Daidomon Japanese BBQ Buffet @ Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang, KL

@ Level 3 Great Eastern Mall

Interior

If you are a big fan of BBQ Ox tongue and beef slices, Daidamon's buffet is value for money. For just RM45.90++ per head, you will be able to feast on unlimited amounts of ox tongue, tripe, beef harami, beef ribs, yukke, sashimi, chicken, fish, seafood, hot Japanese dishes, green tea, cordial drinks, fruits, desserts and etc.

Sashimi, Karubi&Harami, Prawns

The buffet package also came along with 1 serving of oysters in a foil, and 1 serving of scallops per person, which we found to be fresh and delicious.

Rosu, Scallops, Honetsuki

Ox Tongue, Oysters, Gyu Tataki

However, apart from the BBQ Beef dishes most of the other dishes were at best, mediocre. Most of the hot dishes on the buffet spread table were cold and soggy, and the salmon sashimi was sliced very crudely and lacking In freshness. Additionally, the fruits and salads on the spread were not covered and I saw a couple of flies hanging around it. The biggest dissapointment of the night was the BBQ prawns. Although it was huge in size, the meat was soft and mushy.

Mushrooms

Yukke Sashi

All BBQ buffet dishes here are served only when ordered. As a party of 4, we ordered many rounds of ox tongue. On our 6th round and onwards, we found that the tongue was more frozen than chilled, and got progressively harder to chew on. However, this could be a one-time off scenario as some of our friends recently visited and did not experienced any frozen beef even after their 10th serving. They however, complained that even when they had specifically ask the waiter to bring a bigger portion when serving, the waiter still brought a small serving of 5 slices only.

Buffet Spread

Verdict:

On the night we visited, there were only 1 or 2 other tables occupied. With such a buffet spread (mixture of bbq meat + sashimis & Japanese dishes), Daidamon should be packed with customers. Perhaps due to their lack of quality control, business is slow and they should definitely start correcting these issues. If you plan to offer buffets, always offer with a generous heart - good portions and high quality. There are so many restaurants mushrooming out every month in the city. It only takes one bad impression before patrons write you off for good.

On weekends the dinner buffet is slightly more expensive at RM 55.90 ++. If Wagyu Beef is your thing, they also offer a dinner buffet with unlimited wagyu at RM 88 ++ per head.

Toothpick says : Will visit again to see whether presentation and quality have improved.


Sandal says : Skip the food on the buffet table. Choose only the made-to-order dishes from the buffet menu.


Address :
Lot 4, Level 3, Great Eastern Mall
No. 303 Jln Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : (603) 4252 8155

GPS : 
N = 3° 9' 36.75", E = 101° 44' 12.88"

Google Map : 
3.160215, 101.736906

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Mezze @ Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara, KL

Excitedly, I dressed and got ready for my anniversary dinner with Sandal. Lucky for me, Sandal had picked up on the little hints I have been dropping on where I would like to dine at, and booked us a table at Mezze, this little Mediterranean restaurant located next to Vintry, on Jalan Kasah at Medan Damansara.

At 8 pm we arrived and the waiter showed us to our table. The restaurant only had 1 other table filled up and that was peculiar, considering it was a weekend. The deco was warm and cozy, and service efficient and friendly. After glancing through the menu, we decided on 2 appetizers, 1 main and a dessert to share.

Duck Liver Pate

First to arrive was the duck pate with grilled country style bread. The bread was crunchy and chewy, and went very well with the pate. The pate on the hand, was mediocre only as I felt that it could have been smoother, and I also detected a hint of bitterness. The fennel marmalade served as a side however, was lovely as it had a refreshingly fruity taste which helped to balance out the cloyingly rich taste of the pate. Overall a dish worth ordering if you are a big fan of duck pate but I would like to point out that the price of this dish has increased significantly from just RM13.50 last November to RM18 this November, even though the portion is the same.

Jamon Iberico De Bellota

Country Bread

Next up, was our second appetizer which was the Jamon Iberico De Bellota (sliced Spanish Iberico Pork) at RM39. Due to the price and the waiter informing us that this was an appetizer to share, we were taken aback when it arrived with just 5 thin slices of very fatty Iberico pork. The dish was served with a portion of country bread, which was slightly burnt as can be seen from my picture above. Portions and burnt food aside, the sliced pork was really hard to swallow, literally. It tasted like very,very, oily Chinese wax meat with a dash of plastic (or what I imagine plastic would taste like) added to it. The texture also felt like rubbery plastic to us. Each bite, due to the oil, fat and texture took forever to swallow. This was by far one of the worst dishes Sandal and I had ever experienced together. I am not going to say that this was bad though, more that it definitely wasn't our cup of tea!!

