Joseph Kitchen @ Menara UOA, Bangsar

The online vouchers craze has hit the Malaysians mid of last year and had been growing steadily ever since. At the very beginning, I was skeptical to purchase those online vouchers, simply because I was in doubt as some of the deals are too good to be true.

Everything has it's first time. My first purchase was of online vouchers was back in March with MyDEAL, one of the few online voucher portal in Malaysia. The deal entitled me to redeem a 3 course set meal at Joseph @ Kitchen Cafe located in Menara UOA at Bangsar.

Joseph @Kitchen, Menara UOA Bangsar

The cafe isn't very big but the setting are rather spacious and cozy, offering a relaxed ambiance for those who dine in or even a coffee break.

Little place but a cozy atmosphere

The redemption of the 3 course set meal includes an appetizer, a main course and a dessert to be chosen from the menu specially cater for MyDEAL customers. The deal also includes a free flow of drinks with a choice of ice lemon tea or fruit juice.

Exclusive menu for MyDEAL customers

Ice Lemon Tea
The first serving came alright but the eventual servings were slightly diluted. Well, it's free flow, so I've got no complain but the eventual servings could have been better.

Next, came the appetizer.

Italian's Ball Platter (RM 12 per platter)
Homemade fried cheesy meat balls and potatoes with shrimp.
The meat balls were not as cheesy as claimed by it's description. The potatoes with shrimp meanwhile tasted very ordinary, where it features potato strips coating the near to tasteless shrimp.

Creamy White Mushroom (RM 8)
Stir fried white button mushroom, onions with creamy white sauces and topped with almond flakes and herb. Our second appetizer and this was the bomb! The white button mushrooms were so juicy and blends well with the thick creamy white sauces. The hint fragrance from the almond flakes is like icing on the cake.

The main course came shortly after the appetizers were served.

Carbonara (RM 14)
Creamy white sauce with turkey strips and egg.
Wonderful carbonara, just the perfect flavour and the sauce thickness that I wanted in a good carbonara. Two thumbs up!

Grilled Lamb Chop (RM 15)
Grilled lamb shoulder with black pepper sauce that is served with salad and fries.
The lamb were rightly cooked to my liking as it resulted to a tender and juicy meat. The black pepper sauce were as great, offering a real thick and pepperish flavour to the already well marinated lamb chop. The only downside of this is that the serving of the lamb chop are rather small.

Creme Brulee
Zoe ordered this as her dessert. I don't really fancy this dessert as I find it too sweet for my liking. All I can say is that, the experience of it is like having a pudding with melted sugar as the icing on top. Sounds very sweet, isn't it?

Banana Split
A rather very ordinary dessert that is not helped by the bland taste of the ice cream.

Me and Zoe enjoying our deal at Joseph Kitchen, Menara UOA Bangsar

I reckoned the deal was pretty a steal considering the quality of the food that we had and as well as the bottomless drinks which includes the choice of fruit juice (though a little diluted).

Courtesy from MyDEAL

For the deal, we paid a total of RM 39.80 for two online vouchers which entitle us to a two set redemption. Total savings from the deal was RM 40 (RM 79.80 - RM 39.80). It has been sometimes since I last had some western food as good as this, and Joseph @ Kitchen certainly does worth a revisit.

*Price shown in the pictures above are at normal price.

Atmosphere: 6.5/10

Food: 6.5/10
Price: 5/10 (base on normal price)
Verdict: One of the better western food that I've had experienced!

Joseph @ Kitchen Menara UOA Bangsar
Unit 2-7, Second Floor
Menara UOA Bangsar
Jalan Bangsar Utama
59000, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: 03 - 2282 2242
Business hours: Monday to Friday: 7.30 am - 9 pm, Saturday: 8.30 am - 8 pm
(Closed on Sundays)
Website: http://www.josephkitchen.com.my

Italiannies Italian Food @ The Gardens, Mid Valley City

Italiannies was amongst the first chain of Italian restaurant that started in Malaysia. The first branch was first opened in 1 Utama Shopping centre years ago. It was hoo-ha back then as everyone were talking about the great food being served in Italiannies.

