Swensen's, Avenue K, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Address:
Lot UC - 1, Upper Concourse
Avenue K
156 Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours:
Daily, 10am-10pm

Time Visited:
Around 1:30pm.

Attire worn:
Casual.

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Omelette and Milo Dinosaur Float (Urgh. They wrote Dinasour on the receipt. LOL. I don't know who's Dina and why she's so sour. LOL).

Swensen's is best known to me as more of an ice cream parlor shop rather than their food. I heard their food sucks but the only attraction to it is their unique ice cream Sundaes which were only so so. I don't think I've ever set food in a Swensen's before in my life and all that was based on hearsay. I guess, that's the reason why the one in SS2 closed down. But as for this outlet in Avenue K, It looks like it's can survive. Despite lunch is passing, there are on occasion people entering and dining at this place. I don't expect the food to be good but I ordered an omelette to try anyway.

I asked for the ingredients of chicken and mushrooms to be in my omelette where it's served with fries and coleslaw. The Milo Dinosaur Float came in no time. It's actually Iced Milo with a scoop of Milo Ice Cream with loads of Milo Powder on it. And there's a cherry with whipped cream and cooled hardened chocolate syrup on top.

The milo ice cream taste like chocolate to me and the milo powder provides the most milo taste and sweetness while the milo water just tasted like nothing overwhelmed by the milo powder. The milo powder also made me a very messy drinker with loads of the powder spilled everywhere on the table. LOL.

This Swensen's outlet has a lego corner at the side promoting it where the kids can play with it. One of the Myanmar staff were so friendly that he took one of the kid who was longingly looking at the legos and encourage him to play with it. The rest of the staff performing their duties were just mindlessly doing their jobs unlike the great service of Grandmama's

My omelette finally arrived after a certain waiting period and as I bit into it, expectantly, it wasn't that fantastic. Well, it wasn't that bad either. Just kind of plain. The mushroom provided most of the taste while the chicken barely had any taste. The seasoning of the omelette were very inconsistent where there's a part that's way salty while the rest just not enough. Fries were okay while the coleslaw, well, I'm already not a coleslaw fan. So this one, I really couldn't stand eating it.

It's interesting to see a Swensen's opening up here at Avenue K when like many other people, it has been long forgotten in my mind till I randomly picked it from the Avenue K directory to try.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM32.80. RM15.90 for the Omelette and RM13.90 for the Milo Dinosaur Float. Only 10% service charged implemented with no government tax. Shows how bad their business is.

Final Verdict:
5/10. Food isn't that fantastic and so are the drinks. Only come here when you just want some ice cream that looks fancy but taste mediocre. LOL.

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Grandmama's, Pavilion, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur (KL)

Address:
Lot 6.01.02 & P6.01.06, Level 6, 
Pavilion, 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours:
Daily, 10am-10pm

Time Visited:
At 12pm, a tiring Sunday afternoon

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Fishball Noodles & Apple Juice

Ah, Pavilion. Where many tourist roam around and the girls dress to impress here for some reason.

Despite a late night yesterday hitting the clubs which only made me feel terribly old and out of place in a used to be the top dance club in KL, I find that it gets easier and easier to get into clubs. Instead of the usual long line to get into this club, I went in with ease at a lane where no one was in just like a VIP. Hell, last time when I was a VIP, I still need to queue in to get into this club. In fact, sometimes the VIP line moves slower than a regular guest paying cover charge due to filling up some kind of form. Also, it looks like the entry price had dropped.

Anyway, so ya. Despite yesterday's late night out which I still left early and got home to sleep, I was determined to pay Grandmama's a visit. Aw, see what a sweet grandson I am. LOL.

The very eye-catching sign with a Grandmama riding a Harley on a pinkish background can be easily spotted once you come up from the escalator nearer to the side where the KLCC pedestrian bridge that links to Pavilion is. Why a grandmother riding a Harley? Beats me. Maybe it was one of those biker chicks that opened up this restaurant. Or maybe it was one of those biker's mama who owns the place. No matter what's the reason for such an odd visual, it definitely mimics with the concept of what Madam Kwan or Serai is......Malaysian cuisines spruce up to become a partially fine dining material or at least an upper class restaurant.

