Estilo @ Publika

What was originally planned as a burger night out turned into an unexpectedly Spanish affair thanks to my brother in law. He's pretty adventurous when it comes to trying out new restaurants and since he was the first to arrive at the scene, he surveyed the restaurants and picked out Estilo - a Spanish Tapas bar. I didn't even know it existed even though it was only a few metres down the block from Fatboy's!

Estilo

First up, Tacos! Looks delicious, doesn't it? It was only okay. First of all, the tacos were half the size of that in the menu. Second, they were stale. The filling was alright.

Taco time (RM25)

This cute mini lime margarita came with the set. Cute, yes. Alcoholic, doubtful.

Mini Lime Margarita

Next up, another Ramadan set meal - Grilled Lamb with Paella. The lamb was pretty tasty, and the rice not too bad. Still wasn't feeling the Spanish in the food though.

Grilled Lamb with Paella.

Finally, we had the Paella Mariscos - seafood paella. The seafood was fresh, the rice was delicious, and the garlic oil sauce to go with it really added to the range of flavours in this dish. Yummy! 

Paella Mariscos (RM124)

I was still hungry at the end of dinner. Ok, granted I have a somewhat bottomless pit but a sizeable dinner should fill me up. The portions were a little sad. Also, what is a Tapas bar without pork?! Not so authentic after all.

Verdict: Got to head back to Pincho's soon for some actual authentic Spanish fare.

Where:
Estilo
Level G2 Block C5,
Publika Solaris Dutamas,
34, Jalan Dutamas 1,
Hartamas Heights,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

When:
Daily 11:30am - Midnight

The Reading Room @ Outram Park

Continuing with my foodie adventures in the Lion City - yet another cafe that left an impression, a good one at that. Managed to catch up with a good friend I met on exchange seven years ago (Has it really been that long?!). She's always on the ball with taking me places with great food (super delish waffles with gula melaka soft serve last time!) and she certainly did not disappoint this time around with The Reading Room.

Beautiful exterior of The Reading Room.

Cafe by day, bar by night, I was really taken with the beautifully conserved historical exterior of the place along with the block shop houses next to it, which was nicely contrasted with the modern buildings surrounding it.

The interior - tall shelves filled with countless books.

The interior was a sight to behold as well, and it was clear how aptly named the cafe was with the tranquil ambience of books all around.

The menus are sandwiched in books!

Cool menus sandwiched in books.

Tucked in a cozy corner, we were surrounded by antiques of sorts.

Some of the antiques on display.

Now, for the food! They took quite a fair amount of time to plate even though it was a quiet evening but it was all well worth the wait.

My friend seemed to be pleased with the TRR Super Burger - a sinful beef patty topped with cheese and bacon. Special mention goes to the fries - potato strips covered in a deliciously crisp batter. SO GOOD.

TRR Super Burger ($19.80)

The Deep Fried Mushrooms - just WOW. How do the mushrooms maintain its juiciness, I'm not sure. Whatever it is, they've got the art of deep frying down pat.

Deep Fried Mushrooms ($10.80)

Verdict: I'd thought this was another one of those cafes that only fared well on deco but the quality of the food was definitely above par. Drooling over the mushrooms just writing this.

Where:
The Reading Room
19, Bukit Pasoh Road,
Singapore 089833.

Canopy Garden Bar @ Bishan Park

It's been a loooong week what with the craziness at home and end of term madness at work, haven't really had the time to keep the blog updated so here goes a quick one!

It was mid-term break a couple of weekends ago and I'm not one to sit still and stay home so there I was in Singapore! Had a blast of a time catching up with high school friends and spending precious quality time with my sister and nephews. There was too much good food to be had, so I shall pick the one that left the biggest impression. My sister took me to Canopy – a café nestled in Bishan Park, giving it a nice and cozy feel much like Grub on the other side of the park.

Canopy Garden Bar

Sis got the Eggs Royale. Generously covered in hollandaise sauce, the marriage between the poached eggs, smoked salmon and roe was delish.

Eggs Royale ($16)

I was torn between the French toast and the pancake but settled for the Buttermilk Pancake. The large pancake was thick and fluffy, simple yet satisfying.

Buttermilk Pancake ($10)

As if that wasn't filling enough, there's cake! For the Great Singapore Sale period (2 June – 23 July), any order of egg plates, large plates or pasta comes with a complimentary slice of cake. Yay! Not the best but wasn't bad!

Complimentary Brownie!

Verdict: Will head back but there are just soooo many heartland cafes on that island to explore and try out!

Where:

Canopy Garden Bar

1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1

Bishan Park 2

Singapore 569931

When:

Sun: 8am - 10:30pm

Mon - Thurs: 9am - 10:30pm

Fri: 9am - 11pm

Sat & PH: 8am - 11pm

KyoChon @ 1 Utama

This past weekend, my sister took me to a highly anticipated, long awaited date to KyoChon. She'd been with a colleague of hers before and was super eager to have me try the food there - namely Fried Chicken. Honestly, never knew this restaurant existed even though it's at the mall I frequent.

KyoChon at 1 Utama.

We don't usually fancy deep fried foods but this was supposedly the healthy option. They fry antibiotic-free, healthy, chilled chickens with canola oil, which equates to a healthy heart (hopefully). Hurray!

Chicken Like You've Never Had Before!

We got Set C (RM54.90). which includes 4 drumsticks (Original and Hot) with two bowls of rice and soup. The batter was as promised, was much less than the norm and was superbly delicious and packed with flavour.

4 drumsticks (Original and Hot).

SalSal Strips, boneless strips coated in a special rice batter. They were some seriously fresh and succulent chicken strips with a chewy and almost glutinous rice textured exterior. The Jambalaya and Honey Mustard dipping sauces added to the deliciousness of it all.

SalSal Strips

We also ordered as a side, the Honey Wingettes and Drumettes. The batter on this was one was slightly thicker than the drumsticks above but I kinda preferred this over that.

Honey Wingettes and Drumettes (RM18)

And check out their takeaway bag!! Looks more like a bag for cosmetic products or something.

KyoChon's bag for takeaways.

Verdict: So delicious...def the go-to for fried chicken but how healthy can deep fried foods get right?

Where:
KyoChon
1 Utama
LG 311, Lower Ground Floor,
Persiaran Bandar Utama,
Bandar Utama, 
47800 Petaling Jaya.

When:
Daily 10am - 10pm