Rekindle, SS2 (2nd Visit)

Address:
Jalan SS2/64, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Tue - Thu:
12:00 pm - 12:00 am
Fri - Sat:
12:00 pm - 1:00 am
Sun:
12:00 pm - 12:00 am

Time Visited:
7:15pm, Sunday.

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Flat White and an Oreo Milk Crepe

Haven't been to Rekindle for a while even though the distance isn't that far from my home. Just recovered from a very severe anxiety attack and the biggest suicidal urge by far yesterday, I decided to head out to SS2 for dinner and after my normal rice and curry from Pelita, I decided to head to Rekindle for coffee. A couple in front of the cash register were contemplating on what to order and certainly took their time but I didn't mind. This should help me practice my patience where I often find myself lack of ever since my breakdown which resulted in an argument with my Head of Department back in February. So there I was and I was greeted by a very cheerful owner which I haven't seen before in him. Today, I decided to order a cake as well and so I went with the Oreo Milk Crepe. I don't know why they call it milk crepe. I guess they were thinking of Mille Crepe which that cake certainly is.

Sat down and waited for my order. The Milk Crepe arrived fairly quick to my table where it has a piece of Oreo cookie on top. Other than that, there's the crumbles of Oreo cookies all on top of the cake. The taste of the Mille Crepe was certainly smooth as silk and almost melt in your mouth with it's creamy taste. Layers were clearly defined and you can feel it in your mouth. The cake wasn't too sweet which is how I like it because Oreo tends to be pretty sweet to me due to it's cream filling. But in this case, the Oreo that sits on top don't have that much of a cream filling in between the biscuits. Delightful to me.

When my Flat White arrived, one sip of it brought me back memories on why I like Rekindle's coffee. Rich and strong in it's coffee taste, consistent coffee art, the right temperature and the perfect milk to coffee ratio. This is definitely the kind of coffee I like. And it reminded me of how long I have not have such a nice coffee in quite a while.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM25.35. Although in my receipt it says service charge = RM1.43, I'm guessing that's more of the GST because it's 6% of RM23.90. The Flat White remains at RM10 while the Oreo Milk Crepe is RM13.90.

Final Verdict:
Still maintained an 8/10 for me. Today just reminded me of why I decide to get my coffee fix from Rekindle even though my friend didn't quite like the place due to the owners attitude towards her the last time around.

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Plan B, Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya

Address:
Lot CF 09 Concourse Floor
Paradigm Mall
No. 1, Jln SS 7/26A
Kelana Jaya 47301
Petaling Jaya

Opening Hours:
10am-10pm, daily.

Time Visited:
Around 12pm

Attire worn:
As casual as can be

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Ultimate French Toast and Flat White

I initially wanted to revisit TGI Fridays at this Paradigm Mall outlet but it looks so deserted that it don't seemed to be like it's opened so after my 2nd time passing by, I decided to literally go with a Plan B and went for Plan B instead. LOL.

It was really packed but I headed on in and sat myself down instead of waiting at the entrance for someone to seat you like a lot of people did. I felt a little bad, guilty and selfish sitting at a 4-persons table when I'm only a party of one. I soon discovered that I'm not the only lone diner at this establishment as I saw another seated at another table. One of the staff (presumably the manager since he's the only one wearing a pink shirt while the other staff wore their black t-shirt uniform) was very keen in his instinct and immediately sense that I was waiting for the menu and so he brought it to me despite a very, very busy outlet. And when I was ready to order, he immediately knew that I wanted to order without me telling him and came to me with a pen and an order chit.

I first wanted the Japanese Breakfast Box but after checking with the kitchen, the manager told me that it's unavailable and so I decided to go for the Ultimate French Toast along with a Flat White.

The place was bustling with people and it was so busy. Yet, the only person whom I see that is efficient is the manager. The rest of the staff just sort of being there. Okay, so I won't blame the barista guy doing the coffee but I can see one of the wait staff who were at the drinks counter with a drink awaiting to be served but the guy just completely ignored it and let it sit there being cold. And when one of the staff who was sweeping floors handed to him a bill to be passed to the customer, he just put it at the side of the register without taking care of it. On top of that, I see him ignoring some customers when he can clearly see that they were signalling him. Anyway, most likely that's the only rebellious staff which I mistaken for a number of other staffs.

