Bens General Food Store @ Publika

Similar to the one in Bangsar, this one is well, I would put it cozier as it fits only 20 tables (about). Not sure if its cause its new or what, but every lunch time seems to be a full house flocked by white collars! Especially between 12.30 and 1.30pm. Dont say I didnt warn you!

As with the food, they have an array of desserts in trays and huge salad bowls. They also have antipasti for sale (like olives, charred peppers etc) alongside the hot food like pies, quiches and lasagnes. They too have pizza on their menu.

Soba and eggplant salad, pineapple, cucumber and cod fish salad. Well you can choose your choice of salad but basically for 2 types, its priced at RM19.90+. The soba one was quite flavourful but Im not too sure about the other one. Hardly any said fish.

Pollo Ananas Pizza, comes with chicken, fresh pineapple, roasted garlic and cheese. I like the fact that they use fresh chicken and pineapple on this one. RM 21.90+ (serves 2, in my opinion, its quite hard to finish the entire pizza if youre eating it alone.)

Mushroom Lasagne with a panzanella bread salad; capers tomato, capsicum and basil. Oh the mushroom lasagne was soooo yummy. Button and abalone mushrooms, bechamel sauce and lasagne sheets, perfect comform food. The icing on the cake was to have it together with the pesto. Now Im going to attempt this dish at home. The hot dishes comes with a choice of salad. RM 18.90+

Moroccan Lamb meatballs with spiced curried potatos (as a salad side) RM 17.90+ Well the flavours of the meatballs didnt ring a moroccan but it was well spiced and flavoured with tomato. I would serve this with bread, to sweep up all the yummy sauce.. mmm I quite liked the taste of this one, but the rest of my colleagues didnt so. Taste is subjective eh.

All in all, the portions are quite big. I would say, a pizza or a lasagne with a side salad will feed 2 person for lunch. You shouldnt eat too much during lunch as it makes you sleepy afterwards. Lol, dont we all agree. After a heavy lunch, things starts to move slower and eyelids are heavier. tee hee hee.

Bens Independent Grocer,
Publika @ Solaris Dutamas
Jalan Dutamas 1

Opening hrs : 9am to 10pm daily

PS: love love love the enamel-like plates


Fuzion All Day Dining Cafe at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa

Fuzion, Sunway Resort Hotel & Spas latest baby cost a whopping RM14-15 mil in renovations and though Im no restoration expert, Im inclined to say its moolah well spent.

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The 360-seat cafe offers feasting in both air-conditioned comfort amidst its contemporary interior with really comfy chairs and spaciously laid-out tables. Alternatively diners can choose to al- fresco dine at its terrace and garden area surrounded by lush greenery and the calming sounds of water.

I know I would opt for outdoor dining anytime! :P

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Beautiful isnt it? Nothing beats the Zen-effects of water.

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Though as an All-Day-Dining Outlet Fuzion is expectedly known more for its buffet (which covers breakfast, lunch and dinner ), Fuzion does offer a-la carte dining daily from 6.00am to 11.00pm.

But I was here recently for their dinner buffet. And its the buffet spread that you shall feast your eyes on below. :P

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Im sure we are all too familiar with the typical buffet scenario; long counters with mass produced food in huge food warmers and more often than not, subpar ingredients are thrown in for economical of scale.
Arrive any 45mins later than the buffets starting time youll find yourself staring at dried out remainders of the original dish or youll have to pick your way through food that has been stirred around, premium ingredients (such as scallops/prawns) dugged out or even worse, face empty trays that wasnt refilled on time.

Fuzion intends to offer a better buffet experience via its live action stations of Asian, Western, Middle Eastern and Japanese cuisines, barbecue, cold appetisers and salads mostly prepared a la minute, on orders from diners.

A vegetables dish being cooked on the spot.

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The Desserts Station.

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The Asian station.

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The Western station.

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The Middle Eastern station.

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The Japanese & cold appetisers and salads station, which features an organic salad bar!

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The Barbeque Station thats where the lamb is! :P

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As emphasized by Chef Raymond & Mr Wilfred, Fuzions concept is all about fast and ala-minute food without compromising on the quality. Food available on the buffet line are in small servings and refilled once portions runs low. Diners are assured of freshness and theres not a need to fight for your food.

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Heres an overview of the food I sampled that night. The cafes culinary team specialises in a style of cooking that draws on ingredients and techniques from around the world; particularly that of Eastern and Western influences.

DESSERTS!

Truth to be told, most of the desserts fell short of expectations. Well, if The Atrium at Sunway Pyramid Tower Hotel asimilar buffet dining cafe (post HERE&HERE ) can offer desserts that rock our socks, Im sure Fuzion can too, given time.

