Dessert Review: Chocolate Berries Meringue

Besides the Strawberry Mascarpone, we also order the Chocolate Berries Meringue for our dessert. Our main dishes review: Chicken Escalope and Pollo Pizza, can be found at the respective links.

Meringue is a type of dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar.

Food
Chocolate Berries Meringue (RM 15.00)

Presentation
The meringue is slightly browned in colour and this is evidence that the meringue has been baked in high temperature for a short period of time. There are multiple layers of meringue and cream with blue berries and strawberries. There are generous chunks of strawberries and whole blueberries on the top layer cream.


Taste
The strawberries are not too sweet and is slightly sourish. In contrast, the meringue is sweet. Put these 2 together and it becomes a marvelous mix. The sourish taste is neutralised by the sweetness. Though the meringue is hard in nature, the crispiness is welcomed. The meringue simply melts in the mouth. However there are a bit too much cream in this dessert. The is not much chocolate taste although this is know as Chocoloate Berries Meringue.
One thing that i find disturbing is that the meringue smells slightly fishy. This could be from the egg white, which sometimes give out such smell after being baked, but this smell is gone once it goes into your mouth.

RECOMMENDED

Dessert Review: Strawberry Mascarpone

No meal is ever completed without desserts. We had ordered Strawberry Mascarpone and Chocolate Berry Meringue for dessert after our main dishes of Chicken Escalope and Pollo Pizza.

Mascarpone is is an Italian triple-cream cheese, originated in the area between Lodi and Abbiategrasso, Italy, southwest of Milan, probably in the late 16th or early 17th century.

Basically, this is a strawberry cheesecake that we had ordered.

Food
Strawberry Mascarpone (RM12.50)
A.K.A Strawberry Cheesecake

Presentation
An italian cheesecake that comes with crusted biscuits at the bottom. There are small chunks of strawberries in the cheesecake. Strawberry puree was also mixed into the cheesecake to give it the red strawberry colour in the cheesecake.



Taste
With the mascarpone cheese, it gives the cheesecake a very buttery smooth texture, to be exact it has a very creamy texture. There are small chunks of  strawberries in the cheesecake though mostly are concentrated in the centre of the cake. As with the strawberry to whet the appetite, I dont find it too cheesy.



RECOMMENDED

Food Review: Pollo Pizza

The 2nd main dish that I took at Alexis was the Pollo Pizza. Look at the 1st main dish here and my dessert Strawberry Mascarpone and Chocolate Berries Meringue here.

Food
Pollo Pizza
Chicken Pizza (RM 29.00)

Presentation
The pizza is a thin crusted pizza with moderate amount of melted cheese and topped with thin slices of capsicum. The pizza is about 10 to 12 inches wide.

Taste
It seems that this pizza looks like a normal cheese pizza topped with capsicum. However the secret is the layer of chicken in between the cheese and crust layers. The chicken is pounded to a very thin layer and similar to the chicken escalope, the chicken meat is tender and smooth.
The slices of pizza appears to be quite cheesy but it is not as what it seems. The cheese amounts to just nice.
If you are like me that is not a fan of capsicum, you will be surprised at how sweet the capsicum has become on this pizza dish.

RECOMMENDED

This pizza dish surprises me with the thin layer of chicken under the cheese. Sure is a new way to top the pizza. The toppings taste good too.

Food Review: Pound the Chicken Escalope

Went to Alexis at The Gardens. This is my second visit and for the 1st visit, the food was so nice that i ate quite a lot. For my 2nd visit, I ordered Chicken Escalope and Pollo Pizza for as my main dish and Strawberry Mascarpone and Chocolate Berries Meringue for my dessert.

Food
Chicken Escalope (RM35.00)
Crispy Breaded Fried with Flattened Minched Chicken Meat.

Presentation
The piece of chicken is quite large about the size of a 6 inch pizza. It comes with some pan-fried tomatoes on top of the meat. There are also a side salad and a slice of lemon to add flavour to the chicken meat.

A bit of a lesson here: Escalopes originate from France and are pieces of boneless meat which have been thinned out using a mallet, rolling pin or beaten with the handle of a knife.That is why the piece of chicken is so flat.