As I was about to enter the restaurant, I had a slight chuckle seeing the lack of crowd in the premise. That's when I started to realize that there were already some patrons on the outside part of the restaurant located in the center of the shopping mall vicinity. Didn't realized it until a waiter greeted me while he was hurriedly trying to pass some menus to some diners that's seated on the outside area. A smartly dressed gentleman ushered me to my seat and pulled out the chair for me to sit on. He then gently handed me the menu with a smile while another wait staff took away a set of the cutlery setting that were initially placed on the opposite of my seat.

I have to say the service here is top notch, one of the best I've ever had. The guy even knows to approach from a distance so as to not intrude in my space that may sometimes pressure people to make their decision quicker. So he was at a safe distance awaiting for my signal indicating that I'm ready to order but not too close.

Within minutes from my order, the Apple Juice arrived and I took a sip to find out how does it taste like. It was obviously blended with real green apples and that they played it safe. The mixture was done not too sweet and not too sour so that they cover all their bases. In the end, I would say it was a fine drink.

Not too long after my drink, my Fishball Noodles soon arrived. I was impressed with their presentation on how they manage to make such a simple Fishball Noodles into such a scrumptious looking delicacy. The portion of the bowl was huge too. I ordered the Kuey Teow (flat-rice noodles) together with the mee (yellow noodles). A nice touch adding some seaweed into the mix to make the soup better in taste and separates it a little from the ordinary Fishball Noodles from the hawker stalls. The fish balls were not as round as they were hence I know that the fish balls started off with a few pieces together where they sliced it apart. No doubt, the Fishball Noodles were very nice. In fact, 2 or 3 notches above from your regular Fishball Noodles at the hawker stalls. But I wish there were more fish items than their many unique vegetables in there. I wish they put some fish cakes in the mix like how my favorite stall for Fishball Noodles, Do Re Mi at Dataran Ara Damansara, does. Oh well, can't have it all.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM28.90. Fishball Noodles costs RM16 which I don't feel that it's worth that kind of price. It's 3 times the amount at the hawker stalls. Sure the ambiance is good but the only thing more is noodles. The hawker stall I went to gave just as much ingredients. The Apple Juice costs RM8.90. There's 6% government tax and 10% service charge.

Final Verdict:
7/10. Too pricey for my taste but the service is excellent. One of the best. Food is also very good but for that kind of price, it's gotta be a once in a while affair.....maybe......if I want an air conditioned placed with great ambiance.....and some pretty women to look at.

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Sam Kan Chong, 1 Utama, Bandar Utama

Address:
LG122, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours:
Daily 10am-10pm, presumably

Time Visited:
At 7.20pm, Monday Night

Attire worn:
Business

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Their "Lunch" Value Meal (which starts from 12pm all the way to 9pm!), SJC in sauce (dry), comes with one Vege of the Day + I added on a Chinese Tea hot for the price of RM1.50

Despite seeing this place for so many times when I frequent 1 Utama, I never did felt like going in to try till this fateful day. On this day, I don't know what possessed me to go on in to try but I think it's between the lines of not wanting to eat at another franchised place.

The place seems to be filled with tables but only a few customers inside. The staff were very friendly and helpful and came to my table to take my order even though I didn't ask for them and this place was supposed to be a self service style where you write down your order on a sheet of paper provided to you and pass it to the wait staff when done. The mild mannered guy spoke softly to me that I needed him to repeat again on every sentence he spoke since I couldn't hear him at all.

The orders came fairly quick and it was time for a munching once it arrived. The Chinese Tea no doubt costs RM1.50, but it was filled to the brim for me. Once the dishes were brought to me, the mild mannered staff again ask me on whether would I like some chili? (which of course I asked for him to repeat his question because I couldn't hear him again. LOL). I then nodded yes and he hurriedly took the two chili bowls from another table bringing it to mine.

