Just Cakes

Our sprouted bread had run out and I had to go to Village Grocer, Bangsar, to replenish them. (Sprouted bread is good for diabetes and hubby takes them for breakfast daily.) Village Grocer is one of the few stores that carry the sprouted bread from Adventist Hospital's bakery (click here for more info). 


My sis-in-law was in Bangsar right then, and since I wanted to pass some stuff to her, we met up for lunch together with a friend of hers.


After lunch, we proceeded next door for cakes. I don't remember the name of the shop, but it shared half a shoplot with Klinik Chong at Lucky Garden. The space used to be occupied by a launderette. 


Carina, sis-in-law's friend, suggested that we ordered a cake each and shared them. My choice was the blueberry cheesecake.

It was one of the better cheesecakes I've had. It had whole blueberries in it, and the cake just melted in my mouth. Each bite was sheer bliss.


Sis-in-law let us picked a cake for her, and we selected the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream.

Personally, I found the brownie not chocolaty enough. It didn't have chocolate fudge. There was one with fudge but without the walnuts. Since brownies without walnuts aren't brownies in my opinion, that wasn't an option. Sis-in-law loved it, fortunately.

Carina chose the carrot & pumpkin cake. Another good choice. It wasn't dry nor crumbly, and had a nice carrot-cinnamon flavour to it.

I like my carrot cakes to be moist with a distinct carrot & cinnamon flavour, and this one reminded me of the carrot cake I used to bake. The last time I baked any cake was when my mum was still alive and hadn't fallen sick yet. Perhaps one day I might start to bake again.

Nature's Vegetarian Restaurant @ Bangsar

I remember those days before hubby was diagnosed as diabetic, he did not like vegetables and avoided vegetarian restaurants like a plague. He took pride in being a 'meat man'. Things have since changed, and we've been going to quite a few vegetarian restaurants these days as he has embarked upon a 'healthy-living' mission.


Although we've been to this place a few times, I've always forgotten to take any pictures and blog about it. On the last visit, I managed to take two photos......

The bitter-curd was cooked just right, not too soft, and the black bean sauce was light and fragrant. RM12.

The Golden Beancurd was smooth and went well with the "sin kua" (a type of melon). RM12. 

At RM1.50 a bowl, I'd consider the brown rice to be cheap. And the best part is, it's not overcooked and soggy, unlike some restaurants.

How do I rate this place? Well, this is also one of the places I'd definitely bring my cousin and her vegetarian husband when they visit us in Malaysia, so, work the rating out for yourself....... :)


Address:
Nature's Vegetarian Restaurant
No. 24, Jalan Telawi 3,
Bangsar Baru, KL
Tel: 03 - 2283 5523

delicious @ Bangsar Village II

Delicious is the name of a chain restaurant started by Benjamin Yong in 2004 as a small tearoom in the back of a boutique. Today, E&O Hotel has a 51% stake in it, and it has expanded to six outlets, including one in Penang. 


The ingredients used are all halal making it a good place to hang out with Muslim friends. Plus, there are specific vegetarian dishes, too. It's definitely going into my list of places to take my cousin and her vegetarian husband when they visit us in Malaysia.

Salmon Angelhair - RM27.90

Is this getting familiar? If you're thinking you're always seeing salmon or pasta on my blog, that's because salmon is my favourite fish just as it is my cats', and next to brown rice, pasta is my staple diet. I could eat pasta everyday and never tire of it.


But this pasta tastes different from all the other salmon pasta I've had. The caviar complemented the smoked salmon and creamy sauce with parsley flakes. Truly yummylicious.

Quiche Lorraine with Beef Bacon - RM18.90

Hubby who likes quiche, opted for the Lorraine quiche after asking the waiter if it's big enough as a main course. He's concerned that it might not be enough to fill him. When it arrived, it looked kinda small. Turned out the amount was just right, especially when we shared the two dishes and finished off with a cheesecake. And yes, it tastes as good as it looks. I liked the salad dressing on the salad, too. I've always hated those salad that came with Thousand Island Dressing. Yuck! I wish someone would ban those commercial Thousand Island Dressing. Oops....hope there's no thousand island dressing fan reading this.....

Macadamia cheesecake - RM13.90

The cheesecake is not the light fluffy type that you get for RM6 or RM7 a piece, but the real, heavy type. Topped with macadamia nuts and caramel, it was sinfully rich, particularly so for diabetic hubby!! But it's his weekly treat to eat whatever he likes, after being on the strict diet I imposed on him throughout the week at home. Trust me, it's no fun being on that diet. Even a simple cup of hot chocolate at night has been replaced with plain oats soaked in hot water.


While perusing the menu, we also discovered that they have a traditional English afternoon tea for two at RM59.90. Now I know where to go if I'm craving for an English afternoon tea and don't happen to be in Cameron Highlands!


This restaurant lives up to its name. My verdict is:-

Address:
delicious
GF-1, Ground Floor, Bangsar Village II,
2 Jalan Telawi 1,
Bangsar Baru, KL.
Tel: 03 - 2287 1554/3
URL: http://www.thedeliciousgroup.com

Smokehouse @ Bangsar

Ever since hubby was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic nearly two months ago, we've been having problems eating out. A lot of thought goes into where to eat, what to order, thoughts which we hadn't had to spend a second on before. And most of the time, we end up going for Japanese food (hubby orders either the cold wheat soba or sashimi, not sushi, since sushi contains rice), Ipoh koay teow soup or the Italian restaurant downstairs. Last Saturday, we decided to 'reward' hubby for being a good boy. He has diligently kept to his diet, and his blood glucose level has returned to normal, pleasing his doctor no end. So, he is allowed to eat some refined or simple carbo.


But still, after having been careful with his diet, hubby is no longer in a rush to eat just anything. In the end, we went to Smokehouse in Bangsar. Why Smokehouse? They allow you to customise your orders! 


Here's what hubby ordered -- his doctor would be pleased with his restraint. :)

Nude and healthy, no dressing!

Yes, I know, the chicken and mushroom pie is made of flour, and is a refined carbo, but hey, hubby had meant to 'misbehave' and eat what he shouldn't eat this night. 


We had to wait for nearly half an hour for the chicken and mushroom pie, as it was made from scratch. The taste was, needless to say, fresh and piping hot. (Sorry, I'm not sure how to describe the flavours of a chicken and mushroom pie!)


As for me, I wasn't so restrained, and really, do I need to be, since I'm not on a special diet. I ordered the Ceasar Salad with Beef Bacon and for the entree, the Roast Lamb Shank.

The Ceasar Salad was served with their own homemade sauce consisting of vinegar, lime juice, pounded garlic and parmesan cheese. The combination was a genius, I loved the piquant, cheesy flavour. The original dressing comes with the Thousand Island dressing, which I asked the waiter to hold. He offered to put it in a separate plate for me, but I declined, as I'd never developed a taste for Thousand Island. I much prefer the Blue Cheese dressing, but if I have a choice I'd rather have Balsamic Vinegar, or this lime juice-vinegar-garlic-cheese dressing. Yummy!

The Roast Lamb Shank was very tender and succulent. The meat fell apart when I carved it, and melted in my mouth. The gravy was excellent, too, and if I have to describe it, I would say it tasted rather like the Hungarian Goulash. Mmm.....I love Hungarian Goulash, and wished I had room for a dinner roll to soak up all that wonderful gravy. Yum-yum.