12.22.08

Paint the town red with Tamarind Springs.

Posted in Food tagged , , , , , , , , , , at 3:09 pm by Celeste

Also guest blogging at Backseat Radio: Mogwai live in Malaysia, Jan 21, AND Singapore, Jan 23.

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Like how ying is to yang, Tamarind Springs burns fiery red, as long as the calming water flows in Il Tempio. Located just upstairs of the Contemporary Italian restaurant, Tamarind Springs bears the same concept of temple-inspired designs and Zen Buddha statues complementing the peaceful tropical jungle surrounding the restaurant.

Although the Indochinese restaurant has been around for only five years, it already has a firm customer base of expatriates, foreigners and locals visiting on a regular basis. Not only that, Tamarind Springs has also won a world-renowned accolade as one of 2008 Relais & Chataeux’s finest restaurants and hotels around the world, sharing the spotlight with France’s Les Deux Abbesses and Switzerland’s Les Sources des Alpes.

Welcome drinks: Tamarind Juice.

Steamed fish cakes, grilled cinnamon-chicken mousse sticks, grilled duck rice paper wraps, and grilled lemongrass prawns.

Diners at Tamarind Springs are treated with welcome drinks – a choice between the refreshing infused Lemongrass Juice and the sourish Tamarind Juice – before delving into the multi-cultural platter of appetisers: Steamed fish cakes, Grilled cinnamon-chicken mousse sticks, Grilled duck rice paper wraps and Grilled lemongrass prawns, all accompanied by their own kind of spicy dip.

Raw Salmon salad in a spicy Laotian house dressing.

Raw Salmon salad in a spicy Laotian house dressing.

Up next is the Grand Chef’s own creation: the Raw Salmon salad, soaked in a spicy Laotian house dressing. To balance up the sweetness of the salmon meat is the spicy and sour dressing.

Tom Sep: Laotian style Tom Yam with grilled catfish.

And also on the menu is Tom Sep, a Laotian-style tom yam with grilled catfish. This dish is a favourite amongst the regulars visiting Tamarind Springs. It is not too sour till your eyes and tongue squeeze for mercy, nor too spicy that it had you reaching for the water after every mouthful. The catfish is also grilled to a tender softness that goes well with the soup; an optimum dish to enjoy especially during colder weather.

Following up are the main courses, accompanied with a bowl of aromatic Jasmine steamed rice.

Steamed snake-head fish roll crisps.

Steamed snake-head fish roll crisps.

The Steamed Snake-Head Fish Roll Crisps come with the craziest chilli sauce ever tasted. With a combination of garlic, coriander, lime and chilli, diners may not feel anything at first, but the spiciness gradually creeps up on you and before you know it, the sour lime and the spicy chill is squeezing your tongue till your mouth starts to water.

Laotian BBQ beef with dried red chilli dip.

Laotian BBQ beef with dried red chilli dip.

The Laotian BBQ Beef is accommodated with a dried red chilli dip, which offers another kind of explosion on the taste palette. Instead of a postponed hit, the dried chilli dip comes in full force upon contact, with tiny simultaneous fireworks going off in your mouth that throws your senses all over the place. The dip balances up with the dry BBQ beef, cooked the way like most Laotian dishes are supposed to.

Jungle ferns with grilled Laotian green chilli dip.

Jungle ferns with grilled Laotian green chilli dip.

Also on the main course menu is the Jungle Ferns, deep-fried ala the Japanese tempura style till it is thinly crispy. Accompanying the vegetable dish is the grilled Laotian green chilli dip.

Lemongrass chocolate mousse.

Lemongrass chocolate mousse.

Last on the list is the dessert – Lemongrass Chocolate Mousse, going along with your choice of freshly brewed coffee or flavoured tea. The abundant chocolate mousse comes with a drizzling of citrus that makes the taste lighter on the tongue, like wings for a heavy beast. There is also a tinge of lemongrass aftertaste just before the swallow, creating a refreshing palette reset as you call it a day for your meal.

Compared to Il Tempio, Tamarind Springs is not exactly a favourite of mine; probably because I am not too hot on spicy food, and I’d much prefer blue over red. At one point of the meal, I found myself forcing myself to take a breather as all the spicy dishes were giving me a mental meltdown. Heh. I even got myself a sore throat the very next day.

I suppose that is why diners usually take approximately two to three hours to finish the entire meal, slowing things down for the palette to regain consciousness before hopping onto another round on the gastronomic roller coaster.