As I dig in to my food, my smiles started to fade. It was terrible. Hardly had any good taste to it and all I tasted on the bowl of noodles were bland and salty MSG for the gravy. The vegetable served in a small dish were also close to tasteless and the only thing that's nice was the soup. That too at best is mediocre. The lumps of fish balls also had no taste to it and in the end, it's just a waste of time and money to just be there at this place to eat. I'm surprised that people actually do come here to eat.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM11.10. Pay at the counter. Like I said. It's supposed to be self service. There's no government tax (shows how bad their business is) but has a 10% service charge.

Final Verdict:
4/10. I wouldn't bother coming into this place to eat. The food is terrible. But I love the service. I'm baffled at seeing crowds of people at a place like this during the lunch period. Probably enticed by it's so called value meal when McDonald's is actually much cheaper if you add it up.

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Chee Cheong Fun, Wai Sek Kai at Section 17, Petaling Jaya

Address:
Used to be at Jalan 17/27 but recently, due to a construction work to build a place where it houses the Wet and Dry Market of Section 17, it's currently at Jalan 17/29. Pretty, soon, I deduce that they may be housed indoor of the building but I'm not sure.

Opening Hours:
Evening time, around 6pm till late into the night I guess. 

Time Visited:
Around 7pm.

Attire worn:
Casual.

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Chee Cheong Fun with 4 side ingredients.

When I arrived at the area, I was surprised to find the area where the old Sentosa cinema that burnt down years ago and was just left there as an empty lot being fenced up now with construction ongoing. I also saw that the Food Street of Section 17 had relocated to the other side of the road instead. But this time around, it looks like there are fewer stalls than how it used to be. :(

Anyway, good thing the Chee Cheong Fun stall is still operational and so I went my dandy way to grab my meal. After picking my ingredients from the various trays and boiling water, I proceeded to order 3 rolls of Chee Cheong Fun to go with it with everything on it. That means, it's gonna be with sweet sauce, chili and sprinkles of sesame seed. :D

I sat down at where the mamak stall is (this time they look a tad different than how I remembered them) and as usual ordered a Teh O' Ais (Tea without Milk but with Ice) when they came to take my order.

The Chee Cheong Fun never falters from it's taste. After so many years that I've tasted it, it still taste as great as it ever was and is one of my favorite Chee Cheong Fun stall that's by the wayside. From 12 years ago till now, it still has the same taste. The good thing is their sweet sauce which is great tasting unlike most other places that only offer weak sauce and the chili just blends in well without being too spicy. The ingredients that's picked and put in the mix is just as good and creates a better dish with the Chee Cheong Fun.

A lot of people also prefer the Chee Cheong Fun with the curry sauce dousing it. The Curry soup is actually for the curry mee which is handled by the man's wife operating side by side on the same stall. The Curry soup is not really that spicy also and goes very well with the Chee Cheong Fun. Clearly this place is never gonna stop being my favorite. :)

Total Wallet Damage:
RM5.60 for the Chee Cheong Fun. RM1.20 for the Teh O' Ais. As time goes by and with prices increasing, the Chee Cheong Fun too had raised in price. But it's still very reasonable and very much cheaper than a lot of other places. Like I said before, Section 17, Petaling Jaya is a haven for cheap and good food.

Final Verdict:
8/10. If you're a person who's not very particular and don't mind seeing rats crossing the drain once in a while and eating beside it, then it's really a nice place for food. Good and cheap.

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Restoran Yi Xin Ge Bak Kut Teh, SS4, Kelana Jaya

Address:
23 Jalan SS4D/2
People’s Park
47301 Petaling Jaya, 
Selangor, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Daily, 6:30am - 9pm

Time Visited:
Lunch time around 1:30pm on a Wednesday

Attire worn:
Business

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Kai Pei (drumstick) part and a Chinese tea ice.