Fast forward, Italiannies can be virtually found in almost all the major complexes in Klang Valley. During Eddie's previous holiday trip back to Kuala Lumpur, I was at the Gardens for a revisit of Italiannies food after several years of absent.

Italiannies The Gardens

I realized the ambiance was rather quiet and peaceful even though there was a sizeable crowd. Was it the Italian way of enjoying the meal?

A very retro setting

With the current economic crunch, Italiannies was no exception to introducing set meals at a very attractive price. For just RM 27.90, you get to enjoy their 2 course meal which include an appetizer and a main course on all night long.

Italiannies 2 Course Meal

Right after the attendant took your order, you will be served a complimentary plate of bread to go with the olive oil and vinegar.

Bread with Olive oil and Vinegar
The bread was really soft and good even on it's own. I find the taste was rather cute when you take the bread with olive oil and vinegar. I'd always associate vinegar to loh mee or shark's fin soup, so pardon me for feeling such. However, I find the taste acceptable though.

Lime Juice (RM 7.50)
"Limau Ais" in an Italian way.

Iced Cafe Latte (RM 7.90)
Pretty good latte with the right composition of milk and espresso coffee.

We ordered 3 sets of the 2 Course meal. This meant that we would have a total of 3 appetizers and 3 main courses.

Italian Clams Soup
A hearty soup with fresh clams and diced tomatoes.
The soup were a little diluted but came with plenty of diced tomatoes. I'm not really keen on the soup because it tasted a little fishy to me, thanks to the exorbitant amount of tomatoes. I supposed the tomatoes fans will love it.

Pizza Caprese
A thin crust pizza topped with buffalo mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, red onions and basil.
It might looked ordinary, but you will be hooked up to the crispiness and the pleasing aroma of the pizza.

Toasted Bruschetta

Homemade Tuscan bread topped with marinated tomatoes, pesto sauce and parmesan cheese.

My first bite unfold the crispiness of the Tuscan bread that were followed quickly by the juiciness of the marinated tomatoes. Parmesan cheese added some kick to it, hence making it my favourite appetizer!

Just before we could finished our appetizers, our main course were served to us.

Shrimp Linguine
Sauteed shrimp served with their in house marinara sauce.
I find the pasta were springy and it went decently with their tangy marina sauce that consisted a lot of tomato puree. The shrimp were big, succulent and juicy too. The only problem was it comes in an extremely huge portion and we had a hard time finishing them!

Romano Chicken Caesar Salad
Caesar salad that comes with roasted mushroom caps, artichoke hearts, roasted red bell peppers and topped with fried Romano Chicken.
I know it is very unusual to ask for a salad as a main course, but let's try the Italian way for at least a night. The salad might be lightly drizzled with sauce, but the combination of all the other ingredients make this salad very enjoyable. I'd particularly like the chunks of Romano Chicken and the crispy diced toasted bread that provide the extra chew and flavour to the salad.

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Glaze
Oven-baked roasted chicken glazed with Balsamic that served with rosemary wedges and garlic butter broccoli.
The chicken meat were very rough and dry. I find the meat was very bland and not even the sweet balsamic glaze could make it taste any better. The best from this plate would be the garlic butter broccoli. Given a choice, I'd choose pasar malam roasted chicken at anytime than this.

With Eddie and Jenny for the dinner

The total bill for the above came to RM 116.30 after service and tax charges. I supposed the price was reasonable taking into the consideration of their generous portion. Not only that, the price was a huge reduction as compared to my first visit on years ago. Back then, I used to think Italiannies was a ripped off, but I have a second thought now.

Italian Clams Soup: 4.5/10

Pizza Caprese: 5/10
Toasted Bruschetta: 6.5/10
Shrimp Linguine: 5/10
Romano Chicken Caesar Salad: 6/10
Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Sauce: 3/10

Atmosphere: 7/10
Price: 6/10
Verdict: After so many years of absent, I still don't find their food impressive.

