Grafa Cafe & Restaurant at SS15

Happy Friday Folks. 

When I thought I've seen all the cafe & restaurant in SS15, looks like I merely scratch the surface. On my hunt for Sangkaya recently, I noticed a restaurant just across Sangkaya which look very promising. They had the similar refurbished chopper bikes just like at Kulcats. Same owner? Maybe. My brother have been there once & he told me the place does share some similarity with Kulcats. Looks like i must give it a try. 

Located on one of the least famous street in SS15, Grafa have been operating for the last 3 years & going strong. Apparently, Grafa owner is the same owner of Kapten Steamboat & Grill across the road. Here in Grafa, they offered asian cuisine like Nasi Goreng, Noodles & Nasi Balado, dish hailed from Java. They also offered western cuisine with asian twist. Tempting yes? The interior was hipster kind of way with pair of nike air force one displayed on the shelves. I always want one of those. lol. It is also open air but no smoking is allowed. 

The interior

Quite a number of dishes offered here. Pizza was just introduced in the menu recently as well. We took a bit of time to decide on what to order as almost all dishes look tempting. Finally, we ordered Creamy Salted Egg Pasta, Girlfriend Steak Sandwich & Nasi Balado. There was 3 of us; my mom & sister. 

First up, Creamy Salted Egg Pasta. You can choose either chicken or seafood. My mom went for the former. A big portion of lightly creamy gravy pasta with small chicken chunks, slices of salami, onions, garlic & salted egg yolks. It was pleasant. The salted egg wasn't too overpowering with the creamy gravy a bit like carbonara. Onions provide the sweetness. 

Creamy Salted Egg Pasta (RM 20)

My sis ordered their Girlfriend Steak Sandwich. The name girlfriend? I have no idea. A triple french toast with sweet steak cuts & some mustard. The steak cuts was soft not too chewy. Marinade was sweet balanced with mustard presence. The bread was made into french toast. Accompanied by well seasoned fries. 

Girlfriend Steak Sandwich (RM 15)

As for me, I went to the east by ordering Nasi Balado; a recipe came from somewhere in Indonesia. For this dish, you can choose either chicken, beef, shrimps or squid. I never tried this dish before so i went for chicken. The dish made up of a serving of white rice, plain omelette & chunky chicken cooked with chili, lots of them, onions & spices. Oh my it was really spicy but in a pleasant kind of way. Deliciously spicy. Although i feel a cup of soup might help since there are no gravy present but it was quite good. 

Nasi Balado (RM 12.50)

We had a good dining experience here. No wonder this place often flocked with hungry students. The price similar to other places of similar standard. Second visit will be soon i'm sure. 

Grafa Cafe & Restaurant

Jalan SS15/4B, Subang Jaya

Pasta Cart at Nasi Lemak Cinta Sayang Signature Park

Hi Folks. 

Recently a friend of mine, Aliffa together with Aboi & Subhan opened a small F&B business called Pasta Cart. Previously Aliffa run his family business restaurant called Sambal Hijau in Kota Damansara. The main branch is in Kampung Sungai Penchala. They serve good choice of dishes during lunch time & decent Nasi Pakapao & Tomyam in the evening. Anyway, my friend decided to stand on his own & went on to open Pasta Cart. They operated their business at Nasi Lemak Cinta Sayang Kota Damansara branch at Signature Park, a few minutes away from Cova square. It took awhile but finally i managed to eat at Pasta Cart after a futsal game. 

Currently on their menu, they offered Spaghetti Aglio Olio, Carbonara & Bolognese. Sides only Mushroom Soup. You have the option to add on as well. 

The Menu

The Add-on menu

According to them, their signature is Carbonara but since it was supper time, I decided to go for less heavy meal so i ordered Aglio Olio with pepperoni add on as per suggestion from them. The portion was decent. Enough for me. The taste of garlic was pleasant which was good. Onions added some sweetness to the dish. The pepperoni added extra seasoning to the meal but the dish will do just fine without it. 

Pasta Aglio Olio with pepperoni (RM 8)

Pricewise the meal here is quite cheap on the same level as La Famiglia & Little Fat Duck. Overall it was decent & cheap as well for pasta meal. Next will be their carbonara. Next visit is imminent. 

Pasta Cart

Nasi Lemak Cinta Sayang Kota Damansara Signature Park

Caramelo by Ainarisz

Hiya folks,

Snacking has been part of our life ever since we were a child. We tend to love them even though most of them are labeled as junk food. Guilty pleasure i think. lol. 

Last year during a badminton session, a friend of mine, Pokcek brought a box of something he said about his wife's business. He gave us a taste. It was awesomely good. It was called caramelo. A compilation of almond slices, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, black & white sesame seeds baked with caramel sauce until the caramel harden & crispy. The almond was crispy & the harden caramel was sweet. All the combination goes well together. Perfect snack before badminton. lol. 

Caramelo piece

He sell them in a container that similar to kuih raya container. Each container net weight is 200 gram cost RM 23. Quite a decent price for a good stuff. To order, you can whatsapp him at 016-2222825. Postage service is available as well. 

The container of 200 grams. 

The tastiness that makes you forget its healthiness. Well, it's true. lol. 

Kapten Steamboat & Grill and Sangkaya at SS15

Hi folks. 

Anyone fancy a steamboat & grill? It is one of the famous food here in malaysia. Be it either at restaurant or food truck, it has been here in malaysia for quite awhile. Famous joints like Seoul Garden, Johnny's or Flaming often flocked with hungry folks. Best thing about steamboat & grill is the buffet where you can eat until you're really full. Although I like food but i never fancy a buffet since i'm not a big eater. True story. I know some of my friends fancy them buffet. 

In SS15, on a least famous street, there situated a restaurant called Kapten Steamboat & Grill. I found this place while i was on hunt for new Sangkaya branch which happens to be under the same roof as Kapten. So being curious, I decided to eat at Kapten since there are quite a number of customers visiting the place. There are sets, ala carte and buffet to choose from here. I'm not exactly sure if buffet is open all week but Sunday definitely the buffet day which cost RM 28 per person. Quite a fair price. 

The menu

There are quite a decent number of choices here with some of the exotic ones like scallops, baby octopus (the one used in takoyaki), and bamboo clams plus the familiar choices on the buffet. 

Clams, squid, bamboo lala, baby octopus

Scallops, cockles, plain squid, crabs

Veggies

The regular faces of fish balls, cakes etc

Black pepper squid & chicken, curry chicken, bbq chicken

The meat & lamb section

As for the steamboat, you can choose either soup or tom yam. I tried the latter & it was ok la. Plenty choices of sauce as well including sambal belacan. 

After we've taken them all, we steamboat & grill them all! For RM 28 per person, I think it's quite cheap than normal places. The taste of each was a mix of hit & miss. I personally enjoyed the baby octopus, bamboo lala & scallop. 

Under the same roof, the infamous Sangkaya just opened new branch outside KL. First time i eat the ice cream was last year during food hunter festival. Twice in the same day i had them after braving the long queue. Their signature is their coconut ice cream in coconut shell. According to them, the ice cream are milk free and only used coconut juice & coconut milk to make. It was very good & creamy. They used imported Thai coconut for the ice cream. On sunday, free coconut juice for every purchase of ice cream. 

The menu

For the signature, 4 scoops of coconut ice cream on top of coconut flesh then you can pick your toppings of roasted shredded coconut, chunky peanut, nestum, cornflakes, corn & red beans. Sauce available is hershey's choc sauce. My favorite toppings are roasted shredded coconut & chunky peanut. 

The signature (RM 9.90)

Don't worry about rushing to the ice cream as they're open from 12pm to 12am. So no worries. Plus there are plenty of other cafes nearby. 

Kapten Steamboat & Grill

Sangkaya

Jalan SS15/4B, Subang Jaya

Cowboys Food Truck at SS15

Hey folks.

It seems like I'm getting addicted to the goodness of Beef Brisket. This week alone, i eaten them like twice from 2 different places. Last night I went to SS15 after saw an instagram update from Cowboys Food Truck saying they will be in SS15 & announced that Chuck Norris is back. My previous experience with them only managed to get the wings (click here) so this time around i determine to eat the rest. Like i said before, best is to arrive at location right after Maghrib prayer but since last night was still weekend night, not many people around. 

Cowboys Food Truck homemade recipe based mostly on Texas grill. Feel free to chat with them about it. Their menu consisted of Po' boy sandwich; kinda like a slider, tacos, Chuck Norris (their compilation platter) & chicken wings. 

The menu

Since my mom & sis gonna join me later, I ordered their Beefy Boss Tacos, Bix Texan & Chuck Norris. It didn't took that long to receive my orders. They even gave me free mandarin orange. Chuck Norris is a platter of beef brisket (8 hour slow cooked), breaded diced chicken chop with BBQ sauce & choice of Just wing it (3 pieces). The brisket was good although not as melting as Acme but still good. The smoky flavor just struck you after the first bite. The chicken was excellent. Breaded well seasoned & goes well with their homemade BBQ sauce. 

Chuck Norris (RM 19.90)

Their Tacos was good as well. 2 soft shell tacos filled with shredded beef brisket drizzled with BBQ sauce & lettuce. The side is crispy corn chips with cheese sauce. Usually tacos used tomato based sauce but this tacos goes well with BBQ sauce. 

