Tea Time @ Melur & Thyme, Suria KLCC

beautiful latte

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and somehow, I missed my lunch. Searching for a decent meal I found enticing my companion Id to one of my latest makan place in KLCC, Melur & Thyme Restaurant on the Ground floor facing the park. I accidentally stumbled upon in on a Christmas day last year, having afternoon at the Harolds cafe. 

Melur & Thme served a mixture of local and western delights, both finger foods and full ala carte cuisine. Their coffee latte is one of the best and I never failed to order them on every occasion. Melur & Thyme's latte had the distinctive taste and aroma that word failed me right now, and of course, I also like their artistic foam drawings. And what a great way to nibble their spring rolls- fried popiah stuffed with cuttlefish and mixed vegetables served with thick sweet chilli sauce. A good starter for me while waiting for my dish in a day that I called a carbo celebration day! The mixed veggies were fresh and crunchy and the popiah skin were crispy.

spring rolls

I've frequented Melur & Thyme a few times, and on all occasion I was supposedly on a 'no carbs diet', thus the only option were some kind of proteins dishes (that I will post in the near future). Hence, on this fateful Saturday afternoon around 3pm, I ordered my dream plater, Nasi Goreng Bunga Kantan with Crispy Chicken. Basically, stirred fried rice with flower torch, long beans and lemon grass served with eggs, lots of crackers and their so called special ayan kampung (spring chicken) with of course sambal on the side!

RM24.00 Fried Rice

We also ordered Penang Char Koay Teow, stir fried koay teow (flat rice noodles) with cockles, chives, beans sprouts and tiger prawns with cut chillies in soy sauce on the side. I am not really a Char Koay Teow fan, so, I reckon the Char Koay Teow is so so. The taste is there with generous add ons. We finished it to the last bit, and it must be good. 

Char Koay Teow

The ambience is fantastic, the serving is fast and friendly and the waiters were very attentive not withstanding that we were seating at the outer side of the restaurant. The food itself were fantastic, wholesome, tasty and no cutting corners in term of ingredients. A plate of Fried Rice at RM24.00 it was a bomb, but this is Suria KLCC restaurant outlet where the rental is a bomb too, I say, it is value for money and a unique dining experience where we can mix, match or contrast our dining choices. Acepaizah's overall rating is 9 for this rather expensive dining extravaganza!

celebrations of carbs

~Acepaizah~

Western Dinner at Water Rationing Zone @ Fiske Steak House

mixed grill 

I was introduced to this makan place called Fiske Steak House at Medan Selera AU2, Keramat, Kuala Lumpur by my IIUM coursemate, NF. According to NF this place served delicious Western dishes at a reasonable price. This place itself is a kind of street air conditioned "kiosk" with plenty of seating capacity outside the elongated kiosk. The place was pack when we arrived, so we sat along the long corridor instead.

We place our orders, with me having the mixed grill of lamb, chicken and beef. Since I am not a lamb eating person, I politely inquire whether it could be change to two chicken grill instead. The waitress obliged and the less than 15 minutes my mixed grill arrive! My oh my. The mixed grill were place on top of each other and practically swimming in the glistening black pepper sauce and topped with some baked beans accompanied by some coleslaw and mushy mashed potatoes. The mixed grill were tender and cooked or rather grilled to perfection.

roasted chicken
with creamy cheesy cheese

NF ordered roasted chicken which was covered with melted cheese and more cheese sprinkled atop it. Accompanying dishes were coleslaw and mushy mashed potatoes and creamy cheesy pasta. 

I was very impressed  with this new found makan place that I invited other IIUM's coursemate about a week later. As usual, the place was packed but we managed to get a table in side the long kiosk, so we dine in the comfort temperature of about 29*. Unfortunately, on that Friday, the area was on the water zone rationing day and all dishes were served in take away plastic containers! But this do not dampens our eating spirit the least though SaR was a bit annoyed. Nevertheless, the fork and spoon were all stainless steel as usual.

I ordered Arab Rice together with grilled chicken which was a tad too dry and green chilli's paste and some potatoes on the side. The rice itself was very aromatic. I improvised the cover as my plate!

