Saw this fairly new restaurant being recommended on Eat Drink KL recently. What attracted us was the babi guling. I'm sure most of you out there know this famous Balinese classic pork dish. Hubby and I are quite a fan, so we were excited to give this place a go and try to reminisce about the one we had when we were in Bali. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bad experience for us and the worst food we've had in a long time!

Babi Guling Belly (RM28).

The menu says: "Indonesian style marinated pork belly roasted to perfection with crispy crackling skin, served with Jasmine white rice and fresh vegetables." I do understand that Granite's reinterpretation of babi guling showcased roast pork belly with substantial fat, but the version they served me? The skin was all soggy and thick with the fat! And I'm pretty sure the rice wasn't Jasmine white rice because it wasn't fragrant at all and it looked/tasted like some low quality rice. The sambal was not bad, except the one served on top of the raw vegetables (shredded cabbage and long beans). It was SUPER SUPER spicy that my tongue hurt almost immediately after taking a small amount :( It was totally DISAPPOINTING!!

You can see the skin was oily, it wasn't crispy or crunchy at all and check out the layer of fat!

My leftovers >.<

Italianismo Sausages (RM25).

Hubby ordered the Italian sausages. They were served together with 3 slices of baked apples, sauerkraut, tomato sauce and yellow mustard. Took quite a while to serve and they tasted just like any store-bought sausages.

PAUL: Boulangerie, Patisserie, Restaurant, and Salon de Thé Restaurant has opened in Malaysia, after London, Washington, Tokyo and Dubai! Inspired by the French Art de Vivre, this chic looking bakery-restaurant is located on Level 2 of Pavilion Mall KL. I was looking forward to its opening, so here we are. We reached Paul at about 3 plus in the afternoon. There was a short queue but we were shown to our table shortly after. Service was friendly but I personally find the place a little cramped - too many tables in a not-so-big dining area. We could practically hear everything the neighboring diners said or taste one another's food >.<  Anyway, let's get on with the food.

Cafe surprise (RM29.80).

This is their Coffee/Tea-Desserts set. There are 2 different sets; 1) 3 mini macaroons, served with either a large coffee (Café gourmand) or tea of your choice (Thé gourmand) for RM23.90, and 2) A mini crème brûlée, 1/2 moulleux chocolat slice and 2 mini macaroons, served with either coffee (Café surprise) or tea (Thé surprise) for RM29.80. We took the Café surprise. Am not a fan of macaroons, but Paul's mini orange macaroons were not overly sweet and the orange fragrance was refreshing. I quite like the moulleux chocolat slice - more like a flaky light dark chocolate cake, rather than fondant pudding type with a gooey center. BUT what I LOVE MOST was their crème brûlée. Paul totally nailed this classic French dessert - rich, creamy, smooth and jiggly in the center! It was devilishly good!!

Their crème brûlée is one of the best I've ever tasted!

Next, the Fraises Millefeuille (Pastry with Strawberries) was pretty good too. It was buttery, flaky and crispy. I like that it's not too sweet but it was a lil messy to eat as the pastry cream and strawberry slices oozed out from all directions when I try to cut it. Oops!

Millefeuille fraises (RM18).

Cream and strawberries oozing out when I cut...

Since Paul is a boulangerie (that kept France's traditional culinary heritage since 1889), how can I not try their bread, right? I was disappointed with the complimentary bread that they brought us at the start. It was soggy, nothing crispy like what I had expected. To make sure that they are better than this, I ordered the Tartine Nicoise - tartine bread spread with tuna-mayo mix, topped with quartered hard-boiled egg, black olives and cherry tomatoes. This fared better - at least the bread was crunchy.

Tartine Nicoise (RM35).

Overall, Paul is quite a delightful place to enjoy some gourmet desserts, though I think their breads are kinda overrated. A lil on the pricey side, but I wouldn't mind going back for that utterly divine crème brûlée! Bon appétit!!

The 3 瓜 aka melons :)

Dessert is a girl's best friend! Oh, and diamonds too, of course 😈 Haha. Dainty, elegant and oh-so-beautifully crafted gateau-style/French-inspired desserts... Who wouldn't love them? And these are what you'll get at Xiao by Crustz. My main 'prey' was the Pink Guava. Unfortunately, it was sold out the first time I went. Determined to 'hunt' it down, I visited Xiao by Crustz again and this time, arriving on the dot of 3pm - when the cafe opens! Check out my loots :P

Pink Guava (RM17).

Love the classy and elegant look of it.

The Pink Guava was definitely my favorite on that day. I liked how the sweet strawberries in the middle complimented the slightly sourish pink guava mousse.

La Vie en Rose (RM16).

This La Vie En Rose is made of shortbread cookie crust with 3 custard stuffed mini pate a choux (like cream puffs), and lined with rose chantilly cream. Honestly, I spent the first couple of minutes wondering how to eat this elegantly... Do I cut straight down the middle, or do I cut slowly from the sides? Having no inclination whatsoever, I pulled the pate a choux out and ate them one by one, before chomping down the base. Lol!