Beefy Boss Tacos (12.90)

Lastly, their Po' Boy Big Texan sandwich. A 6" slider with shredded beef brisket, BBQ & cheese Sauce & lettuce. The bread was nicely toasted. Same filling as the tacos. It was fulfilling indeed. 

Big Texan Po' Boy Sandwich (RM 12.90)

That wrap up my experience of Cowboys Food Truck. It was very pleasing indeed. The food truck scenery just brighten up our f&b culture even more. For those who're planning to eat here, do follow then on their facebook page. <--- click here 

Or follow them on their instagram cowboysfoodtruck to avoid missing them. 

Cowboys Food Truck

SS15, Subang Jaya

In front of Public Bank

Acme South at Bangsar Village I

Hi folks. 

After my very first experience with beef brisket at Stacks by Las Vacas, I've been wanting for more. My officemate, Kak Saz told me about the goodness of lamb by Acme at Troika near KLCC which on normal weekend, is a wee bit far for me. But thank God, Acme have a branch opened at Bangsar Village called Acme South (probably bangsar in at the south from Troika main branch?). After gathering information about it, the south menu is a bit different from the main but hey, at least it is nearer. So me, my mom & sis went for dinner at Acme South. 

The ambiance was nice. Suitable for couple looking for a romantic dinner. Here, they served mostly food influenced by Texas grill & Mexican which of course, with a bit of changes to accommodate our asian taste. lol. Their signature offering are Chuck ribs & 12 hours slow cooked beef brisket. There's a lot of other choices on the menu as well other than those two mentioned. 

The interior

The menu....well, part of it. 

Cakes & dessert

After browsing the menu, I decided to go for their Twofer (both chuck rib & beef brisket combined) to get the best of both dishes. My mom ordered the appetizer Salted Egg Chicken Strips & my sis chose their Chicken Pot Pie. As for dessert, we ordered Sizzling Peanut Brownie with Milo Ice Cream. If you choose the ribs or brisket, they will serve 3 special sauces. Similar to Tony Romas but this is way different. The 3 sauces are Watermelon, Espresso & Onion Vinegar. I kid you not! Watermelon is my favorite & goes well with their ribs & brisket. Sweetness of watermelon with hint of sourness. Espresso was nice as well with almost BBQ taste like with bitterness from the coffee. As for the onion vinegar, it was quite the average. 

Behold, the Twofer. A generous slice of Beef Brisket in a metal bowl together with a piece of Chuck Rib accompany by a warm savory cupcake, a slaw & potato salad. You choose from either slaw, potato salad and corn as the sides. The recipe for the ribs & brisket hailed from Louisiana & Texas. The ribs was delicious. The meat was soft & tender. Fell off the bone nicely. The marinade & smoked flavor was awesome. As for the brisket, it fulfilled the terms melt on your mouth. The meat just melt inside your mouth immediately after you took a bite. The smoky flavor was nailed perfectly. Very recommended. 

The Twofer (RM 79)

My mom's chicken strip was decent. A generous portion of deep fried breaded chicken strips with curry leaves & salted egg. However, the first bite will make you wonder where is the salted egg but after the breaded melt by your saliva, you'll get the taste. It was light & easy. 

Salted Egg Chicken Strips (RM 25)

My sis want to try their beef pot pie unfortunately it was unavailable so she had to settle for the chicken pie & she was amazed by it. A well baked, warm, soft yet crunchy pie crust with creamy filling. Filling made with white sauce with a dash of cheese, chicken & mixed veggies. It was fulfilling. A pie enough for sharing as well. 

Chicken pot pie (RM 25)

To cap off our dinner, we had Sizzling Peanut Brownie with milo ice cream. A warm peanut brownie which i found only walnut inside, topped with a scoop of milo ice cream then drizzle with milo sauce on a hot pan. It was delicious. The brownie was light & warm goes well with the sweetness & creamy milo ice cream & sauce. Don't forget to scrap the crust on the pan. 

Sizzling Peanut Brownie with Milo Ice Cream......smokin'!

It was a pleasant dinner overall. Pricewise, almost same as Chilis, TGI. But the ribs & Brisket was the best i ate so far.

Acme South

Bangsar Village I

The Gravy Factory at Empire Damansara

Hello Folks.

Damansara Perdana underwent a major face lift recently with new office blocks called Empire Damansara completion almost a year ago. There situated a lane of cafes called Heritage Lane. I've been there once last year during the hype of boat noodles. It was a forgetful experience for me though. lol.

Recently, i was introduced by a facebook acquaintance of mine, Najib to a new cafe consulted by our own Malaysia Celebrity Masterchef Fazley Yaakob (Asmara ini yang hanyutkan kita if it helps ring any bell) called Pot & Kettle. Unfortunately, we went there quite early like 1030 am on the first day of CNY, the cafe still haven't open yet. However, there are few cafes opened on that day so after browsing each menu, my mom, sis & i decided to have our brunch at The Gravy Factory. Now, it's quite a gung ho plan as i never heard of this place at all. But hey, sometimes when you gotta go, you gotta go. 