Good thing that when my flat white was being served, it didn't sit at the counter for far too long. It was only awhile. The flat white was pleasant to my taste buds. Strong and assertive taste. Forceful with an aftertaste. Yet, it wasn't bitter at all. Just strong coffee taste. Although the barista wasn't good in it's coffee art but he's forgiven with those nice coffee beans showing their great characteristics. This is the kind of coffee I like.

The French Toast actually came before my coffee but the great manager who's keenly aware of the customers brought me a bottle of water so I'm not really that parched without my coffee. The French Toast is served with Caramelized Banana on top with Mascarpone which I mistaken it for cream cheese but after reading the menu description then I knew it was Mascarpone. There's also Macadamia nuts around the plate and of course, maple syrup oozing from the top of the French Toast. The French Toast is above average in taste compared to other places of French Toast that I've tasted. The Caramelized Banana is just nice not too sweet and the Mascarpone enhances the taste overall by toning down on the maple syrup's sweet taste. All in all, although presentation-wise could be better, yet it's taste is satisfying to me.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM36. RM26 for the French Toast and RM10 for the Flat White which 6% of GST is already included.

Final Verdict:
7/10. Despite it's slow service, the manager more than makes up for it with his keen senses. It's just that his staff should be more efficient and not be so lazy. I know it's a very busy establishment when it comes to weekend breakfast but that's no excuse to be so deliberately incompetent. The manager although don't look like a friendly guy, yet his awareness of his customers and his respectful speech more than puts you at ease.

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The Morning After Cafe (TMA), Oasis Village, Oasis Square, Ara Damansara

Address:
G40(?) Oasis Village, Oasis Square, No. 2 Jalan PJU 1A/7A, Oasis Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya. (Not sure if it's G40. It's so darn new they hadn't even list their address on their webpage yet.

Opening Hours:
Not sure too since they never publish this. But I presume they wanna try opening daily from morning till late night?

Time Visited:
12:30pm. Monday afternoon

Attire worn:
Business attire.

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
A latte and The Scottish Breakfast

The Morning After Cafe or TMA for short, has many branches around Klang Valley but I have yet to visit one, mainly because of the inconsistency of their food story and their awful service that I've heard of. But even though those negative tales fell upon me, I have yet to have a reliable source on telling me whether if it's true. Since now they're opening here at Oasis Square, Ara Damansara, I've decided to experience first hand myself.

Despite them not fully finished with the renovation of their shop (some minor installation ongoing such as the auto door closer and the very long table), they've already opened up for business with two foreign workers manning the floor. One lady was standing outside holding the menus and ready to serve while one guy inside just standing there looking lost and don't know what to do. When I was walking and entering the cafe, the lady somehow disappeared to the back. Perfect timing, eh?

I walked right near to the end where the cash register is and saw that there is a back door there and decided not to sit too close to the back door. Although the foreign guy worker saw me coming in and sitting down, he seemed very confuse and looked as if he's unsure as to whether I'm a staff of the place or a customer. I soon signaled to him and only then did he started to get the menu for me.

The menu looked like a newsletter indicating a free copy at the top right hand corner with information and news and the second page consists of a recipe. Only at the last few pages the food and drinks that are available showed themselves. I skimmed through the many available items there and finally decided to place my order. The male foreign worker, still in a daze walked over to me as I told him my order. He doesn't seem to understand me very much despite me speaking in English and so I finally decided to point to him on what I want. My suspicions were confirmed that he couldn't understand me when he brought me cold water instead of warm water like what I ordered. Nevertheless, I let it slide.

Soon, the barista cum cashier came over to me and asked me how'd I like my eggs. "Poached," I replied.

My orders came fairly quick with less than 5 minutes of preparation. It got me thinking as to whether these things were pre-prepared. Then I thought to myself, "No, it couldn't be. How could they had pre-prepared when there are so many dishes on their menu?" And so it just left me baffled on how that could churn out so quickly.

