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.