Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, Bangsar Village I, Kuala Lumpur

Being pork lovers, we didn’t have to huff and puff our way to Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf at Bangsar Village 1, tucked neatly outside Village Grocer.

As its name suggests, the menu boasts primarily of pork, so if pork is your thing, read ON!

There’s a pretty cozy waiting area, adorned with a sofa and posters. Patrons can opt to dine in the outdoors too, there are wooden furnitures and it can be quite fun if the weather is not too hot.

Let the indulgence begin…

For starters, we had Garlic Roast Pork, sautéed with oriental sauces till caramelised (RM15).

Shiv: Good flavour, and the meat was tender and moist. Plus points for not being overly sweet too!

Kav: Really good. Love the fact that it was not too sweet, like most other places. The garlic flavour was just perfection with the pork!!!

Gaj: This was definitely the best dish of the night! The pork melted in my mouth and the accompanying sauce was sooo good. I was all up for seconds!

For salads, we ordered Grilled Pork Salad, with avocado and garden greens tossed in balsamic vinaigrette dressing (RM22).

*We were initially served the Roast Pork Salad with garden greens and walnuts, drizzled with honey mustard dressing.  We had a few bites of this before we realized that it was the wrong salad. We sent it back and they subsequently served us the supposed Grilled Pork Salad, but without the avocado. Once again, it was sent back and finally returned with the avocado.

Shiv: An obvious sign of teething problems, as the kitchen staff couldn’t put together a decent bowl of salad. The dressing was not what was stated on the menu, and the entire dish ended up tasting a tad sweet yet bland. The only saving grace here was the pork.

Kav: What a waste of some good ingredients… Salad was below average and even the pork could not save this dish from failing. To top it off, it returned with the same honey mustard dressing (hate this dressing!!!) which was not stated in the menu. Shame!!!

Gaj: I did not taste the difference in flavour between the Grilled Pork Salad and the Roast Pork Salad. I could not taste the balsamic dressing, instead it tasted quite strongly of the honey mustard dressing. On hindsight, it tasted a lot like the house salad served with the burger (continue reading below). Regardless, it was very bland and very bad!

We couldn’t visit a porky establishment and not have a pork burger. We decided to try the Mighty Pork Burger, juicy pork patty, cheese, tomato, greens, fried egg, herbed mayo sauce, served with chips and house salad (RM24).

Shiv: The patty had a strong porky flavour (in a good way) and the topping of egg was genius, I thought. Enjoyed it, however, it is certainly not (and far from being) the best pork burger in town.

Kav: The patty was savoury and juicy. Sadly, the other elements failed to enhance the burger to the next level. The egg, I thought, masked the delicious patty and overall, the burger was mediocre.

Gaj: The patty was good, very good. I did not enjoy the egg in the burger, as it overpowered the patty and added an egg-y taste to the burger. Was an alright burger for me – was NOT jumping for joy! :-(

The name of the next dish was too enticing for us to give it a miss. Presenting the Alien Invasion, long-legged spaghettis cooked creamy style complete with button mushrooms and sausage (RM26).

Shiv: Not too heavy handed on the usage of cream, and the flavour of the button mushrooms along with the pork sausages infused the sauce well. As a non-enthusiast of creamy pastas, this one was not too shoddy.

Kav: Have never enjoyed cream based pasta and this one was no different from any other. The pork sausages were yummy though.

Gaj: The pasta was just alright, I am not a big fan of creamy pastas and this did nothing to change my mind. The cheese made the dish a tad salty.

Next up, we decided to try another pasta, Grilled Pork Pesto, spaghetti cooked in our homemade pesto, topped with chunks of grilled pork (RM23).

Shiv: Did not hit all the right notes that pesto pastas usually do. The flavour of the pork wasn’t enough to carry this dish, and a bland, almost insipid dish resulted. On a side note, both pastas were done al dente.

