Zouk Cafe & Bar @ The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 6.5
• Price (1-10): 6.5
• Environment (1-10): 7

29 October 2010: Zouk Cafe & Bar is located at Ground Floor of The Gardens Mall (next to the entrance, facing Mid Valley Megamall). Before this, I’ve never thought of trying this out until I came across the “1 For 1 Lunch Promo”. In conjunction to my bf’s birthday eve, we headed to Zouk Cafe Bar before the promotion ends. Here are the promotion banner and lunch menu…

I’m eligible for this promotion by paying using my Amex Credit Card. Although it’s stated in the lunch menu that the lunch promotion includes ONE complimentary plate of tropical fruits, it’s not applicable for “1 For 1 Lunch Promo”. I wonder why is Zouk so petty that they want to save the plate of fruits. Since it’s 1 For 1, at least serve 1 plate of fruits, for god’s sake, it will make the customers happier.

Put the free fruits aside, here’s what we ordered…

• Seafood Aglio Olio (RM22++) -> Angel hair pasta tossed in virgin olive oil, chilli flakes and garlic served with prawns and scallop. To be exact, there are actually 3 prawns and 1 scallop, which are quite fresh alright. The angel hair pasta is quite tasty and appetizing with the herb and chilli flakes but I slowly found it a bit too salty later on. I couldn’t managed to finish it but I think it should be a decent portion for guys.
• Briyani Rice with Chicken Tandoori (RM22++) -> Steamed briyani rice with chicken tandoori served with papadom, acar rampai and vegetables dalcha. The portion of rice is smaller than average but taste alright. Chicken tandoori is quite meaty and tender but tasteless… Not recommended.

In conclusion, considering the normal price of the food there, it’s definitely not worth the money. Besides, if you would like to have a peaceful meal, don’t even consider Zouk because it’s located at the entrance of The Gardens Mall, facing Mid Valley Megamall. Many people walk to and fro the two malls all the time. Furthermore, if you want to have a quick meal, it’s not recommended to go to Zouk because their service is quite slow.

Here's the location and details of Zouk Cafe & Bar...
Address: Lot G-223, Ground Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 603-2288 1997


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LeVain Boulangerie Patisserie @ Off Jalan Imbi

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 8.5
• Price (1-10): 7
• Environment (1-10): 8

16 October 2010: LeVain Boulangerie Patisserie is a European-style restaurant serving mainly stone oven-baked breads, pastries and cakes. It is located at Jalan Delima, Off Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur (next to Fukuya Authentic Japanese Cuisine). The interior of the restaurant, which is spacious with high-ceiling, is very poshy and elegantly decorated.

Besides a wide variety of breads, pastries and cakes are served, there are also some breakfast and main meals. On top of that, there are some hand-made chocolate available for free testing. Since it’s my first time there, I randomly chose a few breads/pastries, as below…

• Turkey Ham and Egg Bread (RM3.20) -> taste great, with soft, fine and tender bread
• Chocolate Danish (RM3.60) -> crispy outside, tender inside, with rich chocolate filling
• Chocolate Coronet (RM3.00) -> rich and creamy chocolate filling and coating
• Chicken Curry Donut (RM3.80) -> crispy donut with delicious curry chicken filling

In general, I enjoy my breakfast at LeVain. I will go again to try out other pastries and the cakes.

Here's the location and details of LeVain Boulangerie Patisserie...
Address: No. 7, Jalan Delima, Off Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2142 6611
Business Hours: 7.30am till 9pm daily


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Imperial Rama @ Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 9.5
• Price (1-10): 6.5
• Environment (1-10): 8.5

3 October 2010: My dad’s 60th birthday dinner was held at Imperial Rama. Imperial Rama is a Thai-Chinese fine dining restaurant located at a secluded corner in Level 2 of Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands. It provides an elegant and great dining ambience.

The birthday dinner was attended by 15 people, occupying 2 tables. We ordered 2 set meals, costing RM798++ per table (the set meal changes every month), as shown below…

Here’s the snapshots of what we had…

• Imperial Pomfret Fish with Crispy Ginger Oyster -> Pomfret slices are fresh, solid, fine and tasty. Crispy fried oysters are delicious. Even the bone of pomfret is fried until crispy and edible.
• “Teow Chew” Shark’s Fin in Casserole -> Taste just right.

