Month: April 2014

Loving the Food @ Brotzeit*

After a busy work week, we decided to chill out at Brotzeit, one of the popular restaurants in Sunway Pyramid, especially well known for its succulent German sausages and German beer. We were greeted, as usual, with a buoyant crowd that has already filled up most of the tables at Brotzeit so we waited before we had a seat (but the wait wasn’t long). Always come early if you want to minimize waiting and if you are coming with guests during the evening.

Beer
Chilling Out with German Beer in Brozeit

We ordered our beer first. We had Russ’n, Boyrischer Longdrink, Affensoft and Benzin, in no particular order. As we personally preferred something lighter, Russ’n is a good choice – a combination of Weissbeer and Sprite. Our friends tried the other beers and liked them too.

Salad
Mozzarella Salat (Mozzarella Salad) RM26 Small | RM42 Large

This salad was our first choice to kickstart our night as we prepare our stomach for what is to come. The mixed salad greens, semi dried tomatoes, olives and zucchinis were fresh and juicy, perfect combination with its house dressing.

Pizza
Brotzeitflade Bayen (Ham Pizza) RM32

We love the savoury Brotzeitflade Bayen which incorporated mozzarella cheese, belly bacon and leg ham with mozzarella cheese, green and red bell peppers, cocktail onions, mushrooms and tomato sauce.

Chill
Berentzen Wheat Spirit

These help your digestion. Diners drink the Berentzen Wheat Spirit either before or after having dinner at Brotzeit. Made from natural juice of freshsun-dried, sun-ripened fruits and Berentzen wheat spirit, each bottle has its own unique and crisp flavour. We (and Brotzeit) recommend for this icy cold bottle to be added  to cocktail or dry sparkling wine.

Sausages
Knoblauchwurst (Pork Garlic Sausages) RM36 & Bockwurst (Smoked Pork Sausages) RM34

As usual, the German sausages have always become the highlight in Brotzeit German Bier Bar. Dig into the succulent sausages, bite into its crisp skin and through its hot and soft inside,  a crowd favourite and a must-have in this restaurant.

Burger
Pork & Bacon Burger RM28

Oooooooh….. the French fries rocks………. We couldn’t stop ourselves from munching those crispy fries… had to stop ourselves to focus on the main course of this dish – the burger! What can we say? It’s extremely delicious – with juicy homemade pork patty and strips of bacon nestled in a bed of lettuce and tomatoes. Bacon always go extremely well with any burger but Brotzeit goes a step further because everything that is porky in this restaurant just turn out fantastic – the bacon is crispy, even the lightly toasted bun… imagine sinking your teeth through to the soft pork patty. Oooooooooh….

Bauern Cordon
Bauern Cordon RM38
Bauern Cordon 2
Looking inside the Bauern Cordon. Yummm!

From the outside, it does look like fish and chips but look what’s flowing out from inside is actually (as noted from the menu) the breaded escalope of pork stuffed with bacon, onions, mushrooms, parsley and melted cheese served with a choice of side dish, in our case – wedges! Bacons and Cheese! Hoooray!!!

Sweet and Sour Duo
Sweet and Sour Duo RM25

This dessert is one of the most surprising yet most memorable one by far and we couldn’t get enough of it. Who would know that savoury, sourish and sweetish taste could blend in so magically well? We loved biting into the crispy chocolate coated bacon, the best in the sweet savoury duo and nibbling on the sourish strawberries marinated in lemon pepper and apricot sauce seem to put the differing tastes on a balance scale. We finished off with white chocolate mousse… and….then… YES… We want MORE!

Apfelstrudel
Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel) RM22

The Apfelstrudel is a traditional apple strudel filled with cinnamon and lemon flavoured sliced apples, chopped walnuts, rum and raisins served with vanilla ice cream. We loved how authentic the taste is and how the chef played around with the fresh ingredients. The flavours were just… exploding in our mouth!

After such a yummilicious evening, dining in an outdoor restaurant in Oasis Boulevard, overlooking the Friday night traffic and the iconic lion’s head from the restaurant, we adjourned with intense happiness and already making plans for our next trip. Hopefully, it won’t be too far away.

