Botanical, Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur

Another one of the B.I.G Group’s restaurants is Botanical. Situated in the heart of Bangsar Village 2, it is an all VEGETARIAN café (as the name suggests).

Here, mushroom and eggplant take centre stage as meat-substitutes and fusion cuisine forms the backbone of their menu. 

Eggs are considered sin-free and cream and cheese can be found rampantly throughout their menu. So, vegans beware and vegetarians rejoice!

We were served with a complimentary basket of Charcoal bread with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar.

Mien: Loved the charcoal bread, the flavour was amazing, and toasted to perfection, crispy on the outside, but soft in the inside!!! 

Shiv: Enjoyed the earthiness of the charcoal bread married with the pungent balsamic-olio dressing. Splendid! 

Kav: Soft and crispy perfection!!!

Gaj: Charcoal bread was really good, never had it with olive oil and vinegar before and was pleasantly surprised.

As per usual, we attempted ordering at least one item of each food ‘group’. 

Type 1: SALAD

We ordered the Burnt Butter Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Salad. It is gluten-free, and comprises wild mushrooms, burnt butter, goat’s cheese and arugula. (RM21.90)

Mien: Good… love the taste of the mushrooms, and they go well with the arugula and goat’s cheese!

Shiv: Fresh and light, despite the generous portion of feta, and loved the buttered-mushroom flavour. Comes highly recommended!

Kav: The earthiness of the mushroom and spicy arugula was a pairing that I loved. The pungent feta and the flavour of the burnt butter just took the salad to the next level. 

Gaj: The salad was alright, enjoyed the combination of arugula and wild mushroom.

Type 2: ASIAN

We agreed on the Eggplant Dengaku (Warning: Contains Nuts). It was served with eggplant, miso paste, brown rice, mushroom broth and Botanical house salad. (RM21.90)

Mien: Hmmm… the best thing about this dish was the eggplant! Well marinated and cooked to perfection!

Shiv: The rice was bland and not cooked well, and although the eggplant was marinated well, the flavour was not enough to balance out the dish. The dish was mediocre in its entirety.

Kav: The rice was a disappointment as it was starchy and the salad was average. However I liked the eggplant as it was cooked through and the nutty flavour went perfectly with the eggplant. The mushroom broth tasted very much like a miso soup except that it lacked flavour.

Gaj: I was not impressed by this dish – did not enjoy the combination of the ingredients.

Type 3: PASTA

Mien insisted on the Tom Yam Tempeh, which is spaghetti aglio olio, lemongrass, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, ginger flower, bean sprouts, tempeh, and chive flowers. (RM19.90)

Mien: Bland… not a hint of spice at all, and couldn’t taste much of the tom yam flavour. However, I loved it as there was something very bland and ‘clean’ about it. Also, I LOVE TEMPEH!!!

Shiv: I love tempeh, and was expecting it to carry the dish, but the pasta was so flavour-less, and despite so many pungent ingredients, fell flat. An utter disappointment!

Kav: I expected a great Asian fusion pasta with a burst of spicy tom yam flavour. Sadly my senses were dulled by a bland pasta that could not be helped even with the various flavourful ingredients it boasts.

Gaj: This was totally unimpressive! Absolutely bland and totally disappointing! 

Type 4: DESSERT (Being sweet tooths, we greedily ordered two.)

Firstly, Mien forced the rest of us to order the Blackforest cake. (RM12.90)

Mien: This is like a Blackforest mousse instead of a cake - loved it!!!

Shiv: Don’t like Blackforest cakes, and this was no exception. The cake was very dry, and there was a chemical taste, which I suspect came from the cherry-jellied centre.

Kav: Agree with Shiv about the chemical taste from the jelly. Not a fan.

Gaj: I do not enjoy Blackforest cakes and this was just alright for me. 

We also ordered the Chocolate Fondant, served with vanilla ice-cream. (RM9.90)

Mien: Amazing for chocolate lovers. Loved the ice-cream. (The thing about the B.I.G group restaurants is that they always use good ice-cream.) I personally found it toooo chocolate-y!

