Lebanese Delicacies - Tarbush Restaurant, Sunway Pyramid

A little while ago (well actually ... more than a year ago), we visited Tarbush restaurant over at Empire Gallery and found the food pretty bland and the decor underwhelming. I'm not sure if that particular outlet is still open; what I do know is that the Sunway Pyramid branch (i.e. the one we actually like) is alive and kicking.


Arabic Mint Tea - to be honest I don't think this really tastes that much different than any other mint tea variety (peppermint, for example). It's pricey, too - something like rm6 per person.


I don't really eat brinjal / eggplant, so the Fetush Eggplant (salad with fried eggplant cubes) understandably didn't impress.


Hommus Tahinah - a must-order for any Arabian meal! This is a chickpea and sesame paste lathered with olive oil and is eaten as a dip with unleavened bread. Tarbush serves three different varieties for Hommus but this is the one we always keep coming back to.


You can choose from lamb, chicken, cheese or vegetables as stuffing for your Sambosas - crispy, savoury, yummy.


Moving on to mains - the Shish Kebab is always a hit with the family (including my two younger teenage sisters). The seasoned & spiced minced grilled lamb meat is tender, juicy, and doesn't have too much of a gamey taste.


If you prefer a little more variety, the Mix Grill might suit your fancy - it's a mixed meats platter of Shish Tawook (chicken), Shish Kebab, Lamb Cubes & Grill Arayes (meat-stuffed pita bread) served with a pretty generous serving of fries. It's actually enough to fill two regular-sized stomachs if you've been also filling up on appetizers.


Biryani Lamb - fragrant biryani rice with tender, juicy lamb chunks. Our order for the night had surprisingly little lamb in comparison to previous visits, checking in at a relatively measly three chunks to go with all that rice. And it's a pretty substantial heaping of rice, too.


Price-wise, we managed to feed a family of six for slightly under RM150 (after 15% discount from SCB Credit Card), so it actually does turn out to be pretty reasonably priced (and decent value for money). Food's overall good enough to keep its' spot as our default "go-to" restaurant whenever we have a hankering for Arabian cuisine.

Tarbush is located at LG2.123, Sunway Pyramid (Marakesh area near the blue lobby). The restaurant is open from 11am to midnight daily; call up +603 5633 9222 for reservations.

Learn to make Macarons and more at Taylor's University!

"More and more bakeries are introducing the macaron in their menus as this sweet sensation sweeps through the Klang Valley," says a leading local English newspaper, in opening up a fluff story about macarons. While the terms 'sweep' and 'sensation' are perhaps open to personal interpretation, it's clear that Macarons have been getting more attention in Kay-El of late. And what's not to love? Macarons combine fuss-free finger eating with a myriad of colours and flavours limited only by the baker's imagination. The only criticism, perhaps, is that it might be too sweet for some taste buds.

Anyways, the darling and I find ourselves on a Sunday afternoon, in Taylor's University's Pastry Kitchen with award winning Chef Karam for a quick and easy class on how to bake Macarons. Chef Karam has over 20 years of kitchen experience prior to joining the academic field, so we know we're in good hands!


After a quick demonstration by the Chef, we're let loose into the kitchen to whip up our own batch of Macarons!

Step 1: Mix crushed almonds, sugar, and egg whites.


Step 2: Boil some sugar.


Step 3: Add the boiling sugar to more egg whites and whisk.


Step 4: Fold in the crushed almond mixture.


Step 5: Mix in the food colouring of your choice.


Step 6: Spoon the mixture into a icing bag.


Step 7: Pipe the mixture onto baking sheets (yes, I know, I badly needed a haircut months ago).


Step 8: Admire your handiwork. Or as in my case, lack thereof.


Step 9: Bake!


Step 10: Leave your macarons to cool while you work on the filling.


Step 11: Use more icing bags to pipe jam, butter cream, chocolate ganache, or whatever you fancy, and sandwich the macarons.


Done!


You'll have noticed that we haven't provided any actual measurements or detailed steps - we're holding off for now because we want to try again in our own home kitchen. Because, you know, how many of us have industrial strength ovens and food service-style baking trays sitting in our kitchens? We'll cook up a batch in our home and will give you the recipe soon, promise!

For me, the hardest part of making the Macarons was probably the process of piping the unbaked mixture onto the baking sheets/trays. I guess I lack the skill and dexterity to get them round and uniform. Nothing a little practice can't change, of course :)

And if you're interested in learning more, Taylor's University offers weekend classes - typically over 2 months - covering cooking, baking and pastry making, both basic and intermediate levels. For details, please contact Ms. Anne Tay at 014-633 5114 / 603-5629 5000 (Ext: 5780) or email cpe@taylors.edu.my.