The Gravy Factory, as the name already hinted, offers western & asian dishes with multiple choices of gravy. There are like a dozen of gravies to try unfortunately for us, their spicy cajun aren't available. We're up for their offer as if we spend RM 49.90 & above, free cake for us. Yay! We decided to order their Steam Chocolate cake. It was average to me. Served with vanilla ice cream. The cake texture was soft like local kuih apam with less sweet chocolate. For those who're on diet, a good dessert for you. 

Steam Chocolate Cake

I ordered their signature dish Hainanese Chicken Chop with choice of Garlic Mushroom gravy. Being their signature dish, I find it quite ok lah. The chicken well cooked with crispy breaded. The wedges was good. The gravy was lack of garlic to my liking hence the name. 

Hainanese Chicken Chop

My mom had their Fish Conclaise with White Sauce which i find it delicious. Two emerald fish fillets, grilled to perfection, topped with parmesan sauce with mashed potatoes & mixed veggies. The sauce was creamy, thick & full of flavor. 

Fish Conclaise

My sis had their Black Pepper Chicken Pasta. Spaghetti cooked with dash of black pepper gravy topped with chunky roasted chicken pieces. The dish certainly satisfying which black pepper element was well balanced. Chicken was cooked nicely as well.

Black Pepper Chicken Pasta

They served local signature dish like Nasi Lemak as well. That would warrant for another visit.

The Gravy Factory

Empire Damansara

Almond Chocolate by Its Not Junk

Happy CNY Folks!

Chocolate. Who doesn't love chocolate? I know i am. From biscuit to ice cream, chocolate comes in many form. Most malaysian in fact people from around the world loves chocolate. There are even a cafe dedicated to sell only chocolate based product/dish like Dip & dip and Chocolate saloon. But I'm not gonna talk about those 2 cafes. 

I'm a frequent visitor of amcorp mall on Sunday during the flea market event. There are many things for sale usually i'm there for the cheap CD. One fine day, while me & my friend, Am was looking at CDs in one of the stall just in front of the surau entrance at level 2, we spotted an odd looking chocolate bar for sale. It was unlike anything i ever seen in any chocolate shop. The seller said he made it himself so hey, there's no harm in trying. So we bought a bar each and guess what? It was a love at the first sight. One of the best chocolate i ever ate! Dark chocolate bar filled with large chunky almonds & sweetened by raisins, it was really good. I mean, i tasted almost all chocolate in malaysia but this is one of the best. Apparently, there are another flavor which is hazel; milk chocolate bar filled with hazelnut bits. 

Almond Chocolate (RM 4 each, RM 11 for 3)

If you're wondering where else can you find this chocolate, then i don't have the answer. You can buy it at amcorp mall level 2, stall just in front of the entrance to surau area. It's a stall selling CDs, old books, & some toys. 

To be safe from the chocolate being sold out when you reach there, you can contact the seller via his Facebook Page or just directly to his number 012-3893663 to arrange a reservation. It worked for me that way as i usually buy every week. Try it, you'll love it. 

Restoran Raso Omak-Den at PV 128, Setapak

Hiya folks.

Fyi folks, sometimes my friend thought me of a none rice eater as i rarely share some of my local delicacies experience. What to do, it's because my mom's home cooked food is the best ever local food i ever had. But that didn't stop me from trying out some of the places serving local dish especially during lunch hour on working days. 

One of our favorite place to have a lunch is Raso Omak Den in Negeri Sembilan dialect. They served some of the famous local dishes including traditional Negeri Sembilan dishes like masak lemak cili api. There are lots of dishes during lunch hour and expect a crowd of hungry office workers during that time. They also offers Ikan bakar for those who crave for some. 

The dishes 

Ikan bakar menu

If you're on a budget plan, you can refer to the menu for price list. For this kind of place, they have quite a decent price. 

The dishes' menu

Whenever i ate at this place, my favorite dish will be Daging masak lemak cili api & paru goreng rempah. It was very delicious. Paru was fried this crisp & the beef was very soft & succulent with the gravy not too thick & not too runny. The gravy packed a bit of heat from the chilis but not too much. They even served Telur itik masak lemak cili api. Cool!

Close up on my favorite dish

As for desserts, they have super fresh kuih koci, apam gula melaka & bubur kacang hitam. The kuih koci was one of the best i ever ate. Soft kuih koci with a dash of salty santan & a sweet coconut filling with gula melaka. 

Desserts

Kuih Koci & Apam

Overall it was pleasant experience. Plenty of choices plus a really good food. Apparently this is their branch but the main branch served much more choices. 

Restoran Raso Omak Den

PV 128. Setapak