Shiv: Nice. They did not overcook the fondant, and the gooey chocolate centre was present. The ice cream used was of good quality, and the dish was up to par. Good to share!

Kav: Being the chocolate fanatic that I am, the fondant was a dream to me. Melt in your mouth goodness with excellent vanilla ice cream. Yummy!!!

Gaj: I enjoyed this dessert, not the best that I have had, but enjoyable nonetheless.

*There are other food ‘groups’ in the menu: Soup, Starters, Pies and Tarts, Between Bread, and Mains. However, we did not order from those due to gastric restrictions. ;)

Verdict: WOK OFF!

PRICE: Reasonable – as with all B.I.G group establishments.

AMBIENCE: Beautiful, garden-like environment – there are seats outside the restaurant, so patrons can choose to sit inside or enjoy the view of the world passing by.

SERVICE: Good – waiters were polite and food arrived promptly.

FOOD: Unimpressive – but, to be fair, the restaurant was fairly new when we visited. As such, may be worthy of a second chance at a later date.

*Note: Botanical also serves High Tea, 3pm – 6pm daily.

BOTANICAL 

IF-28 & IF-K2, 1^ST FLOOR, BANGSAR VILLAGE II,

NO. 1, JALAN TELAWI 1,

BANGSAR BARU,

59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 2201 3028

Website: http://www.thebiggroup.co/botanical/

Opening Hours:

11am – 10pm, daily

Last order: 9.30pm

Fierce Curry House, Bangsar Utama, Kuala Lumpur

“IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, THEY CAN MAKE IT!”

That ought to be the tag line of Fierce Curry House (FCH), where specialty biryanis are the order of the day.

Owner Herukh T. Jethwani has perfected the art of making a sublime blend of 27 herbs and spices for the authentic Hyderabadi dum biryani recipe, which apparently comes from an aunt from Hyderabad.

On the menu are three ‘genres’, if you will, of biryanis:

1. Ordinary Biryanis: Chicken and Mutton. (You can walk into FCH directly and order these on any given day.)

2. Fridays-Only Biryanis: Mackerel Fish and Vegetarian, consisting of cauliflower, carrot, potato and long bean. (Only available on Fridays, for now.)

3. Specialty Biryanis: Lobster, Crab, Scallop, Cod, Ostrich, Lamb Shank, Venison etc. (Please be advised that you need to order at least a day in advance for these.)

Note: If you have a very extraordinary order, do not hesitate to ask Herukh if he can work some of his magic into cooking it up for you :-)

All biryanis are served with a side of curry gravy, a vegetable and yoghurt, and they come in pots that are sealed with chapati dough and steamed for two hours. The dough keeps the moisture and aroma in but prevents steam vapour from entering the pot.

The meat and fish used are delivered daily to ensure that freshness is maintained. Herukh also uses a special grade of Basmati rice which is longer and a whole lot pricier than ordinary short grain rice, but assures that it makes his biryanis that much more luxurious.

Besides these unique creations, they also have other more typical Indian fare such as banana leaf, thosai, rava thosai, thosai nutella, chapati, roti canai, roti nutella etc.

Good news for you health freaks out there: FCH’s cuisine is free of MSG. Woohoo!!!

Now, on to the dishes. First up was Crab Biryani. Served in a big portion, it can easily feed 4 BIG eaters or 6 small eaters. (RM120)

Kav: The crab was fresh. The biryani was well flavoured and the spice mix used was perfection. The sweet flavour from the crab permeated the entire biryani. Loves!!!

Gaj: I love crab and this dish was amazing! The crab was fresh, succulent and fairly huge. Would definitely order it again!

Shiv: Wowzer! Crab lovers, leave whatever you’re doing immediately, and call FCH, because this is too good! The crab meat was flavoured well, despite it being a huge piece, and the rice was also very fragrant.