So, if you are up for a culinary drenaline rush, Tamarind Springs is the place to go for that challenge. Just make sure to cool yourself down from time to time amidst this hot weather.

The abovementioned menu is set for the 2008 Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF), priced at RM275nett per person, inclusive of wine.

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Tamarind Springs
Jalan 1
Taman Tunku Abdul Razak
68000 Ampang
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia
T: +6 03 4256 9300
W: http://www.tamarindrestaurants.com

12.16.08

A culinary meditation at Il Tempio.

Posted in Food tagged , , , , , , , , , at 10:10 am by Celeste

Also guest blogging at Backseat Radio: An ode to the great Wainwright-McGarrigle family.

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Snuggled at the edge of the jungle just a few minutes from the modernised city of Kuala Lumpur is a soothing temple of comfortable blue walls and running waters. Living amongst the peaceful setting, however, are not praying monks, but a fine serving of Contemporary Italian cuisine and a Picasso of food that makes the most meticulous food composition for the visiting diners.

Il Tempio means ‘the temple’ in Italian, and it is put together with structural and conceptual designs inspired by elements of Asian temples. The restaurant built itself around the natural setting and opens out to the neighbouring tropical enclave.

The main dining area is the veranda, which is a replica of the ones available in the Thai temples for monks to pray in. Coinciding with the blue theme are cascading water walls and a staircase fountain, which during Valentine’s Day, waiters set up tables in to serve food to the diners. Il Tempio is also equipped with an open concept kitchen, where diners can watch the house chef Daniele Sarno, going at it with all his live cookery action.

Being one of the 28 participating restaurants for the 2008 Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF), Il Tempio has whipped up a full course menu of its signature dishes that is worth every penny in your pocket – a total of RM400, to be exact.

Basil and Prosecco.

Welcome drinks: Basil and Prosecco.

Diners are welcomed to awaken their taste palette with Il Tempio’s welcome drinks: the Basil mixed with lime to give a sour tingle to the senses, or the Prosecco, a sweet sparkling wine made from the white grape of the same name to gently probe the taste buds to life.

Beef fillet carpaccio on parmesan chips, puree of green asparagus, and cherry tomatoes with balsamic salad dressing.

Beef fillet carpaccio on parmesan chips, puree of green asparagus, and cherry tomatoes with balsamic salad dressing.

Begin the culinary journey through modern Italian with the appetiser of Beef Fillet, levelled on crunchy parmesan chips and layered with puree of green asparagus, finally topped with cherry tomatoes bathed in balsamic salad dressing.

I thought it was quite a nice start. Face it, anything with cheese for me is good. And I was even being a good girl and ate my veggies. Just goes to show how good the food was. For me, anyway.

The choice of wine to correspond with the appetiser is the sweet Torrealto Prosecco Di Conegliano 2007.

Porcini mushroom cream and truffle oil with stewed spring onions, topped with foie gras and vanilla salt.

Porcini mushroom cream and truffle oil with stewed spring onions, topped with foie gras and vanilla salt.

Next on the menu is the Porcini Mushroom Cream and Truffle Oil soup. Complemented with stewed spring onions and topped with foie gras and vanilla salt, it is heavy on the tongue like warm comforter on a winter night, yet not filling enough to ruin the rest of the meal.

Seal the deal with a sip of the La Segreta Bianco IGT 2005, a pleasant Sicilian white wine with its expressive aromatics, and you are off to a good start for the night.

Saffron Risotto with salmon carpaccio and chives.

Saffron Risotto with salmon carpaccio and chives.

The entrée is a favourite among constant diners at Il Tempio – and became a quick favourite of mine, being a risotto-lover myself: Saffron Risotto with Salmon Carpaccio and Chives.

The risotto is not overcooked, preserving the seedy and crispy texture to coincide with the soft texture of raw salmon, cooked solely with the heat radiating from the rice. The dish is also soaked in cheese that is not thickening and heavy that it kills the appetite.

Going hand in hand with this fine delicacy is the Antinori Campogrande Orvieto Classico DOC 2006 from Umbria, Italy, a white wine that is rich, soothing and pleasing to the palette, whilst fruity and elegant to the nose. Probably my favourite wine, as it goes so well with the risotto.

Braised wagyu beef cheek with deep-fried white truffle polenta and glazed white onion.

Braised wagyu beef cheek with deep-fried white truffle polenta and glazed white onion.

Hogging the main course spotlight is the Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek, accompanied by deep-fried white truffle polenta and glazed white onion.

