Category Archives: LOCATION: KUALA LUMPUR

Fish Head Noodles at Red Leaf Restaurant & Cafe, Jln Loke Yew, KL

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fish head noodles

When we have cravings for fish head noodles and are not in the mood to queue up for a table at Woo Pin in Taman Desa or hunt for parking at Goon Wah in Kuchai Lama, our next best alternative is Red Leaf Restaurant at Jalan Loke Yew. Perhaps terming it “next best” isn’t very fair. The fish head noodles here can hold its own against the powerhouses mentioned above.

Our usual order comes with huge chunks of deep-fried fish and fish head, a few pieces of firm, delectable fish paste, tomatoes, preserved vegetables and of course, rice vermicelli, in a thick milk-infused broth. The “small” serving is rather large, but all the better to drink you up, grandma.

The restaurant also serves a variety of other popular one-dish meals, such as curry mee, wantan mee, claypot lou shue fun and prawn noodles, all of which are pretty good.

For all the writing I have done on high-end Malaysian and foreign food, this is where my heart is. Simple Malaysian fare that warms me up.

Diversity. That’s what it’s all about.

Red Leaf Restaurant & Cafe
(coming from Jln Maharajalela, it is located just before the Loke Yew roundabout)
Jalan Loke Yew, KL.

Café Café, KL

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Who would have thought that after travelling the world so extensively, we would be able to sample a little bit of Paris at the corner of what used to be called Birch Road, now renamed (like everything else in Malaysia) after his nemesis, Maharajalela. Locating the restaurant is not that easy. Hint: Look for the shop at the end of the road with the black facade, reminiscent of a dark worshipper’s temple.

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The restaurant is a paradox of looks, both opulent and rustic at the same time.

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Chandeliers suspended from the high ceilings, crystals reflecting the sparse lighting seemingly floating in mid-air, a curtain of glass beads providing bare privacy, melting candles and gargantuan flower arrangements greeted us, while a wisp of light forged the way to our seats beside huge windows covered by dark, heavy curtains.

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Dinner consisted of escargots, foie gras, mushroom soup, duck confit and wagyu beef cheek. My baked escargots in a lovely buttery garlic sauce was exquisite; the soup was a fresh, albeit light mushroom soup with a strong peppery taste; and the duck confit was well-browned and crisp on the outside, while the meat was gelatinous, tender and bursting with flavour due to the several hours of cooking in fat. The wagyu beef cheek, on the other hand, was tender and buttery.

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Desserts were lovely. My tiramisu with its creamy mascarpone cheese came doused in french brandy and was utterly decadent. Bald Eagle had a rich chocolate cake filled with peanut butter and it came served with a skinny candle pierced into it, burning merrily away as I softly sang him a birthday song.

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Café Café

175, Jalan Maharajalela 50150 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2141 8141

For map: http://www.cafecafekl.com/

Banquet, Bangsar Village II

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If you have been to Café Café, you will know that its interior is dark and opulent and it is every photographer’s nightmare. Banquet, its sister restaurant, which just opened at Bangsar Village II, is what light is to darkness. The restaurant is decidedly feminine with chandeliers, wicker chairs, wrought iron table stands and flowers everywhere.

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The smoking section, located in an enclosed space, is filled with mirrors giving the illusion of space. The non-smoking section is bathed in warm light and is located in the centre court section of the shopping mall. Both are pretty, and the main theme of white furnishings is carried through the two sections.

corn fritters

The menu includes both local as well as western cuisine with prices generally in the RM20 – RM30 range. For starters, we ordered the sweet corn and shrimp fritters (RM14/US$4) which was served with a rather plain, somewhat commercialised, chilli sauce.

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I loved the fritters which was fried to a nice crisp with distinct pieces of corn and shrimps. Very tasty and it didn’t leave me with the feeling that I was eating just plain flour.

oven baked butter fish with cream of honey mustard sauce

I enjoyed the baked butter fish (RM25/US$7) which was served with a lovely sweet and tangy honey mustard sauce. I especially loved the sauce’s grainy texture. The salad was pretty ordinary and it’s something that you either love or hate. I felt that the boiled chickpeas would have done better in a rolled up page off the telephone directory rather than in my salad.

braised lamb shank with chickpeas and potato salad

The lamb shank (RM38/US$11) was nice and tender. It’s hard to go wrong with an order like this. The lamb shank was served with the same side dish of chickpeas and potato salad.

seafood spaghetti

The seafood spaghetti (RM28/US$8) was served with a generous portion of prawns, but sadly, the prawns were not very fresh.

The dessert menu was rather similar to that found in Café Café. We tried the chocolate tart (RM9/US$2.60) which was very gelatinous in texture and really nothing to shout about.

Also check out:

Banquet
1F-28, Bangsar Village II
2 Jalan Telawi Satu
Bangsar Baru
59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2282 3228