Chargrilled Spatchcock Chicken @ RM34

Our third dish, was the main that we were sharing which was the Spatchcock Chicken. The meat was tender, but the chicken was very salty all the way into the deepest parts of its flesh. Every mouthful required a gulp of icy cold water. Talk about sodium overload! The Provencal potatoes served with the chicken however, was excellent. It was crispy and bursting with flavor.

Brownie @ RM16

To end the night, we had the brownie with vanilla ice cream. The brownie was rich in taste but not moist in texture. However, coupled with the vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce, was palatable.

Verdict:

The total bill for the dinner was RM123.05. All in all, it was a rather disappointing night. For the price increased of most of the dishes here, I would expect better quality if not portions. Anyhow, I am glad I got Mezze out of my system as I have been hankering for it ever since I read a write up in The Star that it served Duck Pate and decent food.

Toothpick says : Disappointing. Shall continue to look for other restaurants that serves better duck liver pate.

Sandal says : No wonder it was empty.

Address :
132 Jalan Kasah,
Medan Damansara,
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : (603) 2095 0122

GPS : 
N = 3° 8' 23.44", E = 101° 39' 26.82" 

Google Map :
3.139855, 101.657422  
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IL Lido @ Jalan Mayang, KL

After reading countless reviews on IL Lido, Sandal and I decided to give it a try as it so happened, Maybank Credit Card was having a 1 Free 1 promotion for both the degustation menu and the classic menu. Glancing through the menu we actually preferred the main course choices from the classic menu, but decided to opt for the degustation menu as we really wanted to try their foie gras.

The degustation menu consisted of 7 courses and cost RM180 per pax.

1. We started off with the amuse-bouche below. According to the waiter, it was deep fried duck with porcini and truffle cream. The texture was chewy, but sadly I couldn't really detect the taste of truffle and felt that it tasted more like a piece of deep fried mozzarella cheese ball =p.

Amuse-Bouche

2. Next up was the appetizer, Crab Salad with Avocado and Bisque Jelly. Both Sandal and I felt that the avocado masked the usually sweet taste of crabs and the dish as a whole was very tasteless.

Crab Salad with Avocado and Bisque Jelly

3. As the first two dishes were a let down, we started feeling a little apprehensive about our next dish which was our raison d'etre on why we chose the degustation menu; the Pan Fried Goose Liver with Saba Wine Must and Sweet Potatoe Galette. Lucky for us, 3rd time was the charm. The foie gras was exquisite, crispy on the outside and creamy yet bouncy on the inside. The portion was substantial and it was sheer decadence.

Pan Fried Goose Liver

Juicy-Yummy-Very-Unhealthy

4. Now with our appetite finally whetted, and our opinion of the Chef's skills improved, we eagerly awaited our next feast; Tagliolini with Lobster and Spicy ‘Calabria’ Salami. Alas, this was quite a let down. The tagliolinis texture was soft and soggy instead of bouncy and I hate to say this, but it tasted a little like Maggi that has been boiled for one too many minutes. The lobster portion was too small to make up for the pasta and I really didn't see a salami in sight.

Maggi Mee?

5. Finally to end our savory journey before moving on to the desserts, we had the Sardinian Roasted Suckling Pig with Plum Sauce. This was magnificent! Even though small in portion, it was bursting with flavor. The skin was crispy and light without being cloyingly oily, and every bite of the meat was an explosion of melt-in-your-mouth flavors. 

Sardinian Roasted Suckling Pig

6. For dessert, we were supposed to have the Molten Lava Chocolate Cake, but as they have ran out, they served us Tiramisu instead. It would have been nice if they actually notified us before serving us the Tiramisu and perhaps allowed us to choose from a few different options instead of forcing the replacement on us. The tiramisu was rich and creamy, but nothing extraordinary.

Tiramisu

7. Lastly, to end the meal we had coffee and tea with some bite-sized nibbles.

Macchiato

Nibble - nibble

The service here was impeccable. Waiters were attentive without being intrusive. However, do take note that they only serve bottled water here which cost a whooping RM18. If like me, you have issues with paying RM18 for a bottle of water, do ask for the beverage menu as the fruit juices are only RM12.

