Fish & Co @ 1-Utama

Two weeks ago, on the first day of Chinese New Year, with nowhere to go, we decided to hit 1-Utama in search of lunch and movie. My mother-in-law had told us not to visit anybody, including relatives, during Chinese New Year as my mum had passed away only a month earlier.


It was a strange new year for me. It was the first time I celebrated Chinese New Year without my mum. Needless to say, while most people of Chinese descent were in a festive mood, I was feeling down and sad.


Anyway....let's move on with the topic. Despite the long weekend, many KLites remained behind in the city, and at 2-ish in the afternoon, many tables at Fish & Co were still occupied. However, the service was prompt and we didn't have long to wait.

Caesar salad with smoked salmon - RM10.90

Caesar salad was the first to arrive. They were generous with the smoked salmon, which went very well with the lettuce and blue cheese dressing. 

Soup of the day (mushroom) - RM4.90

The soup of the day followed at the heels of the caesar salad. Rich and full of mushroom slices, it had a nice, creamy texture. 

New York Fish & Chips with stuffed cheese - RM13.90

Not dory, the fish fillet was firm and sweet, while the batter was crispy. I loved the cheese in it. Each bite was simply divine. It's the best fish & chips I've had in KL.

Seafood Baked Rice - RM15.90

The seafood baked rice is actually a paella with cheese. Again, it was another savory and delectable delight. Truly scrumptious. My mouth was watering as I typed this. We must revisit the place soon.


Address:
Fish & Co
LG 350, Lower Ground Floor,
1 Utama Shopping Centre
Bandar Utama, PJ.
Tel: (03) 7722-4928

Victoria Rossa English Tea Room

Tucked away in a suburban mall, Hartamas Shopping Centre, is a little 'secret' that makes me ecstatic as well as invokes memories of my time in the UK.  It's none other than Victoria Rossa English Tea Room, very appropriately named for its white Victorian furniture.


Victoria Rossa English Tea Room boasts of two traditional English fare --- its scones and toad-in-a-hole. No, there is no toad, at least not yet. It is merely a Yorkshire pudding with sausages peeking out. And for those who do not know, Yorkshire pudding is NOT a pudding either. It's made of savoury batter. Don't ask me why those unusual names....the English are known for their eccentricity.

Toad-in-a-hole is traditionally a pub fare, and is served with gravy. At Victoria Rossa, however, it's served plain. But still tastes great! Hubby, who tried it upon my recommendation, was pleased with the flavour. RM9.90 for 4 pieces.

Those who have been following my blog from day one when it was known as blackie007 would know that for scones, I'd travel hundreds of kilometers for a good quality scone. A good quality scone is defined as one with a slight crust on the surface, and soft and fluffy on the inside. A bad quality scone is one that is crumbly or crusty on the inside. 


Victoria Rossa passed the test. I do not have to travel to Cameronian Inn, Cameron Highlands, for its scones anymore. The scone is RM6 each, and the clotted cream is an additional RM1 each. Being the gluttons that we are, we ordered one each.


Other varieties are available too: chocolate scones, walnut scones, almond scones, etc, but I still like mine the old-fashioned way -- plain.

We shared an Old English Cottage sandwich between us. The sandwich was just an ordinary, cottage cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, ham and cheddar cheese on rye bread. Not quite worth the RM16.90 for it, I think.

We ordered a pot of Mazie's tea to share. It is a blend of hibiscus, orange peel, cinnamon bark, rose hip, lemongrass, mango and passion fruit. A very exquisite blend, at RM9 a pot.

Even their bill has character!

Address:
Victoria Rossa English Tea Room
Level 1 (opposite a Korean safe shop)
Hartamas Shopping Centre
Sri Hartamas

The Best Scones in Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highlands is known for three things --- strawberries, tea and scones. But not all scones are made equal. There are scones and then there are scones.


And when it comes to the topic of scones, I believe I am quite an expert on the subject. Besides having lived in the UK for some time, and making regular day trips to the Isle of Wight, Brighton or Devon just to have their world-famous scones with cream and jam, I also had two housemates who made scones for tea all the time: one from Canada who made the American version and one very English girl who made the English cream scones. So, I know the difference between a real English scone and an American one.


Having tried the scones at various places like Cameron Valley Bharat Cafe, Bala's Chalet, Smokehouse, The Lord's Cafe (formerly known as T-Cafe) and Cameronian Inn, I must say the best English scones award in Malaysia, if there is one, should go to.....Cameronian Inn.


Located behind the Agro Bank and Maybank at Tanah Rata, Cameronian Inn is a nondescript but charming little backpackers' lodge. The scones are made by the proprietor's wife, and they are the soft & fluffy types that English scones are famous for. The other scones at those places I mentioned above are soft, but crispy on the outside and crumbly on the inside, more like the American scones that are sometimes called biscuits.

They have a smaller version of the scones, which is good for diabetics who shouldn't be eating scones

On the first day we arrived at Cameron, I was gluttony and ordered a banana and honey pancake plus two regular-sized scones for tea. Their pancake was not as good as their scones, the dough was a little 'heavy'. 


On our second day, we had scones for dessert after our lunch, and had scones again for tea at four-ish in the afternoon. On our last day, we decided that we should not have any more scones, as the refined carbo plus the cream and jam might have spiked up hubby's blood glucose too much for comfort. 


As I type this, I'm playing with the idea of baking my own scones again, but hubby was not keen. He said my scones didn't taste half as good as the not-so-good ones let alone Cameronian Inn's. I know, I'm not talented in the kitchen, what a bummer!


Related topics:
Where To Eat At Cameron Highlands
Charcoal Steamboat @ Restaurant Kwan Kee
Jasmine Cafe @ Tanah Rata

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.