Mien: Good… The rice was infused well with the crab flavour. However, as a lazy eater, I probably wouldn’t order this again, because cracking the crab shells is an arduous task for me! Unless… someone cracks it for me, and presents me the beautifully shelled crab meat only… :-)

Next up was the Scallop Biryani, which comes in a normal portion, fit for 2 average eaters or 1 BIG eater. (~RM75)

Kav: The scallops were cooked to perfection and the the seafood flavour carried the entire biryani. To top it off, the masala, like in the other biryanis, was very good. However, felt like the ratio of rice to scallop was high. Nevertheless loved it!

Gaj: The scallops were alright, and though it was cooked to perfection, I felt something was missing in terms of flavour. I am not entirely sure if scallop and biryani go together, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Shiv: Delicious. The scallops were bouncy and juicy, and again, the rice had a strong seafood flavour to it. However, I would have liked it if they were slightly more generous with the scallops, as I was left wanting for more.

Mien: Good, but I expected it to be better. I too wish there were more scallops to go with the abundant rice.

Finally, we had Cod Biryani,  which also comes in a normal portion, fit for 2 average eaters or 1 BIG eater. (~RM85)

Kav: OMG!!! I have never been this WOW-ed in a long time! The oily, fatty, fresh cod, together with the deliciously-spiced masala, was like nothing I’ve ever had before. Unlike most other fish biryanis that I’ve tried, they were very generous with the fish, and the fish was cooked to perfection. My only complaint about the biryanis, as a whole, is that the rice could be fluffier.

Gaj: The cod was very very very GOOD!! The fish was fresh and was oozing with oily goodness. AMAZE-BALLS! The downside to the biryanis here is that the rice is not flavoured well enough and a tad bland. The rice could use a pinch more of spice.

Shiv: CODGASMIC! Every mouthful was so delectable, and the cod slice was huge, and more than enough to complement the entire serving of rice. The cod was also über fresh, and flavoured beautifully without overpowering the natural fishy flavour of cod. Seriously good stuff.

Mien: MY FAVVV!!! SOO GOOOD!!! The fish - so fresh!!! More fish than rice. LOVES LOVES LOVES!!!

Verdict: WOK ON!

PRICE: Expensive – as expected, as pricey seafood items were used for our orders and the portions were rather big. (RM280 for 3 dishes)

AMBIENCE: Standard family restaurant with a cosy edge – has an air-conditioned section.

SERVICE: Good – the staff here are very friendly and accommodating. One of them actually helped us to crack the crab shell. (Thanks, Nurul!) However, it can get slightly understaffed on a busy day, especially during lunch hours.

FOOD: Very good – MSG-free, flavourful and prepared freshly. (A fresh batch of food is prepared daily for dinner.)

FIERCE CURRY HOUSE,

16 JALAN KEMUJA,

BANGSAR UTAMA

59000 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +6019 383 0945 / +603 2202 3456

Email: info@fiercecurryhouse.com

Website: http://www.fiercecurryhouse.com

Opening Hours:

10.30am – 10.30pm

Tatsu, Intercontinental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

A dinner treat from our beloved uncle and aunt had us roaming the hallways and stairways of Intercontinental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. (Intercontinental Hotel is located where Hotel Nikko used to be on Jalan Ampang).

Intercontinental Hotel boasts some of the most “highly-acclaimed signature” restaurants and finest gourmet cuisine money can buy in Kuala Lumpur.

As self-proclaimed Japanese food aficionado’s, the obvious choice was to dine at Tatsu Japanese Cuisine, the “award-winning restaurant with Japanese Executive Chef Yanagida Tetsuya at the helm of the kitchen.”

The ambience that greeted us was authentic Japanese, simple with clean lines and traditional ornaments from Japan adorned the place.

Our wine preference for the night was of the red variety, and we started the evening off with one brought from home: 2007 I Giusti & Zanza Dulcamara Toscana IGT (price N/A).

We also ordered some Japanese Green Tea to accompany the meal (RM5).

We decided to whet out appetites with KAI sashimi, 5 types of sashimi (RM180).

Shiv: Every single thing on the platter had that delectable freshness that you crave for in sashimi dishes. My first experience having raw squid – was alright, but I still prefer my squid cooked. The tuna was the best thing on the platter for me.

Gaj: The salmon, tuna and yellow tail was amazing. I don’t eat squid, so did not have that.

