Cafe Lavista - A nice change from the hustle and bustle of KL centre

When I read that dining at Café Lavista at Hotel Equatorial Bangi-Putrajaya promises a refreshing change from the usual maddening and crowded KL city centre, I accepted FoodStreet’s invite to a food review there without further hesitation. Having said that, my friend and I nearly changed our minds when I ended up driving in circles trying to locate the resort (it being only my 2nd time to Bangi and its surrounding area) but all doubts were erased when I saw the view that greeted me when I stepped into the restaurant.


Anti-Clockwise from Top-Left: KL skyline at dusk as viewed from the balcony; alfresco dining area; Interior of Café Lavista

It was dusk then. The twinkling lights of the distant KL skyline that can be seen from the balcony outside awed me. Sitting at the breezy terrace alfresco dining area with glasses of Ginger Blues cocktail* (ginger ale, lemon. Cointreau) and Spring Fever mocktail* (mango, orange and lime) in our hands, it was a perfect chilling-out moment.


Special Cocktail & Mocktail of the month (July): Ginger Blues & Spring Fever (*Not part of the buffet)

However, the moment was interrupted by our growling stomachs as delicious whiffs of food drifted by. We eagerly trudged back into the café-restaurant, which features a bright, spacious yet cozy ambience, with individual live-action cooking stations.

Arrays of both local and international cuisines awaited us. We started with the salad bar and fresh seafood bar. The former featured a variety of assorted fresh vegetables with various types of dressing as well as a selection of hot & cold starters. The seafood bar is an obvious popular section with patrons. The fresh seafood was very fresh indeed. There was also a selection of smoked seafood, which I was rather fond of.

Food from Fresh Seafood Bar
My friend who preferred cooked seafood busied herself with the baked and grilled varieties such as the Baked Half-shelled Mussels, Spicy Crabs and even Seafood Tempura.

Cooked Seafood (anti-clockwise from Top-Left): Crab Salad, Baked Half-shelled Mussel, Spicy Crab and Seafood Tempura


Assorted appetizers and starters

Over at the Italian section, I was delighted to see a wood-fire oven there. I tried their chef’s creation pizza, and it was pretty delectable. Ingredients were also laid out on the counter for DIY pasta. Not only that, I was taken with their bread station with many tempting choices of bread nicely arranged on wooden shelves.

Anti-Clockwise From Top-Left: Wood-fire oven for pizza, Delightful assorted bread, DIY Pasta Section, Yorkshire Pudding

Over at the Western section, the special of that night was the fabulous Roasted Australian Leg of Lamb served with the usual trimmings such as roasted potatoes, sweet corn-on-the-cobs, as well as green peas and carrots. Not really a fan roasted meats, I was won over with the tender and moist lamb meat perfectly paired with the accompanying gravy and sauces. Other notable dishes I managed to try from this section include Grilled Beef Steak (rather good!), Pan-fried Cilantro Seabass and the Stuffed Bell Pepper with Minced Chicken. For something a little different in buffet spreads, freshly grilled tortillas with fillings of your choice were also available!

My favourites from the Western Section (anti-clockwise from top-left): Roasted Australian Leg of Lamb, Grilled Beef Steak, Cilantro Seabass, and Stuffed Bell Pepper with Minced Chicken

Moving on to Asian and Local sections. There were quite a few selection at the Chinese and Malay section. I tried the Deep-fried Dory in Black Bean Sauce which to me was pretty ordinary. The chicken and beef satays however were a different story. They grilled meat were juicy and succulent and the peanut gravy was very delicious indeed. My only qualm was the ones that I had very a little cold but one could always request for freshly-grilled ones, I reckon. Aside from that, pots of curries and other traditional dishes lined the counter at the Indian section. I indulged myself in my favourites such as Palak Paneer, Chicken Tandoori and naans.

Offerings from the Asian station (anti-clockwise from top-left): Spicy Lamb & Potato Stew, Pots of curries & Indian dishes, Satay, Deep-fried Fish in Black Bean Sauce

We were truly stuffed by now by how could we leave without sampling the irresistible-desserts section? Unfortunately, we were told that their chocolate fountains were down that night, but this was quickly made-up by the bountiful offerings of other tempting dessert creations gorgeously displayed. We were spoiled with choices…! Not to be missed include the “teppan-styled” ice-cream loaded and freshly-made crepes topped with ice-cream.

Desserts! Desserts! Desserts!
I liked the Zucotta (a dome-shaped cake with a combination of chocolate, almond and whipped cream) and Chocolate Mousse Slice with its rich chocolate flavour and silky texture. Of course, there were many other choices available. However, I was pretty disappointed with the dainty looking local kuehs. Most of them were too hard from over-exposure to air.
Fresh-cut fruits
Even the fruits bar looked so delectable with the beautiful carvings of the fruits.