I have never tasted beef that is that soft before. Every piece sits perfectly on the tongue like clay in mould. For something crispy is the polenta, in golden crunch on the outside while being soft and creamy on the inside. The glazed white onion finalised the dish with a sweet tinge at the end.

Balancing up the dish is the La Segreta IGT Rosso 2006. Made from a blend of Nero D’Avola, Merlot and Syrah, it hits the nose with the smell of crushed strawberries and spice, while caressing the tongue with a soft and silky touch that is rich and concentrated at the same time, giving it a long and elegant finish.

Honey and ginger iced mousse with strawberry and mango compote, star anise-flavoured sauce and crispy wafer.

Honey and ginger iced mousse with strawberry and mango compote, star anise-flavoured sauce and crispy wafer.

Last but not least, the refreshing dessert to reset your palette at the final stop of your fine dining journey: Honey and Ginger Iced Mousse, with a harmonising strawberry and mango compote, star anise-flavoured sauce and crispy wafer.

It is a perfect culinary matrimony to wed the sharp-sensed ginger with the smooth honey. However, for me, I did not enjoy the tinges of ginger hidden in it. I did not take time for this like I did the previous dishes because Chef Daniele has come out from the kitchen and we had quite a talk that the iced mousse has somehow melted when we were done. Besides, with such an awesome menu before this, it did not really matter to me if we still have dessert.

And to wash it all down, the Bottega Petalo Dell’ Amore 2007, a semi-sweet white wine to appease the senses, its extravagant aftertaste lingering on your tongue as you take your slow drive home, reminiscing one of the best meals you just had.

Many may find solitude and peace in temples with praying monks and the serene chiming of the bells, but here in Il Tempio, diners will encounter a different form of tranquillity. Top notch food from people who take it serious on what they put in their mouths (with  ‘live to eat’ as their restaurant tagline, you know you are in good hands), a complementing setting that is entirely up to Mother Nature, and an excellent waitering service, it just gives you all the reason in the world to step out of the city for a change to try out something that pleases all five of your senses.

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Il Tempio
Jalan 1
Taman Tun Abdul Razak
68000 Ampang
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia
T: +6 03 4256 8200
W: http://www.tamarindrestaurants.com

12.09.08

A guide for Santa’s littlest helpers.

Posted in How to tagged , , , , , , , , , , at 4:58 pm by Celeste

If you have been living under the rock for the past month, it is time to lift up your hermit head and take a look around. The adverts are up and Christmas has begun. Families throng the mall to play with foamed snow while taking pictures with the best Christmas centerpieces in the shopping malls. And Santa’s little helpers are out and about on a race against time to find the perfect gift for the perfect people without breaking their banks.

I have always enjoyed doing Christmas shopping for friends and family. The idea of seeing something you think they might like, and the feeling of when they tear open the presents and seeing their faces, just makes the shopping trips and the money you spent worthwhile.

Alas, I have not all the money in the world, thus I need to watch my spending. But it just makes the challenge all the more fun. Forsaking the famous brands and names around, and going down untrodden paths to search for that special something. It feels like you have emerged from a mine with the rarest gems whenever you hit the right spots.

Here is my little version of things I would consider good gift ideas, without looking too tacky, but still able to keep your budget. Say, RM20 max per person.

Mind you, gift ideas here are found in and around the vicinity of The Curve, Ikano and Ikea. I am a lazy girl, and that place happens to give me everything I need. Heh.

1. For elves who believe in DIYs.

If you enjoy handicrafts and things that come out from your own kitchen, take time out to put together something unique for your friends and family. From the specially designed greeting cards and cookies, to the personally selected songs on the mixed CDs, to the meticulously collected collages and scrapbooks. It is a sureshot to win over the receiver’s heart. I doubt anybody would trade a personalised coffee table book for a Louis Vuitton clutch.

Check out Papier at The Curve if you want to get the most comprehensive DIY kits. They have got anything and everything for any occasions, and also for gifts given on any day just for kicks. Every time I step into the store, I just want to buy something, even though I am no expert in putting together a scrapbook. There is also Da Vinci at Ikano, if you want some rock-painting or canvas-painting, and the likes.

If you want to put together a coffee table book, but still want to keep the quality intact, check out Prinzbook. Download the program, arrange the pictures according to the designs of your choice, and voila, your very own coffee table book. Who needs publishing companies when you can set up one in your own laptop?