Italiannies
Lot S209, Second Floor
The Gardens, Mid Valley City
Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: 03 - 2283 3675

http://www.italiannies.com.my/location_the_gardens.html

Chili's Grill & Bar @ G Hotel, Gurney Drive, Penang

Whilst I had patronized Chili's for numerous times around the Klang Valley area, this would be my first time dining Chili's in Penang. Perhaps lots of you will wonder, why Chili's when there were so many other hawker food to choose around. Well, you can't be celebrating your friends birthday by the hawker roadside right? While it is not wrong to do so, but somehow I supposed a better ambiance might fits better into the celebration.

There were not much of choices being offered around Gurney, and we agreed on Chili's after passing by it. A good call, and it has been a while since my last visit to Chili's.

Chilis at G Hotel

I suppose this is the only Chili's available in the Penang Island. Just like the Chili's in the Klang Valley, it was crowded as usual. But a point worth noting here is that it was on a Sunday dinner, hence I'm unsure about the crowd level on the normal days.

It is well-known to people that Chili's did offered bottomless juice drinks. Pei Yee ordered the apple juice while I fancied something new, the guava juice.

Bottomless Juice Drinks (RM 8.95)

We started off with the famous Triple Play platter which consisted three of the Chili's favourite starters. Indeed, this has always been my favourite appetizer whenever I patronized Chili's.

Triple Play (RM 25.95)
The platter consisted of Chicken Crispers, Wings Over Buffalo and Southwestern Eggrolls with sauces for dipping. There are 3 sauces to choose from, one tasted like a mayonaise while the other two offered a more tangy taste. The Chicken Crispers were actually chicken fillets coated with flour and being deep fried while the Wings Over Buffalo were marinated chicken wings that being grilled and offered a very tangy and spicy taste. I'd always find the Wings Over Buffalo and the Chicken Crispers are ordinary and this is no exception.
However, just like usual, Southwestern Eggrolls remained as the bomb! It offered a mild crisp on the skin while mantaining it's fluffiness within, and together with the special fillings that blends in well, it will be sure to keep you asking for more!

Next, we had grilled chicken breast as our main course.

Fire-Grilled Chicken & Portobello (RM 32.95)
Fire grilled chicken breasts with a marinated Portobello mushroom served over zesty peppercorn sauce with loaded mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. I find the chicken breasts were over grilled, resulted to a very rough, dry meat and a hint of burned taste. Only the mushrooms worth being mentioned as they were nicely sauteed and juicy. And yes, the mashed potatoes were still as good the way Chili's prepared them.

Happy Birthday Pei Yee!

The total bill came to RM 88.30 which included two bottomless drinks after 10% service and 5 % government taxes. The price might be a little pricey but I reckon the generous serving of the food made up to it. Minus the Fire-grilled chicken, Chili's would still remained as one of my favourite western food franchise restaurant.

Triple play : 6.5/10
Fire-Grilled Chicken & Portobello : 4.5/10

Atmosphere: 7/10
Price: 5/10
Verdict: Southwestern Eggrolls and their mashed potatoes were still as addictive!

Chili's Grill & Bar Restaurant
G-05, G Hotel Penang
168A Persiaran Gurney
10250
Penang
Tel : 04 - 210 1111

Tony Roma's @ Sunway Pyramid

The last week of February marked with suspense amongst ACCA students who took their exam last December. Result was released on the 22nd February, and having went through it myself, I know how exactly it felt. Fortunately, most of my friends did well in that sitting and congratulations to them.

One of my happiest friend was Esther, as she did passed her final paper of the ACCA. This meant that she will be one of the many official affiliates of ACCA. Time for a celebration and, we agreed on Tony Roma's after shortlisting a few dining place.

I'd always like Tony Romas for their excellent staff service and the taste of their food. My first time patronizing here was back in year 2007 for my birthday celebration. Since then, I'd always recommend Tony Romas to my friends and families because of the excellent dining experience.

Cosy ambiance

Choosing your beverage was a headache because they have lots to offer ranging from alcoholic to non-alcoholic. It did took Esther a while before she pick her drink.

Bahama Mama Virgin (RM 7.90)
According to the attendant, this drink consisted of strawberry and banana juice. Unique enough.