Treat your Mum to a Rod Stewart* serenade on Mother's Day at Atrium Cafe!

Sing along now!

"Baby I'll try to love again but I know ...
The First Cut is the Deepest ... Baby I know!
The First Cut is the Deepest ..."



Been wondering how to pamper your mum this coming Mother's Day? What better way than to give her an awesome serenade by the World's Greatest Rod Stewart Tribute Artist, Rob Caudill, all the way from Las Vegas! He'll be featured 'live' at the Atrium Cafe in Pyramid Tower Hotel during the upcoming Mother's Day Hi-Tea Buffet showcase.


It's not just music to the ears though, it'll also be music to the tummy (both mum's tummy and yours), because the Hi-Tea Buffet at the Atrium is awesome. Whether you're a carnivore or herbivore you're sure to find something delicious among the dozens of dishes available on offer.


Start off by tossing your own caesar salad at the salad bar, then help yourself to the appetizers. Do pay extra attention to the smoked salmon which is particularly delicious - unlike many other places that overload on the salt.


Once that's done, go for the gado gado for a little taste of Indonesia.


Hot appetizers on offer too!


Many higher-end buffets have à la minute-style cooking counters, where chefs will whip up mini dishes for you upon order - and Atrium is no exception. There's a Chicken Kebab station ...


... a roast meats/carving station - the prime rib on offer was nice, if a tad bit overcooked and dry for my tastes (I prefer my meats a strict medium rare) ...


... a pasta counter where you can mix-and-match your choice of pasta with your sauce preference ...


... a bubur (porridge) counter ...


... a freshly made roti jala counter - where I must mention that the chicken curry they've whipped up to go with the roti jala was exceptional ...


... and finally, a HK Wantan Noodle counter. Forget those crappy places that hand you a bowl of noodles and expect you to blanch them yourself - here in Atrium the chef will cook up your choice of noodles to perfection!


Of course there are also the standard buffet-style dishes - btw that guy in the black is Jason from mynjayz.com :)


Special mention goes to the Salted Egg Fish, which was a lot better than most other seafood/dai chou Chinese restaurants that I've eaten at. Definitely make a bee line for this dish, you won't be disappointed.


There are also potatoes and vegetables for mum, or any other members of the family's daily quota of greens:


And if dad is in a mood for an Indian taste, there's Lamb Briyani and Chicken Tikka:


Otherwise, the rest of the dishes are all pretty good! My personal favorites (other than the Salted Egg Fish) were the Grilled Lamb Cutlet with Rosemary and Mint sauce, the Pan-Fried Salmon Fillet with Citrus Butter Sauce, and the Roast Duck with Plum Sauce.


Don't overeat, though, because you absolutely must make room for the desserts, which are delightful for buffet standards.


There's a self-service ais kacang bar with an ice shaving machine ...


... but I really do recommend skipping that and making a beeline straight for the desserts proper, starting with the delicious bread-and-butter pudding (one of the house specialties).


The rest of the desserts are no pushovers either, though. Many buffet places make an afterthought of the dessert (thus causing it to be a disappointment), but Atrium's selection of sweets, cakes and pastries are good.


I particularly enjoyed the chocolate cake which was moist and chocolat-ey and not at all dry. Or you could go for the sweet strawberries and cream/chocolate sauce if you're counting calories (though the better choice would be to splurge and then hit the gym later).


So the food's good, the ambience is nice, and mum gets to sing along with the World's Greatest Rod Stewart tribute artist. Is there possibly any better way to celebrate and show your love and affection for her? I think not!

The buffet hi-tea runs from 12pm-4pm on weekends and is normally MYR55++, however the Mother's Day showcase with Rob Caudill (who will be singing at 1.30pm and 2.30pm) costs MYR98++ per adult, half price for children. That's still cheaper than 'high-end' buffets such as Le Meridien's Latest Recipe, and to be honest the food's comparable - both in quality and variety.

Hats off to Atrium for providing a great buffet with lots of food choices and charging a very reasonable amount of money for it - thanks also to Virgillia and thenomadGourmand for the invite!

Atrium Café, Pyramid Tower Hotel
Call 03 7495 1888 for reservations!

Other reviews: Memoirs of a Chocoholic, PeteFormation Foodie Adventure, thenomadGourmand, So What's Up?.