The weather was so hot during that time but I was determined to go there. All because I was doing my friend a favor and collecting some Foreign Film Fest pass for her. But in the end, it turns out, I didn't manage to pass to her at all due to very different schedules and her unwillingness to meet at a more convenient time and place for me.

Anyway, there I was back at the lovely Bak Kut Teh shop after many many years of not visiting this place. I remember back in the days where I was a very active Christian member, I would join some of my fellow worshipers for lunch and we frequent this place quite often till the price raised tremendously.

As usual, the meat was great, juicy, tender, clean and eating on it's own is just as good. But of course, like everyone else, I would have a sauce dish with cili padi (bird's eye chili) mixed with chopped garlic and drenched with light soy sauce and dark soy sauce where I would dip the meat in.

The soup was just as delicious as I remembered it, a unique herbal clear soup unlike the usual Bak Kut Teh soup which are usually black instead of clear. After eating my meal, I was duly satisfied and am happy of being reminded of the good times where I had a meal here.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM17. And I didn't even ask for anything extra like Yau Char Kwai (Chinese Cruller) or an extra bowl of rice. I didn't even add soup (which is free). This place is getting ridiculously more expensive and I soon found out why. They were getting way too popular till they expanded their shop and start selling in pre-pack forms.

Final Verdict:
7/10. Despite their exorbitant pricing, I still admit that it is one of the best Bak Kut Teh I've ever tasted and a very unique one which you can never get anywhere else. But be wary that as a lone diner, it may be very difficult to get a spot when it's peak hours unless somebody don't mind sharing a table. Usually, people come in groups to eat here so it's a little difficult to share table too. Off peak hours are not a problem but some of their meat may have ran out for the morning/afternoon session.

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Johnny Rockets, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

Address:
Lot G52, The Street, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, PJ

Opening Hours:
Daily, 10am-10pm (or later), I guess? Since it is at a mall kind of area.

Time Visited:
11am, Sunday morning

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Chicken Club Sandwich and a Root Beer Float

When Johnny Rockets first open in Malaysia at this outlet, they've created so much of a hype that there was a long waiting queue just to eat here. A friend of mine waited for an hour just to get a table.

Now that there's plenty more outlets opened, this place is not as crazy as it first started. Since I was really early and Ikea is the crazy place to be, I headed on here to have my meal.

Initially, when I passed by in the morning, there's nobody there at all. After having a walkaround at Ikea and returned, this place was already starting to fill with people.

I wasn't greeted at the front door and I think they're still not fully finish preparing for the day yet. There were no hostess at all and as I'm almost at my seat, only then a person greeted me a hi. I took a seat and another staff casually took his pace to pass me my menu.

I was quite excited to try this place and as I browse through the menu, I suddenly realized that it's not just a burger joint but rather a 60's diners concept. I simply adore their uniforms especially the hostess' pretty red dresses. But despite a really good appearance and outlook, the atmosphere there leaves more to be desired for. A little more on that later.

Since most of the staff just busily does something mostly around the counter, I had to flag one down when I was ready to order. There's only this one Filipino woman that's attentive to me and smiles at me, the rest just seem to walk around like zombies doing busy work which I have no idea what they're doing.

The layout of the place makes the area pretty few in tables and seatings hence the more seatings outdoor than indoor. This is probably also to make room for them to dance around at certain intervals to entertain the patrons (which isn't much space. LOL).

Despite having a diner concept with 4 bar stools at the counter area, I find it awkward being a lone diner in a place like this. Families congregate over here as well as some lovebirds but no lone diner in sight....except me. But then again, I'm not in my own sight so I can't spot me. If you catch my drift. LOL. There are a couple of flies hovering around the area despite being an air conditioned environment. But then again, they usually keep their doors open for some reason.

Soon my order of root beer float came. Wish the service was a bit more faster. After all, the root beer float is just like something I make at home, root beer in a can with ice cream scoops. However, I love their vanilla ice cream. It was absolutely delicious. Soft cream and you can tell that it's not exactly the ice creams bought at stores unlike the root beer. They would pour merely halfway of the root beer into the glass which is filled with ice cream and will hand you the other half of the root beer for you to pour it in later yourself.

The Chicken Club Sandwich also came later than I expected it to be. The fries that came with it tasted okay, although few in numbers but sufficient. Since any more of it and I will be unable to finish it off anyway. The coleslaw has a pinkish hue to it and tasted a notch better than the KFC's coleslaw. That already has set it a part better than a lot of places. The good setting of a piece of lettuce underneath the coleslaw makes it so that the juices from the coleslaw do not contaminate with the fries. The dressing also sticks pretty well with the coleslaw.

the Chicken Club Sandwich though, is a little bit of a let down. It didn't taste as tasty as I wanted it to be. The pieces of lettuce in the mix tasted bitterish at times and the tomato was a chore biting at it. Must be getting old to complain that a tomato is hard to bite at. The plain bread is just that, plain very slightly toasted bread. I wish they would slab it with butter but they put more mayo instead. The "thick" turkey bacon tasted mediocre and it wasn't that thick as stated but went well with the mayo and finally, if there's one thing great about the sandwich, that would be the grilled chicken thigh right at the bottom. Cooked right and juicy on the inside when you slice it. One more good point about it was it's plate was warm when served.

Total Wallet Damage:
All in all RM38.05. RM22.90 for the Chicken Club Sandwich, RM9.90 for the root beer float, and as usual 10% service charge and 6% government tax. This is considered pretty cheap. At the risk of sounding racist, I also notice that a lot of Malays like to dine in here. I noticed that this place seem to sell alcohol(?) because I saw signs of Somersby and some beer glasses on the wall but I didn't see it on the menu. Maybe it's only meant for nighttime.

Final Verdict:
5/10. I actually wouldn't bother coming back here again. The food isn't that fantastic, the ambiance no doubt looks good but environment-wise looks a bit of a dump even though they're opened not too long ago. Probably a drink would be okay but just being here alone makes me feel very self-conscious here and very out of place and the dancing in the middle of a service seemed forced when I was there. I was far more amused at the kitchen crew mockingly dance way better at the back when they weren't even part of the performance. Despite being a place that suppose to bring smiles, I very much didn't felt like it when I was there.

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Ikea Cafe and Restaurant, Ikea Malaysia, Mutiara Damansara

Address:
No.2 Jalan PJU 7/2,
Mutiara Damansara,
47800 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Opening Hours:
Mon - Thurs: 9am - 9.30pm
Fri - Sun, eve & on public holidays: 9am - 10.30pm
Breakfast is from 9 - 11am 
Time Visited:
An early Sunday morning, around 10:30am.
Attire worn:
Casual
Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Nothing. :(
I wanted to try their meatballs again but I found out the awful truth about Ikea shoppers, they're up and about real early. And since there's only one Ikea store in Malaysia, everybody tend to crowd at this congested place.

While the shopping district of eCurve and the Curve is like a dead town, it's a whole other atmosphere once entered into the Ikea area. There's loads and loads of people everywhere flooding from all directions. The checkout counters already been filled with a very long line of people and throngs of humans herd into the entrance like sheep being herded into a pen.

I thought to myself, okay. Maybe I still can get my meatballs and headed towards the cafe and restaurant but I was so wrong. There were people filling every inch of the area. Sure there are seats available and a few tables not taken but the queue to the food area was long and massive. That put me off so much, I decided to head elsewhere for food.

Total Wallet Damage:
None. Nothing ordered.

Final Verdict:
0/10. Being a lone diner at Ikea on a weekend is like starring in a horror movie. There are people everywhere and I'm already considered early. I shudder to think going at a much later time. Avoid at all cost if you're alone and on a weekend. I figure the weekdays would probably fare better since most people are working instead of shopping at Ikea. :D

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Brew Time, Empire Damansara, Damansara Perdana

Address:
Empire Damansara, G27 (Jalan PJU 8/8, Damansara Perdana),
47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Opening Hours:
CLOSED FOR GOOD
Time Visited:
12pm, on a Sunday where I'm forced to walk out of the comfort of my bed to run some errands.
Attire worn:
Casual
Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Nothing. Because it's not opened anymore!