Overall, we enjoyed dining at Café Lavista with its cheery and warm interior, panoramic view outside and wide selections of food. Buffet dinner is priced at RM68++. Breakfast, Hi-Tea (Sat) and Brunch (Sun) Buffet is also available and priced at RM42++ while Lunch Buffet is RM52++. Children (age 4 to 12) gets 50% discount.

Café Lavista
Hotel Equatorial Bangi-Putrajaya
Tel: 03-82102222 (ext.1111)

Dim Sum @ Eest, Westin KL

**Warning! Picture-heavy post ahead!**
Initial plan was to have lunch at the newly-opened Pavilion but due to the limited choices available (most shops aren't open yet), my friend and I decided to have a lunch leisurely at Eest, Westin KL just across the road.

It was a Saturday so we opted for the "eat-all-you-can" dim sum brunch at RM58++ per person*. As usual, I was pretty impressed with the interior decor of Eest. It truly looks like a posh club instead of an Asian (fusion) restaurant.

To start with, we were served with a complimentary appetizer platter.

Complimentary Appetizer Platter: Century Egg with Ginger, Spring Roll, Maki Sushi with pickle, Chicken Fritters with sauce and a small bowl of thai-style salad.

Let's start ordering!
Starting with steamed items,

*Signature* Har Kau (Crystal prawn dumpling with shredded dried scallop) - Fresh and juicy prawns! I like!


*Signature* Siu Mai (Shrimp and chicken dumpling topped with fish roe) - This is ok lar. More interesting are the vibrant colours of the generous sprinkling of fish roe on top.


*Signature* Poached Beijing Style chicken dumpling with spicy sauce - Erm, what spicy sauce? But these are pretty alright too.


Shanghai dumpling of chicken and crab meat - Pretty good for a "non-pork" version of Xiu Long Bao. I would have more if I did not plan to allocate my tummy for other stuff on the menu.


Pomegranate Dumpling scented with truffle oil (Vegan) - Sounds so fancy right? But nothing fancy about this dumpling at all! Rather plain, in fact.


Steamed cabbage roll with mushrooms and soy bean paste (vegan) - This was much more interesting although they didn't look as pretty at the one above. Served with a little milky soup base, it was good and I also like the soup that it came with.


Squid in pungent garlic sauce - I was not really expecting anything but when it arrived, I was cuaght by surprise. It looked so erm, "mild" in contrast to its rather "exotic-sounding" description. Still, it was a pretty appetizing dish. Kind of peppery too. However, somehow it reminded me of "Maggi Mee in chicken flavour"...hehe


Stuffed glutinous rice dumpling with seafood and roasted duck - Despite its promising description, I was let down by this dish. Stuffing was pretty sparse too.


HK Style Chee Cheong Fun with black cod and parsley - Black cod? All I tasted was the "fun". But granted, the rice rolls were pretty silky and smooth.

And now for the fried and baked stuff,

Flaky BBQ chicken pastries with parmesan cheese - I absolutely love, love, love this! My favourite dish during that meal.

Flaky and buttery pastry encasing sweet bbq chicken and topped with cheese. A winning combination!


Taro Dumpling (wu gok) with seafood and chicken - Not so good. Stuffing rather sparse and also not very appetizing.


Bean curd sheet roll with seafood and cheese - Actually, I ordered sweet bean curd parcels with teriyaki sauce but when it came, I think they mistook the order. Too lazy to send it back and exchange, we walloped this instead. I don't remember this dish much, so must be pretty forgettable!


*Signature* Mini egg tarts with caramel and cinnamon - Yum..., I like this too! They were still warm when it came so imagine the delight in biting into one of these flaky tarts with a smooth and silky egg custard filling, nicely fragranced with a dash of cinnamon powder.


*Signature* Stir-fried turnip cake with belacan dish - Another signature dish but what an utter disappointment! It looked good but tasted burnt! Maybe they over-fried the belacan sauce. We just sent it back after a taste.


Vietnamese Beef Noodles - My friend was craving for something soupy and this was the nearest that she got in fulfilling her wish. Since we were full, she ordered a small portion of this wit minimal noodles. And they really followed her instruction, It came with just a few strands of noodles. *LOL* But I didn't like it. The soup was rather bland, the beef too chewy. Plus, tt was not hot enough.

Never say NO to DESSERTS!

Basil pearls with mixed fruits, chilled coconut cream - It was good to have something cold after the heavy meal. This was not bad. The lump you see is actually a coconut ice-cream.


Chilled Double-boiled apple and aloe vera in light rock sugar syrup - Light and refreshing! But I don't like the taste of bitter almonds which were pretty evident!


Fresh mango pudding - Topped with blueberries, it was yummy!


"Tapai Pulut" glutinous rice with durian ice-cream - Ah, the durian-lover me could not resist this. And it did not disappoint either!


Green tea ice-cream, Japanese style - I assume the toppings on top was sweet azuki beans but if it was, it didn't taste like it. It tasted more like some kind of sweet bean sauce (something like the chinese "tao si", only sweeter). Weird...!

