September 2, 2014

Invited Review : G Cafe's Daily Themed Buffet Dinner - Flavours of Italy

I was invited recently by the kind people at G Hotel to sample their splendid Italian buffet which goes on every Tuesday, and brought my dad along to see what he thinks about the buffet too.

The hospitality of the folks at G Hotel was impeccable, even for bloggers like us. They were very welcoming, polite and accompanied us throughout our 'feast'.

At G Cafe, they have daily themed buffet to suit every taste palette:-

    Monday      : Taste of Asia.  RM98++ (buy 1 get 1 free)
    Tuesday     : Taste of Italy.  RM98++ (50% discount for lady diners-Nice!)
    Wednesday : French Bistro.  RM98++
    Thursday    : Claypot Cooking.  RM98++
    Friday         : Seafood Feast BBQ. RM 108++
    Saturday     : Steak and Lobster BBQ.  RM 108++

First up - the appetizers spread (in Italian terms antipasti) was a feast to the eyes indeed. You can't help but to check out what they were. There were pesto shooters, smoked salmon roll, bites, even very creative appetizers with eggplant, asparagus with tuna, mixed mushroom salad, etc. For those who fancy some good ol' deep fried stuff - they have assorted deep fried asian tapas too. But of course if you still prefer conventional salad, do help yourself with the salad bar which offers a variety of greens alongside dressing and sauces.




 

Moving along there were cold seafood area serving mussels, prawns and scallop and various conventional and fusion sauce to go with them. I liked one of the light green sauce which turned out to be creamy wasabi sauce - good one to go with the scallop I'd say. My dad was onviously a big fan of prawns and had a few of them as they were juicy.



There were also the continental cheese section offering Emanthal cheese, Parmesan and Cammerbert cheese, and different types of ham to go along. I can also see Chicken salad and Sausage salad for those who feel like having some meat in their salad too.




For soup starters, there were Minestrone and Asian style Chicken Herbal Soup to sample from. I particularly loved the Minestrone soup which was flavorful and rich, with the right amount of vegetables yet not tasting overly sour. My dad fancied the herbal soup as the goodness just seemed to ooze with every spoonful.

Next I checked out the low-profile warm dishes line. They were well covered with lid to maintain its warmth, and despite its low profile, there were plenty of varieties to go around - grilled fish, sauteed potatoes with herbs, breaded calamari with Tomato Coulis, and so on. The ones that stood out were the Risotto alla Milanese (Saffron), beef ravioli and Tortellini which I had a second helpings on.






There was also a station dedicated for Carvery and another for the Chef's Speciality - Italian Pizzas. I sampled its Roasted Strip Loin Beef from the Carvery and it was not too bad. There were also 3 types of pizza offered for our enjoyment and I chose the best (I think) - Pizza Margerita as the base was light and pizza filled with goodies yet not making you feel too overwhelming.


Next door - there is a pasta station where we can pick our ingredients, pasta type and sauce and they will have it cooked on the spot. The ingredients available were capcisum, bell pepper, shrimp and there were penne, fettucini, spaghetti for that night.

A stroll up to the dessert section will make anyone feel like a kid again. There's a sumptuous fresh fruit spread along an impressive chocolate fountain to let us enjoy making fondue using either fruits or the condiments offered like marshmallows, prunes, dried apricots, lychee, white dragonfruit, etc.

An Italian dessert spread would definitely not be complete without some signature desserts the likes of Tiramisu, panna cotta, they even serve Coffee mousse and Strawberry mousse - all of these are my favourite favourite desserts! I regret not grabbing the Tiramisu before it ran out :'( but according to the other bloggers, the Tiramisu was The Best. They also have opera cake, pudding and date tarts as well. My dad's favourite was definitely the Strawberry Mousse. Not only he mentioned this to me when we were still there, he even called me again after I reached home, to tell me that this needs to be mentioned when I write the review on my blog - it just shows how GOOD the Strawberry Mousse was.





The one thing I have to mention, and I think not many people realize, was the Pumpkin Milk hidden somewhere at the corner of the cheese station towards the dessert section. Out of curiosity, I sampled some of it and it was oh-so-good! The soup was smooth as silk and the pumpkin ever so tender and flavorful. I couldn't resist and got a second helping. To finish the entire meal off eventhough I barely had anymore space, I helped myself with my all-time favorite - Gelatomio ice cream! Satisfying indeed.

I wasn't surprised when I was informed that the dessert was prepared by their multiple award-wining pastry chef - Chef Tan Kwee Lian.

In all, it was truly a night to remember as the buffet spread was elaborate, the displays were like works of art and the hosts were hospitable.




If you've a belly waiting to be filled, do hop on to G Cafe right at the ground floor of G Hotel. Reservations can be made via +604 238 0000.

June 12, 2014

Pre Birthday Celebration Part II - Dinner @ Feringghi Garden Restaurant

Oh wow, it's been such a loooooooooooong time since I ever updated my blog, and I really wanna make it a point to do this a habit! It is, afterall, my passion!!

Just celebrated my birthday few days ago, and had a nice late lunch followed by an equally pleasant dinner with hubby.

