it actually pretty inviting from the outside.


Once you step into their doors, the bakery is on the left where there are a selection of bread and pastries. Quality over quantity/variety seems to be their selling point.


Since we're here to eat in, we place our orders at the cashier and adjourn to the dining area which, thanks to the high ceiling, feels very open and bright.


Enough about the place though - on to the food! Creamy Mushroom Chicken Soup (MYR5.40) was nice and creamy, with enough bits of mushroom to give an interesting texture. Not too salty, too!


Moving on to the Seafood Aglio Olio (MYR12.50), which comes loaded with seafood - prawns, fish chunks and sotong. Taste-wise I have to say it was just par for the course, though, and the pasta itself could perhaps be a tad bit more al dente.


Moving on to desserts, we pick out a Bartlett Strawberry Tart (MYR4.90) from the bakery section. Interesting combination of flavors as the 'base' of the tart was very similar to banana bread.


Our Beryl's Chocolate Truffle Cake turned out to be above my expectations. Mostly because I don't like Beryl's Chocolate - but the chefs at Levain have managed to conjure up a cake that doesn't overpower the palette by being too sweet or too 'sticky.'


Finishing off our dessert run with some Macarons (MYR3.60 per piece for 1-5 pieces, MYR3.30 per piece for 6-9 pieces, MYR3.00 per piece for more than 10). These were pretty good, if perhaps lacking a little 'chewiness.' I especially liked the blueberry flavored one. Macarons are only really enjoyable if you've got a sweet tooth though, cos they tend to be *very* sweet.


Overall, the breads, pastries and desserts were good. Food isn't anything to shout about, but if you need to feed your sweet tooth then the food's good enough to act as tummy filler.


Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie
No. 7, Jalan Delima,
Kuala Lumpur.
+603 2142 6611