• Braised Slice Abalone with Dried Seafood in Golden Brown Sauce -> Delicious!
• Pineapple Spare Rib with Crab Mushroom -> Spare ribs are crispy outside but very soft and tender inside. The taste is great as well.
• Stir-Fried King Prawn with Pepper & Glass Noodles -> King prawns are fresh and tasty. Sauce from the king prawns are well-absorbed into the glass noodles. Best glass noodles I’ve ever had.
• Mango Puree with Sago -> Very fresh mango taste with delicate texture.
• Banana with Lotus Pancake -> Very unique. Pancakes normally go with lotus or red bean filling. The banana filling goes really well with lotus taste. I don’t normally eat banana but I can’t stop myself from having 2nd piece of this banana lotus pancake. Something different and worth trying. Highly recommended.

All my guests are satisfied with dinner. There was only compliments, no complaints. In conclusion, this meal is really worth the money.

Note: Kindly be advised to make prior reservation to avoid disappointment.

Here's the location and details of Imperial Rama...
Address: Level 2, Highlands Hotel, 69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang.
Tel: 03-61011118 (Highlands Hotel General Line)
Opening hours: 12 to 2.30pm (Lunch), 6- 9.30pm (Dinner)


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Links to previous relevant posts:

• 16 March 2009
• 23 January 2009

Ciao Ristorante @ Jalan Kampung Pandan

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 8
• Price (1-10): 7
• Environment (1-10): 9

1 May 2010: Ciao serves authentic Italian food. It is the oldest Italian restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, opened in 1992. It used to be located in Jalan Tun Razak. Recently, it is newly re-located in Jalan Kampung Pandan, just off Jalan Tun Razak. The restaurant resembles a rustic Italian country house with a cozy garden and man-made lake overlooking at the golf course, and with ample parking facilities.

We had two different types of pasta dishes for dinner but I forgot to snap the photos of those. I can’t recall what did we order but they taste alright. Luckily, I did not forget to snap the desserts…

• Chocolate Lava Cake (RM22) -> warm, thick and rich, melted chocolate sauce filling flowing out from the cake. Thumbs up. Highly recommended.
• Tiramisu (RM16) -> quite tasty alright, although I’m not a tiramisu lover.

After a satisfying dinner, it’s really great to have a walk at the garden, looking at the man-made lake and golf course across the lake. It’s really a place to consider for those who wish to have a garden wedding.

Here's the location and details of Ciao Ristorante...
Address: No. 20A, Jalan Kampung Pandan, Off Jalan Tun Razak, 55100, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-9285 4827
Business Hours: 12pm-2.30pm (Monday-Friday), 6pm-11pm (Monday-Sunday)


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Ming Ren Restaurant @ Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands

Rating:

• Food (1-10): 7
• Price (1-10): 7
• Environment (1-10): 8.5

31 March 2010: Ming Ren specializes in lamb dishes. It uses unique blend of Cantonese culinary methods and Xinjiang’s traditional spices and seasonings in preparing the lamb dishes.

Ming Ren is located at Level 2, Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands. It offers very quiet and comfortable environment to enjoy a peaceful lamb-based meal. Here’s what we tried…

• Stir-fried Lamb with ‘Zi Ran’ (RM25++) -> ‘Zi Ran’ is a Xinjiang’s traditional spices for lamb. The lamb slices are very tender and go just right with the special spices. Recommended.
• Lamb Soup (RM15++) -> Very very strong smell and taste of lamb, which I don’t really enjoy. Recommended for hardcore lamb lovers.
• Stir-fried Hong Kong Choy Sum -> Normal taste. Fresh vege. Nothing much can go wrong.

In conclusion, I will recommend this restaurant for lamb lovers but not those who are just ‘ok’ with lamb, like me

Here's the location and details of Ming Ren...
Address: Level 2, Highlands Hotel, 69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang.
Tel: 03-61011118 (Highlands Hotel General Line)
Business hours:
12pm till 2.30pm, 6pm till 9.30pm (Monday - Friday)
11pm till 2.30pm, 6pm till 9.30pm (Saturday - Sunday)


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