And oh, I should probably mentioned that we were happy with their service too.

Eest,
Westin, Kuala Lumpur.
* Starwood members are untitled to the usual discount for this brunch.

Click here for previous post on Eest

Old Favourite: Sunday Buffet Brunch @ Kampachi, Equatorial KL

Despite the many, many options to choose from when it comes to Japanese Buffet, Kampachi at Equatorial Hotel Kuala Lumpur has always been my favourite. Some say that they were the proprietor of the now infamous weekend Japanese buffets and during their hey days, one had to book at least a week in advance.

True, they do not have the greatest variety but what they have on their buffet spread is of very good quality and quality is rather consistent. Over the years, prices have gone up a little but it is still as good. My ultimate favourites are their fresh sashimi, soft-shell crab rolls, beef sukiyaki (super yummy!), simmered root vegetables, matcha ice-cream with lots of azuki beans, and their sesame peanut mochi...slurp.....


Selection of fresh sashimi


Soft-shell crab roll and California Handroll (the seaweed for the latter wasn't crispy enough...ceh!)


Egg-roll stuffed with grilled unagi (eel)


Yellow-tail Fish Head Broth with mushrooms and tofu (good!)


Boiled/simmered root vegetables (my favourite is the pumpkin - so sweet and yummy!)


Freshly steamed Chawan Mushi (so silky)


Assorted Tempura (they limit you to 6 pcs of prawn per person at any one time. Probably due to Malaysian's typical kiasu attitude)


Pan-fried Rice Dumpling and Potato Salad


Beef Sukiyaki with additional egg (my fave! so, so good!)


Grilled Unagi (New addition. Another favourite of mine. Wish I knew later for I only found out that they have this dish towards the end of the buffet when I was already very stuffed!)


Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice with no added sugar (sweet and refreshing)


Green Tea Ice-cream topped with lots and lots of azuki beans, they way I like it!


Sesame Peanuts Mochi (Another must-have. Best to eat while still hot)


Fresh-cut fruits

Ahh...., bliss........

All this at RM75++ per pax. My only qualm this time is that they actually charge their free-flow green tea at RM3 per person. Not to say it is pricey but then it should have been included as part of their buffet price, like how they used to do it. Geez...., must everything come at a price now...?

Kampachi Japanese Restaurant
Equatorial Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Weekend of Indulgence: Hi-Tea @ Cosmo Lounge, Hilton KL

Haven't done much baking lately. I missed baking but for a long time now, weekends were filled with activities. Just imagine, 12 birthdays over a period of 5-6 weeks not to mention a couple of weddings here and there plus visiting friends from offshore, these were more than enough to take its toll on me. But there had been lots of eating though...hehe.

A few weeks ago, I once again spent a weekend of indulgence at my favourite hotel in KL at the moment - Hilton Kuala Lumpur. This time, was hoping to be upgraded to their Executive Floor but the furthest I got was their Honors Floor..*grin*

Anyhow, the entire afternoon was spent having hi-tea at the Cosmo Lounge. The hi-tea spread was rather small (both in selection and serving - you will see later), but was rather interesting. Everything came in bite-size servings, this was the first time I actually saw only 2 small cuts of "chee cheong fun" served on a sauce plate, and this was later reduced to just one small piece. *LOL* But the small serving worked in a sense that I got a chance to taste almost EVERYTHING at least once. Enough yakking, let's take a look at some of their spread.

Savouries

Asian appetizers. First time I saw chee cheong fun served in such miniscule serving. The grilled unagi was the best. Sadly, only 3 plates were replenished each time. Still it didn't stop me from having countless plates of this.


The prawn in cold mango consomme was yummy!


Savoury pastries.


More western-styled appetizers and various sandwiches. Not bad...Not the tuna nor egg sandwiches though. Fillings were surprisingly measly.


This was another favourite of mine, creamy mushroom in the smallest ever brioche that I came across. Small enough to pop the entire thing into your mouth at one go.

Highlight of every hi-teas - the DESSERTS!

Started with something light...


Freshly prepared crepes with choices of fillings and condiments...Delicious!



At this point, any pretense to hold back was lost. Major pig-out time!


This looks cute, doesn't it?


Another 2 of my favourites, Chocolate Truffle and Lime Creme Brulee. Truly yummilicious!


This looked ugly, I know. They called this Chocolate Fritters. Not very nice though since it was quite cold. Might be nice if served warm or when just fried.
Also included was a chocolate fountain with various condiments - fruits, marshmallows, baked goods. No need to go into details here. After all, one can never go wrong with a chocolate fountain.


What a nice way to spend the afternoon. Surrounded by a relaxing environment with live piano music, lots of yummy goodies and plenty of conversations, it's undoubtedly one of my favourite pastimes for a lazy weekend afternoon. My only gripe was the hi-tea only comes with one miserable round of coffee/tea. Duh, how stingy!

Cosmo Lounge
Hilton Kuala Lumpur