Chiltern Firehouse

I went to Chiltern Firehouse for brunch a few weekends ago. I have to say I was incredibly surprised at how easy it was to reserve a table. I called mid-week and voila! I had a table for two. I think that dinner may be harder to book.

Weekend Brunchin' In KL - Part 3: Antipodean Bangsar

I'll come right out and say it: Antipodean in Bangsar is one of my favourite breakfast/brunch places.  Its food is unpretentious (and "hits the spot", as they say) and the service is quick and friendly.  What more could a hungry customer want?!

Scrambled eggs with feta & spinach on toast

Gigi's

On Friday I dined at Gigi, a contemporary Italian restaurant tucked in the corner of Woodstock Street in Mayfair. Home to the most expensive cocktail in the world, Gigi is a sleek modern restaurant and bar. Unfortunately, despite the promising menu and plush surrounding, I did end up leaving somewhat disappointed.

Weekend Brunchin' in KL - Part 2: Acme Bar & Coffee

So a couple of months ago a friend and I decided to try Acme (or ABC, as it is sometimes called) at The Troika.  A lot of people had been telling me about it, and I knew it is a very popular place, so I made sure to make a booking.  We got there at 12.30 (the time of my reservation), only to be told that our table was not quite ready yet.  So we waited…and waited…and waited.  The couple in front of us (who had also made a booking) were also waiting.  We ended up waiting for a good 20 minutes before we were taken to our table.  Not a good start at all.

Anyway, we got down to ordering the food and decided to share a couple of starters.

From L-R: fried prawns; salted egg yolk chicken strips and a variety of bruschetta.

Chotto Matte

I went for lunch at Chotto Matte with my good friend this weekend in Soho. The restaurant serves a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian food. The combination works very well. Both cultures serve delicious seafood dishes (sushi and ceviche) and great grilled meats (teriyaki and anticuchos) - and so the fusion lends itself to the two cuisines.

Edinburgh Eating, pt 1

To celebrate my brother's 21st birthday, we went on a little trip to Edinburgh. We were only there for 2 nights, so I took it upon myself to map out the entire food itinerary for the trip - no easy task given the number of cool restaurants there.

Vanilla Black

A while ago my boyfriend wanted to treat me, so he (rather spontaneously!) booked a table at Vanilla Black for lunch. I'm vegetarian, and he'd researched the best vegetarian restaurants in London and this one was deemed the best of the bunch! Michelin recommended, the cuisine at Vanilla Black is contemporary and experimental - I doubt you'll have seen the flavour combinations anywhere else.

A Chocoholic's Dream

I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic. I am also a cake-lover. When it comes to combining the two, I've got a fair bit of experience. So I thought I'd share my pretty fail-safe recipe with you - and a quick and easy way of making it a bit of a showstopper.

Weekend Brunchin' in KL - Part 1: Yellow Brick Road

Hi guys!  So, welcome to the "Weekend Brunchin' in KL" series :)  I'm super excited to do this because it's the first series we've done here at fEasToWest, and, well, I just adore brunch!!  So, every couple of weeks (or weekly, if I have the time!) I'll blog about a brunch place (or two) I've been to recently, and today I'll start with Yellow Brick Road. 

Yellow Brick Road (or Jalan Batu Kuning, as a friend of mine likes to call it) is a new all-day dining outlet in Damansara Heights owned and run by the same team in charge of Red Bean Bag.  As such, I had pretty high expectations when I first went, and I'm pleased to say that it's become one of my favourite brunch places.  

Here are some of the dishes I've tried:

The Big Breakfast Bash

Franco Manca

My friend Emily said this was 'the pizza place everyone is talking about'. And so naturally as a pizza lover I felt it was my duty to give it a go.

We organised to go to the newly opened branch on Tottenham Court Road. The first thing to note is they don't take bookings - we went straight from work at around 6.30pm so we were able to get a table, but when we left an hour later there was a queue of about 50 people.

Why would anyone queue for a pizza in London, you ask? Well on paper this place has several things going for it: it's cheap, it's quick, and they use sourdough. But if that doesn't persuade you, just look at these pizzas.

Jackson + Rye

I went for brunch with some good friends I hadn't seen in a while. I decided on Jackson + Rye because the menu was wide enough to appeal to everyone and brunch is served until 4.30pm on weekends! The restaurant is elegantly decorated and reminded me of a luxe French brasserie, despite its American diner menu. The low lighting made for a nice relaxed ambiance, but not so great photographs (apologies in advance)!

We ordered and shared arancini while we pondered over the wide menu. They went down a treat. The arancini were flavoured with truffle, rather than truffle oil and were not overpoweringly cheesy or overwhelming doused in truffle. They were crisp and light and were accompanied with a light Parmesan sauce. The sauce was slightly tangy which balanced well with the decadent and cheesy rice balls. 