The Scottish Breakfast consists of my 2 Poached eggs sitting atop a bread while the sausage were wrapped with 2 slices of beef bacon. Other than that, baked beans at the side. Actually, make that half a side. The poached eggs seemed sloppy, plonked messily on top of the bread. As soon as my utensils approached one of the yolk, it burst, popping like a juicy cherry tomato. The liquid content squirting away from it's imprisoned state almost jumping out of the plate and onto the table. The same couldn't be said for the second yolk as that one complacently sat there - stiff, as most of it's inside had already been hardened to a jelly-like state. Both tasted the same, needing some seasoning to it. The rest of the ingredients were merely mediocre. The baked beans tasted familiar but I'm not sure whether if it's from a can or not. Sausage were a little unique, with some green vegetables inside it but it didn't really changed the taste that much.

Overall, food was okay I guess. Didn't expect much anyway. But still, it was okay.

Total Wallet Damage:
When the bill came, they told me it was RM35 with The Scottish Breakfast coming to RM21.60 and the Latte RM11, but when I got back my change, I realized that they had given me 10% discount on both items so the total is actually RM31.50. Don't know what's the discount is for but I'm sure glad I had it. Must be some opening promotion or some lunch set thing. I don't know.

Final Verdict:
6/10. Initially wanted to give them a 5 but then again, I guess I can give them a six seeing that they just opened with some minor renovation still ongoing and the foreign worker staff not properly trained yet. Wait, I changed my mind. 5.5 then.

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Teo Chew Lor, 1 Utama

Address:
LG113, Lower Ground, 
1, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama City Centre
Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya,

Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Should be 10am-10pm, daily

Time Visited:
Around 10:45am on a Sunday

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
The Mixed Platter with Kway Teow Kia set (set is with half braised egg, salted vegetables and Chinese Tea for an additional RM2.80).

I remember one fine night, I was strolling along at 1 Utama and was on my way to try out this place for the first time. But upon my arrival, I was shocked to see the amount of people eating at the place and instantly knew that it was impossible for me to try it out on that day and so I moved along to McDonald's instead.

But this small restaurant sparked my interest and I was determined to go back there and try since their food looked so delicious. This morning, as I was once again strolling along 1 Utama thinking of what to eat, I passed by this shop once again and it looked like that there's a chance that I could eat here since it's still early and there's not many people crowding the place yet. After a round of walking the floor, I returned to find that the place started to fill up with people and I was thinking, it might be still possible and started to line up to order. Yes, this place is self-service and you have to order at the cash register and get your number, a nightmare for lone diners like me if a place is so popular and packed with people most of the time. But this fateful morning turned out to be just fine.

The place is a family run business from what I observed with the mother handling the orders and cash register and help out with the food preparation when there's no one at the counter to order and pay. I originally thought that foreign workers were the ones serving the food and drinks but it turns out that the grandma of the family does that with one of the sons chipping in. The Father seems to be at the back. I'm not sure what he does over at the back there but I did note that a worker at the back washes the dishes. And yet another son (I presume) is also behind where the mother is and is the main man preparing the dishes by plating the meats and stuff before producing it to be served.

One thing I would have to say is that their food preparation takes quite a long time. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's still early and not everything is 100% ready? But then again, I doubt that's the case so all they need to do is probably boil my noodles and just plate the rest of everything and chop up certain meats and eggs and vegetables. With the amount of customers they get sometimes, this waiting period could very much be a hindrance for them because their customer turnover isn't fast enough if that's the case. Anyway, to me it's a normal waiting period like in a hawker restaurant whenever it's lunch period.

When the food arrives, it looks so tempting and delicious. The noodles although were provided with a nice tone from the soup, it did nothing for the taste. The noodles had no taste at all. Zero. Even with the soup. But then again, this could be the charm of this dish as well. Without the restraint of a doughy taste from the noodles and soup, the meat becomes the hero of the dish very much highlighting it at a very high pedestal. The mixed platter consists of braised tofu, tofu pok, pork intestines, pork stomach, braised pork and a sliced of braised egg. It may sound like a lot but then again, it's just a tiny dish containing all of these things in it. All I can say is that the mixed platter is full of different ingredients but is just a small dish. The half braised egg together with the salted vegetable that comes with the set were not an impressive order. I should've skipped that and just ordered the Chinese Tea even though the set is just RM1 more.

Anyway, I'm very satisfied eating the meat because that certainly can satisfy my pork cravings at any day. It just isn't very filling and I doubt even a bowl of rice is any different from the Kway Teow Kia.

Total Wallet Damage:
RM11.80. The Mixed Platter with Kway Teow Kia costs RM9 and making it a set with the half braised egg and salted vegetable and Chinese Tea costs an additional RM2.80. This means that there's no service charge imposed. I'm not sure if there's a 6% GST involved in the price but if there is, it's already included in the menu price.