Location:

Brotzeit, OB.K4 (Next to Sunway Pyramid’s Main Entrance – outside)

*Non-halal

Announcement: Kate Moss TOPSHOP Spring Summer 2014 Collection is HERE!

Kate Moss Spring Summer Collection 2014
Kate Moss Spring Summer Collection 2014

Kate Moss TOPSHOP Spring Summer 2014 Collection brings an eclectic mix of pieces encapsulating the British fashion icons’s unique and revered vintage style. This collection is available from 30 April onwards exclusive only in Sunway Pyramid so make sure you drop by to check it out!

Location:

TOPSHOP, G1.26

1st Anniversary SALE!

COVO's First Anniversary SALE!
COVO’s First Anniversary SALE!

Date: 1 – 31 May 2014

COVO is celebrating their 1st Anniversary with crazy exclusive discounts! VPC Members get additional 10% discounts* on 1st – 4th May 2014.

Location:

COVO, G1.106

Mother’s Day Gift Idea

Gift Idea for Mother's Day
Gift Idea for Mother’s Day
Thinking of what to get mum this Mother’s Day? Check out Malaysia’s 1st Fitness Massage Chair with 4 luxurious total body fitness and 9Care Programs that shapes body, contours thighs and corrects pelvis from Takasima.
Location:
Takasima, LG2.143

Caffebene’s Top Loves

Caffebene, first outlet in Malaysia is in Sunway Pyramid
Caffebene, first outlet in Malaysia is in Sunway Pyramid

Recently, Caffebene opened its first café in Malaysia in Sunway Pyramid. Strategically located at the Orange Entrance near H&M, Caffebene’s miniature convenient corner is always full house since its opening.

Interior of Caffebene at Sunway Pyramid
Interior of Caffebene at Sunway Pyramid

Originating from Korea, Caffebene’s interior is inspired by a vintage yet homely feel with Korean and European influences and provides a romantic and comfortable yet luxurious setting for your beverage enjoyment. It’s a top coffee chain in many countries including Phillippines and we are esctatic that it has finally come to Malaysia after a long wait.

Cookies and Cream Bingsu
Cookies and Cream Bingsu RM10.80 (Small)

If you do a quick walk around at Caffebene, you will notice that almost every table has a Bingsu, best selling flavour would be the Cookies and Cream Bingsu where ice cream is mixed together with bits of Oreo, chocolate chips and topped with an Oreo Cookie; and the Green Tea Bingsu, consisting of green tea gelato, is topped with nuts.

We tried only the Cookies and Cream Bingsu and we loved it. Its exploding icy cold sweetness and sandy Orea texture will set you perpectually craving for its taste and you will come back for more – just for the Bingsu, best shared with friends and family while hanging out.   Besides the Green Tea Bingsu, the Bingsu is also available in strawberry flavour and more.

Tiramisu Waffle RM15
Tiramisu Waffle RM15

The waffles here are freshly made upon order. We ordered The Tiramisu Waffle which surprised us with a rather different and unexpected texture to it. Served soft and hot against the icy cold gelato, we like how the sprinkled cocoa powder blended with the espresso gelato brings out its bitter sweet taste.

Affogato
Affogato with Vanilla Ice Cream RM8.00

Caffebene also has its series of quirky Wake Me Ups and boast of serving one of the best coffees around. We absolutely loved the Affogato, with a choice of either Green Tea, Vanilla ice cream or Cream Cheese drowned in extremely strong espresso. The aroma of the coffee fills you and it’s one of the best affogatos that we have tasted so far. You can feel the double shot of espresso going through your system and hit you like a brick. Definitely a must-try when you come to Caffebene.

Misugaru
Misugaru RM12.00 (Regular)

Misugaru Latte is a healthy choice at Caffebene, a milky beverage drink created with five types of grains –  barley, black sesame, brown rice, black soybean and black rice. Its strong aroma and comforting taste serves as a wonderful Wake Me Up.

Frappeno Choc Chips
Frappeno Espresso Choc Chips RM12.00 (Regular)

Next up, we had the Frappeno Chocolate Chips and Green Tea latte. We found them sweeter than we like but we also learnt that because Koreans cuisines are naturally sour and spicy, the beverages tend to be sweeter than what we are more locally used to. Still, this would be a good choice for those who like their beverage sweeter than usual.