Toilet Humour at T-Bowl Concept Restaurant, Sunway Pyramid

So anyway we came across this little restaurant/cafe in Pyramid named T-Bowl. It's a "concept restaurant" that, obviously, is based around the experience of dining in a toilet. Pyramid is the third outlet - the other two are in Queensbay Mall (Penang) and in Sungai Wang. We're irresistibly drawn towards the cute white turd in the window and drop in for some drinks and desserts.


The toilet theme continues inside - the tables are a large sink with items you'd find in a toilet (toothbrushes, etc) layered with clear glass on the top, and the seats are ... well ... toilets. Probably custom-made lookalikes and not real toilet bowls though.


The Honey Lemon (MYR2.50) seems reasonably priced on the menu, but the urinal-shaped mug it comes in is very small. Thirsty drinkers would easily finish off the drink in 3-4 mouthfuls.


The Mocha Blended (MYR6.90) is of a more reasonable size. You can see a toothbrush in the sink below the glass :)


There aren't that many ice cream choices, we go for the Donut Delight (MYR5.90) that continues the 'things you'd find in a toilet' game with a serving shaped and coloured like a fresh turd.


The Dragon Fruit & Longan Snow Mountain (MYR8.50) was just OK.


So, the verdict? "Concept Restaurants" like this one straddle a fine line between presenting a genuine concept (providing a unique, different and interesting dining experience), and being nothing more than a gimmick to appeal to our natural curiosity to try something 'new.'

Based on the taste and quality of the drinks/desserts, T-Bowl sits firmly entrenched in the "gimmick" half. Nothing we tasted would qualify for even a 'mediocre' rating, so it's also a case of curiosity killed the cat. Perhaps one visit would be okay for the novelty factor, but definitely set your expectations as low as possible before stepping in.

Ole Ole Bali @ Sunway Pyramid, Selangor

A while back, I went to Ole Ole Bali with a few of my friends. Ole Ole Bali has the same management as Bumbu Bali which makes it a sister restaurant, their menu & taste is similar which is pretty impressive!

The environment is decorated beautifully inside out, makes you feel at home while eating in a restaurant, even when the signboards are hidden you also can actually know which restaurant is Ole Ole Bali. Inside the store there are actually Bali merchandizes that you can purchase.

While deciding on what to eat, we ordered 2 jugs of their House Favorite Cooling Drink, Barley Lime to share. (MYR18) It is actually thick where one can taste the barley taste with a slight twist of lime juice, that we shared among 4 persons.

One of their famous dish on the menu is Nasi Campur (RM33), it’s a combination of Balinese Grilled Lemongrass Prawns, Squid, Fish, choice of Beef or Chicken Rendang and Sate Lilit. Mei Kee & Rebecca both went for Chicken. The most special is Sate Lilit which is basically a barbecued mix seafood paste wrapped around a lemongrass, it was soft & with nice texture. rge Prawns and Fish was lightly seasoned to let the natural flavor stand out.

In my mind, since I’m a small eater, I decided & place opinion that ordering Siap Bumbu would be a smaller portion then the Nasi Campur above. To my disbelieve it comes with half a Balinese Roast Chicken with Lemongrass Marinate! Indeed, I did not finish my portion & bad to take away half of the chicken home for my lunch the next day. Sin Yee ate this too, which John & Calvin had to help her out! The chicken was nicely seasoned adding alone the lemongrass gravy! Leaving it just marvelous. (MYR27)

Lam had the Kambing Bumbu, stir- fried Lamb Cutlet with Chili and Spices. The lamb was tender and juicy without being over spicy! Love it. (RM28)

Campur Siap Bumbu, Kambing Bumbu & Siap Bumbu Nasi are served with Nasi Kuning, Sambel Matah, Sambel Terasi, Rompeyek (Anchovy Crackers), Lawar Kacang, Kangkong & other condiments with the exception of the Balinese Starters. Without any disappointment above are the Bumbu Bali specialties! It's a must try for everyone if you're there.

John on the other hand had Fried Chicken Sandwich, the Deep Fried marinated Boneless Chicken with Spices and Topped with Apple Sesame Coleslaw. (RM26) Unable to describe how this taste like actually i was told that it was also nice.

No worries if you are a vegetarian following your friends here there are a few dishes that have no meat served in it. Since my friend, Tey is a vegetarian he had Grilled Vegetable Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauces. Unable to describe how this taste like actually i was actually stunted that he said is "Okay. Not bad."

Looking for Balinese style which is tasty and nice, do find your way to Bumbu Bali or Ole Ole Bali.

Small note, portions are kind of Huge so if you're not a BIG eater you may just order a bowl of rice for two to share.

This is at::

OB-1C, Ground Floor Main entrance,

Old Wing of Sunway Pyramid,

Petaling Jaya, Selangor