The memory that I had visiting it once was a sweet one and I hope it will never be forgotten.

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TGI Fridays, Paradigm Mall Outlet, SS7, Kelana Jaya

Address:
Lot GB 15 & 15A, Level G, Paradigm Mall,
No.1, Jalan Kelana SS7/26A,
Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya
Opening Hours:
Daily, 10am-10pm.
Time Visited:
1:30pm, Tuesday. A quite dead time.
Attire worn:
Casual
Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
1 pint Heineken and a Mushroom Chicken Mushroom Burger

TGI Fridays at Paradigm Mall is neatly tucked away at a hidden corner where it's partially on the outdoor area to cater for some al fresco setting.

The place seemed pretty dead with only a table of patrons and full of staff looking as lively as they can be. I found and took a seat on my own and were handed a menu about 30 seconds later. As I peruse the menu, the staff carried on in setting up some of the place and when I was ready to order, signaled the maitre d' for my order since she's the nearest to me at that point of time.

After taking my order, she introduce to me the Pinch of Salt card. I see that TGI Friday's at Paradigm Mall is still a strong advocate of the Pinch of Salt card. This was the place where I got my Pinch of Salt card too and probably were the first few to have it. But I never bothered to use it.

The beer came a few minutes later and the wait for the food was quite a drag. It finally came to me once it was ensured by the head chef that it was cooked proper and that's where he served it to me. The head chef looks European and am a jovial and friendly guy. Even offered to top up my beer 3 times but I said I was fine.

I ordered the beer today to again test my tolerance for alcohol. But still seems to fail miserably. It took me quite a long while to finish off that pint of beer and I awoke with a throbbing headache. I wish I could go back to the way I was and be able to consume loads of alcohol because life just seem so crappy without it.

Anyway, as usual beers on tap unfortunately, at places like this (Fridays and Chilis) serve it like those English Pubs where they don't care much about the taste as long as it's served ice cold on a chilled glass. Well, without pouring a perfect pint on Heineken's allocated glass, skimming it and instead on a beer mug with freezing temperature makes it taste very flat. It's okay. I'm just ordering it to test my tolerance and a crappy beer is a very good way to test it because you tend to get less tipsy this way.

The burger were described as crispy breaded chicken breast, melted Provolone cheese and horseradish sauce topped with sauteed mushrooms, balsamic onions and battered Portobello mushroom fries. The chicken breast were nice and the Provolone cheese tasted like Mozzarella. I guess, Provolone is supposed to taste like that. Mushrooms were sauteed nicely but I didn't taste any horseradish sauce nor balsamic onions. The fries were okay but as it grew cold, it's best to leave it. LOL. As for the Portobello Mushroom fries, it didn't give out much flavor. Didn't expect it to anyway. Overall, it was okay. It's what I expected from a place like Fridays.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM64.75. Burger is RM28.90 and a pint of Heineken on tap is RM26.90. 10% service charge and 6% government tax.

Final Verdict:
6/10. I find service is better at this outlet. Kudos especially from the head chef. Despite being a dead hour, yet they still manage to be attentive to me. It looks to me the staff really enjoyed working there because even after their work, they seem to be hanging round the back. Or maybe there's a party later on? I don't know. LOL.

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Doi Chaang Coffee Malaysia, The School, Jaya One

Address:
Lot No.100-G.031, The School, Jaya One, No.72A, Jalan Universiti, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor., 46200 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sun:
10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Time Visited:
12:30pm, Tuesday - after spending some wasted time at the EPF office.
Attire worn:
Casual
Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Cafe Mocha 

Ah! Just in time to ruin the shots of a Cable TV show. LOL.