I'm going to share about my pleasant dinner first - it was at Feringghi Garden. Totally un-planned and ad hoc :) * I know, so Not me, right? haha *




We were lucky that we were there early approaching 7pm and managed to get an indoor table; considering there was a party going on within the vicinity.

This was my third visit here, after a gap of 2 years maybe? I still love the natural ambience created by the folks here, which obviously had been well-maintained. It is always so green and enchanting.



The service was very friendly and attentive too, here's what we had:-

Hubby's Lamb Chop (RM 39.80)



The delicacies here are well plated out and garnished. Many fear lamb dishes for their smell but I, for one, love lamb. Hubby carved some of his dish for me to sample, and it was not bad at all. The meat was nicely cooked - not too well done and still maintaining its tenderness. It had a fair share of fat along with the lean meat.

My Feringghi Garden's Signature Lobster (RM 82.80)




I actually eyed on the Black Cod first, until I saw that they had lobster. And of course, the picture they had in the menu did help me decide in going for lobster :)

The lobster was considered a good size, and it was Uber fresh hence extremely springy. It was so thoughtful of them to have scopped up the lobster meat so that it is not only easy for me to eat, but it is also flavored with the unique sauce they did this in - a combination of sweet/sour with a hint of spiciness. There were ample of cashew nuts that went into the sauce (and some for garnishing) too. This is definitely not the usual lobster concoction you'd normally get ala cheesy or buttery style. I have to admit, though odd, it tasted good! Hubby did not really fancy this type of sauce to prepare lobster in, but he agreed that the lobster was fresh and the meat was aplenty.

My drink - Premium Milkshake - Chocolate (RM 14.80)




I was surprised that hubby was the one who coaxed me to order my favourite drink - milkshake. I asked him why, he said they label it 'Premium' so it must be good. Haha! Well premium stuff comes with a premium price tag too hey, but what the heck! So I ordered chocolate one. It looks like a normal milkshake alright. But I guess the way they made it the type of milk used was what made it Premium? But it tasted good, chocolate flavor was fragrant yet not too sweet.

Our dessert - Creme Brulee (RM 14.80)



Anyone looking at this landing at their table will somehow be a bit impressed by its beautiful appearance and decoration. It made us wanna dig in immediately. We dug into the centerpiece not knowing what the bits and pieces were - and we couldn't really make out what the dark purple fruit was. The two whipped cream flowers were rock hard, most likely for deco purposes only.

The creme brulee itself was alright, I love the caramelized sugar on top, but the creme brulee itself was a tad too sweet to my liking, and it did not have much 'depth' with regards to its texture and flavor. As for the raspberry ice cream, it was normal and I don't really see the relationship between ice cream and creme brulee?

In all, we were happy with the service and food. I wouldn't mind coming back for their breakfast, maybe? :)

Pre Birthday Celebration Part I - Late Lunch @ WaterDrop Tea House

For my pre-birthday celebration late lunch, we drove round and round to so many cafes but in the end we drove to this area and I suggested this Vegetarian place to hubby.

Surprisingly, he is OK with vegetarian suggestion! He said, vegetarian is good since we're going to have a nice dinner later :)

Here's what we had.

Sesame Bao



Sesame Bao is WaterDrop Teahouse's signature and best-seller so it's a must-have, especially for hubby's first visit. He loves it! And of course, I love it too, as always. The sesame was generous and fragrant and the filling was tasty.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls



I'm a big fan of Vietnamese Spring Rolls but the pasar malam stall which used to sell this doesn't sell it anymore, so I ordered 2.

Being vegetarian, obviously there were no pork or chicken, but the rolls were made up of finely chopped carrot and cucumber, with a tiny strip of vegetarian 'ham' (I guess). What makes a Vietnamese spring roll stand out is always the sauce, and they make a spicy and flavorful one to go with their roll. It burst out in freshness when I bite on it and was appetizing indeed.


Hubby's Salted Fish Fried Rice



I have to mention that it took quite a long while for all of our food to be served, but after tasting them we know the wait was well worth it, because the food were all made to order - fresh, hot, and tasty too. Although the fried rice looks plain, the taste was fragrant, the 'salted fish' pieces were crispy in texture with the clever use of foo chok and seaweed. Hubby said not bad!

My Cheese Baked Spaghetti





This was their Sunday Special and not available on other days. I asked the guy which one is nicer - the spaghetti or cheese baked spaghetti? His answer made me order the Cheese Baked one - Spaghetti is pretty normal that we can get anywhere, but cheese baked spaghetti is quite special that is rarely available elsewhere.

This dish was the last to arrive - aptly too - as it is yummy. It looks colourfully appetizing enough and tasted great! The cheese-baked top was crunchy and fragrant, but the spaghetti was not too soft and chewy, all drenched inside the flavors of the spaghetti sauce, and filled with capsicum and bell peppers as well as 'minced meat'. One wouldn't have imagined a vegetarian cheese baked spaghetti dish to be so tasty.

It was truly a pleasant pre-birthday celebration indeed, with the company of my dearest hubby and great food! We had to drop little H to my mom's to spend some romantic and quiet time together but will definitely have another round with little H again (yay!)