Kav: I am a tough critic when it comes to pesto pasta as I love the earthy basil flavour and therefore it’s one of my favourite kinds of pastas. Nowadays, almost every other restaurant serves pesto and sadly most of them never get it right. This one was no different as the flavour of the pesto was dull and just not up to mark. The pork was a little chunky and did not do the dish any favours.

Gaj: I was waiting in anticipation for this dish as it combined my two favorite things, pesto and pork. I was sorely disappointed as the pesto was too flat and the pork could not carry the dish on its own. I felt like they should have added pine nuts for a zing!

Verdict: WOK OFF!

PRICE: Reasonable.

AMBIENCE: Cozy and comfortable, with the option of outdoor dining.

SERVICE: Bad. The waiters got our order wrong more than once. However, the establishment was relatively new when we visited and we are not sure if these were merely teething problems.

FOOD: Below par. Most of the dishes were disappointing and it felt like there was a general lack of quality in the ingredients. A lot more thought should be given in making the end product taste better.

THREE LITTLE PIGS AND THE BIG BAD WOLF
LOT G1A, GROUND FLOOR, BANGSAR VILLAGE 1
JALAN TELAWI SATU, BANGSAR BARU
59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: 603-2283-2270
Website: www.facebook.com/PigsAndWolf

Opening Hours:

Daily, 10am to 10pm

Espressamente Illy, Bangsar Village 1, Kuala Lumpur

“What shall we have for dinner?”

“Hmmmm….. Shall we try out Espressamente Illy since soooo many people have talked about how good the food is?”

And of course… that is exactly where we ended up!

Like most Italian restaurants, we were welcomed with a bread basket which came with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. The bread served was normal white baguette.

Kav: The garlic-infused olive oil and vinegar was pungent, and flavoured the bread well. However, they could have used fancier bread.

Shiv: Although the bread was ordinary, I loved the idea of the garlic pip placed in the EVOO. Added a nice garlic-y flavour to the dip, and made for a pretty good starter.

Mien: Mediocre… nothing to shout about!

We had a starter, Crostini con Salmone e Alici, which is crostini with Tasmanian smoked salmon, horseradish, fresh dill, capers and anchovies (RM21).

Kav: The salmon and capers were salty and oily and the anchovies packed a punch. The dill also added freshness to the entrée. Beyond amazing!!!

Shiv: I absolutely adored this appetizer. It was tangy, yet not overwhelmingly sharp. The capers and anchovies, along with the sweetness of the dill, complemented the fresh salmon (that was smoked just right) perfectly. Would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this one!

Mien: Salmon was fresh and the anchovies were not too fishy - just right. However, I could not taste the horseradish! Bread was too stretchy!

The pastas we ordered arrived promptly thereafter. The first was the Spaghetti Aglio e Olie, spaghetti with garlic and chilli tossed with extra virgin olive oil (RM18).

Kav: The olio was earthy and flavourful. Love the garlic bits found in this dish. However, would have preferred if there was more garlic and at least one other ingredient.

Shiv: Was not wowed. The pasta was under-flavoured, and there was a pool of oil left in the bowl after polishing off the pasta.

Mien: Could have been flavoured more.

The second pasta was the Spaghetti al Pesto, spaghetti with chicken and Portobello mushrooms in basil pesto sauce (RM23).

Kav: As a pesto fanatic, this is probably one of the best pestos I have tried. The earthiness of the portobello and the flavour of the pesto was a good marriage, and the parmesan set the whole dish off to a new level.

Shiv: The pesto can easily be one of the best I’ve tried. Really strong basil flavour (in a good way) and the portobello was seasoned very well before being tossed along with the pasta. Hands down the best dish of the night! Small bone to pick (no pun intended!): The chicken chunks were too big.

Mien: REALLY GOOD! We were informed by the waitress that this dish was one of their bestsellers… and AMEN to that! One of the best pestos I have tasted! Just the right amount of pasta and sauce!

Mien and Shiv decided to “stop” with the mains as they wanted to have coffee and a dessert. Kav on the other hand wanted another main dish.