As I stepped into the unique shopping center called The School, I saw a big figure moving quickly towards me. Out of shock, my eyes widen but as it draws closer, I realized that it's just my blogger friend. Seems that he actually works here which is a bit of a surprise for me. We chatted a short while and he asked if I'm going for the Heineken Thirst event on tonight. "Well, I'm not," I replied. He pointed me to the right way where the cafe was and told me that there's a video shooting session ongoing there. "Oh" I said in disappointment but he assured me it's okay to go because their business is still ongoing despite that.

And so I gleefully headed towards the cafe as we said our goodbyes. Once I arrived, I looked at the board menu and there were a few things that caught my eye. There's a Premium type which is cheaper and a Peaberry type. Have no idea what is that until I googled what it is. Basically, a typical coffee bean is flat sided. However, there will be cherries that produce one oval shaped one and it's called a peaberry. It contains a higher concentration of flavor and is only about 5% of Doi Chaang's annual crop. The beans are also smaller. But I didn't care much about it and just ordered a regular Mocha.

Another thing that caught my eye is that they also sell Civet Cat coffee.
As I was about to take a seat, the seatings at the back were all taken up while the camera crew and all were taking up those at the side, hence I decided to sit in the only unoccupied middle seat. When they started shooting for the TV show and the commercials for it, I actually found myself right behind of them. Oh well. Can't escape anyway. So basically, I might've ruined their entire shot by being behind them the whole time. LOL.

Anyway, they were done pretty soon in just one take all the way through. Let's get back to the coffee.

Well, this mocha seems to be very mild in chocolate taste. Instead, the mixture of the coffee seems to be more prevalent which is rather unusual for a mocha. I usually get mocha to be a very rich in chocolate taste beverage but this seems to be more of coffee than chocolate. However, I do like how it tasted. It's just that it's quite queer in it's taste and quantity. It's kind of like those other franchised coffee outlets. Well, Doi Chaang Coffee is a franchise shop. Just that this is the first one in Malaysia.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM10.80. Forgot my receipt after being so self conscious of being in people's shot. LOL. But I believe, it is what it is. No tax.

Final Verdict:
6/10. The School's ambiance is an inviting place to hang out and chill and Jaya One is filled with business people who know how to enjoy life too. But Doi Chaang Coffee does not offer anything else out of the ordinary for me to frequent other than the ambiance. Coffee's good but not enough to draw me to be a permanent fixture and they don't sell mains.

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Wa Cafe, Pavilion KL, Bukit Bintang

Address:
Level 6, Pavilion KL, 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang, 55100 (In front of Tonkatsu, Pavilion, near Tokyo Street side)
Opening Hours:
I assume daily, 10am - 10pm
Time Visited:
11:30am, Sunday (cause the weekdays leave me without any time anymore and Saturdays are a day for me to sleep the whole day to recuperate from my ever tired state)
Attire worn:
Casual
Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Latte (like usual) and Flourless Choco Hazelnut

The sun beams down on the narrow glass panels right above at the ceiling and Wa Cafe being at the center, falls in the pathway of the sunlight. However, unlike Jamaica Blue at Mid Valley Megamall, the place is not too warm as the permeating central air conditioning units has brought the area to a bearable below room temperature level. On top of that, there are 2 portable air conditioning unit being placed at the opposite ends of the cafe. During my visitation, there's only the big one being turned on but the one that I was closed to was not necessary to be on anyway. Over at the coffee machine though, the staff will have to work under the intruding rays while brewing as there is no escape from it over there.

I placed my order at the counter while the staff glared suspiciously at me. After paying the amount owed, I sat at one of the many empty tables and await for them to bring my items.

The place is very open being in the middle of the area and there were only a couple at one of the tables besides me. The coffee was presented to me at a fairly expected amount of time followed by the Flourless Choco Hazelnut that I ordered. Interesting to note that they stuck the slice of cake in the oven and heat it up awhile before serving it to me. Not sure why this is the case but I guess they don't wanna serve it cold.