2. For elves who believe in the littlest things.

Take time out to visit street markets, as well as those stalls peppered all along the corridors of the shopping malls. You’d never know what you might find that is cute yet affordable. Not to mention, you get to bargain for a cheaper price too. Like the compact mirror shaped of a biscuit, these cute button earrings, as well as those quirky car signs. All of these, I found while taking a stroll down the stalls set up for the weekend over at The Curve and Cineleisure.

Don’t forsake the gift corners in departmental stores as well. Like Parkson, Jusco, Metrojaya and the likes. Some items may be a little too expensive, but look thoroughly enough and you might find something suitable within your budget. You even get to collect those membership points too. Hitting two birds with one stone.

Don’t go ahead and assume that you would only step into a bookstore for books as gifts. Stop by the stationary corner and try your luck. Found in the MPH bookstore: a donkey with a keyboard duster ass, a stapler shaped as a cat, and a puff fish that blows up to be a rest pad for your wrist.

Also, check out the Borders bookstore for those hobby kits and calendars. Awesome way for your loved ones to pick up or rediscover a favourite past time, and remember your birthday by. You can also stop by Take Note at The Curve for some funky writing pads and stuff.

For more little trinkets, who could leave out Ikea on this? Visit their website for their advent promotions, going throughout December till Christmas Day. Just make sure you go on the right days, and pray real hard they don’t go out of stock. Swedish elves do a better job being Santa’s helpers, apparently.

3. For elves who believe nobody should be left behind.

It is quite impossible to get everyone in your workspace a gift of their own, yet a little rude to leave some behind, especially when you have more than 30 colleagues in your office.

In this case, you need to go for bulks. Cookies, greeting cards, candy canes… go for the 5/10/20 items in one price thing. You can easily find these in supermarkets like Cold Storage or Tesco, and even Famous Amos in Ikano. Make sure to look for good bargains and not get ripped off at the end of the day.

4. For elves who have absolutely no idea.

Ah, screw you. I bet it happened to you every year too. There will always be someone on your Christmas list whom you have no idea what to get at least once a year. After spending hours and days loitering about the mall looking for something for them, you would somehow eventually wander into The Body Shop and gaze at the prettily gift-wrapped toiletries. For a staunch present-giver who believes in personality in gifts, I would not advise such gift ideas, but who am I kidding. We all fall short anyway.

Take time out to check out Guardian and Watson as well. Not only are their ready-to-go gifts quite attractive to the eye, they are probably more affordable and in variety compared to the ones in The Body Shop and L’occitane. Can’t really say that for the quality, though, so be prepared.

Now, this is something I would definitely not opt for unless I really have no idea what to get someone who has everything in the world, and especially when that someone are my parents. Heh.

Gift certificates and gift cards would always be the safest way to go, though not usually the prettiest. But hey, if it is to shop at your favourite store, dine at your favourite restaurant, or do mani/pedi for free, it is still cool.

Christmas shopping is not that hard if you care enough to pay attention to the littlest details. Whatever shopping catalog you can grab hold of, or whichever store you have wandered into, take a look around and weigh things out in your head. Don’t force it if the price is not right, or if time is running out. Take a breather. Rinse and repeat. You will find something eventually. Don’t be too staunch about the budget either. A couple of cents difference isn’t going to empty out your savings anyway.

You have 16 days left till Christmas. Unless you have Santa’s private number at the North Pole, I’d suggest you go forth and shop for presents soon.

12.04.08

A pearl in the jungle.

Posted in Accommodation tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , at 6:04 pm by Celeste

I am a city girl, who likes occasional escapades into the outskirts of nature. However, no matter how much I enjoy treading through muddy jungles and getting wet drenched in river water, it is always a comfort to know you have a well-maintained and comfortable accommodation to go back to after all the strenuous activities. A room with a working toilet and – bless their soul – hot water, as well as a primped room in which the housekeepers tend to every day at least once. And perhaps edible food that you can stomach to refill your energy.

I guess I will always be skeptical of accommodations amidst the greater nature until I have gone into the room and done the inspections myself. I suppose a part of me was kind of bracing for the worst just in case, as I have had my fair share of crappy accommodations along the way. My mind was still a blur after disembarking from the five-hour bus ride to Taman Negara National Park. We had lunch at their restaurant, which by the way serves wonderful food surprisingly. Not some sous chef gourmania, but at least good food that could make you believe that you never left the city at all.

Then, we dispersed to our individual rooms to freshen up. Pity me, as I had a room probably like 5 minutes away from the meeting point. Mutiara Taman Negara was built to expand horizontally, you see. But I was quite relieved with what Mutiara Taman Negara had in store for us when I opened the door.