Apple Yuzu (RM17).

The Apple Yuzu (A slice of apple nestled in Yuzu flavored mousse/cream and white chocolate): Photogenic, but sad to say, it didn't have any wow factor for me.

Ginger Caramel (RM17).

Had mixed sentiments about this. I would say it is a pretty complex pastry with multi texture: Crispy, creamy, buttery and crumbly. The caramel worked well with the dark chocolate, but I felt the taste of the ginger caramel was a little too dominant.

The current 8 creations that Xiao by Crustz offers.

There's no huge signboard, but this small little cafe is right next to Food Foundry.

Personally, I think Xiao by Crustz is definitely a nice quiet and cosy place for an intimate gathering with close friends while enjoying some well-crafted desserts. Service is good, and if you are planning to visit, do go early as their desserts sell out pretty fast and this tiny cafe can only cater, at max, 15-20 pax at a time. The only disappointment was, I didn't get to enjoy my desserts with coffee as their espresso machine was out. 

I'm not really an animal person. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate them either. It's just that not everyone is a cat person, or a dog person, that's all. This is a story about someone who is related to me. I'm not trying to discriminate anyone. I am merely sharing my thoughts and feelings after what I saw and heard, so please do not judge.

Dog's a man's best friend, but to what extend?

#Phil's children work in the big city, which is about an hour and a half drive away and he has a dog named Mike. Perhaps it's because his children are not living together with him, Phil seeks companionship in Mike. Phil never liked/is always reluctant to visit anyone, including his own children, or go anywhere. The reasons given are always: Mike will refuse to eat when I'm not there, Mike might get bullied or fight with the other dogs in my sister's place (This never happened coz Mike was bigger than the meek shih tzus at the sis' place, the bro-in-law, being a dog-lover, dotes Mike too and always made sure it is comfortable at his place), Mike is afraid of thunder/rain, Mike is afraid of fireworks etc. Yes, it's always about the dog. Though his wife, May, and children have always asked Phil to go to the big city to visit, go on family trips, sightsee or try some new food instead of just sleeping and watching TV at home the whole day, everyday, the answer is almost always NO. Even if they manage to persuade him, he would show anger/lose his temper and demand May or the son to send him back almost immediately once he hears that Mike skipped a meal... even when everyone else was enjoying a good family time.

Whenever Mike was sick, Phil would be so worried and loses his appetite too, even more so than his own children. <I will not go into that but I must say that May did an amazing job in raising her kids, mostly on her own> Whenever the family is back to visit, Phil would always bring Mike out to have its breakfast before the rest of the family. Mike doesn't eat dog food coz Phil says that it doesn't like the tasteless dog food and feeds it with whatever Phil & the family eat. Mike's favorite breakfast is wonton noodles and Milo. During lunch and dinner when everything is served, everyone is seated and getting ready to eat, he would take the food and feed Mike first. Mike, on the other hand, would get jealous whenever Phil's children are back to visit. There were a few incidents like peeing on one of the family member's shoes and peeing on the mattress when one of Phil's sons forgot to close the bedroom door - All on purpose, to show its dissatisfaction.  

When Phil's oldest son got married, the wedding ceremony was held in the big city as most relatives, friends and colleagues, including the bride's side of the family were mainly there. Phil, as usual, was reluctant to go, but he went, after much persuasion from his wife and children. But he requested to leave the next day after the wedding. Same thing happened during the second son's wedding but I guess he had no choice coz it would seem unfair for the second son since he attended the first one. This time, he demanded to bring Mike along, but then hated the fact that the dog was asked to stay outside the house. Lets face it, some people would rather not come home to fur all over the couch or on the floor. Needless to say, it was a short stay. When his first grandchild was born, everyone was thrilled, all except Phil, it would seem. May was excited to visit but Phil simply refused, so she went alone with her sis. Whenever his son and family went back, May would ask Mike to stay outside the house (due to hygiene, lice and fur problem since there's a young baby around). Obviously, Mike didn't like that and stayed in Phil's room most of the time. Time went by... And his second grandchild was born. It was Chinese New Year, so May and her sis volunteered to help out with the confinement as it is hard to get a Confinement Lady (Also, the price is doubled to hire one) during this festive season. Phil had no choice but to celebrate CNY in the big city that year since everyone else was there. During that few days he was there, one night, his sis called and said Mike ran away from her house to try to get home, and got lost somewhere in the middle. Her husband worried that Phil would be upset, went out to search for it in the rain, and found it in the restaurant that they frequently visit. Upon hearing that, Phil demanded another relative to send him back the following morning. Ever since that incident, whenever there's any celebration, outing or family trip that May asked the children to plan and bring him, he would downright refuse (even when the trip is booked and paid), go but then throw temper and demand to go home almost immediately (Yes, Phil isn't independent enough or refuse to learn how to travel back by himself). Though his grandchildren went back to visit, he would still continue to do the same things with Mike.

A week ago, Mike died of old age. It was heartbreaking, of course. Few days later, Phil started telling May negative things like he doesn't have anything to look forward and that he has no regrets. May was devastated and told her children. His words were a despair of them.#

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals and bits of the contents have been altered to cut the story short.