Kav: Melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Loved the salmon as it was creamy, savoury perfection. The rest were super fresh as well, but not as flavourful as the salmon.

Next, we had Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab Reverse Roll (RM35).

Shiv: Nice, but did not blow my socks off. Similar tasting to most other commercial soft shell crab makis out there. However, loved the presentation.

Gaj: The soft shell crab was alright, I liked that it did not have the rancid taste that usually accompanies soft shell crab.

Kav: The batter was just right – crispy, crunchy and didn’t overwhelm the crab. However, the maki on the whole was mediocre.

To continue our meal, we had cold Soba noodles which came with seaweed, wasabi and spring onions (RM25).

Shiv: The soba was delicious, springy and the cold broth was so flavourful and light. The accompanying spring onions, wasabi and nori flakes added a nice finish to the already spectacular dish. (Mien, you would have loved this!)

Gaj: The Soba noodles were amazing!!! I don’t usually enjoy cold food, but this was fantastic!!!

Kav: Really loved the accompanying broth – was earthy and not overly sweet.

Despite objections from some of our dining members due to animal welfare concerns, we decided to try 70g of the Fowagura, foie gras (RM90).

* The dish came in a set of three pieces, but someone was too hungry and grabbed a piece before this photo was taken. =)

Shiv: Boy am I glad we ordered this, as it was out of this world! The foie gras had a delicious, tender and delicate texture and the flavour of the sauce coating it went perfectly with the whole dish. It was leaps and bounds above any foie gras dish I have ever tasted.

Gaj: I don’t particularly like foie gras but this was off the charts! Really good!

Kav: Holy Mother of God! This dish was certainly the winner of the night. It tasted a lot like a mutton bone marrow; buttery and just the right amount of sweetness. There was an explosion of flavours in my mouth.

The second bottle of wine opened was the 2009 Grant Burge Corryton Park Cabernet Sauvignon from Barossa Valley, Australia (RM165).

We then had Aigomo Kunsei, smoked wild duck slices with yakitori sauce (RM25).

Shiv: Wow! The rare centre and beautiful smoked flavour made for an absolutely scrumptious dish. Not much fuss was made about the seasoning, and rightfully so, as this one was stunning in its simplicity. Would come back for more and more and more…

Gaj: The smoked duck was melt-in-your-mouth good!!! I don’t usually enjoy duck as it has a pungent smell, but this duck was perfectly cooked, perfectly tender and just superb.

Kav: My first experience tasting rare duck. I thought I was going to dislike it, but I loved loved loved it! The earthiness of the sesame seeds complemented the savoury meatiness of the duck.

To take a break from all the seafood and meat, we decided to have Agedashi Tofu, traditional deep fried beancurd (RM15).

Shiv: Nothing to shout about. The tofu was not coated in enough of the starch agent before being deep-fried, and as a result, the crisp-exterior-soft-inside texture was missing.

Gaj: The agedashi tofu was alright, not the best that I have tried.

Kav: Very blah. The sauce was a tad too sweet for me and it lacked flavour.

As we were still hungry, we decided to take another stab at the salmon, and had Shake to Hotate no Usutsukuri Goma Abura Ponza, thin sliced salmon and scallops marinated with sesame oil and Japanese oil (RM80).

Shiv: The tanginess of the lime dressing complemented the sashimi well, I thought. Liked it, but the first sashimi dish was way better.

Gaj: The entire dish had a tad too much lime. I felt like the scallop was too thinly sliced, a little thicker would have been better.

Kav: The salmon and sesame oil were divine together. However, there was a tartness to the dish that I didn’t quite enjoy. Really disliked the scallop sashimi. Average.

To continue with the fish theme, we decided to try Age Gindara To Nasu No Mizore Ni, braised cod fish fillet and Japanese eggplant in white radish and soy glace (RM50).

Shiv: As a cod-lover, I enjoyed this dish thoroughly. The fish was fresh, not over/under-cooked and the eggplant-cod marriage was just too good.

Gaj: The cod fish was really really good!!!! It was flaky, melt in your mouth goodness.

