Basil Pasta House, Kuchai Lama

I would generally avoid ordering any pasta dishes when eating out, due to the fact that we've come up with our own ways to make pasta within the kitchen of our own home. What with YouTube's booming cooking tutorial channels now, we've learned to whip up some of our restaurants favorite for a fraction of the price.


And now that grocery stores have widened their pasta options to more than fussili, elbows, macaroni, and spaghetti, there's a lot to experiment with without having to fork out more than 2 packets worth of pasta in a regular restaurant that taste more like a pile of creamy, starchy goo.


The SO brought me over to one of the smaller cafe-like restaurants which I often overlooked while going around the Kuchai Maju area, although I do remember stopping to survey the place for a moment prior to a hookah double date.

Full house on our second trip.

At the moment, I didn't think much of it. But my opinion changed after reviewing the menu.

Several different types of books worthy of the culinary section of Taylor's Library lines some of the shelves.

Apart from the typical aglio olio and carbonara under the classic pasta section, there's also a house pasta section and some risotto options as well. I did spot some more fancy and contemporary options under the house pasta section like squid ink pasta, and foie gras.

Though slightly crammed, the furnishings and decorations were nice - Tiffany blue walls with white box displays which featured jars of pasta, beans, and various bottles. The style was more like a room decoration rather than the overdone-to-death polished or rustic decoration of many other Western joints.

Cakes and desserts were displayed at the entrance in a chiller display, opposite a small table with a basket containing a stack of papers, on which a sign said "if you're double-parking, please write down your number and place it on your dashboard".

Cappellini wafu pasta - MYR 18.90

I had some trouble picking between the squid ink pasta and a contemporary Japanese-style pasta, but being the same old me, I settled for the Cappellini wafu pasta, which was angelhair pasta in yuzu shoyu sauce with medium-rare seared tuna and hon-shimeji mushrooms.


The thin sauce clung to the angelhair nicely, while the balance of salty shoyu was nicely balanced by the tanginess of the yuzu. The tuna was nicely seared (pink on the inside), though the shimeji could have done with a little more effort.

Parma ham fettuccine - MYR 20.90

The SO had tried the aglio olio earlier in the day (which he said was a huge portion), so he picked up a cream sauce fettuccine pasta with Parmesan and Parma ham. First things first, I haven't seen many normal Western restaurants stock Parma ham, which is already a huge plus there. Next, the portion side was quite big, compared to my more avant garde-ish dish of pasta.

Ice blended kiwi - MYR 7.00; pineapple juice - MYR 6.00.

The beverages didn't disappoint either - I ordered a pineapple juice, while he chose an ice blended kiwi. The kiwi was nice - not like the super diluted and runny stuff you get from some restaurants; but the pineapple juice (that came in a slender jar-like thing) was a tad too sweet.

Mozzarella fritta - MYR 9.90.

We came back after a few weeks for another meal, and seeing that I had not tried their risotto, it was a chance to see if their risotto was as good as their pasta selections. This time I ordered a side dish called mozzarella fritta, which were bacon-wrapped deep fried mozzarella sticks, served with a special sesame sauce and a few delicate lettuce leaves.

Mushroom risotto - MYR 18.90.

Because the risotto was a bit pricier, I opted for just the mushroom risotto, which featured what seemed like white button mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, and stewed/marinated oyster mushrooms, with peas, a good amount of parsley, and grated parmesan.


Overall, it wasn't bad - the grains seem separated, but still maintained a bite to them, while not slopping all over when scooped up with a fork. The parsley and the peas added good flavor to the overall dish, but it wasn't something I'd die to order again any time soon.

Cream & Bacon - MYR 15.90

The SO ordered something the little more economical Cream & Bacon fettucine. A poached egg lay delicately atop the bed of creamy pasta, also sprinkled with Parmesan. I would say delightfully creamy, and the bacon was delightfully chunky, though that might have been a texture misinterpretation on my part.

Citrus passion - MYR 7.00; iced earl grey latte - MYR 9.90.

As for drinks, he ordered a citrus passion, and I opted for an earl grey latte. It was an interesting way of serving a beverage - the juice was frozen into cubes, then served in a glass along with a flask of ice cream soda to pour over. My earl grey latte was heavenly in the earl grey part, but my sweet tooth demanded more sugar.

Pasta for life, indeed. #wifipassword

The ambiance and quality of the pasta was quite worth the pretty large number on the bill, but not on a regular basis. All items are subject to 6% GST.


