TeaRoom by Bel Jee Wisma Volkswagen, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar

It may not be on the popular Telawi stretch, but location didnt seem to matter for Belinda Jees little gem TeaRoom by Bel Jee. It was only opened last June but has already gained quite a reputation. Of course it helped that her previous set of of clientele from her home-based designer cake business followed her wherever she goes; and while the little cafe does allow her to serve walk-in guests, I can see that is still not main core of her business here.

TeaRoom by Bel Jee Wisma Volkswagen, Lorong Maarof.
Yup, this is it. All the space & tables there is for the cosy cafe.

The cafe mainly attracts the working crowd in the area. Taking into consideration the time factor, Bel has cleverly created homely but fast food that can be served immediately or maybe with a bit of reheat. Take for example the pies.

From Moussaka Pies (RM 7.80) (layer of chicken minced meat and baked aubergine, topped with yogurt) to Tuna Pasta Pie (yes, its pasta in a pie!) RM7.80, its all a little reheat and its good to go.

I didnt see these on my visit on Sat, but I heard theres more likethe chilli con carne (a Mexican minced chicken and kidney beans dish, RM 7.80). Anyhow, I was there mainly for desserts that day & was a tad disappointed to see the choices available. Nonetheless, we ordered the below to test the waters.

!

Goey butter cake RM4.20.

The goey partobviously refers to thecustard-like middle which was nice & cheesy. All Bels cakes has a lovely sweetness level that doesnt make you feel like you had too much.

White chocolate cheese longan. RM8.50. This was VERY GOOD! As you can see from its appearance, its a very homely made cake with not so much emphasis on looks but totally delivers on the taste. The refreshing scent & mild floral sweetness from the lychees cuts through the richness of the cheese very well.

Even our Ice lemon tea was also nicely brewed with perfect tea/lemon/sugar ratio. TeaRoom by Bel Jee currently only serves coffee & chocolate from Segafredo.

Last but not least, we sampled the Bread & Butter pudding courtesy of Bel Jee. Thanks!

The use of Croissants in the pudding gave it a rich flavour. The accompanying cream was lovely, delicately decadent without being too creamy. So far so good. Ill definitely be back soon for more of my desserts fix!

Oh, my only peeve about Tearoom by Bel Jee?
Its the odd operating hours & days. Its closed on Sundays & if you were to visit on Sats, the range of desserts are pretty limited as she clears off as much as possible seeing that they are not operational the day after.
On weekdays its closed before most of us can even leave the office.

TeaRoom by Bel Jee

** Belinda also runs a designer cake business
Cakes are available via advance order. Pop in here to see her catalouge or speak to her directly for your cakes!

Monday Saturday
8.30am 6pm
Address: Wisma Volkswagen, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. (its just opposite Chef Ismails Rebung Restaurant)

Tel: 03 2201 1806

All pictures are:

My Thai @ Rosalie, Brisbane

My Thai reminds me of a place that we order takeaway meals from quite a bit when we were studying back in Adelaide. The food is authentic and good enough and is pretty affordable. Powered by an elderly Thai lady that has been doing this for a long time, we heard about this place before the floods came. However after taking them awhile to get back on their feet, the numerous places to try along the way, we finally found our way.

The menu is extensive, with a lot of classic dishes as well as some dishes that the head chef has created along the way. The problem with eating as a couple though is how many dishes can you really order before you surrender to the spiciness and coconut cream.

We started off the tom yum soup; spicy and sour with a couple of prawns to round it up. I don't really go for tom yum so I have to hand it to the Wife. So what did she say? She said alright, so I guess this is might be worthwhile ordering.

If you read my blog enough, you should have half expected to see the picture above. If there was one thing, the Pad Thai w! as missi ng one essential ingredient; the grounded peanuts. Apart from that, the noodles were cooked nicely, slightly on the sweet side with quite generous ingredients.

I was quite impressed with the Red Duck Curry because for one, it must have been the first time that I have seen so many duck slices in one portion. Thai food has never been a cuisine that focuses on huge portions and I must applaud that for the AUD25 we paid, we got our worth. Flavourwise, this was slightly too creamy.


Served with rice, I had to call it a day by the time I put the last slice of duck in my mouth. However with the basic curry and noodles passing the test, My Thai will be in the list of restaurants to go to for Thai food in Brisbane. With the take away prices almost 20% cheaper than dine in prices, I see myself taking away more often than dining in though.

Verdict: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Satisfying Thai food with a casual ambience, I am quite glad I have discovered My Thai.

New Paris Restaurant @ SS2 Petaling Jaya

The fastest service in Town as far as Chinese Tai Chow is concerned even though it's always bustling with people with three shop lots and three floors. What a success story from a temporary timber structure Paris Restaurant to this amazing shop lots. Bravo!!!

Pre booking is recommended during weekends and the allotment of tables for dining is commendable.

I love this water cress veggie with pork ribs soup and it was awesome.

Marmite deep fri! ed pork ribsTofu with minced meat & finely chopped preserved vegetable was also delicious.Highland Tilapia fish steamed & coated with preserved bean sauce simple and nice.Stir Fried LettucePrices are reasonable and a place worth coming back.

Restoran New Paris
62, 64, 66, Jalan SS2/72,
47300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Tel: 03-7955 9180, 03-7955 0186

GPS : 3.118892,101.625642

2011 Ramadan Bazaar @ Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur

It always amazes me how good plans go awry at the last minute. I had grand plans for tackling the far flung ramadan bazaars for the weekend BUT a shoulder sprain or strain plus that stupid thing called work threw life in disarray. Since there was no way I would even be able to hold a camera and snap pictures, I decided to forgo the bazaar.