Kav: The cod skin was crisped to perfection, and the fish was fresh. Loved it. However, would have preferred if the sauce was a little less sweet. The flavour of the spring onions complemented the cod perfectly.

In continuing with the fish theme, we had Shake Harasu, salmon belly sashimi, 6 pieces (RM60).

Shiv: The ultimate sashimi dish of the night, as it was über fresh, oily and sliced to perfect portions. Belly good! ;)

Gaj: The salmon belly were nice thick slices, was fresh and absolutely yummylicious.

Kav: Fresh! Creamy, buttery and fatty! Loved loved loved!!!

The third and final bottle of wine opened for the night was the 2010 St Hallett Faith Shiraz also from Barossa Valley, Australia (RM255).

As we all love scallops, we decided to try Hotate, scallops (RM60).

Shiv: Scallops very rarely disappoint, as it is so tasty on its own. This one certainly didn’t, as they were super fresh, with a simple sesame sauce that matched the meatiness of the scallops perfectly. Another wow-er.

Gaj: The scallops were probably one of the best dishes of the night for me!! The sauce that accompanied the scallops was perfect, not sweet and had a tinge of sesame sauce.

Kav: The sauce accompanying the perfectly seared scallop tasted like a savoury butterscotch sauce. Delicious!

Next up, we had Unagi Rikyuyaki, grilled eel with sweet sesame sauce (RM60).

Shiv: Hands down the freshest, most well-seasoned and BEST unagi I have ever tasted in my life! (Running out of superlatives here, guys) This was like silk on my palate. The flesh was so tender and the teppanyaki sauce coating it was delicious.

Gaj: I usually do not like unagi, but this eel was really good and the sauce was not too sweet. Perfect!

Kav: Second favourite dish of the night. I think for the rest of my life, every other unagi will have to live up to this one. The eel was as fresh as it gets and the sauce was flavoured to perfection. Unbelievably good!

We had two desserts, the first being Homemade Black Sesame Ice cream (RM18).

Shiv: I don’t usually love goma ice cream, but this was prepared in a truly sublime manner. It was super creamy, and if I was not already so stuffed, would have had extra helpings. A must try for you goma lovers!

Gaj: I am a big fan of black sesame ice cream and this was amaze-balls! The consistency of the ice cream was thick, creamy and was the perfect finish.

Kav: Best goma ice cream I’ve tasted. Was so creamy and yummy without being overly sweet.

The next dessert we had was Dorai Furu-Tsu No Tempura Chokore- To Ogura HonDew, mixed dried fruit tempura served with chocolate and red bean fondue (RM36).

Shiv: Loved the fondue, as the earthiness of the red bean complemented the richness of the chocolate beautifully. However, the tempura concept was stretched a tad too far with the dried fruit, I thought.

Gaj: Not a big fan of the mixed fruit tempura as it had a funny taste to it. The fondue was really good though, the chocolate used was of good quality.

Kav: They used good chocolate, and red bean paste together with the chocolate was really good. However, disliked the dried fruit tempura, as it was hard and the batter wasn’t crispy.

Verdict : WOK ON!

PRICE: Expensive – as expected for hotel or fine-dining restaurant standards (RM1,344.44 for 14 dishes, 2 bottles of wine and a pot of Japanese Green Tea).

AMBIENCE: Modern yet zen-like – had authentic Japanese touches to the decor. Patrons can book a private room as there are several spacious rooms available.

SERVICE: Could be better – we expected brief descriptions on certain dishes, especially the assorted sashimi platter, as we were unsure as to what exactly was being served.

FOOD: Excellent – would definitely come back to experience more of the superior quality Japanese cuisine they offer!!!

TATSU JAPANESE RESTAURANT,

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR,

165 JALAN AMPANG,

50450 KUALA LUMPUR

(Previously Hotel Nikko)

Tel: +603 2782 6118

Email: foodandbeverage@intercontinental-kl.com.my

Website: http://www.intercontinental-kl.com.my

Opening Hours:

Lunch: 12.00 noon - 2.15 pm

Dinner: 6.30pm - 10.15pm