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Japanese & Cold Appetisers.

This is my 2nd favourite station of any buffet! Fortunately, the seafood was top-notch.

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Diners will not feel shortcharged of quality nor quantity for sure.

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I quite like this attention-grabbing centre piece! Now you know how the sashimi looked like before they were severed up! :P

A small let-down here was the sushi. I didnt take any (I believe on smart buffet-eating strategy which essentially means no carbs!) but PrincessJoLing did mention that the vinegared sushi rice could have been better.

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Well, why eat sushi when you can consume purely premium seafood, sashimi and oysters?

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Western Station.

I was attracted to this and those who know me can guess why!

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These marvellous juicy cuts of beef were really good. (Note: The 2nd round of this was a tad more well done).

Pilaf Rice. Very plain. I assume thats because it was supposed to be eaten with the other dishes.

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PrincessJoLing gave thumbs up to the creamy mushrooms, which was meant to be a side dish to the chicken roulade.

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And this is the Chicken Roulade, which was well. not too bad.

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Red Snapper.

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I would personally recommend this The Osso Bucco. Lovely falling -off -the bone tenderness in very tasty stew!

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The customary pasta; choose from cabonara, aglio-olio, bolognese etc and the station cook will toss your pasta dish up in a jiffy.

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The Grill.

The usual selection of marinated seafood crabs, prawns, fish and squid, and meats like beef, lamb, quail and chicken, as well as sausages, are all here, prepared upon order.

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Happily for me, there was a whole baby lamb available and also my favourite Malaysian skewers the beef and chicken satay!

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Final verdict? Most of the meats we ordered were overcooked and turned out disappointingly hard and dry. Perhaps a new grill master is in order?

Asian Station.

As you can see below, most food displayed were in small pots or individual portions.

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Below: Individual portioning of fish, eggs, beef ribs and so forth.

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Braised chinese ribs. This was PrincessJoLings favourite. She claims that it was done very well (kudos to the chef here!) and absolutely hits the spot for those craving this old chinese delicacy.

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Below: Malay appetisers, with a fair assortment of Malay dips and condiments.

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Middle Eastern.

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Chicken in cream and almonds.

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Couscous!

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Pizzas; which looked very promising but would have tasted much better if it was crusty and hot.

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Salad & Fruits Bar.

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The novel part here was this organic salad bar.

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I got myself a plate of Caesar just because

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I wanted Chef Sebastian to grind some pepper for me! :P

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Thats a humongous pepper grinder isnt it?? I think its about 3 feet in length!
Oh CHEESE! Can I take you home??

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Soups.

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The pride of the Asian station.

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The freshwater prawn noodles is touted to be Fuzions best dish. Individually cooked upon request, with added ingredients like promfret (fish), clams and vegetables if you like, this is a must-try for seafood lovers. The soup was very good for some (my bowl was a tad light flavoured), deeply infused with the flavours of the sea and aromatic. Dont neglect the specially concocted chilli sauce for this one as it packs a punch.
And yes, if youre greedy, you can request for additional prawns. No extra charge! :P

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Me the glutton slurping it all up!

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Cold Appetisers Bar.

The customary cheese & bread rolls.

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This was the chicken liver pate. I love it! But of course, if it was foie gras pate.

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Conclusion:

Fuzion has amazing atmosphere. Its lovely to just sit and linger and relax. Meals are unhurried, chairs are comfortable, dining areas are spacious with plenty of space to maneuver in between buffet spread and ot! her tabl es. No worries about lingering smell of food on your good self or clothes as the ventilation is superb. The gorgeous al-fresco dining area outside facing the gardens and pool are perfect for those business lunches and come night, a romantic dinner or a cosy get-together with friends.
Service is stellar as both the kitchen, wait crew and the staff behind each station are very quick to extend their assistance with a smile. While I love the variety, THE PRICE and the concept, certain areas of the spread could benefit with some minor improvement. Feedback was duly given that night and the chefs were very receptive to our responses.

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Fuzion international buffet :
RM59++ per adult for breakfast ( 6.00am to 10.30am daily)
RM79++ per adult for lunch (12.00noon to 2.30pm on Mon to Fri)
RM89++ per adult for dinner (6.30pm to 10.30pm daily)
Weekend hi-tea is (12.00pm to 4.00pm on Sat, Sun and Public Holidays). Price: RM69++ per adult.

Children between the ages of 4 to 12 years dine at 50% off.

All prices are subject to 10% Service Charge and prevailing Government Tax.

For reservations, call +60 3 7495 1888 or email dinesrhs@sunwayhotels.com.