Arab Rice
@ RM15.00

KW had Special Chicken Chop with potatoes and spaghetti and coleslaw while her sister YW had roasted chicken which is at RM14.00 is really value for money.

Special Chicken Chop
very special indeed, served in plastic ware! 

roasted chicken
on the go!!!

My other two companion, SaR and HW both ordered the mixed grill which apparently too much for them, and SaR do not fancy lamb grill. Over all the dishes were delicious and they maintain the food quality in the circumstances. Oh, we also had mushroom and chicken soups and it was really heavenly mouth watering delicious. And it is only RM3.90 and come with a thick garlic bread.

thick creamy meaty chicken soup

The price is reasonable and value for money. The ambience or rather atmosphere is good, if we are seated in the air conditioned dining area, clean and very fast service. And I believe they have a good working attitude towards whatever situation, and when the universe give them lemons, they make lemonade instead of growling and complaining (about the water rationing!). I give Fiske Steak House an over all 8 on Acepaizah scale, and this is STREET Fair!

mixed grill

no hot beverages
canned and juices only

improvised eating condition

 creamy cheesy affairs
~Acepaizah~

Bali feel dinner @ Balifeel Cafe, Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur.

Drinks
3/4 glass of freshly sliced lemon grass

Ages ago I went to the Bali Island in Indonesia where I left my surf board along the Kuta beach in front of Hardrock Cafe. That being said, I sometime missed Balinese cuisine. Hence, my encounter with Balifeel Cafe in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur is an adventure of a kind. The cafe has a cozy setting with patrons choosing either to sit indoor or along it's verandah with plenty of leafy green plants, since it is hazy in Kuala Lumpur, we chose to be seated in door instead.

Since I am on a strict no carbs diet, I ordered fish satay together with lemon grass beverage. To my surprise, ( I intentionally omit the word "pleasant" here!) my drink came in a glass with plenty of small and fine shredded young lemon grass roots. I was speechless to say the least. The fresh shredded lemon grass fills the air with a pleasing aromatic smells. Next is the fish satay with it's succulent and meaty fillet. It is bite size and were well grilled with a tinge of tandoori paste added to it, I think. The fish texture is soft and each layer of the fish meat is clear and distinct. Each pieces of the satay is very moist and juicy. Well grilled on the outer layer while maintaining it's juicyness upon each bite.

innocent looking fish satay

My companion, BFF had Pineapple fried rice which was well presented with it's arrangement resembling a dolly with a smile from a piece of pineapple, fried onion as the eyes, crackers, slices of cucumber as it's hair and red fried prawn hanging like an ear rings! And the dress from slices of fried egg. I am so imaginative after a long hiatus.:) That being said, I think the fried rice is a bit plain without any extra veggies except for minute traces of carrots. But then, this may be the Balinese style.

dolly like pineapple fried rice
wt prawny ear rings

As usual F-Den will have Nasi Goreng Pataya, i.e. Fried rice wrapped with egg. However, here at Balifeel, the fried egg simply covered the fried rice, again this may be Balinese style which of course I doubt it. However, their food presentation is really impressive and conspicuous! Most of the dishes at Balifeel are served on banana leaves atop a traditional Malay tray called nyiru made from weaved rattan.

Pataya fried rice
wt generous side kicks!

Like fish satay, other finger food includes fried tempeh which were fried to order and reached our table piping hot and crispy. For RM4.80 a plate consisting of 5 medium sized finger medium, I say it is a steal, value for money!

crispy tempeh

Overall my observation is that Balifeel Cafe have a very nice ambience with plenty of leafy green plants. Their prices are reasonable and value for money. Of course, note to self, must have an open mind of the dishes which may differ than what one anticipated.Overall it garnered a respectable 8 on Acepaizah's scale And for their arresting and dramatic (the lemon grass) food presentation I gladly bestowed a 9.5 on Acepaizah's scale.

fine slices of young lemon grass roots
3/4 cup!!!

 lemony grassy honey
~Acepaizah~