The cake was lukewarm in temperature while certain portions inward was cold. Hazelnut were too few in numbers in comparison with the whole slice of cake. The chocolate taste was fine while the richer, creamy choco icing is very sweet and hence in need to eat it up with the pastry layer and with coffee.

The latte has a moderate taste in coffee but is deliciously brewed and is to my liking. Somehow, I'm finding myself liking mild to moderate strength in coffee taste nowadays. The coffee was creamy and milky and has a bitter aftertaste to it. A toasty kind of taste as it hits my tongue.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM24. RM10 for the Latte and RM14 for the cake. Standard price but good that it does not has any tax.

Final Verdict:
6/10. Coffee is good but cakes are to me okay only. The place do have it's frequent customers. In fact, every customer I've seen speaks so jovially and casually to the staff with the only exception of me.

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Beans Depot, Parklane Commercial Hub, Kelana Jaya

Address:
B-G-5 Jalan SS7/26, Parklane Commercial Hub @ Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Opening Hours:
Mon: 11am - 7pm
Tue: 9am - 4pm
Wed - Thu: 11am - 7pm
Fri: 9am - 4pm
Sat - Sun: 11am - 7pm
Time Visited:
Around 3pm on a moody Sunday
Attire worn:
Casual, almost homebound which I don't usually dress this way.
Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
A latte

I walked in in almost a dazed state as I stared at the menu located above the bar. It listed loads of different types of coffee beans. The front were occupied with a few blokes trying out various types of coffee with the barista detailing on the differences of each coffee profile and the effects about coffee. In two words, coffee talk.

A person walked behind the bar to where I was and offered me to take a seat and then later informed me that for the drinks menu, it's the board right up front above the bar. And so I walked over again towards the front and stared at the board again hoping to give me an idea on what to have. In my mind I was wondering on whether I should try one of the single origin Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee beans and was wondering on what brewing method should I tell them to do for it. After walking back to the side of the bar, I spotted their grinder that's filled with some coffee beans in them and inquired on what blend it was and decided to try it in a latte form. That's the most basic and most tried and tested method I've ever had.

The week had me feeling moody with me trying my best to stay my mind off work but yet I'm reminded of it again in the form of a message on my phone. I even had an argument with the department head and am still hellbent on the way I do my work. I don't care what happens next and am looking forward to unwind a little with this cup of coffee.

Beans Depot actually supplies and distribute coffee beans as well and it got me a little baffled as to why they chose this location as their new place since it can get pretty dead here and it looks like a back alley type of road but I'm glad that it's near to where I am hence my impromptu visit that was scheduled for another day. It's also owned by the Malaysia Barista Championship judge Yip Leong Sum. It's opened daily. As such, on the weekends, Cafe in a Box baristas (that's what they're called) will take over to prepare and serve at the bar.

As I await for my cuppa, I let my eyes wander around the place. I saw the accolades of certs behind me all framed up with many different names for many different levels of coffee brewing and interesting to note a line of hard liquor atop the bar behind the menu board shelf. The barista grinded, tamped the coffee beans right in front of me and skimmed the milk and poured the cup and served all right before my eyes.

As I thanked her for my cup and set it down in front of me, another staff went to the water dispenser, poured a glass and passed it to me. That's very thoughtful.

Without thinking much, I took a sip of my latte. Although it was mild in coffee taste (which I usually prefer a more stronger one), I very much loved it. It was a perfect cup of latte to me. After a sip, I couldn't set it down too long and had to drink more and more of it until finally, it was gone.

After awhile, the barista returned to gather my thoughts on it and educated me further on coffee and the kind of taste that I described that I usually liked. In other words, more coffee talk.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM9. Just RM9 for a great cup of latte. No tax, nothing. Just that which very much delighted me. Even asked if I would like a receipt for it where the receipt printer is at a corner of the place.

Final Verdict:
9/10. I believe I have found a new hangout place for me to grab my coffee fix. Will definitely be frequenting this place. I was told that they serve a type of main dish a day too as well as cakes where the cakes are actually homemade.

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