As such, Kav ordered the Vegetariana alla Griglia con Pollo, mixed grilled vegetables with marinated chicken breast served with basil pesto, pine nuts and toasted ciabatta (RM22).

We were so impressed with the food, we requested to have a quick chat with Chef James to pay him a compliment. To our surprise, he came out from the kitchen carrying our last dish of the night (more on Chef James at the bottom of the page).

Kav: I expected this dish to be perfection, as the bar was set pretty high for pesto dishes. However, it was a little bland, and the chicken was dried out. Also, the aubergines were not cooked till soft. Disliked the bread that came with this – it was as if the moisture had been sucked out of it. (Microwaved, perhaps?)

Shiv: Liked the earthiness of the bread, and again, they can do no wrong with the pesto. The vegetables were also grilled to charred-perfection (except the aubergines, which were slightly undercooked). I loved this dish so much, that I actually ended up finishing most of it!

Mien: Had a bite to taste. Hmmmm… found it very mediocre, will not order it again. The pesto saved this dish for me!

An Italian café definitely calls for a Tiramisu sampling, and Mien and Shiv chose to order the Tiramisu to share (RM15). Kav could not resist a mouth, and dug in as well.

Kav: Was overly sweet and the chocolate shavings had a cheap oily aftertaste. Not a big fan.

Shiv: Very poor. Where do I start? It was far from authentic; too sweet; and the sponge fingers was so dried out (you can actually notice that in the pic). Even the amazing coffee flavour, laced with liqueur, couldn’t help this one out.

Mien: DISAPPOINTING!! The Illy coffee is the only thing saving the tiramisu! There was something sickeningly sweet and ‘cough-mixture-like’ to the tiramisu, in my opinion!

Mien ordered the Caffè Fondente, a single espresso shot served with chocolate and topped with emulsified milk (RM12) while Shiv, the Caffè Latte Grande, large version of the Caffè Latte (RM13). Kav decided to go with the Hot Chocolate.

Kav: The chocolate used was really good, but I found the drink to be overly milky and sweet. Will not order it again.

Shiv: With coffee, my motto is: Go big or go home! And let me just say, this was a large cup of coffee-perfection! The flavour was STRONG and aromatic. It has since become the numero uno coffee in town – for me at least. Also, note the pretty tulip latte art. Errmmm… Starbucks who?!

Mien: The Caffè Fondente was mind blowing! Strong coffee flavour, yet it didn’t overpower the chocolate. AMAZING!

We were so impressed by the food, that Shiv and Kav brought a friend of theirs to the restaurant a week later!

The second time around, Shiv and Kav ordered two mains:

❶ Insalata Mediterraneo, mixed salad greens with artichokes, semi-dried tomatoes and feta (RM23).

Kav: Love love love! The sourness of the artichokes set off the entire salad. The chef could have been a little LESS generous with the oil though.

Shiv: Very fresh and well dressed. The artichokes were cooked well, and the feta added a burst of flavour. Overall, an A+ for this dish.

❷ Belezza Panino, grilled chicken breast with roasted pepper, aubergine, kalamata and melted mozzarella and pesto on wholemeal (RM19).

Kav: Love the bread used, but this was only mediocre. Tasted like something I could put together at home.

Shiv: The pesto was heavenly, again, and the olives added a nice twang. Tasty, but not superb.

And of course, no meal is complete without dessert and/ (or) coffee.

This time around, Kav ordered the Caffè Fondente, a single espresso shot served with chocolate and topped with emulsified milk (RM12).

*In a shocking twist to the saga, Shiv did NOT feel like having coffee! =)

Kav: Officially the best mocha I’ve tried. It was creamy-chococafe goodness.

Two desserts were ordered – first being the Affogato, vanilla ice cream in a shot of espresso (RM19).

Kav: The ice-cream was really bad – tasted cheap!!! Coffee was excellent, as expected.

Shiv: Did not live up to expectations, as you would imagine a café such as Illy, with its superior coffee selection, to make a mean affogato. The vanilla ice cream used tasted sub-standard, and although the espresso at the bottom of the glass was really good, I would still grade this as a fail.

