Cava, Jalan Bangkung

After a loooong day’s work, we found ourselves craving for GOOD food! We had heard a lot about the food at Cava, a Spanish restaurant at Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar.

As bonafide tipplers, we have had drinks, but hadn’t got an opportunity to dine there.

So, we FINALLY decided to give the food a try!

Tucked away in the quieter area of Bangsar, away from the hustle and bustle of the Telawi area, you will find Cava, located on the same row as Leonardo’s, Opus, Madisons and Midi to name a few.

Cava serves modern and traditional Spanish cuisine. It is not your typical Spanish bar; it has a bit more of a ‘fine-dining’ feel to it.

We were served with complimentary bruschetta.

Shiv: Bad! Sugar was the only flavour carrying the dish. It’s a good thing that we didn’t have to pay for it.

Kav: Not one of my favourite things. Sweet!!!

Mien: Loved the bread they used. Found the toppings a bit sweet due to the presence of the sweet corn! Would have been better without it.

Gaj: I didn’t really enjoy it – generally dislike sweet elements in my food.

For appetisers, we ordered the following tapas:

1)  Cod and Kalamata Fritters (RM15)

Shiv: Was too tomato-ey and I could hardly taste the flavours from the cod. This dish was just too overwhelmingly tangy. No likey!

Kav: Alrighty, I guess. The sweetness from the tomatoes were overwhelming, hence I couldn’t really taste much of anything else. Overall, not great.

Mien: Hmmm… it was not tooooo bad… had a unique ‘Indian-y’ taste to it. Might actually order it again.

Gaj: This dish was just OK for me – not sure if I would have it again.

2)  Baked Portobello Mushrooms with Roasted Garlic and Walnuts (RM15)

Shiv: Fantastic! The meatiness of the Portobello married with the nuttiness of the walnuts provided for a merry marriage of flavours. Saved the day, where appetisers were concerned.

Kav: Yummy! Something about the way garlic and mushrooms taste together, makes me want to sing!!! Plus the roasted walnuts added crunchiness and a nutty flavour that elevated this dish to the next level.

Mien: Love this! The flavours infused well together, with a slight chilli flavour! Really good!

Gaj: I LOVED this dish – it was really good! Oooo..the garlic and walnuts just gave it an extra oomph –yumms!

Moving on the mains, we ordered:

1)  Galician Styled Cod, baked cod with olive tapenade cream sauce (RM58)

Shiv: Best main of the night! Super moist and flaky, and they were smart about keeping the flavours to a minimal, to allow the amazing fishy flavours from the cod to carry the dish. Could have come all on its own, as the sides were easily ignored with the fish being so fantastic!

Kav: This dish gave me a screaming……lol! The cod was fresh and cooked to perfection, with all its oily fattiness still intact. The tapenade cream sauce complemented the cod and was not too creamy.

Mien: OH MY DAYSSSS!!! TOO TOO GOOD! The cod – EXTREMELY FRESH, just melts in your mouth! The sauce did not overwhelm the cod… it was a good marriage! The mashed potatoes had been infused with truffle – so delish! Went back the next day again for it! Guilty as charged! :S

Gaj: AMAZE-BALLS! The cod was melt in your mouth goodness and the mashed potato – gosh, I could have it all day! Soooo YUMMY!

2)   Cava’s Braised Spanish Lamb Shank with Pearl Onion (RM56) (P.S : Can’t take the Indian away from their lamb! :P)

Shiv: Good rendition on this classic main. The lamb was done very well, with a nice concentration of sweet and savoury nuances. I typically don’t enjoy sweet elements in my mains, but this was excusable, as the juice from the lamb created a nice strong meaty flavour.

Kav: The lamb was cooked well. The gravy that accompanied the lamb had Moroccan-Indian flavours, full of sweet and smoky flavours from the spices, which went well with the meaty lamb.

Mien: Hmmmmm….. found this tooooo gamey… sooooo DISLIKE!

Gaj: The braised lamb shank was done very well – it was tender and juicy. There was a tinge of sweetness probably from the onion, but it was not overwhelming and complemented the dish well.

Finally, moving on to the dessert (we girls need to fulfill our sweet craving!) Surprisingly, we only ordered ONE dessert………Hallelujah!

We ordered Cava’s most famous dessert, the Chocolate Dream (RM16)

Shiv: Very ordinary and you can probably find this at any one of those commercialised eateries sprouting all over KL. The cake lack moisture and they relied too heavily on the subpar custard cream, which in-turn was insipid! Skip this altogether, please!

Kav: Blah blah blah…..very ordinary tasting dessert.

Mien: I am sick and bored of this Chocolate Lava type of desserts, hence it would be unfair for me to judge… but nevertheless….not a fan!

Gaj: This dessert was OK, a pretty standard rendition of chocolate lava cake.

Verdict: WOK ON!

PRICE: Slightly on the pricey side – RM185.60 for 2 appetisers, 2 mains and 1 dessert (4pax).

AMBIENCE:  Cosy and comfortable – perfect for a date and/ (or) a night out with friends. There is the option to dine alfresco, but be there early, or be sure to make reservations, as these seats get grabbed fast.

SERVICE: Good - waiters were pleasant, efficient and attentive.

FOOD: Tasty – this restaurant focuses on quality not quantity, which is a refreshing change.

CAVA

71, JALAN BANGKUNG

BUKIT BANDARAYA

BANGSAR

59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 2093 6637 / +6017 356 0133

Email: mailus@cava.my

Website: http://www.cava.my

Opening Hours:

Mon-Sat: 12.00pm – 3.00pm; 5.00pm-1.00am

Sun: 6.00pm – 12.00am

G3 Kitchen and Bar, Bangsar Baru

From the previous owners of Telawi Street Bistro comes G3 Kitchen and Bar, a more recent culinary endeavour which boasts a wide selection of food, including but not limited to, Mediterranean, Italian, and English.

If you head there before 3.00pm during weekends, you may fancy yourselves a magnificent morning meal from the wide variety of interesting and delicious sounding food items from their special weekend-only breakfast menu.

Let’s not waste time and head straight to the food…

1)  Pan-fried Potatoes with Mushrooms and Onions (RM10).

Mien: I liked the simplicity of dish. The perfect combination of onions, garlic and herbs was all that was needed.

Shiv: Delicious! Savoury and light, this was a good way to start the meal. Would have preferred if they had used a different variety of mushrooms, but the dish was tasty all the same.

Kav: Nicely done! The sweet onion, with the combination of earthy mushrooms and potatoes, was really delicious.

Gaj: I enjoyed this dish, very simple but tasty, good option for vegetarians.

2)  Salami Pizza, with Chicken Salami, Spicy Lamb Sausage, Mushroom, Tomatoes, Olives and Basil (RM27).

Mien: The pizza was good although not the best I have tasted. The crust was done well and the toppings were a good combination.

Shiv: Had a nice meaty flavour and the crust was done well, but the scarcity of lamb sausages was a bit of a disappointment. Thank god for the salami though, as it supported the pizza well.

Kav: Pizza was average. They could have been more generous with the sausages and olives.

Gaj: Could have been more generous with the sausage, but it was still good nonetheless.

3)  Crabmeat and Tuna Spaghetti, Olio style (RM23).

Mien: VILE! I think the recipe for this pasta: cooked spaghetti, canned tuna and crabmeat, olive oil, salt, pepper, dried Italian herbs; just mix the ingredients all together then serve!!!

Shiv: The tuna was dried out, and the olio was severely under-flavoured. Even the little crab used could not save this dish. I’m sorry, but a dish like this is unacceptable anywhere, much less in a place of this nature. Shame!

Kav: Really?!?!?! Could you actually get away with serving a dish like this in a restaurant??? You don’t need a chef to open a can of tuna and dump it onto some poorly- flavoured spaghetti – a three year old could do that.

Gaj: Really really bad! The dish was so dry, it felt like eating pasta that was refrigerated.

4)  Spicy Clam & Prawns Spaghetti with Olive Oil (RM26).

As we do not fancy clams, we opted for more prawns to replace the clams.

Mien: Another let-down. Not much flavouring at all! Plain bland!

Shiv: Unfortunately, we had little luck with pastas on this occasion, as this one was terrible as well. The prawns were mushy (an indication of staleness) and there was a glaring absence of the seafood flavour that is so fondly found in gamberi pastas usually.

Kav: I believe this chef has not got a clue when it comes to pastas. There were hardly any ingredients, and to top it off, the pasta was poorly seasoned. What a waste of some good prawns.

Gaj: Such a big let-down! You would think an olio gamberi pasta would be fairly easy to get right, but this was such a lacklustre pasta.

5)  Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (RM9)

Mien: Surprisingly delicious!!!!

Shiv: A true palate pleaser, this was the best dish of the night! The pumpkin cake was moist and very moreish and coupled with the vanilla ice cream, this dessert was just divine. I could come back here just for this! =)

Kav: This cake saved the day, or rather my taste buds. Truly scrumptious, as the cake was moist, not overly sweet and the ice-cream just elevated the dessert to the next level. YUM!!!

Gaj: This cake was really good! Yummy!

6)  Coconut Tart (RM9)

Mien: Hmm… I love anything coconut... but this was a let-down!!!

Shiv: I am NOT a fan of coconut desserts, and this did little to change my stance on the matter. It was dry and had an unpleasant texture, although the nuts added much-needed crunch and flavour.

Kav: Way too dry!!! Dislike!!!

Gaj: I am game for most things coconut, but this was just bad! Some funky flavour was going on in there!

7)  Red Velvet Cake (RM9)

Mien: This was a good rendition of this classic favourite. However, I found it a bit too creamy! Cream lovers... this is your paradise!

Shiv: One of the finest red velvet cakes around! The cake was super moist, dense and not overwhelmingly creamy. They manage to strike a very good balance between the chocolate and lemon flavour notes. Highly recommended!

Kav: Delicious, however, there should have been more cake than cream. Nevertheless, I loved the cake as it was moist and yummy.

Gaj: Love the red velvet cake!!!! =) Super yummy!

8)  Carrot Cake (RM9)

Mien: Another delicious classic, but the chocolate pumpkin wins hands down!

Shiv: Good, but not great. The lemon cream cheese frosting was delicious, but the cake was slightly less moist than I would have enjoyed. I would have also preferred nuts instead of raisins, but overall, not a shoddy attempt.

Kav: This cake was good, but not great. Loved the icing on the cake, as it was not too sweet.

Gaj: Not a big fan of raisins in my cakes, walnuts would have been a better alternative. Having said that, it was pretty good!

Verdict: WOK ON!

PRICE: Affordable. RM141.50 for 1 appetiser, 3 mains and 4 desserts (4pax).

AMBIENCE: Cosy and unique, with a rather extensive rack of food items on display on one wall of the restaurant. There is an outside dining area available with a view of the popular Telawi 3 street.

SERVICE: Good. The manager was quite willing to accommodate changes to certain ingredients in particular dishes, but, it’ll be nice if they would consider serving hot drinking water, and not limit you to the likes of Esprit, San Pellegrino or Aqua Panna.

FOOD: Almost an even number of hits and misses, however, the desserts and pizza will keep us coming back for more. =)

G3 KITCHEN AND BAR

19, JALAN TELAWI 3,

BANGSAR BARU,

59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 2282 8019

Opening Hours:

10am till late, daily.