Orange Juice (RM 8.90)
It is refillable and this is why I'd always stick to ordering the fruit juices whenever I'm here. I love free flow!

We were pretty hungry, and we did start off the dinner with their signature appetizer.

Onion Loaf (RM 12.90 half loaf, RM 16.90 full loaf)
Giant hand-cut Spanish onions, breaded, deep fried and served with their house BBQ dipping sauce.

Onion Loaf
Forget about being sinful for those diet watcher, because it will be more sinful not to indulge it. The bread loaf were so crispy and fluffy in the outside whilst the crunchy onion within offered the extra bite. Taste good even on itself. Need extra flavour? Just dip the loaf into their house BBQ sauce, and you will find it hard to resist the next helping.

Bread & Garlic butter
Complimentary from them as you ordered the Onion Loaf. Their bread was so soft and it went well with the Onion Loaf dipped with their special BBQ sauce.

I got creative, trying to make my own version of Onion Loaf sandwich.

My version of Onion Loaf Sandwich

Our main course was served to the table even before we finished the appetizer. This showed their kitchen staff is really working at an industrious rate. I'm a typical Asian and I'd always prefer to have some sauce for the extra dip on my main course. And for this, Tony Roma's were very generous with their offering of in house sauces.

Their in-house specialty sauce
They have Original, Red Hots, Blue Ridge Smokies and Carolina Honeys. Each of them have a special taste of their own, and you can be creative by mixing a few to form your favourite sauce.

BBQ 1/2 Chicken (RM 29.90)
A juicy, half chicken basted in Original barbecue sauce and charbroiled that served with French fries and cole slaw.
One of my favorite dish at Tony's and it doesn't fail me the each time I ordered it. It was full with flavour as a result of a good marination and perfectly charbroiled. Adding on, the chicken meat were so tender, juicy and full with sweetness. Two thumbs up!

Shrimp Scampi Pasta (RM 31.90)
A generous portion of shrimp lightly sauteed with garlic, fresh basil, tomato pesto, and a hint of chipotle. Served over linguine and topped with shaved Romano cheese.
I don't really fancied pasta but I find it hard to resist this pasta. My personal best shrimp pasta to date. Trust me, it was that good!

Congratulations to you Esther for being an affiliate of ACCA! =)

The total bill came to RM 105.25 which included 10% of service charge and 5 % governtment tax. I reckoned the price was pretty reasonable acknowledging the fact that the portion of their serving was very huge. I'd always find it difficult to finish a main course by myself. However on that day, I did finished them because I was somewhat very hungry. A very satisfying dinner in the end, and definitely I will be back here very soon!

Thank you Esther for the treat!=)

Atmosphere: 7/10

Food: 8/10
Price: 6/10
Verdict: Excellent food being served by the excellent staff!

Tony Roma's Ribs .Seafood. Steaks Restaurant
LL1.43, Lower Level One
Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall
3, Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway
46150, Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 603 - 7492 1188

T.G.I Friday's™ Restaurant & Bar @ Wangsa Walk

Was checking out facebook on a fine day when I come across Amy's status that Amrita will be leaving Malaysia. What? Is that true? I texted Amrita but there was no reply from her. The next day, Surya's facebook message confirmed that she will be leaving to New Zealand to further her studies.

Surya was trying to organize a farewell gathering for Amrita. There were suppose to be more than 6 of us, but unfortunately, due to the limited time and the festive week of Chinese New Year, many couldn't make it. The location was set at Fridays located at the Wangsa Walk at Wangsa Maju. This was really the first time I heard about Wangsa Walk.

The last time I dine in Friday's was 9 years back on the very last day of my SPM exams with my sisters of Becky, Wern Ching and Michelle. I didn't like my JD Chicken Breast then because it tasted too dry. Hopefully, this time round my food will taste better.


The cozy environment and the lighting set up a perfect ambiance for dining and catching up. Though the weather was very hot, we could barely feel the heat when we were being seated inside.

