Marmalade, Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur

Looking for a place with a homely environment where you can spend quality time with your family?

Need a place where you can have dinner with your partner while your toddlers are kept busy at a safe distance?

Out of options on where to throw a party?

Are you food lovers seeking a sumptuous meal?

Well now there is an answer to all these questions… MARMALADE!!! It boasts a warm and pleasant ambience suitable for Sunday brunches with your loved ones or just a quiet night out with your girlfriends.

For the mom’s out there, not to worry because this place has a wonderful play area, so you can enjoy your meal while the kids entertain themselves in the play area situated adjacent to the dining area.

They also cater for functions, be it a fancy birthday bash or a scary Halloween party.

HEHEHE… now for the best part….FOOD!!!!!!!!

Spaghetti Aglio Oglio

Tossed with chilli, cherry tomatoes, and sundried tomatoes with choice of turkey ham and mushrooms (RM23) or prawns (RM24).

We opted for prawns.

Mien: One of the best Aglio Olios around! Not bland at all. There is so much flavor to a very simple pasta. Prawns and vegetables were fresh. Loved it and would go back for more!

Shiv: A truly excellent version of this simple Italian favourite. Every mouthful packed a lip-smacking savoury flavour, and a generous amount of fresh ingredients were used. LOVES!

Gaj: Loved this dish, the pronounced garlic flavour perfectly complemented the ingredients. A must try for olio lovers!

Kav: Pasta-al dente. Prawns-fresh and bouncy. Brocolli-crunchy. Flavoured perfectly, as the sweetness of the prawn, tanginess of the tomatoes and earthy olive oil was delicious together. To top it off, the entire dish had underlying notes of garlic and mushrooms. Loves!!! 

Spaghetti Pesto

With grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, sliced olives and cheese crisp (RM23).

Mien: The pesto was so good! You can taste the basil and the pine nuts! The chicken used in the pasta was cut to the right size and didn’t overwhelm the pasta and pesto. Possibly the best pesto pasta I have had in a while.

Shiv: Fantastic! A simple, earthy and classic version of one of my favourite pasta varieties. The pesto sauce generously coated the pasta, and the cheese crisps added a wallop of flavour to the already flawless dish.

Gaj: Agreed, the pesto was very very good. They didn’t stinge on the basil and pine nuts, thus resulting in a flavourful pasta that was not cloying, like other pesto pastas.

Kav: My favourite dish here!!! The pesto was done with just the right balance of basil, olive oil and cheese, with the basil flavour taking centre stage unlike other pestos I have tried, where either they adulterate it with cream or too much cheese. The acidity of the tomatoes provided a great contrast to the earthy pesto.

Spicy Lamb Burger

With rocket leaves and haloumi topped with tzatziki, served with sweet potato wedges (RM24).

Mien: Lamb too gamey… Hence… DISLIKE!

Shiv: Pales in comparison to some of the other lamb burgers I’ve tried in recent times, but not a shoddy rendition. The patty was juicy, but sadly, not flavoured thoroughly. Sweet potatoes added a unique touch to the sides, however, I didn’t care much for the salad, as it had raisins, which I so hate in my salads.

Gaj: Not the best lamb burger in town, but alright. It lacked the oomph that most lamb burgers have. I hate raisins, so didn’t enjoy the salad.

Kav: This was just alright for me. The patty was a little bland as it lacked that oomph. Loved the sweet potatoes as it was cooked through and the natural sweetness came through. Did not quite enjoy the raisins in the salad.

Avocado salad

Mixed lettuce, poached chicken cubes, peppers, raisins, walnuts, avocados, tomatoes, and cheese crisp with zesty mustard dressing (RM21).

Mien: Love this salad. It is so fresh tasting. The combination of the green apples with the avocado, chicken, cucumber and the vinaigrette is a perfect medley of flavours.

Shiv: The proof is in the produce! =) This salad was so fresh and delicious – the medley of ingredients pairing brilliantly, with little fuss made about the dressing. Calling all cynics: Please head to Marmalade to appreciate healthy food that is delicious when done right.

Gaj: I usually dislike salad, but the avocado was so so good. If I ever would order a salad, it would be this!

Kav: The creaminess of the avocado coated the entire salad, giving it body without overwhelming the other ingredients. This dish was flavoured well. Loves!!!

No meal is complete without dessert, so here we go…

Salted chocolate caramel cake

(*Note: The price of the desserts varies, please check with your waiter :-))

Mien: Good. Cake – moist, chocolate – not cheap, and not too rich. However, I felt that The Daily Grind’s version of this cake was better.