Location - 8.5 / 10 (relatively accessible, but parking might be a problem unless you're okay with double-parking)
Atmosphere - 8.5 / 10 (soft yellow lighting with spot lights, and Tiffany blue walls...what more can I say?)
Food & beverage quality - 8.5 / 10 (not bad - contemporary selections for less)
Price - 7 / 10 (not typically what I'd prefer to fork out for pasta)
Value for money - 8 / 10
Service - 8 / 10


BASIL PASTA HOUSE, KUCHAI LAMA
21, Jalan Kuchai Maju 6,
Off Jalan Kuchai Lama,
58200 Kuala Lumpur.

Photos taken with Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Photos edited with Fotor app

Our 400th day - 11042015

As relationships go on, things get more stable, because both individuals have already more or less found much common ground for many things that used to be conflicts. Though that doesn't mean zero arguments and disagreements herein, but it means more understanding.


Our 400th day wasn't all sugar, spice, and everything nice - my car's battery completely died on day 399 in a backlane of a mall in a not-so-pleasant area, and in my frustration and disappointment and annoyance at a random stranger who wouldn't shut up... well, let's say I could've handled the situation a lot better than I did.

*Note to self: get a jumpstart cable in the car for emergencies.


The first half of the next day (day 400) wasn't a bed of roses either... I won't go into the details, but it was a less romantic than we would have expected it to be.


I wouldn't say we made up for the past 24 hours with a dinner date, but things did improve toward the end of the day.


The car battery got changed (apparently, I was using the wrong battery for the car model), and drove to his place as soon as I got a change of fresh clothes. We took a shower, dressed up, then went out for dinner.


It's been a really long while since I've actually been to a steakhouse, the last time being a number of years ago to Victoria Station, and it was the last straw and dealbreaker for ever visiting Victoria Station again.

Star Village in Kuchai Lama is more of a place for young people to hangout, smoke, and drink. On the other hand, Star Village HQ in OUG is in a league of its own. The outside is a bar and lounge area, with tall tables and bar stools, as well as lounge chairs in what I assume is artificial leather the kind of crowded the place, but a clear path was visible to the entrance.

If the effect was to give it a movie-like, going-back-in-time effect on diners, they did it - a phone booth in a corner, comfy-looking chairs around round tables, dim yellow lights that illuminated wooden furniture.

The furnishings in the back weren't too matching though... white plastic chairs were part of them, and in the far corner, a bench table with a very weathered white pleather couch.

The place was in quite dire need of renovation and refurnishing, but other than that, the food was excellent. I'm still not crazy over paying copious amounts for a slab of beef, but it was a special occasion, and the food wasn't too too expensive there, which was a plus.


Heading to a nice steakhouse for chicken and/or fish would be daft, so we opted for beef - a top sirloin steak for him, and a rib-eye steak for me. Both medium-rare (we like our meat slightly underdone).

Ribeye steak.

Sirloin steak, with an extra corn on the cob.

The steaks were served with a crispy bun, steak fries, the sauce in a sauce dish, and a rather generous amount of apple and soggy pasta salad, topped with grated carrots. Wasn't too fond of the apple salad, so we just picked out the pasta and left the rest.

We had a side of cheesy escargots, because no steakhouse meal is complete without cheesy, garlicky French snails. The trick is not to examine the little black lump of deliciousness that would be dipped in the garlic cheese sauce. And at MYR16.90 per half dozen, it was well worth the money.

I was eyeing the soup, but didn't want to have a potentially made-from-powder or came-from-a-can mushroom soup, so he introduced me to the salmon soup, which I regrettably did not know of earlier. The soup came with actual salmon flakes in it, and the flavor of the fish was just... full-bodied and heavenly.


As for the drinks, there were some interesting options, including my favorite honey milk, but toward the end of the cold drinks list... was the Coke Float, which specified that it came in a 1-litre mug. I cautiously asked if I could order one, and he said why not. I think he was unaware of the situation.

The Coke Float arrived with a sure *thump*, and I was sitting there wide-eyed. It took him a moment after trying to move the mug before he realized the size of it. If the size isn't comprehensible - 1 can of Coke is 325ml, which means it's about a little over 3 cans of Coke, with two large scoops of vanilla ice cream. One word: diabeetus.