I was given a chalet constructed in delightful Malay-timber, as were the other kinds of rooms available in Mutiara Taman Negara. A chalet with its own little porch to read, smoke and sip tea at while watching the rain fall outside. Inside was a quaint room with two singles, quiet to the core without any televisions or radio – Mutiara Taman Negara’s philosophy in keeping visitors comfortable yet in tune with the natural setting around.

Call me silly, but the first thing I checked out was the bathroom. Flushing toilet? Check. Hot water? Check. Working shower? Check. Toilet paper? Check and folded. Who cares if there is no TV? Who cares if there is nothing in the mini fridge? As long as I can get myself clean from all the gruesome adventure, I am a happy camper.

I guess Taman Negara is not called the world’s oldest and best preserved rainforest for nothing. They have quite a tight system on who enters the jungle and doing what, and also activities that are quite organised for us to choose from too.

One of them would be the Canopy Walkway, a must-do at Taman Negara. Built in 1992, it is known to be the longest canopy walkway in the world, stretching as long as 530 meters on 10 bridges and hovering 50 meters above the forest ground.

I could say it feels like walking on clouds, but that is hard to seep in when it feels like you are about to be thrown off the bridge whenever it sways the slightest. Especially during the third bridge that is 70 meters long, I thought it was going to give way and I was going to fall down into the greeny abyss. But it was not so bad once you have done it and thought about it. All you have to do is hold onto both railings and just walk as naturally as you can.

Another fun one could get into is rapids shooting. Say what, you say? Well, basically, it is something like a Grade 2 or, at best, a Grade 3 whitewater rafting. Only, instead of going with the current, you go against it so you have a higher chance of being capsised and getting wet.

Frankly, I had no idea what the hell it was until I was sitting on the boat floating languidly before hitting a rapid, which instantly made me wet and go, “Fuck, that was awesome.” Heh. The rapids shooting goes along the Tembeling River, and there are 7 major rapids to conquer: Nusa, Dua, Abai, Teras, Panjang and Terenggan. Unfortunately, the weather was bad that day and before we could experience all seven of the rapids, we had to turn around  to go back to the resort.

Along Tembeling River is a Orang Asli tribe called Batek. Currently, there are less than 3,000 of them left and the ones we visited by the river was only 20% of the population. The rest remain residing in the depths of the rainforest. We learned quite a lot about the Batek tribe during the short tour: how they make fire, how they make blowpipes and darts, what kind of food they eat and what are their traditions and beliefs for a funeral… It was quite interesting.

But I just could not get over the fact of how they just sat around and let us photograph them, as if they were some animal in display in the zoo. It kind of bothered me until I found out that they make money from these tours. Apparently, each of them get paid RM5 every time a group of tourists stop by. So, I suppose it is not that bad, seeing that it is a win-win situation. Besides, the village we visited, they were quite well-off for an aboriginal tribe, what with the shirts on their backs and some even owning cell phones. Well, now we know where all the RM5 goes to. Heh.

Our cave exploration was not really fun, and it was quite strenuous for someone like me. Just before we got to Gua Telinga, we had to go through a 1KM jungle trekking, in which for most parts were muddy from the rain the previous night. There were a few times I walked myself into a sticky dead end, and was close to asphyxia by the time we reached the cave.

And it did not really get any better when we went down into the wet and slippery cavern. We had to maneouvre through claustrophobic corners, careful not to slip amongst the rock and break your neck or limbs. The challenge was to find the right point to step on to move forward, and it took a while for me to arrange my limbs correctly so I could move on without twisting myself into a knot. I think for at least twice during the journey, I had huffed and questioned myself why am I putting myself through this torture.

When we emerged, ah, how the fresh air and bright green grass and chirping birds sounded so wonderful. But then of course, that only lasted for a few minutes, because we had to backtracked the 1KM to the jetty. Meh.

Now you know why a good conditioned accommodation is a must?

As the name suggested, Mutiara Taman Negara is truly a pearl hidden in the folds of Mother Nature’s arms. Not only do you get to share space with the abundant flora and fauna, you are also guaranteed a good resting spot by the end of your adventure. All the more reason to put Taman Negara in your next to-do list, don’t you think?

* By the way, ‘mutiara’ means ‘pearl’ in the Malay Language.

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Mutiara Taman Negara Resort
Kuala Tahan
27000 Jerantut
Pahang Darul Makmur
Malaysia
T: +6 09 266 3500 / +6 09 266 2200
E: cro@mutiarahotels.com
W: http://www.mutiarahotels.com

12.01.08

Takeoffs and landings.