Next up was the Panna Cotta, Italian creamy dessert served with wild berry coulis (thick sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits) (RM14).

Kav: TOO __ __ __ __ __ ! (Fill in the blanks guys. Clue: It’s a bad word in my dictionary.) Would have been really good otherwise as it was light and creamy all at the same time.

Shiv: Really enjoyed this one. There was a nice vanilla flavour, and although it was slightly sweeter than I would have liked, the texture of the cream and the tanginess of the coulis made this an absolute treat to the senses.

VERDICT: WOK ON!

PRICE: Slightly on the pricey side, but well worth every penny.

AMBIENCE: Modern, eclectic and sophisticated. (Love the portraits that adorn the walls.)

SERVICE: Staff are friendly, and attentive. Also, Chef James was kind enough to pay us a visit at our table to talk about his experiences (Thanks, Chef!).

FOOD: Excellent. Please head to Espressamente Illy right this moment if you’re in need of a coffee fix and something to whet your appetite!

ESPRESSAMENTE ILLY

LOT NO. F-12 & F-13,

FIRST FLOOR, BANGSAR VILLAGE 1,

BANGSAR BARU,

59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 2287 7078

Website: http://www.espressamenteilly.com.my/

Opening Hours:

10.00 am – 10.00 pm daily

*Note: Chef James is of Sarawakian origin and started off as a dishwasher 15 years ago in a restaurant. He has since worked his way up the ladder, and is now a chef at Espressamente Illy. He has previously worked in numerous other restaurants and dabbled in various cuisines i.e Italian, Spanish, etc.

Ben’s General Foodstore, Bangsar Village 1, Kuala Lumpur

One fine noon we decided to head somewhere chilled – out for lunch. Where other than Ben’s General Foodstore, Bangsar Village 1. This restaurant is part of the B.I.G Group, and is always crowded no matter the hour of the day.

We started off by ordering the Portobello Mushrooms, topped with turkey ham, gruyère cheese and pine nuts with some pesto sauce on the side. The dish is served with a side salad that is displayed at the salad bar. We decided to go with the Fried Eggplant with French Beans, Kicap Manis (sweet soy sauce) and Garlic Dressing (RM25.90).

Mien: Really really good. The pesto sauce accompanied the dish really well. The cheese wasn’t overwhelming. The pesto is possibly one of the best pesto sauces I have had. Also, the salad was good. Will order it again.

Kav: Cheesy, yummy goodness! The earthiness of the mushroom and the stringy gruyère cheese was set off well by the crunchy pine nuts. To my amazement, I liked the salad, as it was not too sweet despite the kicap manis.

Shiv: What a scrumptious delight! Would recommend it to everyone out there, especially vegetarians. I was also surprised by the salad, as I expected it to be overly sweet, but the kicap manis complemented the dish nicely.

Next up was the Spit-roasted Chicken with two sides. Again this dish was served with salads that are displayed at the salad bar. We opted for the Soba Noodle Salad with Eggplant, Spring Onions and Sesame Soybean Paste and Pesto Penne with Roasted Almond Flakes (RM29.90).

Mien: I love love love the soba at Ben’s General Foodstore. I MUST always order this salad whenever I frequent Ben’s General. I sometimes get the soba to – go for dinner sometimes. The roast chicken here is one of the best I have tried in KL, and the penne goes well with the roasted almonds. However, the penne was not done al dente.

Kav: The chicken was roasted beautifully – the skin crispy and the meat tender. The gravy was savoury and had a sharp herb-y taste, almost like a bak kut teh broth. The earthy flavours of the soba and eggplant were a perfect pair. Add a little chilli oil, and you have the perfect meal. Also, the penne was good, almonds crunchy, although it lacked salt.  

Shiv: The chicken was fresh and flavoured well. Loved the accompanying gravy. Soba was very earthy and healthy tasting (hence why Mien lovesss it!) and went very well with the meaty main. Lastly, the penne was a load of greeny-goodness!