And… that wraps up our experience in Caffebene.

Check out the Caffebene merchandises at the paying counter
Check out the Caffebene merchandises at the paying counter

Meantime, if you want to bring Caffebene home, you can also find its merchandises around the café – at the paying counter…

A closer look at some of the merchandises
A closer look at some of the merchandises

Coffee beans, anyone?

Turn around! There are more merchandises
Turn around! There are more merchandises

and there are also more behind the paying counter.

We definitely want to come back for the Bingsu and try the Green Tea Bingsu. We heard it’s really, really yummy… and we would want to have the Affogato again. Yummmm!

Location:

Caffebene, OB5.G.2

What’s Your Dessert Mood of the Day?

Recently, as we were walking in the mall, we suddenly felt like having something sweet but healthy. New Zealand Natural came to our mind and we quickly made our way there. It’s a convenient half way stop at LG1 before we continued shopping.

New Zealand Natural
New Zealand Natural is located at LG1.70

We were delighted with the range of ice cream selections that were offered in New Zealand Natural and on top of our usual single or double scoop ice cream, we decided to go bolder and try something different.

Yoghurt & Pudding Sundae with Forestberry Frozen Yoghurt Ice Cream
Yoghurt & Pudding Sundae with Forestberry Frozen Yoghurt Ice Cream RM11.90

The first on our list was the Forestberry Frozen Yoghurt. This dessert is perfect for many, many reasons for us – one because it’s an eye-candy, two, because it’s yummy and third because it’s healthy and we can eat without the guilt. We dug into the creamy Forestberry Frozen Yoghurt first and were delighted by its chilled sourish taste. It’s paired perfectly with sweet mango pudding and topped with strawberries and apple slices. As you can tell, it’s a blend of sweet and sour dessert.

Single Scoop Sundae with Chocolate Ecstasy Ice Cream
Single Scoop Sundae with Chocolate Ecstasy Ice Cream RM9.90

Next up, we had this Chocolate Ecstasy and this is a must-try for all chocolate fanatics. The chocolate is bitter sweet, frozen cold and rich, topped with cream, green apple, chocolate chips, cone pieces and an edible New Zealand Natural Chocolate Logo. We were indeed in ‘chocolate ecstasy’ as we enjoyed this fabulous sundae to our heart’s content.

Ice Cream Doughnut with Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
Ice Cream Doughnut with Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Next on our dessert menu is this frozen cold ice cream with cookies and cream ice cream. This dessert is perfect for those who loves both doughnuts and ice cream and needs a double dose of sweetness. This dessert is enhanced with dribbles of icing sugar, cocoa powder and swivels of chocolate sauce. Yummilicious!

Ice Cream Croissant with Pecan Praline Crunch RM7.50
Ice Cream Croissant with Pecan Praline Crunch RM7.50

Our next dessert is something similar, but slightly on the opposite side of the taste spectrum – savoury and sweet. We definitely recommend this to anyone who prefer the savoury taste of French Croissant paired with sweet vanilla ice cream, dribbled with icing sugar and swivels of chocolate sauce. Yes, this is a perfect choice for you.

Affagato with Vanilla Classic Ice Cream RM11.90
Affagato with Vanilla Classic Ice Cream RM11.90

Coffee and ice cream fans will find the Affogato precious. The dessert is simple – ice cream vanilla classic served with a waffle in a glass which comes with the Illy’s Dark Roast Espresso. Pour the espresso in and taste your ice cream with a strong bitter sweet aromatic blend with the waffle. Mmmmm hmmmmmmm.

Overall, we find the desserts in New Zealand Natural refreshing. The desserts are carefully thought and crafted for our different needs, whether we prefer the sweet and sour combination, a double dose of sweetness, savoury and sweet, even bitter sweet or bitter coffee sweet. The choices are enough and customisable according our mood of the day and that is what perfect desserts are all about, ain’t it?

Location:

New Zealand Natural, LG1.70

The RM1 Chicken Promotion is back at Dragon-i & Canton-i!!!