Iced Lemon Tea (RM 7.90)
Bottomless refills but I didn't like the size of their glasses because it was too small. I needed to ask them to refill numerous times since I'm a person that drinks a lot.

Apple Iced Crush (RM 8.90)
Iced crush fizzy drink that was flavoured with apple taste. Decent but not something that I would order as it was not bottomless.

I remembered I saw a poster somewhere regarding the promotion set that they offered in Fridays which includes an Appetizer and a Main Course (RM 29.90) from their selective menu. Finally, I have the chance to order them after some time.

I ordered a Mac Cheese as my appetizer and since Surya ordered the promotion set, she was entitled for an appetizer as well. She initially ordered the Buffalo Wings but a moment later another waitress came to notify us that Buffalo Wings was out of stock and she needed to choose another appetizer. Are you kidding me? How could a kitchen ran of stock when you are in a F & B line and furthermore, that is your claimed flagship appetizer.

Chicken Fajita Nachos
Crisp tortilla chips were piled high with their marinated charbroiled chicken breast, grilled onions, green peppers and topped with melted Monterey Jack Cheese.
I personally find the toppings were not flavourful enough and a little too sour to my liking.

Fried Mac & Cheese
Irresistible, creamy cheeses and elbow noodles golden-fried to perfection. Another flagship appetizer of theirs.
However, it was a let down as it tasted very very bland. I could barely taste the existence of the cheese or was it even a cheese?

The Cheese Macaroni fillings

Time for the main course after some disappointing starters.

Southwest Adobo Chicken
Roasted half-chicken seasoned with lemon, garlic, cilantro and herb rub. Served with sweet potato fries and spicy Jala chili sauce for dipping.
It was Surya's main course and of course I couldn't help myself from stealing some chunks of it. The sauce was a little tangy with some hints of Masala taste. However, the chicken meat was very dry and way too rough.

Tuscan Chicken Melt
Fire-grilled diced chicken, Mozzarella and Jack cheeses, roasted onions and tomatoes, all pressed together between two slices of buttery bread. Served with crispy fries.

Chicken Tuscan Melt
The fillings were horrible, again, I do not know why there were no fragrant smell of the Cheese even though they claimed to have 2 different type of cheese. All I tasted were just chunks of chicken breasts and very bland starchy cheese with the garlic butter toast. So miserable that I ate a quarter of the toast only.

Then came to the steak part where Amrita and Thinesh had them as their main course. Since, I don't eat beef, I can only ask their opinion.

Ribeye Steak (RM 47.90)
Our richly-marbled, 10-oz Australian chilled air flown grain fed ribeye steak, chargrilled until it's juicy and melt-in-your mouth tender.
Niresh's main course. He finds it lacking in some flavour and it was no match to steaks prepared by the other steak house franchise chain.

Jack Daniel's New York Strip and Shrimp (RM 57.90)
A generous 10-oz. Australian chilled air flown grain-fed strip steak and crispy Cajun-spiced shrimp served with cheddar cheese mashed potatoes and our original Jack Daniel's sauce.
Amrita commented the steak was nothing really to shout about. I tasted the sauce, and it deserved some mentioning of it unique taste with strong hint of Jack Daniel's.

In the end, they were left overs of main course and Mac Cheese. Not because the portion was big but it was simply because it does not lived up to expectation. Well, maybe they need another 10 years.

All the best to you Amrita!=)

Wishing you all the best undertakings in New Zealand. Do keep in touch and remember what you have promised us. Take care!

Chicken Fajita Nachos: 5/10

Fried Mac & Cheese: 3/10
Southwest Adobo Chicken: 6/10
Tuscan Chicken Melt: 2/10
Ribeye Steak: 5/10
JD's New York Strip and Prawn: 5/10

Atmosphere: 7/10
Price: 5/10
Verdict: One of my most dissatisfying lunch. Perhaps, it will be another 10 years before my next visit.

T.G.I Friday's™ Restaurant & Bar,
Lot G02, Ground Floor,
Wangsa Walk Mall, Wangsa Avenue,
Jalan Wangsa Perdana 1,
Wangsa Maju, 53300,
Kuala Lumpur