Community Service Announcement : PINT FOR A PINT - Blood Donation Drive

ANNOUNCEMENT: BAKING FOR ELIZABETH MAH
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TODAY'S STORY

PINT FOR A PINT - LET TOM DICK & HARRY
SUCK YOUR BLOOD FOR A GOOD CAUSE


10th September - TDH Old Klang Road ( 11am - 6pm )

11th September - TDH Tmn Tun ( 11am - 6pm )

Get a free pint of Nutrimalt or Connor's for every pint of blood donated. Probably got the usual milo and biskit also la, but I'm not sure. So, if you have blood to spare, help save a life.








And if you want to know why I'm not donating, well, I'm an old man who's on Hypertension Meds, so I'm disqualified. But you young people of today have no excuse.

Elixir Coffee HQ @ Stafford, Brisbane

It is wonderful how a casual chat with a local about coffee lead me to this place. With the owners' mother being the first person in Brisbane to open a coffee roasting house yonks ago, it smelled of serious business. Being so excited, we decided to venture to the Northern suburbs one Saturday morning.


Speaking of the North, we realised that we have never ventured North before, with most of our meals / hang out spots pretty much in Central Brisbane and our Asian cravings down South. Just last week, we visited another promising breakfast spot in the area too, so look out North, I can't wait to see what you got to offer.


Elixir is unlike the pretentious, quirky or soothing cafes we have been visiting so far, situated in a warehouse in an industrial area. With lots of industrial equipment, probably part and parcel of the roasting business, we stepped into the casual cafe, bustling with people.

The first place that we been to that offered tasting cards was Dandelion & Driftwood, Elixir is the second. At the counter, you should also see a vast display of different coffee beans on offer to buy back too.

The verdict? One of the best coffees we had this year. Worth the journey up, just for this or maybe the Zambian beans was right up our taste buds.

Foodwise, the menu is ! rather s imple and basic with Italian elements.

Technically under the Lunch Menu, we ordered the Arancini which was pre-made and heated in the Micro-oven on order. Disappointing because you lose all the hot, crispy batter you expect but dig deep into the filling and it is quite satisfying.

We have been very "healthy" in the sense that we stay away from white bread. Although, it does say sour dough on the menu, it tasted pretty much like white bread and we loved it, especially with that vanilla bean ricotta spread and that home made raspberry jam.

Elixir is a serious place for coffee but similar to Dandelion and Driftwood, the food menu is not their forte. However, if you think about the location being in an industrial area, the food menu is satisfying but should be less refined and lack finesse (no offence to the industrial workers), it all pans out. In any case, it shouldn't distract one to visit for the ultimate purposes; the coffee.

Address and contact details:

! Verdict: 4 stars out of 5 stars. At this rate I am sniffing out the good coffee places, I can actually console myself that I can get as good of a coffee than Melbourne, even though if it means I have to drive a distance for some of them.

Trattoria Il Porcellino

Trattoria Il Porcellino: Round Two. Earlier entry: August 23.

Cheese buffs, head here to sample fun varieties that other restaurants rarely serve. This "burrata" is a mild-tasting mix of mozzarella & fresh cream, boasting a buttery lusciousness to pamper the palate. Ask for it to be dished out at room temperature.

Four types of semi-hard Pecorino ewe's milk cheese, produced in Tuscany. Their delicately savory flavor, bonded with a nutty edge, would bring a nice boost to salads.

Trattoria Il Porcellino's porcine offerings are also noteworthy. Share this cold cut platter of wild boar salami, Parma ham, cured coppa, spicy salami, mortadella & salami felino for terrific tasting portions of pork from wide-ranging Italian regions.

Pork-stuffed tortellini with ham & cream. Rustic comfort food, like something that one might find in a mountain village of Emilia-Romagna.

Strozzapreti with wild boar ragout. The al dente doughiness of the hand-rolled, fat-tubed pasta was well complemented by its tangy, coarsely meaty coating.

Risotto with speck bacon & porcini mushrooms. Enjoyable for its warm earthiness.

Save space for dessert, particularly this tasty troika of mascarpone, nutella & strawberries. Smooth & sensuously sweet.

Yogurt ice cream with more strawberries.

Even the prosecco comes bearing strawberries. Yum!

Wine or beer ... pick your poison.

Trattoria Il Porcellino,

Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.

Sunday Lunch Buffet @ Al-Amar Lebanese Cuisine, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

Lebanese cuisine is something new to me, so when the opportunity arose to dine in Al-Amar Lebanese Cuisine Restaurant in Pavilion KL, I snapped it up immediately. Al-Amar is an award-winning restaurant, having won numerous awards from Time Out KL, Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) and Malaysia Tatler. Established in July 2008, Al-Amar offers a variety of Lebanese, Middle Eastern, Western and Asian flavours. Almost 50% of its ingredients (such as chickpeas, grains, spices and the reputable seven spices) are imported from Lebanon to deliver the authentic taste of Lebanese cuisine. On top of that, the kitchen is led by four highly experienced Lebanese chefs.

I was invited to try their ongoing Sunday Lunch Buffet, priced at RM65++ per person. I found the buffet to be a great introduction to Lebanese cuisine since we got to try various types of hot/cold mezze (appetizers), main courses and desserts. The spread will vary every week, but the main Lebanese dishes such as hummus, tabbouleh, and moutabbal will be present.

The various awards the restaurant has garnered over the years

The restaurant is tastefully decorated and the red theme is prevalent, with Arabic-styled red lanterns and chandeliers above and the theme continues at the dining table, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Al-Amar serves alcoholic beverages such as beer, spirits and Lebanese wines

Al-Amar means the moon in Arabic

Classy interior

A healthy AND delicious affair...

The buffet spread was beautifully laid out, and was a burst of different colours, flavours and textures. Other than Lebanese cuisine, this buffet also offers some Western and Asian dishes such as ravioli, chicken tikka masala, seafood thermidor and quiche, all very well prepared.

Diners helping themselves at the buffet

Fattouch is a traditional Lebanese salad, with a mixture of tomato, cucumber, lettuce, radish, mint leaves and rockets served with a special sumac dressing. The dressing was tangy, which made this salad irresistibly refreshing and appetizing.

Al-Amar bakes their own Lebanese breads, which are constantly replenished during the buffet. Warm and fluffy, it goes really well with either the moutabal or hummus. Both the spreads were smooth and creamy.

Moutabal - mashed aubergine mixed with sesame seed paste and a dash of lemon juice, topped with olive oil

Hummus - mashed chickpeas mixed sesame seed paste and a dash of lemon juice, topped with olive oil

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Executive Chef Pierre Chahda showing us the chickpeas that the hummus is made of

Colorful vegetables, which can be eaten with the hummus and moutabal too

Mixed olives and gherkins

Chicken Liver & Prawn Butter Crostini

Mixed Pastries Platter - love the cheese rolls, fried pastry stuffed with savoury homemade Lebanese cheese. There's also beef sambousik (fried dough stuffed with minced beef and spices) and spinach fatayer (fried dough stuffed with baby spinach, onions and lemon zest).

Garlic & Rosemary Baked Brie

Another simple but lovely salad - Date, Orange and Carrot Salad

Roasted Pepper Antipasto - good

Tabbouleh, another traditional Lebanese salad which I have been told is a must-have at every Lebanese meal. Made of fresh parsley, tomatoes, onions, and bulgur wheat and topped with lemon, olive oil and spices. (Interesting fact: the largest recorded dish of tabbouleh weighed 3557kg and was created in October 24, 2009 in Beirut, Lebanon and has earned a place in the Guinness World Record)

Salmon Caesar Salad

Quiche

Chicken & Sun Dried Tomato Tort

!

After helping myself to the hot/cold mezze, I moved on to the main courses, which is a mix of seafood/meat, rice, and soup.

Spinach stew, one of the Lebanese main dishes featured, turned out to be one of my favorite dishes despite its unappetizing looks. The taste and texture of this dish was quite similar to "mui choy" (Chinese preserved vegetable), and since I love mui choy, I loved this.

Brocolli and Cheddar Soup - this is Western of course

The Chicken Tikka Masala was really delicious; the meat was tender and well flavoured with all the different spices.

So many new interesting flavours unearthed that afternoon at Al-Amar

Asian, Western and Lebanese - all on one plate

You can also get chicken and beef chawarma (shawarma) here..

And what is a buffet without an array of mouthwatering desserts...

Beautiful cakes

The baklava here is excellent; I was guilty of eating quite a few of these that afternoon. A sweet ending.

Chocolate mousse

A! beautif ul tear-drop cake

Peach Mousse

Strawberry Mousse

Fresh fruits

Fruit platter

Some of the decor that caught my eye

There is also an outdoor terrace overlooking Jalan Bukit Bintang for you to enjoy your meal or shisha

Thanks to Mr. Joseph Sabeh Afaki and Mr. Ralph Zeidan of Al-Amar for hosting and introducing Lebanese cuisine to us. It was both an informative and delicious afternoon.

Full set of photos available to view here.

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Pork-free.

Service: Good.

Price: RM65++ for the Sunday Lunch Buffet, inclusive of unlimited soft drinks and juices. Available every Sunday from 12.00 - 3.30pm.

Location: Al-Amar Lebanese Cuisine, Lot 6.10, Level 6, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2166 1011

Website: http://www.al-amar.com/

*PROMOTION: I Love Discounts is now offering a deal whereby you can enjoy the Sunday Lunch Buffet at Al-Amar Lebanese Restaurant, Pavilion KL for RM52 instead of RM75.40 (31% off). Hurry and get it today to experience Lebanese cuisine at its finest. Check out the deal h ere.