Sparkling Water @ RM18

Verdict :

As I had the Maybank promotion, I would say that the price was fairly reasonable. However, without the promotion I would feel quite ripped off and unsatisfied as out of the 7 courses only 2 were fantastic. Furthermore, this was the degustation menu and one would expect every course to be top notch.

Toothpick says : Will go back again to try their classic menu or ala carte dishes.

Sandal says : Overrated!

Address :
Jalan Mayang (off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng)
50450 Kuala Lumpur
(opposite Australian Embassy)

GPS :
N = 3° 9' 36.66", E = 101° 42' 40.24"

Google Map : 
3.160183, 101.711178

Ma Maison @ Ampang

Ma Maison - My Home

Somewhere in a quiet residential area in Ampang sits a cozy, warm, simple, unpretentious French restaurant. Ma Maison is the ultimate place to visit if you are craving French fare with reasonable portions and exquisite taste. Sandal and I have been here quite a number of times but this is the first time that we actually remembered to bring our camera along.

Prawn Bisque @ RM16

Oysters directly flown in from France @ RM8/pc

For starters we had the prawn bisque and two air flown French oysters. The prawn bisque was perfect; light with a strong aromatic flavor of prawns and saffron unlike Ze American counterpart of comfort soups which are usually too thick and creamy. As for the oysters, they were not only fresh but sweet and Chef Bertrand (the owner) was kind enough to give us one extra complimentary oyster.

Cod Fillet @ RM46

For mains I had the Cod Fillet with basil and lemon butter and Sandal, the Veal Sweet Bread with green peppercorn which is actually the glands of the veal (Sandal being very adventurous today). There was only ONE word to describe the Cod - DIVINE. It was cook perfectly; in timing and in style. The texture of the fish was  succulent, bouncy and firm. In fact, texture wise I have not tasted another which comes even remotely close to, and trust me, I have eaten cod in many different restaurants. The sauce that accompanied it was buttery yet light, and this allowed the sweet natural taste of the fish to shine out.

Veal Sweet Bread with Green Peppercorn @ RM60

Potato Au Gratin

On the other hand, Sandal's veal was actually rather strange tasting albeit having a good chewy texture. The sauce that accompanied it was very nice (Chef Bertrand is a pro at making sauces) but the veals' glands actually had a very strange, bland taste to it. Perhaps it wasn't our cup of tea, after all the both of us are not big fans of organs. So much for being adventurous eh? However, we loved the potato Au Gratin which came with the veal!

For dessert we were looking forward to  the very delicious moist, rich chocolate cake drizzled liberally with vanilla sauce served here. Alas! it was not to be as the cake was sold out during lunch.

** Dear Readers,

    I recently visited Ma Maison for lunch (1st Dec 2010) and found that they have changed 

    their Chocolate Cake recipe. I regret to inform that the new recipe is a disappointment and 

    the texture of the cake was very dry. For any readers who have  visited and  tried the cake 

    based on my recommendation above, please accept my sincerest apologies if you found 

    the new cake to be as excruciatingly bad as I did yesterday.

Romantic Little Gem

If you have never been here, do do drop by. We have tried the beef, foie gras, duck, venison, veal (meat not the glands) and we can strongly vouched that nearly everything we have tried here is delicious.

If you are in KL during lunch hour, they also have a lunch set for just RM 32 nett, where you can choose a main meal from two options given and have a free appetizer buffet which features pate, Kalamata olives, caramelized onions, cheeses, garlic bread, tuna salad, apple salad, egg salad and pasta. All very delectable.

Verdict :

I love love love this restaurant as it is unpretentious and all the prices you see in the menu is nett. Furthermore, Ma Maison offers complimentary plain water (instead of forcing you to buy bottled water at a ridiculous price), and that to me is a mark of a true first class establishment.

Our meal came up to RM 138, and in my opinion, was very reasonable for a French restaurant of this quality. However, do take note that Ma Maison does not offer credit card facilities so be sure to have cash when you bring your date to this romantic little gem.

