Eat Drink KL: April 2015

Thursday, April 30, 2015

The Hungry Spoon @ Sri Petaling

The Hungry Spoon is helmed by two chefs whose friendship spans 10 years & three countries - Suet Fei & Rahim first met each other a decade ago, when they enrolled at KDU's school of culinary arts. They eventually continued their training abroad together & honed their craft in Ottawa, Montreal & Phuket before returning to KL this past year. Now, they've opened their own venue in Sri Petaling, with a well-curated selection that strives to lure patrons from both within & beyond this neighbourhood.

The Hungry Spoon's tenets are typified by its rendition of shakshouka (RM15.50), comprising poached eggs - perfectly runny - with sausages in house-made tomato gravy alongside the kitchen's own-baked focaccia. Suet Fei & Rahim are determined to prepare as many ingredients as possible from scratch, from their sauces to their bread, complementing them with market-fresh local produce via potentially surprising strategies, such as by showering a fistful of coriander leaves on these free-range eggs.

Even the Big Breakfast (RM20.90) springs at least one unexpected touch, with the excellent baked beans cooked in a spicy chipotle sauce. Everything else on the plate proves worthwhile as well, from the scrambled eggs to the crusty bread, the natural-casing chicken sausage & turkey ham to the shimeji mushrooms. Brunch is served 12pm-5pm, Wed-Sun; other options include poached eggs with waffles, turkey ham & herbs (RM14.50) or English muffins, smoked salmon & spinach (RM19.90).

Most of The Hungry Spoon's menu nevertheless sticks to the safe side, catering to nearby residents. You'll find the regular range of bolognese/carbonara/aglio-olio pastas, with one slightly offbeat stand-out: a cream-based seafood pasta with subtle nuances of chillies & sambal (RM27). Mushroom soups, chicken salads, beef burgers & tuna sandwiches are also available.

Main courses pull off satisfying results - recommendations include this moist & meaty slab of salmon (RM38), irreproachably pan-seared & restoratively partnered with a combination of crisp French beans, creamy cauliflower puree & cherry tomatoes ...

... & carnivore-baiting, tenderly braised lamb shank, fulfilling in flavour, with juicy rapini mushrooms & potato mash (RM43).

For dessert, The Hungry Spoon makes its own ice cream too - our favourites are the white choc & dark choc flavours, both densely textured & intense-tasting. Other flavours include milk choc & coffee, though those might be too mild to leave a lasting impression. Enjoy the ice cream with waffles (RM12.50 with a double scoop), blondies (RM16) or in an affogato (RM10.50).

Fans of chocolate can have a field day with a Musetti coffee panna cotta layered with chocolate jelly & sprinkled with dark chocolate shavings (RM10), as well as the dark chocolate tart infused with faint hints of cinnamon & chilli (RM10.50). Service at The Hungry Spoon is warm & welcoming; thanks to the team here, including manager Suresh & Chloe, for hosting this meal.

The Hungry Spoon
6 Jalan Radin Bagus 9, Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. Open Wed-Sun, 12pm-1130pm. Tel: 03-9054-7693

The Eat Drink KL mobile app is now available, connecting restaurants & customers to promote a positive spirit of community.
Every restaurant on this app rewards users with a 6 percent discount, instantly & conveniently, everyday, all day long. 
In return, users share photos of their experiences at these eateries, creating a new community of restaurant lovers.
For every transaction, RM0.20 will be channelled to a charity of the month.

Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for January-April 2015. This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.cld.bz/2015 
This link expires May 4, 2015. Please check the newest blog entries after that for fresh links.

Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits.
Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link: 
Note to subscribers on Gmail: The newsletter will be in the Promotions folder of your inbox.

Sausages to sambal. Muffins to marshmallows. Peanut butter to mango chutney. Cornflake ice cream to honey aloe yogurt. Lavender-laced lemonades to lychee-&-guava juices.
Eat Drink KL: Small Businesses, Huge Flavours is the first eBook to help customers navigate the diversity of independent F&B entrepreneurs who bake & boil in their own kitchens, offering some of Malaysia's finest, most fascinating food products.
This resource will be continuously updated with new listings: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses 

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

D'Lee Deli @ Casa Tropicana

Warm & welcoming, D'Lee Deli is a casual hangout at Casa Tropicana that works well for kicking back over snacks & sweets. Its catchy name marks a pun-loving play on the surname of its founder Ken Lee, who runs the cafe with his partner Jacqueline.

D'Lee Deli fulfils the fundamentals of a modest deli by serving made-to-order sandwiches, all fresh-tasting & encouraging hearty. The best bets include soft-shell crab with wasabi aioli, smoked salmon with avocado & chicken with pesto sauce (RM17.90 each), brimming with crunchy leaves in fluffy bread & bolstered with roasted herb potatoes for a balanced meal.

Fans of waffles might have more fun than expected here - waffles can be personalised with a selection of regular or chocolate batter, with a choice of topping (blueberries, strawberries, marshmallows, Oreos, peanut butter or bananas) & sauce (butterscotch, salted caramel, dark chocolate, milk choc or white choc). The final secret weapon in D'Lee Deli's culinary arsenal is its own-made thick soft-serve ice cream (vanilla or choc). All in all, it's a creditable ensemble for RM15 per plate.

Other kitchen-baked desserts here include blondies, brownies & apple crumble pies, with a fresh-from-the-oven feel that creates a pleasurable hot-cold interplay with the ice cream. RM9 per serving; simple but satisfactory for the sweet tooth.

Soft serve is employed to enjoyable effect as well for D'Lee's affogato (RM10), the perfect treat for customers who like a lot of ice cream in their affogato. Also distinctive: A lightly purple taro latte (RM8 for hot, RM10 for cold) that complements the outlet's regular caffeinated espressos & cappuccinos. Thanks to Ken & Jacqueline for hosting this visit to their charming cafe.

D'Lee Deli
B08, Ground Floor, Casa Tropicana, Persiaran Tropicana, Petaling Jaya. Open daily, 3pm-12am

The Eat Drink KL mobile app is now available, connecting restaurants & customers to promote a positive spirit of community.
Every restaurant on this app rewards users with a 6 percent discount, instantly & conveniently, everyday, all day long. 
In return, users share photos of their experiences at these eateries, creating a new community of restaurant lovers.
For every transaction, RM0.20 will be channelled to a charity of the month.

Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for January-April 2015. This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.cld.bz/2015 
This link expires April 30, 2015. Please check the newest blog entries after that for fresh links.

Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits.
Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link: 
Note to subscribers on Gmail: The newsletter will be in the Promotions folder of your inbox.

Sausages to sambal. Muffins to marshmallows. Peanut butter to mango chutney. Cornflake ice cream to honey aloe yogurt. Lavender-laced lemonades to lychee-&-guava juices.
Eat Drink KL: Small Businesses, Huge Flavours is the first eBook to help customers navigate the diversity of independent F&B entrepreneurs who bake & boil in their own kitchens, offering some of Malaysia's finest, most fascinating food products.
This resource will be continuously updated with new listings: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses