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

Botanical, Bangsar Village II, Kuala Lumpur (Round 2)

As stated earlier, we would give Botanical another chance, and here it is:
(P.S Click here for our first review: Botanical (Round 1))

1)  Vietnamese Salad – green apples, cucumber, cellophane noodles, jicama, shallots, bean sprouts, Thai basil and peanut dressing. This dish is gluten-free and contains nuts. (RM19.90)

Mien: Very refreshing. Loved the peanut-y-ness of this dish with the Thai basil. Would definitely order again!

Shiv: Reminiscent of a good Thai kerabu – it was fresh and crunchy. The ingredients were aplenty and nutritious. An intestine-healthy option, especially for the gluten-sensitive.

Kav: Very fresh and the nuts gave it that crunch that I love!!!

2)  Portobello Mushroom Burger – served with French fries and side salad. (RM21.90)

Mien: Tasted like a meat burger! Really really good and meaty! Botanical knows how to turn carnivores into herbivores!

Shiv: Wow! An amazing vegetarian alternative to the old favourite, the Portobello patty was super juicy and flavourful, and the whole burger just oozed a succulent savoury kick. Will certainly give the conventional burger a run for its money.

Kav: You would never expect this of a vegetarian burger. It felt like I was eating a meat burger. The earthiness of the mushroom flavoured the burger perfectly. Favourite dish here!!!

3)  Spinach & Ricotta Crepes Gratin – spinach, ricotta, herbs, buckwheat crepes, tomato & buffalo mozzarella gratin. (RM25.90)

Mien: Tasty... however, it was toooooo filling! Overwhelmingly cheese-y! One would taste very little of the other ingredients but a WHOLE load of cheese!

Shiv: Good, but in a sinfully-cheesy-artery-clogging way. Think lasagne meets parmigiana. The spinach-ricotta combo was genius, but the flavouring of the entire dish was overwhelmed by the cloying mozzarella-ricotta pairing. May have been wiser to share between more people.

Kav: First mouth, verdict - excellent but a little sweet.

Second mouth, verdict - okay but very sweet.

Third mouth, verdict - OMG CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE… so freaking cloying!!!

Fourth mouth, verdict - choking on cheese… somebody call 911!!!

Verdict: WOK ON!

PRICE: Reasonably priced for healthy, tasty food! Total = RM78.55 for 3 dishes.

AMBIENCE: Modern, fresh, clean and tastefully decorated with al fresco dining option available, albeit still in the middle of a mall.

SERVICE: Good. Food arrived promptly, and our waiter was pleasant and efficient.

FOOD: We gave them a second chance and we were impressed! We’ll be back to try out some of the other dishes from their extensive menu.

*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

Fat Boy’s The Burger Bar, Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur

We found ourselves in the vicinity of Publika, Mon’t Kiara one Saturday afternoon and decided to try Fat Boy’s The Burger Bar, as we were in the mood for burgers.

To whet our appetite, we started with a side order of garlic bread (RM5).

Gaj: The garlic bread was mediocre, would not order it again.

Shiv: Nothing to shout about – was slightly dry, and not much garlic-y flavour. We had to wait so long for this to arrive!

Kav: BLAH!!!!! No flavour!!!!!

Since we were in a rather adventurous mood, we decided to have build-your-own burgers as opposed to trying out the ready-made options on the menu.

The first burger we had was with Lamb Patty (RM13), Whole Wheat Bun (RM2), Guacamole (RM3), Portobello Mushroom (RM8), Mozzarella Cheese (RM2.50) with Roasted Garlic Aioli Sauce (RM1.50).

Gaj: Everything about this burger was amazing, except that the Portobello mushroom was not compatible with the lamb.

Shiv: OMG!!! This was soo good. The lamb-guacamole combo was a match made in heaven. The portobello mushroom however was too heavy, and probably shouldn’t have been paired with the lamb. They could have also been more generous with the aioli sauce.

Kav: The patty was really meaty and flavourful and loved the wheat bread. It went perfectly with the creamy guacamole and mozzarella. Agreed that the portobello overwhelmed the other flavours and didn’t complement the lamb.

Next up, we had Pork Patty (RM11), Honey Oat Bun (RM2), Wild Aragula (RM3), Guacamole (RM3), Jalapeno (RM2.50), Sundried Tomatoes (RM2) with Roasted Garlic Aioli Sauce (RM1.50).

Gaj: This was probably the best burger we had. The honey oat bun was perfectly paired with the pork patty.

Shiv: Loved the earthiness of the bun, and the aragula-guacamole-jalapeno combo with the pork was sublime! Would recommend this one, although you should probably omit the sundried tomatoes, as it was a tad too sweet.

Kav: Definitely the best burger of the three we had. The earthy honey oat bun went perfectly with the savoury herb-y pork patty, which was flavoured to perfection. The creamy Guacamole, the nut-y and slightly bitter arugula together with the sharpness of the jalapeno complemented the other elements. Scrumptious!!!

The last burger we tried had Chicken Patty (RM10), Sesame Bun (RM2), Bacon (RM3), Wild Aragula (RM3), Jalapeno (RM2.50), Mozzarella Cheese (RM2.50) with Roasted Garlic Aioli Sauce (RM1.50).

Gaj: I was not a big fan of the chicken patty, but the bacon was very good and made up for it.

Shiv: Chicken patty was a bit bland, and the lacklustre sesame bun did little for the overall taste of this burger. However, the bacon and cheese did compensate mildly for the lack of flavour in the chicken patty.

Kav: Average. Didn’t like the bun used. The patty was very average; did NOT pack a punch. They could have been more generous with the bacon. I also didn’t like the chicken-arugula combo as the patty was too bland and it probably would have tasted better with jalapenos.

Verdict: WOK ON!

PRICE: Reasonable (total bill = RM 94.55 for 3pax).

AMBIENCE: Very laid back – suitable place for families with kids.

SERVICE: Bad – the waiters did not understand what we were asking for and to make matters worse, were not even friendly! The food also took very long to arrive, despite the joint being practically empty (we were there at 4pm).

FOOD: Good – the burger patties were tasty and there was a wide selection of add-ons to choose from for the build-your-own burger option.

FAT BOY’S THE BURGER BAR

LOT 30, LEVEL G2, PUBLIKA

NO.1, JALAN DUTAMAS 1,

SOLARIS DUTAMAS, 50480 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603- 6206 1352

Opening Hours:

10am -10pm, daily