Luckily after some much needed bed rest, popping celery seed pills (the miracle cure), it felt so much better that despite a twinge and wince at the shoulder, I could manage the Bandar Tun Razak bazaar. It is still up and down with the shoulder where pain seems incredibly correlated with the lack of beauty sleep. Sleep 8 hours and it works perfectly but give it the usual 4 hours ration and it goes into whack





Back to the bazaar, which I stumbled upon last year. Unlike the previous year, the authorities seem to have done away with the massive tents that covered the walkway and left people to fend in the forces of nature. It makes slightly better picture taking since it is brighter but I do wish they had not picked magenta as the tent colour since some pictures end up with a reddish tinge.



The bazaar is massive. I reckon there are 250 stalls all jam packed in this space in front of the lake. There's some new fangled items here such as the adorable polka dotted steamed rice flour cakes or apom. The artful dots and contrasting colours give it a ladybird look that kids adore and obviously can'tresist.


The creme caramel and fruit puddings stall I featured in Taman Tun Dr Ismail also has a branch here selling the same wares. There are slight differences though as they don't look so artful. Nevertheless they have the fuschia pink dragonfruit jelly that makes the knees weak. Incidentally, I had a taste of the creme caramel from this stall and its pretty darn good stuff - smooth eggy texture that goes well with the sweet caramel.





In terms of unique stuff on sale, there seem to be quite a few vying for that award. We stumbled on an old favourite, tepung pelita. The soft wobbly dessert is usually in a leaf basket. Usually made of coconut milk with a pandan layer below, they serve the taro version here - purple lavender layer with a wobble and a harder layer below studded with taro cubes. It's unusual to look at but honestly, I didn't think much about its taste, probably because not a lot of taro was used.



A twist to an old favourite is the pandan flavoured kuih bambu. Rice flour is beaten with pandan flavouring (the guys claim with real pandan leaves). Technically meant to give it a bang of pandan flavour, the stall failed in executing it since most of the steamed rice flour cakes seem a little overcooked and not as fluffy as the other putu bambu stalls.





The authorities seem to have segregated some stalls together i.e those with the huge smoke flumes are banished to a corner to smoke out their competitors. Special to this area I notice is the ayam istanbul or turkish - glistening chickens being cooked on the charcoal grill that is basted in a honey like sauce.





Around this corner is one stall selling deer meat. It's pan fried on the griddle and chopped onions and capsicums are added into the whole meat mixture. It's a little underseasoned and not as tender as


.


Another specialty from here is the nasi lemak ayam dara - fluffy steamed rice perfumed with coconut milk and crispy chicken. Just spot the stall with the longest queue and you won'! t go wro ng there.





There are also akok stalls, the eggy custard rich cake. I spot so many stalls selling akok that trying to locate the guys I featured last year was like a needle in a haystack.



Overall, I enjoyed the bazaar with its mix of new and traditional food. Parking is on the roadside, ample space there for you to slot the car provided you don't arrive super late. For more pictures, see my Flickr set.

Ramadan Bazaar Bandar Tun Razak

Carpark Taman Tasik Permaisuiri in front of the Selangor Sains Secondary School

Jalan Yaacob Latif

Bandar Tun Razak

Just off Jalan Loke Yew

Kuala Lumpur

For 2010's bazaar, see this link.

Watami

Watami: Round Two. Earlier entry: August 5.

With a menu that spans more than 120 choices, there's no lack of temptations here. For something a little different: a do-it-yourself Japanese potato salad, served warm with fish roe, boiled eggs, carrots, onions & beef bacon. Use the pestle to mash everything up into soft, savory baby food.

More potatoes? This pizza topped with potatoes, corn & mentaiko might seem like a nightmare for carb-fearers, but it's far lighter than cheese-laden Italian creations. Featuring a fabulous thin crust & flavorsome toppings, it's a thorough triumph.

Kamameshi _ a traditional Japanese pilaf-like rice recipe with salmon, scallops, chicken & mushrooms, cooked in a steel pot at the table for 20 minutes. Not as lip-smacking as paella, bibimbap or even claypot rice, but still satisfyingly fragrant, brimming with succulent seafood & meat.

Anago tempura maki. A creative change from regular unagi rolls; tastes like a cross between crispy prawn maki & eel maki, if that makes any sense.

Tonpei-yaki _ a luscious omelet containing beef, cheese & cabbage. Comfort food of the highest order, well stuffed with richly tender meat.

Salmon mayo roll. Good news for Watami fans who live in PJ: another branch is opening later this year at 1 Utama. Let's hope there'll be even more eventually.

Deep-fried shishamo. Tired of the typical grilled preparations for smelt? This one is revelation, lightly battered and crunchy outside, bursting with juicy roe within. An absolute joy, reminding us that a little tweak might be all that's needed to make an old ingredient taste new again.

Scallops with mushrooms cooked in butter. An aromatic pleasure; the oceanic sweetness of the s! callops blended beautifully with the mushrooms' earthiness. Squeeze a little lime for a tangy touch that takes everything up a notch.

A crisp, bountiful salad with teriyaki chicken, tomatoes & tuna sauce. Could be a main course on its own, but we were thankful that it supplied our fiber requirement.

Green tea tiramisu. Deliciously creamy, with potent, powdery overtones of matcha.

Sumiyaki coffee jelly. Caffeine lovers should enjoy this soft, smooth confection, thanks to its mildly bitter flavor, evocative of freshly roasted beans.

Yamazaki 12-year malt whiskey & choya umeshu with grapefruit.

Mild cocktails: Cassis grapefruit & Milky green tea.

Australian Frankland River Chardonnay & Cabernet Merlot are offered by the glass and the bottle. Prices are praiseworthy, at slightly below RM20 per glass.

Watami Malaysia @ Pavilion,

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant,

Level 4, Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2141-6671