Shiv: I have never met a salted chocolate caramel cake that I didn’t like, but this one… OMG! This was too sinfully delectable. Every chocolate-y bite was so amazingly luxurious and luscious.

Gaj: Loved this cake! Probably one the best chocolate cakes that I have had in a long long time! Must have for all you chocolate lovers J

Kav: The chocolate flavour was enhanced by the salt, and the caramel complimented the combination of salt and chocolate. The cake was moist and delicious. Perhaps a little too sweet for my liking (certainly not for you sweet tooths out there).

Vanilla cupcake

Mien: Vile! Icing was so bad, cake itself was dry and just plain bad. No words to describe it!

Shiv: Very bad. The texture of the icing was funky, and the butter cake beneath the icing was dried out and lacked finesse. Also, the vanilla essence was too mild, and hardly recognizable. Overall, one big buttery fail!

Gaj: Quite bad indeed, the cake was dry and the icing really didn’t help matters.

Kav: Awww…this was just bad!!! The icing tasted like powdered milk and to top it off the cake was dry. Epic Fail!!!

Verdict: WOK ON

PRICE: Reasonably priced. Like any other café.

AMBIENCE: Very homely and conducive for family get-togethers.

SERVICE: Good service.

FOOD: Excellent. We would recommend the pesto pasta and the Chocolate cake

MARMALADE

1F-18, 1ST FLOOR, BANGSAR VILLAGE II,
NO. 1, JALAN TELAWI DUA,
BANGSAR BARU,
59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603-2282 8301

Email: marmalade.cafe.my@gmail.com

Website: http://www.ilovemarmalade.com/

Opening Hours:

10.00 am – 10.00 pm daily

S.Wine, Publika, Kuala Lumpur

S.Wine is part of the B.I.G establishment of eateries, located within Ben’s Independent Grocer at Publika. 

As its name suggests, this place serves pork and patrons can buy wine from the Ben’s Grocer and bring it into S.Wine without a corkage charge, which we think is pretty cool. :)

After choosing a beautiful bottle of South African Pinotage (RM75), we headed over to S.Wine for dinner (located opposite the wine area). The wine was light, fruity, smooth and it complemented the food very well - although we are not wine connoisseurs.

For appetizers, we had Scallop - Bacon Bites - scallops which were wrapped with a layer of bacon (RM34).

Gaj: The scallops were succulent and the bacon was crispy – it was a perfect way to start the meal. Yummy!

Kav: The scallops were extremely fresh and the bacon was crispy. It was a match made in heaven, loved it! Generally, I don’t like a cream based sauce, however, this one was really nice. It had a hint of spiciness and it complemented the dish. 

We then had the Pork and Pine Nut Sausage Roll (RM19).

(Sorry guys, we forgot a picture for this!)

Gaj: The pastry was lovely, light, flaky and the filling was delicious. I could taste the wonderful pine nuts, which added a delightful zing to the dish. 

Kav: I agree with Gaj - the pastry was light and not too heavy. The pork and pine nut filling was scrumptious as no one flavour overpowered the other. Was very  filling. 

We had 2 pastas, the first being spicy bacon and mushroom (RM26).

Gaj: The olio styled spaghetti was well flavoured with chili flakes and garlic, however, I did not enjoy the  preparation of the bacon.

Kav: Like most of the B.I.G Group pastas, the ratio of ingredients to pasta was not well-balanced. There was too much pasta. However, the pasta was flavoured well. I found the sausage very tough and a little sour. Overall, it was mediocre.

The second pasta was Olio Chorizo chunks and broccoli with blue cheese (RM26).

Gaj: I enjoyed this pasta and it too was accompanied with pine nuts which complemented the broccoli and blue cheese well. Again, the preparation of the chorizo was not to my liking, it was too fatty. 

Kav: Again, the ratio of ingredients to the pasta was not well-balanced. However, the pasta was flavoured well. Love the combination of blue cheese and broccoli. The sausage was similar to the one in the previous pasta. I liked this pasta better.

Verdict: WOK ON!

We were stuffed silly as it was only Gaj and Kav at dinner, and therefore, we did not order dessert. However, we would definitely come back here again to try the other porky-licious dishes and dessert too.

[Note : Advisable to reach before 7pm especially during the weekends to avoid waiting in a queue]. 

S.WINE CAFE DELI,

BEN’S INDEPENDENT GROCER,

PUBLIKA, SOLARIS DUTAMAS,

KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 6209 1700
Fax: +603 6209 1701