Tell-A-Tale (Part 6): Life Is...A Weekend Extravaganza

What's life?

A Chinese New Year weekend turned retrospective as he contemplated on the meaning of life, inspired by the significant events leading to the brand new year.

Life is...bittersweet

The weekend took off with a brunch at Marmalade. They ordered all their favourites like the infamous carrot cake and homemade teas while he tested the Spaghetti With Smoked Salmon. The dishes were good, as usual. Everything went so well...until the staff came by with a lovely "no photography of the food allowed" greeting. So, as much as he'd love to visualise his joy, especially of that new found dish, he was left utterly disappointed. Anyway, the spaghetti was fantastic! The salmon was cooked just pinkishly right while the warm cream cheese sauce was rich and ever flavourful with each bite. Sad, isn't it?

Acceptance is about letting go.

Life is...full of surprises

Who would have thought a lion dance was going to start moments after the bittersweet brunch. Not just any lion dance, but a performance by the world-renowned, made-in-Malaysia Kun Seng Keng troupe. The crowd was left spellbound. Here are some highlights.

Of agility, coordination, grandeur and speed.

Almost a love story.

A change of scene.

The funky and harmless Qilin (Chinese Unicorn) took centrestage.

Whose your daddy now? Say my name! Say my name!

Surprises, take it with open arms (and enjoy it, truly).

Life is...pursuing completeness

What is completeness? A reunion dinner of friends and family, filled with love and of course, good food. The venue was his staple Taman Batu Restaurant. The turnout, 24 pax. The food; abundant, delicious and warm. Here are some interesting dishes that completed the night.

The no-frills, flavoursome, colourful Yu Sang.

The crispy-skinned Suckling Pig.

The textural and aromatic Fish Meat Filled Chicken Skin.

The rich and prosperous Braised Pig Trotter.

The sweet/savoury, crispy Deep-Fried Prawns With Salted Egg.

Completeness never felt so full.

Life is...hopeful

Like the break of dawn. Like that beautiful Sunday morning. Hoping the first meal of the day would be the best. Hoping the revisit to Marco Polo would be worthwhile. Hoping the rest could wake up in time. Here are some of the hope-turned-delicious dim sums.

Not a dim sum, but the freshest, most refined and most flavourful Yu Sang he had this year.

The beautiful blend of textures and tastes in the Fried Radish Carrot Cake.

The tender bites of the simple Fish Paste.

The ubiquitous yet wonderfully flavoured Char Siu Bao.

The soft and warm Glutinous Rice With Chicken

When there's a purpose, there's hope.

That was the last Chinese New Year weekend for the year.
But seemed like a lesson of a lifetime.
Life is certainly...a weekend extravaganza.
Of wonderful colours and flavours.
If you want it to be...

Still in time to wish you a wonderful Chap Goh Meh.
Hope you had a fruitful new year celebration this year.

Marmalade Kafe (again!) @ Bangsar Village 2

Theory of relativity, law of attraction, chemistry, the black hole, karma, destiny, Chumbawamba, Kawabunga or whatever you call it, I am always drawn to Marmalade Kafe whenever I’m in Bangsar Village 2, even when I'm not looking for healthy, comfort food. It happens so naturally. This is my 5th visit to Bangsar Village 2 and 4th visit to Marmalade. Goosebumps? Personally, I have nothing against this lovely cafe and actually find some of the dishes like the Moroccan Lamb Shank and Carrot Cake very delicious. Ranked among the best in town (in my books, at least), if I have to be more specific. But no matter how great it is, I wouldn’t intentionally spend so many weekends visiting the same cafe and neglect other potentially great eateries, right?

This time around (last Saturday afternoon), I intended to pay SuChan a visit as I wanted to confirm if the Tiramisu is really the same as Alexis’, a thought that has been haunting me for awhile now. But as I entered the restaurant, I could feel a bad vibe and the waiter confirmed that by saying that they ran out of Tiramisu. Feeling rather disappointed (to put it mildly), I came out of the restaurant, wandered about the rather quiet mall and actually stopped right in front of Marmalade!

I surrendered to fate, but promised to make full use of my visit this time around. That means having other specialties besides the lamb shank.

I’ve tried the Sounds of Havana Salad (RM14-light portion) before but since I brought along a first-timer, I thought it was only appropriate to introduce this popular item. The salad, which consisted of mainly freshly cubed juicy red & yellow capsicums, pineapple & coconut salsa, tender chicken meat, haloumi (grilled cheese) and crisphead, was visually appetizing. Lets not forget the signature alfalfa sprouts topping too. A dressing of mustard vinaigrette was almost inconspicuous, an indication of the right amount of dressing applied to the salad. A dressing drenched salad can be a nightmare. A spoonful of the colourful mixture revealed an explosion of taste, including sweetness from the vegetables and pineapple, slight richness from the dressing and savouriness of the haloumi. Textures were also aplenty, thanks to the vegetables, grated coconut and chicken meat.

Next up was the Turkey Mushroom Quiche (RM16). I have heard so much about the quiche but somehow, never tried it before. The portion was quite huge, I must say. It was warm and filled with a generous serving of mushrooms and turkey ham. Though some might find it slightly bland due to the addition of milk in the egg mixture, I actually thought the savouriness was well-maintained, with a touch of freshness (from the milk) to boost. The only thing lacking, I thought, was a dash of freshly ground black pepper. The side greens, lightly dressed in balsamic vinegar, were commendably fresh.