When we heard that Dragon-i and Canton-i’s RM1 Chicken Promotion are back, we were ecstatic! This is the restaurants’ annual affair and we have always looked forward to it.  

Since it was still within the promotion period (between 1 – 30 April) we arranged a dinner with our family at Dragon-I as the RM1 Chicken promotion is only available between 6pm till 9pm, dine in with a minimum of three diners, while stocks last.

If you are undecided about whether to go to Dragon-i or Canton-i, as both also offer the RM1 Chicken promo, let your preference be a deciding factor. Do you prefer the Premium Soy Sauce Chicken (Dragon-i outlets only) or the Roast Chicken in Fermented Beancurd (Canton-i outlets only)?

Premium Soy Sauce Chicken at Dragon-i
Premium Soy Sauce Chicken at Dragon-i

We chose Dragon-i because we wanted to have the Premium Soy Sauce Chicken. The smooth and aromatic farm fresh chicken, weighing about 1.2kg, is marinated with ginger, premium soya sauce, rock sugar, cinnamon and other secret ingredients or herbs, enough to feed 3 or 4 of us.

We read online that the RM1 Chicken Promotion is a token of appreciation to loyal customers for the unwavering support which has made Dragon-i one of the best Shanghainese & Hong Kong restaurant chains in Malaysia. Nice!   

The chicken was extremely delicious and we will definitely come back for more before the end of April.

Sneak Peek of the Roast Chicken in Fermented Beancurd @ Canton-i
Sneak Peek of the Roast Chicken in Fermented Beancurd @ Canton-i

Perhaps, this time, we will go to Canton-i. 😉

Location:

Dragon-i, G1.43

Canton-i, G1.112

Feasting @ Putien

Sometime last week, we have had a huge appetite for a hearty meal and wanted to go Chinese. And so, since we heard of this new Chinese restaurant that recently opened in Sunway Pyramid, we decided to give it a go.

Putien, the newest restaurant in Sunway Pyramid
Putien, the newest restaurant in Sunway Pyramid

Located near the ice rink at Ground Floor, Putien has an inviting wooden and glassy frontier with displays of some of its products. Through the glass, we saw mainly family crowd and friends getting together in the restaurant. We have earlier learnt (thanks to Google) that Putien derived its name from Putian, a beautiful coastal town located in Fujian, province of China. Putian is reputed to exude simple home cook meals with flair. We decided to test that out and see if that is true.

Mushroom Beans
Mushroom Beans

As we waited for friends to arrive, we opted for a simple appetizer, the Mushroom Beans. These mushroom beans are rather special. The mushrooms are already peeled, boiled in water and star anise then seasoned with salt, giving the soft mushrooms a metallic taste with every single bite. The lingering aftertaste of the mushrooms is strong and just nice to our liking.

Spicty Mum Home Made Chilly
Spice Mum Home Made Chilli

While waiting for the other dishes to be served, we helped ourselves with the home made chilli. For those looking for home made chilli with a kick, this is totally, totally recommended as this is a super power packed chilli has a sharp taste (which comes as an after taste) that will definitely jerk you awake if you are sleepy, to begin with. Dribble sparingly (like super sparingly) if spiciness is not your thing. You have been warned. 😉 You can purchase this Home Made Spice Mum Chilli (take away) for RM13.70.

Seaweed Tossed with Mini Shrimps
Seaweed Tossed with Mini Shrimps

We like this light and refreshing savoury appetizer, air-flown seaweed from Putian City, lightly boiled then tossed with shrimps. It gave us a simply delightful healthy start to prepare our stomach to what is coming.

Nine-fold Braised Pig Intestines
Nine-fold Braised Pig Intestines

Yes, indeed, this is only a start to what is going to be a heavy (hearty) meal for us just as planned – the Nine-fold Braised Pig Intestines. While we usually cross out internal organs off our dining list, compliments overflowing from our friends about this one had us trying, just to satisfy our curiousity.

And so when we took a bite, we liked it so much that we had more. No wonder this is Putien’s signature dish. It taste just like sausages and you will have no inkling that it’s pig’s intestine. Whatmore, this pig intestine is 9  layers artfully and carefully folded, braised and marinated in special sauce (including the oyster sauce) with no hint of the rough texture expected from innards. So, this was indeed a surprise for us and apparently, a favourite among all diners.