 

Somehow, on this PLEASANT afternoon we decided to be adventurous and ordered the Fish Pie (we are lovers of fish but we are not fans of savoury pies). Again this dish is served with a side salad that is displayed at the salad bar. This time we went for the Marinated Button Mushrooms and Barley with Spring Onions, Soy and Lemon (RM29.90).

Mien: This made my afternoon UNPLEASANT. I was eating cream instead of fish! I am not big on the barley salad. I found it very bland.

Kav: OMG! Nightmare! Tasted like baby food with too much baby formula in it. However, love love love the barley salad.

Shiv: This was truly vile. I could hardly taste the fish, as it is prepared with too much double cream, and too little flavouring. Stay away from this one. The barley salad however is worth mentioning – love the lemon flavour.

As all of us were unhappy with the Fish Pie, we sent it back and decided to replace it with the Mushroom Lasagne served with some pesto sauce. This dish also comes with a salad. This time around, we chose the Roasted Beetroot with Walnuts and White Beans (RM23.90).

Mien: Not a big fan of the lasagne, as it was too floury and cheesy. The salad was very ordinary – nothing to shout about.

Kav: Tasted of uncooked flour. Will not be ordering this again. Also, I disliked the salad, as the combination of beetroot and white beans was too bland.

Shiv: The cheesy – ness of the lasagne was cloying, and the pasta tasted uncooked. Even the salad did not provide redemption, as it lacked flavour. Not one of Ben’s hallmark moments. =)

Funnily enough, on this particular afternoon, our stomachs were bottomless pits. We ordered yet ANOTHER dish: Lamb Shank Pie and with yet another salad of our choice – Tabbouleh of Bulgar Wheat with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Parsley and Mint served with yogurt dressing (RM29.90).

Mien: Not a big fan of lamb due to the gamey smell. Didn’t enjoy this dish. However, the salad was flavoured well, surprisingly, as it looked bland. Do not think I will order the salad again though.

Kav: Lamb was cooked to perfection, and the savoury tomato sauce with mashed potato complemented the dish really well. The salad was good, as the mint gave it a certain freshness.

Shiv: Sinfully delicious! The lamb was so tender, it practically fell of the bone, and the mashed potato in tomato gravy was amazing. Loved the middle-eastern influence of the salad. Faultless!

After all that food, what better way to end the meal than with COFFEE!!! Mien and Kav ordered Mocha (RM8) and Shiv had Cappuccino (RM8).

*The photo only displays the mocha.

Mien: The mocha is so good! Better than Starbucks!!!

Kav: I am a mocha person, and this one is yet to be beaten by any other.

Shiv: Strong and full-bodied – just the way I like it! =)

Verdict: WOK ON!

Ben’s General Foodstore is an easy choice if you are undecided on where to eat. The food is good, but not EXCEPTIONAL. Pricing is reasonable, and its a go-to place for casual-dining. We will be frequenting the place again.

*NOTE: Ben’s General Foodstore also serves breakfasts and pizzas. The B.I.G Group has opened a fairly new section of Ben’s General, located just next to the first store. With the new store, the menu has expanded and now also serves burgers, hot dogs, sausages, quiches, lamb meatballs, pastries and more.

BEN’S GENERAL FOODSTORE

G17 & 18, GROUND FLOOR

BANGSAR VILLAGE 1

NO 1, JALAN TELAWI 1,

BANGSAR BARU

59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 2284 8790

Website: http://www.thebiggroup.co/bgfs/#/home

Opening Hours:

9AM – 10PM daily

11.30AM (breakfast last order)

9.30PM (bar & kitchen last order)

*There is another branch of Ben’s General Foodstore at Publika. Details as below:

BEN’S GENERAL FOODSTORE

LOT 1A 83 – 95, LEVEL UG,

PUBLIKA, SOLARIS DUTAMAS,

JALAN DUTAMAS 1,

50480 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 6209 1717

Opening Hours:

11AM – 10PM daily

9.30PM (bar & kitchen last order)