Consistency was well-maintained in terms of the quality of the Carrot Cake (RM9 per slice). The generous amount of ingredients such as shredded carrots and walnuts contributed their distinctive aromas and textures to the cake. I can't be sure if butter was used, but the moistness of the cake (which was just right, by the way) suggested the replacement of butter with oil. The layer of cream cheese coating on the cake was rich and slightly tangy, a good contrast to the sweet cake. Decorations or not, the crushed nuts and pumpkin seeds gave the cake even more texture and flavour. The candied orange zest was a nice touch as it exhibited a totally contrasting taste and scent to the cake. A pleasurable dessert.

I must confess that despite all the hype about cupcakes (which is now so passe, due to the emergence of donuts), I have never had one before. Since I planned to order the right dishes at Marmalade this time around, I had myself my very first cupcake (with vanilla icing) at RM5.00. At first, I scraped away all the icing (how silly of me) and directly attacked the cake, which crumbled slightly as I took my first bite. Sensing the inappropriateness of the taste (bland, I guess), my sensible mind told me to apply the icing on the cake and eat it. And I was glad I did because it tasted so much better. The icing was not too sweet nor overpowered by the vanilla flavouring. Overall, the cupcake was alright for me, but not a dessert that I would have preferred.

The ladies seemed to have enjoyed their Homemade Tea at RM7 each. The Chrysanthemum Orange Tea was richly flavoured with both the ingredients while the Chamomile Lavender Tea was rather soothing. The unadventurous me had the Ice Lemon Tea (RM6). Sad to say, that was the only beverage I managed to take a snapshot.

We also bought a piece of Strawberry Friand (RM4) for supper. I didn't have a chance to taste it as Dad snacked on it a few hours later.

The bill came up to RM88.55 for 3 pax, including the friand.

Quiche, checked. Carrot Cake, checked. Sounds of Havana, checked. Cupcake, checked. Lamb shank, checked. Lamb kofta, checked. Other non-specialties, checked. Despite the healthy, comforting yet delicious dishes, I really hope that "fate" will lead me to other eateries when I visit Bangsar Village 2 again.

Do check out my first (more optimistic and obliviousness to "fate") review on Marmalade here.

Marmalade Kafe
Lot 1F-18, 1st Floor,Bangsar Village II,
2, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-22828301

Marmalade Kafe @ Bangsar Village 2

This was my third visit to Marmalade. The last two visits were quite pleasant and the quality of the food was consistent too. The decor was ever cheerful and minimally comforting. A quick browse through the food list showed no change in the menu (not that it's a bad thing, though) since my last visit 5 months ago.

I was there for lunch with Cousin Tony and his girlfriend. We decided to settle in Marmalade after a 30 minutes survey of the restaurants in Bangsar Village 2. No particular reason, just based on instinct.

After being seated, we quickly placed our orders. For drinks, we ordered the Iced Lemon Tea (RM6), Honey Latte (RM8.00) and Chocolate Mint Shake (RM10.00).

It didn't take long before the first dish arrived. The spaghetti bolognese (RM19.00). This was not one of Marmalade's signature dish but nevertheless, looked potentially delicious. Generous portion of spaghetti drenched in bolognese sauce and topped with Marmalade's signature alfalfa sprouts. The spaghetti was cooked al dente but the bolognese sauce was rather bland. Perhaps it was due to the lack of MSG since Marmalade promotes healthy comfort food. Since Tony's girlfriend couldn't finish the dish, we concluded that it was not that delicious after all. Looks can be deceiving, ya?!

Next came the Adventure of Arabia (RM17), which consisted of 2 pieces of lamb kofta, 2 halves of pita bread, greens and slices of tomato. The dressing included mint sauce and hummus. One bite into the kofta revealed a dry and hard texture. This was quite disappointing as I was expecting something more tender. The taste, on the other hand, was quite good though. The mutton tasted really fresh and aromatic. The dressings tasted quite alright. If not for the hardness of the kofta, I would have recommended this dish to everyone!

As for me, I went for the safest and most filling dish, the Moroccan Lamb Shank (RM22). This dish never failed to impress as it was always well-spiced, accompanied by lots of vegetables and most of all, filling. The lamb shank was again, tender. I'm guessing it was braised in the tomato-base sauce for a good amount of time. The sauce was rich on spices including cardamom seeds, which provided a hint of freshness into the slightly tangy sauce. Choice of accompanying vegetables was great too! Salad greens, broccoli and potatoes complimented the sauce well. The only complain I had about this dish was the rice. It was hard and almost undercooked. The sauce helped to soften the rice but still, I felt it was hard. Despite that, the dish was again, a winner as compared to the other 2 dishes.

This time around, we didn't order any dessert as we had to rush home for another appointment. But from my previous visits, I must say that Marmalade's Carrot Cake is a really wonderful creation. The generous portion of nuts used provides a wonderful texture and the candied orange peel gives a wonderful aroma and flavour.

Marmalade is a good place for comfort food, but I would say the best bets are the signature dishes. I have yet to try their famous quiche and will do so when I long for healthy comfort food in the future.

Marmalade Kafe
Lot 1F-18, 1st Floor,Bangsar Village II,
2, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-22828301