Toothpick says : Hearty, good food at a reasonable price

Sandal says : One of my favourite dining places

Address :

32 Persiaran Ampang,

Desa Pahlawan,

55000 Kuala Lumpur.

(Open daily except Tuesday)

GPS :

N = 3° 9' 28.92", E = 101° 44' 49.05"

Google Map : 
3.158033, 101.746958

Croisette - Home Deli'v @ Level 3 Cascadium Condominium Bangsar, KL

French food is synonymous with small portions of food bursting with full flavor at an exorbitant price. Yesterday, Sandal & I were invited to dinner by 2 friends at a newly open French cafe called Croisette at Cascadium Condominium in Bangsar. Hearing from them that it was French and reasonably priced, we were immediately game to join them. Upon reaching there, we had to obtain a visitor parking, park at the 2nd level, walk back down to the 1st level to be buzzed into the building and then ride the elevator back up to the 3rd level. This made the deli slightly inconvenient and inaccessible especially to new patrons.

The deli is situated right next to the condo's swimming pool which makes it perfect for alfresco dining as it is very windy and cooling. However,the deli was quite empty with only 1 other couple sitting alfresco last night...but then again, this could be due to it being open only for a week. The cafe was small, simple, spacious with white walls and about 6 tables indoor and 2 tables outside.

The menu consisted of a limited range of dishes as the French owner, Pierre, who is also the chef has not found enough hired help. Most dishes in the menu are homemade from scratch and I ordered the wild mushroom as a starter and beef lasagna as my main (Yes, oddly enough this Italian dish was in the French menu...IMO, the menu was more fusion than french with a little bit of Thai, Chinese, Italian & French food - a little something for everyone). Sandal ordered the Today's special which was the Morocco Lamb Tajine, and our 2 friends had the seafood spaghetti with pistou (very similar to pesto sauce but without the pine nuts) and another Today's special which was the Seafood Rotizza.

Food Breakdown :

1. Wild Mushroom Soup (RM10.50) - Soup was definitely homemade with no dairy cream. Light, tasty and healthy. Perfect for weight watchers! However, I felt that it was a little on the pricey side for a soup albeit being homemade.

Baked Beef Lasagna

2. Baked Lasagna Beef Bolognese with hard roll and mesclun salad (RM13.00) - Lasagna was tasty but I think it was also very healthy as it had only very little cheese or maybe none at all (Significantly different from the American version of lasagna). The fantastic thing about this lasagna was it was tasty without leaving behind a jelak/unhealthy/too stuffed feeling after finishing. Guess my diet is still on track =)

Morocco Lamb Tajine

3. Morocco Lamb Tajine (RM18.00) - Reasonably priced with lovely soft, tender pieces of delicious lamb. However, the rice that accompanied the dish was cous cous rice and neither hubby nor I are big fans of cous cous.

Seafood Rotizza

4. Seafood Rotizza (RM15) - This seafood pastry is a Today's Special and is not in the a la carte menu. It is actually made of our very own Malaysian roti canai with seafood and red sauce as topping. It was nothing extraordinary and it was a little bit expensive as it was very small - the size of a palm. You will probably need an appetizer to accompany it OR maybe an appetizer + a 2nd main dish, to be full... OR maybe I just have a huge appetite =P

Seafood Pasta

5. Seafood Pasta with Pistou Dressing (RM12 -15) - This particular dish is actually a dish from their lunch box set menu (Yup, they do deliveries too!) and is not in their a la carte menu either. However, as my friend is friend's with the owner/chef's partner, he made it specially for us. The pasta was tasty and healthy with a good amount amount of seafood. Very reasonably priced.

Chili Chocolate Brownie

6. Chili Chocolate Brownie (RM 7 approx.) - Another dish that was specially made and not in the menu yet. Brownie was moist and chocolatey with a hint of spicyness as chili powder was added during the mixing process. It also came with an Earl Grey Sauce which goes well with each bite of the moist chocolate. If you are a chocolate lover looking for something with a Zing, this would be it!

Verdict :

A great place for a very reasonable, healthy, delicious meal made from fresh, good quality ingredients. All prices are nett, and our bill came up to only RM94 inclusive of 3 freshly squeezed non diluted sugar free juices, a cup of Macchiato and water for 4 people. If you are looking for European food without packing on the pounds, think Croisette. If you'd like to enjoy your meal within the confines of your home/office, do visit their website at http://homedelivkl.blogspot.com/ to find out more about their delivery services.

Toothpick says : Worth a try especially for health conscious people

Sandal says : Mediocre but cheap. I give it a 6/10 for the food.

Address :

Home Deli'V

Level 3 Cascadium Condominium

Bangsar, KL.

GPS :

N = 3° 8' 27.9" E = 101° 39' 59.9'

Google Map :
3.141083, 101.666639