Fried Homemade Sliced Beancurd
Fried Homemade Sliced Beancurd

Our next dish was something much simpler – the fried homemade bean curd slices. It is indeed a simple dish but we are absolutely overjoyed by its soft texture, how these beancurd slices are soft inside but crispy on the outside, with overpowering freshness marinated in garlic vinegar and chilli. We learnt that these making these beancurd slices is no easy feat. Did you know it takes 4 hours to just settle the beancurd and for the flavours to seep inside?

Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork with Lychees
Sweet and Sour Glazed Pork with Lychees

Next up, we had the Sweet & Sour Glazed Pork, fried to golden brown, wonderfully juicy and tender on the inside and paired with sweet lychees to further enhance the sweetness of the sweet and sour pork.

Braised Beancurd with Cabbage Soup
Braised Beancurd with Cabbage Soup

Our next one is one of our top favourites – the stir-fried yam, steamed and cooked with caramelized sugar, served piping hot. These lovely yam rolls (as we prefer to call it) are to die for, sweet on the outside, mashy and soft and savoury on the inside, the overall dish is nice and warm. Its lingering aftertaste is there to remind you why it’s yummy and why you want to have more.

Homemade Sliced Beancurd
Homemade Beancurd

*burp* We decided to have another tou fu or beancurd. Yes, we love beancurds and this time, we had the homemade beancurd. Unlike the previous beancurd which was fried, this one was braised so the freshness of the ingredients and how it was served became increasingly important but no worries about that because Putien excelled in it hands down. The restaurant somehow enhanced the freshness of this silky smooth beancurd with this egg-based dish, stir-fried with mushrooms, carrots and snap peas.

Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon
Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon

We heard that this particular dish – the Fried Heng Hwa Bee Hoon is one of the must-haves in Putien, as in, you don’t come to Putien without trying this bee hoon, another one of their signature… so surely, we had to have this in our menu. This particular dish is not just a signature dish in Putien but also in Putian City. The Bee Hoon is made from non-glutinous rice floor and painstakingly sun-dried so that the noodles have a more springy texture. The noodles are fine and delicious, with all the other fresh ingredients including the seaweed from Putien, fresh prawns, mushrooms and more to complement the dish.

Braised Bean Curd with Cabbage Soup
Braised Bean Curd with Cabbage Soup

Beancurd is indeed the theme of the night. This Braised Beancurd with Cabbage Soup is delicious and we learnt that it is moist inside and crispy on the outside, result of laborious stirring while slowly frying the beancurd to ensure even distribution of heat and for air bubbles to be captured within.

PUTIEN Mee Sua
PUTIEN Mee Sua

The PUTIEN Mee Sua is another dish that we shared among our friends. It has a mixture of rich and fresh ingredients in its superior broth such as clams from Putien, prawns, scallops, beancurd and cabbage cradled served with handmade sun dried pristine rice vermicelli and cradled in its hot, sweetish soup.

Deep Fried Pig's Trotter with Salt and Pepper
Deep Fried Pig’s Trotter with Salt and Pepper

Put on a plastic glove provided by the restaurant and dig in. This Deep Fried Pig’s Trotter seasoned with Salt and Pepper was perfect grand finale to our gastronomic meal at Putien tonight. While it was still steaming, we literally dug in and tore a piece of hot steaming pig’s trotter and its skin was crispy, savoury and its insides soft. Many of us thought that it was fat inside but actually, we were told it was collagen – the more reason to go on emptying the platter with a satisfying finish. A totally recommended and must-have dish at Putien.

This is how you eat a pig trotter's in Putien
This is how you eat a pig trotter’s in Putien

All in all, the food in Putien does serve the freshest ingredients, living up to its promise to serve simple home cooked food with flair. We recommend you to try the signature dishes. They were definitely the ones we would come back for and the most memorable dishes so far.

*Non-halal

Putien’s Promotion on Tap. Eat. Save! will be on 4 Apr 2014!

Free 1 bottle of Putien Signature Chili Sauce (worth RM13.70) with purchase of RM50 and above in a single receipt.

Location:
Putien, Ground Floor (near Ice Rink)