Final Verdict:
7/10. I'm a little bias towards this dish due to the fact that I'm a pork lover. However, I must say too that this place is not really a suitable place for a lone diner like me because they have very limited place and with the number of people they're getting sometimes, it's not wise to order your food at the counter and not having someone to book a table for you.

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Amarin Heavenly Thai, Mid Valley Megamall

Address:
S-045, 2nd floor, Mid Valley Megamall, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 58000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Opening Hours:
Stated at Mid Valley Megamall webpage that it is from 10am to 10pm, but when I was there at 10 plus close to 11am, they weren't opened yet hence I believe it's 12pm-10pm, daily.

Time Visited:
12:16pm, Saturday

Attire worn:
Casual

Item(s) Ordered (Photos taken as inconspicuous as possible with my phone):
Khow ob Sapparod (Pineapple Fried Rice), Tab Tim Krob (Iced Waterchestnuts with Coconut Milk & Jackfruits) and Thai Lemon Grass Juice

A dimly lit restaurant that's placed in a corner of Mid Valley Megamall close to the Center Court area. They soon opened up the boards that blockade the windows to allow a bit of sunlight in since it was a cloudy day that day.

The place screams of fancy and it sure is. When I began to step into the restaurant, I was greeted by a Malay lady greeting me sawadeeka and as soon as I browse through the menu, it is pretty clear that fancy is the word that suits this restaurant. Prices are higher than your average other Thai restaurants that I know of but I don't mind it since I'm just trying it out.

For a single dish to eat without calling for meat, vegetable and rice, there were merely 6 dishes on that portion of the menu. So I ended up picking the Pineapple fried rice with chicken since I don't really like prawns. I guess, if you're eating alone, you can also call for meat, vegetable and rice for 1 person but then again, I'm not sure how big a portion they're gonna give and whether it's suitable for 1 person.

No surprises, my drink was the first to arrive at my table and upon sipping it up, I instantly get the whiff of the lemongrass. It was very fragrant, very much like perfume but bearable and upon sipping up more, I kinda get the hang of the taste. The drink wasn't too sweet too, which is a relief to me cause I can't drink too sweet anymore.

A little while longer, the pineapple fried rice came. It certainly is impressive on it's presentation, serving the rice neatly packed in a cut-out pineapple. There was a lime, a tomato and a cucumber served at the side of it where none of which were touched by me at all. LOL. The colors of the dish was vibrant full of different contrasting ingredients spread all around which contributed to the great presentation of the dish. As I took my first bite, my immediate feel was from the cashew nuts and the raisins which both ingredients are an unusual find in a meal. The cashew nuts provided a bit of a crunch for the dish while the raisins gave out some sweetness to it. However, the pineapples were nowhere to be tasted until I got closer to the middle. Being served in a pineapple this way, the portion of the rice seemed to be smaller to my perception. But I guess if you empty out onto a plate, you'll probably get the same amount from when you dine fried rice at a hawker stall. Overall, I would have to say that it's quite delicious but it still don't warrant for such a high price.

After finishing my rice, I waited for awhile before signalling for my dessert to come.

The dessert came in a small bowl which is a little bit of a disappointment. I expected it to be double that portion. I demolished the ice shavings at the center and mixed it in with the coconut milk. All in all, the dessert that I tasted was sweet upon sweet upon sweet. The ice shavings did nothing to prevent it from being so sweet. Upon finishing my dessert, my lemongrass juice tasted more like water than anything else.

Total Wallet Damage:
Surprisingly, I still managed a bill less than RM50. Total is RM49.50. Lemongrass Juice is RM10.85, dessert RM10.85 and the fried rice RM20.75. 10% service charge + 6% GST were imposed.

Final Verdict:
6/10. The service overall was good however they missed saying thanks to me. Maybe I overstayed my welcome. LOL. The ambiance made me more sleepy than hungry. You get all different kinds of people as customers here, families, friends, couples and even another lone diner besides me. Despite being on a weekend lunchtime, the place wasn't crowded and ample of place to sit and eat. I guess most would probably be put off by it's price since it's so close to the food court. Also, it's hidden at the corner where few venture upon. That could be the reason too.

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