The Good Life Eatery

Hi guys!  Sorry it's been a while since our last post.  All four of us have been so incredibly busy with work that it's been impossible to find time to blog.  Fortunately it's a long weekend (Friday-Monday for us here in Malaysia!) so I've finally been able to sit down and get a review done of one of my all-time favourite cafes: The Good Life Eatery.

Now, those of you who know me will be well aware that I am not a particularly healthy eater.  I love fried foods (with a particular weakness for fries) and desserts and burgers and all those bad things.  That said, I also realise that a balanced diet is a good idea, so when I find a place that does healthy AND yummy food ALL DAY ERRDAY it's like I've hit the jackpot!  And when I discover that this place delivers as well, I just cannot contain my excitement.

The Good Life Eatery serves an array of dishes to suit individual needs - gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan…you name it, they've got it.  Their menu is written on a large blackboard above the till - I've pretty much tried everything on it but haven't photographed everything (sorry) so this blog post will only feature a sprinkling of what's on offer.  Also note that some of the dishes below may no longer be on offer as I had them a while ago (I left London last year), but I'll still include them as they give you a pretty good idea of the type of stuff available at this wonderful place.

Skinny Benedict: Poached Eggs on Wheat Free Bread with Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes and Hollandaise Sauce

Taberna Etrusca

My school friends and I were well overdue a long catch-up. Now that we all work in the same part of London we decided on an early dinner at a little Italian restaurant near St. Paul’s: Taberna Etrusca.

This would usually be a little bit outside of our midweek price range, but luckily they accept tastecards, which meant we got 50% off our food – hooray! The restaurant itself looks like a very rustic, traditional Italian restaurant with its crisp white tablecloths, mahogany chairs and framed pictures all over the walls. Just what us pasta-lovers needed on a Thursday evening.

Pulp by Papa Palheta

So I stumbled upon a new coffee place this sunny Sunday morning.  Ok well, I didn't stumble upon it exactly - my dad introduced me to it - but let's keep that quiet because it suggests my middle-aged father is way cooler than I am (true though it may be).  Anyway, the reason I said stumble upon in the first place is that Pulp isn't your usual run-of-the-middle cafe situated in a mainstream shopping mall, nor is it nestled amongst a series of shoplots (as so many so-called hipster cafes are these days).  Instead, it's right next to the Balai Berita building - which houses the NSTP - and calls on old Printing Works factory its home.  Obviously, Pulp has spruced the place up quite a bit, though it has kept the integrity of the original structure.  The result is pretty cool: a light, airy, large space with high ceilings and plenty of beams & woodwork which give it a slightly earthy feel.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

They are delicious and fun to make - your kitchen will turn into a chocolate factory for at least an hour so it's worth making two batches and sharing the surplus with friends. If you've been thinking about bringing something homemade to the office but haven't had the chance to run a SurveyMonkey and figure out what your boss and colleagues like, look no further than this recipe which has been successfully tested (across all sectors and industries!). In fact, many brownies recipes trace their origin to that special place in every office
where people leave birthday and holiday treats. 

Drunken-Dairy

If you like ice-cream and alcohol you shouldn't be reading this. You should be enjoying it curtesy of Drunken Dairy. These alchemists have blended together a delicious range of alcoholic ice-cream treats. If you are feeling down, it is the ultimate indulgent pick me up. If you are happy it will definitely keep you more than merry! Drunken Dairy comes in a wide range of flavours. I was lucky to sample four flavours at the Urban Music Award Show and will rank them in ascending order.

Gallery Mess at The Saatchi Gallery

While Hannah was visiting, we decided that no trip to London would be complete without a wander down King's Road and round Sloane Square. Clearly this is exhausting work, and while we were looking for somewhere to have a quick lunch, we came across the Gallery Mess at The Saatchi Gallery on Duke of York Square. (Just as a little side note, DoY Square is the absolute dream - definitely go and have a peek if you're in the area).

I had heard a few things about the Gallery Mess but had never managed to organise a meal there, so I was pleased when we stumbled across it. The rooms are beautiful: great big brick arches, filled with glass which means the space is bright and open - I imagine it would be equally lovely for a Summer Sunday brunch, or as a quirky party venue.

Anyway, back to the food...

Hannah chose the fish and chips. As you can see, it was beautifully presented and just what she was after: the chips were hot, crunchy and fluffy in the middle, and the fish perfectly cooked.

Smack Deli

Hannah and I decided to try out Smack Deli, which serves a variety of lobster rolls and accompaniments. It is just round the corner of Bond Street, so it makes a perfect pit stop during a day of shopping.