Posted in Food tagged , , , , , , , , at 5:58 pm by Celeste

Also guest blogging at Backseat Radio: Because the universe always wins.

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For any small time traveller, we have dreams of going farther away, pass the geographical borders. Someday, I would like to go back to Australia and travel across the continent attending concerts that might be happening then. Then, I would like to do the rite-of-passage backpack trip around Europe. Lastly, if I ever get myself to the British Isles, I will make it a point to go up north to Iceland, and watch the sun set at 11PM.

Alas, I do not have a money tree growing in my backyard, and with the economy downslide, even a trip down to Singapore seems further than a five-hour drive. But, it does not hurt to dream every once in a while. To be in a place that believes someday your dream of travelling far and wide will come true someday. A place like hands giving you the nudge forward, feeding on your aspiration to make you want to just drop everything in life and just up and leave.

Finally. A travel-themed cafe. Departure Lounge has been around for about three years, and just recently – as recent as one month plus – it has opened up a new outlet in Solaris Mont Kiara. The idea came about when one of the founders, Loo, was still studying in the UK and he frequent a bookstore called Stanford in Manchester, which is said to be any travelling Englishmen’s Mecca. When Loo returned to Malaysia, his idea followed him and it has landed in hopes to provide all things travel related to the KL crowd.

The highlight of the cafe would probably be their little travel library. It is a humble little corner with rows of bookshelves filled with anything and everything you need to know about countries all over the world, as well as fictional travel-related books, just in case you need a kick of inspiration on where to travel.

It portrays a kind of cosyness you would find over a fireplace with the embers still alight, and you would tuck your sock-covered feet under yourself, sipping a hot cup of cocoa while dreaming of being in someplace else in the world with the same setting, but with actual snow falling outside.

Another point of interest would be the photo mural right by the entrance. I thought it was a nice idea to have visitors’ travel pictures up on the wall. I think it is these pictures that would strike that spark in me to make the move in travelling further. Looking at these perfectly angled and colourfully adapted 3×5’s, it just makes me want to go there myself, feel the atmosphere I could only sense by looking through a photograph, and take the shot myself, write about it and keep it stored in my head. Forever.

I cannot say they serve the most awesomest food in town, but I would have to give Loo credit for wanting to be better. Since he enjoys cooking, he does not mind spending long hours in the kitchen, trying to find a better way to spice up your food while you are hanging around spawning your next travelling trip.

One unique thing that came out of their kitchen is the Meatballs with Mango Gravy. It is like their own version of Ikea’s Swedish meatballs, only instead of having cranberry as the sweetener, they have mango instead. I thought it is a pretty good attempt, but you will not see me gulping down extra helpings though. See, I am not a fan of mangoes, and I have just picked up the habit in the form of juices and lassi probably less than five years ago. It does taste good, like a new kind of explosion for my palette. Definitely something different to savour in.

Other dishes to try out at Departure Lounge includes the Lounge Salad - Departure’s own house salad with ranch dressing, crispy bacon and shredded cheese.

The Roast Beef “Philly” Toastini - roast beef slices with sauteed onions and cheese, toasted for a crisp exterior, and a soft, cheesy centre.

The Chicken Puebla - a tortilla-wrapped grilled chicken breast with roasted peppers, sauteed onions, cheese and tomato salsa.

For a cafe that has only been around for one month, I could see a lot of potential in the foreseeable future for Departure Lounge, especially since they got the travel theme as an upper hand.

When I look at the clean walls, I saw amateur chalkboard drawings of airplanes with dotted trails behind them, doing figure eight’s to the other side of the room. I saw black-and-white murals of the France canal or the New York City decorating your background as you surf the Internet on your laptop. I also remember the map of America on Lucas Scott’s wall with the states made out of carplates of the respective states. I also saw musicians doing covers of travel related songs, and customers coming together and sharing their most unusual travel experiences and photos.

There is still room for growth for Departure Lounge, especially the new outlet in Mont Kiara. Visit it today you might not be impressed much. But, believe you me, give them the benefit of the doubt. Wait and see. I believe someday, with a little help from the avid travelling customers and Loo’s preseverance in perfecting the menu, Departure Lounge is going to go places.

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Departure Lounge
Solaris Mont Kiara
10, Jalan Solaris 4
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Opens Monday to Saturday @ 8AM-10PM; Sunday and Holiday @ 10AM-5PM
T: +6 03 6203 0362
E: cafe.departure.lounge@gmail.com