***

There are times when things aren't as sweet ("I get drunk on jealousy" - Taylor Swift), and there is no such thing as a 100% compatibility between two people. For a relationship to work, there's no stopping the process of finding common ground - it's a constant effort from both sides, a promise to commit and continue working for the relationship.


Especially now that we each have so little time on our own hands, with work duties and such, it's almost impossible to go back to a few weeks ago where I could've taken an entire day from home to spend with him, even if it meant following him to work.


Sometimes things don't go as we like, or as we plan. I expected already that we would have significantly less time to ourselves once we've started work, especially when my job requires me to work till midnight on certain nights.


Hope spring's eternal.

Betty's Midwest Kitchen, Aman Suria Damansara

NON-HALAL

There are just those few food or coffee places that EVERYONE goes to - almost literally. You'll see geo-tags on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter that checks in to the same place almost every time. Betty's Midwest Kitchen happens to be one of the places frequented by modern city youngsters, much like how they frequent the nearest possible Starbucks anywhere (and yes, I'm stereotyping).


The deco is a breath of fresh air - red, blue, and white dominates the main deco items, with woodsy walls and counters. On the left wall are frames and frames of pig art, and American deco everywhere. The staff greet you wearing a blue T-shirt that screams "IOWA" - literally.

Oozy, cheesy deliciousness!

The main attraction is that the place serves actual American food, like burgers, pork chops, and fries (not to be confused with fast food), and it's famous for it's "dog food" - fries drenched and topped with melted mozzarella and cheddar cheese, served in a metal dish. At MYR12 a serving, it's the perfect side dish for sharing.

It's the kind of burger that I'd eat separately

Sexy cheesy!

The recommendations included the pulled pork burger (which is delightfully juicy) and the baby back ribs, but I opted for a more budget-friendly option, and that was something I saw on TV a while back - the Jucy Lucy: a grilled pork and beef burger stuffed with mozzarella cheese burger served on a bed of fresh hot fries.

All that was washed down with a large glass of a traditional Stewart's root beer float - you can have the root beer as it is, or you can upgrade the root beer to a float for MYR0.50. As opposed to some other root beers I've had, this isn't as carbonated, and it doesn't completely numb your taste buds with sugar.

If you're craving for some good American food, Betty's is the place to go. It's a bit pricey, which is why I personally wouldn't go there too often. =)


Location - 6 / 10
Atmosphere - 7.5 / 10
Food quality - 8.5 / 10
Price - 6.5 / 10
Service - 8 / 10


BETTY'S MIDWEST KITCHEN
A-G-40, Jalan PJU1/43,
Aman Suria Damansara,
47410
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Little Pantry, IOI Mall

NOTE: This is a really OLD post.

This was one of the days where we didn't know what to eat, even when we've scoured the entire mall for a decent restaurant with decent pricing.
 

Garden princess-y.

We approached the restaurant and had a seat at the circular couch area, somewhat central in the restaurant. I would describe the place as a restaurant designed for princess-y gatherings and functions, because most of the furniture was of pink and white, with either generic white-painted wooden chairs, or princess chairs, complete with the floral cushions.

Garden porch-like setup.

It was like an indoor garden party set-up, and the walls were decorated with balloons and assortments of glasses and vases, complete with rattan and wrought iron screens painted in white and some little potted flowers here and there.

Beyond gigantic.

The menu was the stupidest menu I've ever seen - not in terms of content, but in terms of size. Even the waitress herself had much trouble trying to handle them.

Mushroom soup that comes with the sets.

Variety was good, especially when it offered both Western and Asian options on both the a la carte and set menu, but the prices weren't to my liking. The set menu offered better value for money (naturally), providing an entree, a soup, and a drink; the cheapest set being around MYR12.90, and that excludes the taxes.

Basil beef rice - delightfully fragrant.

Black pepper chicken chop that was super-tender.

Portion size wasn't too bad, and the quality surprised me a little. Restaurants with fancy fixtures and decoration usually disappoints when it comes to the food quality, because they've spent more on the appearances and the food suffers, but the flavor of the food itself was really good.


Location - 7.5 / 10 (it's in Puchong, 'nuff said)
Atmosphere - 8.5 / 10
Food quality - 9 / 10
Price - 8.5 / 10 (it's still expensive to me, but you pay for the quality of the food)
Service - 8.5 / 10


LITTLE PANTRY
G02 & G18 Ground Floor,
IOI Mall,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
47100 Puchong, 
Selangor.
TEL.: 603 8070 8527