A lot of questions came into my mind after hearing and seeing this. I assume that it's because Mike died in that house, Phil dwells on the negatives when he recalls the memories that Mike and him shared every time he looks at it. Perhaps it's because he has not been doing much - no hobbies, no interests other that sleeping and watching TV, so Mike's death became a lil too much for him to bear? Maybe it would be a good idea for him to leave the place for a short while so he could recover from the grief and maybe find something to look forward to? Does his family not mean anything? Does he not look forward to seeing his grandchildren grow up? Is it fair for anyone to blame that his grandchildren are not close to their grandpa? <Well, it takes two to tango. I believe that all relationships require work on both sides to make it happen> Is it right to humanize one's pet, and to what extend is considered acceptable? 

It's not like Phil has gotten some terminal disease so he's losing the hope to live. Well, I've seen quite a few cases of people getting terminal diseases or involved in major accidents in my family, close friends and their families. A few just gave up coz they didn't wanna be a burden to their families but most fought with all their might. Among those who fought, some made it and some lost their battles, but at least they did try their best, up til the end, for themselves and for their loved ones. Isn't life something precious that's worth fighting for? 

Perhaps it's because I'm not really an animal lover and I've never own a pet before... I can't put myself in his shoes or imagine what's going on in his head. Honestly, I find giving up on oneself or losing the will to live just because a pet died, without considering the feelings of rest of the family, unacceptable. I may be wrong in saying that and I do hope that pet owners out there to share your thoughts with me regarding this...

My long-delayed project: The Ogura Cake. I've been wanting to try baking this but never got the time, or the mood (Lol!) til today. This recipe was shared by a lady in the cooking group I'm in. Quite a few have tried and succeeded - you could call it a fail-proof recipe :P. I followed the recipe almost exactly, except changing a couple of stuffs and baking for an extra 5 minutes longer. The end product is super fluffy and soft, kinda similar to my Fluffy Egg Sponge Cake (The recipe for this is here), but with an additional mild banana milk fragrance. LO kept stealing it while I was taking photo, so I'm guessing it's good haha. Hope you guys like it too :)

Fluffy and soft, with a mild banana milk fragrance.

Gonna try with Honeydew milk next time :)

Ingredients:

I love tapas and I love having them in La Bodega. That's until recently, before I found this Tiki Taka place coincidentally while roaming around the Bukit Damansara area one day before meeting up with a friend. Looking sleek and cosy, Tiki Taka has plenty to offer. With the concept of Pintxos (small bites), one gets to enjoy a variety of dishes in just one seating. You'll definitely be spoilt for choice!

Pata Negra con Melon (RM10).

We started off with this Pata Negra con Melon - Iberico ham, melon ball and parsley served on a toast drizzled with olive oil. I'm a fan of Iberico pig (I'm sure you would know after reading some of my posts). Haha! I liked how the sweet honeydew melon ball added that bit of 'freshness' in this :) Next, these 2 cute burgers:

Salted Egg Crab Bun (RM9).

Lobster en brioche (RM9).

The salted egg crab bun - a bite-size portion of charcoal brioche buns with salted egg crab meat, curry leaves, bird's eye chilli and and salted egg cream sauce, was pretty good - rich in flavor. The Lobster en brioche (creamy slipper lobster, truffle mushroom and finely diced vegetables sandwiched in charcoal brioche buns), on the other hand, was a tad too salty for me.

Sriracha Gambas Al Ajillo (RM24).

Gambas Al Ajillo is one of my must-order whenever I have tapas. Tiki Taka serves these sauteed prawns with a twist - with added Sriracha sauce. Not bad, but I still prefer the plain old garlicky ones with pepper flakes.

Strawberry Chicken Pizza (RM20).

We tried this Strawberry Chicken Pizza too. Sounds like a weird combo, right? But trust me, it's pretty not bad. The ingredients (grilled chicken, strawberries, cheese, balsamic glaze and caramelized onions) actually went well with the smoky BBQ sauce!

Nutella Bacon Wantons (RM12).

For desserts, we had the Nutella Bacon Wantons. I was scratching my head whether to get these wantons or the Milo Tree-ramisu but I'm glad I chose the wantons in the end. The wantons were good but I absolutely loved the berries in balsamic vinegar, balsamic glaze and snow sugar on the side!

Margarita (RM25).

Classic Mojito (RM25).

As for drinks, you can choose to have wines, beers or cocktails - all reasonably priced. We had Carlsberg (Happy Hour Rate: RM32 for 2 pints) and cocktails (Happy Hour Rate: RM40 for 2, either Margarita or Classic Mojito) that night.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves that night. Service was good - they were friendly and made some good recommendations. Will definitely be back for more creative tapas!

Food: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 7/10

Add:
138, Jalan Kasah,
Medan Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Opening Hours:
Mondays to Fridays: 4pm - 1am.
Saturdays & Sundays: 11am - 1am.

Tel:
+60 16-328 7438