Taste
The cruumps are mixed with different spices, distinctly indian spices. The chicken is deep fried till quite crispy, and the texture of the chicken is smooth and nice, even though the layer of meat is relatively thin. The smoothness is usually obtained from the pounding of the meat into this flat layer. However the taste of the chicken is slightly bland even with the indian spices. Just add a little salt and pepper and squish the lemon slice and it would taste wonderful.
The salad is very fresh and is mixed well using olive oil and lemon.
The pan-fried tomatoes are just nicely cooked.


RECOMMENDED
Even though the dish may look quite plain with just the chicken, salad and the lemon. I enjoyed this piece of chicken meat, done just right.

Wine Review: Nepenthe - The Fugue 2003

Just bought this wine from Cold Storage. I had tried the yr 2000 btl and it was a wonderful bottle. This is the 1st time i am trying the 2003 bottle. Lets see if it taste just as good as the year 2000 bottle.

Nepenthe The Fugue
Year 2003
Limited Release
Adelaide Hills
Australia
S$49.95

Mixed blend of grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon 48%, Malbec 22%, Merlot 15%, Cabernet Franc 15%
Contains Sulphites.

Described in Homers, The Odyssey, the original Nepenthe was a potion so powerful that it erased gruef and banished sorrow. Nepenthe is located in the steep Adelaide Hills, where ancient soils and the cooling influence of altitude ensure long living wines.

Fugue: A musical piece with two or more melodies which build to a complex form with a marked climax; made famous by J.S. Bach. The Fugue reflects the music after which it is named; richly layered, resonating and building with time in a bottle.

Based on Cabernet Sauvignon, enhanced by blending with its traditional partners, The Fugue is a full flavoured, complex and elegantly structured wine. It is recommended to be decanted before serving.

My Tasting Notes:
Wine is dark crimson in colour. The bouquet smells of dark fruits. The wine is of slightly buttery texture and exhibits a bit of earthly tones with a tinge of tobacco. There are dark berries taste which remains on the palate for sometime. The finish of the wine goes to mid throat. I would consider this to be mid-full flavoured.

Ratings: 85/100

RECOMMENDED

If you would like to take a look at the wineyard's tasting notes, take a look here.

Cheesecake -- Banana Style

It is never enough to just take 1 dessert. We had ordered 2 dessert from the start and the 2nd one is Banana Cheesecake.

Check out the other items that we had ordered

1. Grilled Saba Fish Set
2. Japanese Curry Pizza
3. Caramel Pudding
4. Banana Cheesecake

Food
Banana Cheesecake (RM7.90)

Presentation
The dessert in Kissaten, I realised, is decorated at a minimum. The cake is just placed in the middle of the plate.

Taste
The banana fruit in the cake blends well with the cheese taste. It goes smoothly together with the cheesecake. The layer of choc at the bottom gives and ending to the taste of the cheesecake in a flavourful way.
The cake however could be quite filling  if taken by just one pax. I would advise ordering this piece of cake to share between 2 pax or 3 if all had taken dinner.

RECOMMENDED

A nice piece of cake with well supported base of choc. Banana fruit meat gives the cheese a complimentary taste.

Caramel Pudding

Who dont have a second stomach for dessert? Dessert is a must. Now for the desserts that we ordered in Kissaten.


The other items that we ordered

1. Grilled Saba Fish Set
2. Japanese Curry Pizza
3. Caramel Pudding
4. Banana Cheesecake

1st dessert that comes to us. Caramel Pudding.



Food
Caramel Pudding (RM 4.90)

Presentation
The pudding is rather plain. The pudding is like a fortress surrounded by the caramel sauce.

Taste
The pudding texture is very smooth. The pudding wobbles like a piece of soft tofu about to collapse but still remains intact. Caramel taste is strong but it is very refreshing.

RECOMMENDED

This dessert is a must try especially if it is a hot sunny afternoon. This will definitely perk you up.

Pizza with Japanese Curry

From Kissaten, we also ordered a Japanese Curry Pizza. You can read about the other items that we ordered here.

1. Grilled Saba Fish Set
2. Japanese Curry Pizza
3. Caramel Pudding
4. Banana Cheesecake

Food
Japanese Curry Pizza (RM17.90)

Presentation
The pizza is about 9 to 10 inch wide. It is a japanese curry pizza topped with egg plant and mozzarella cheese. The egg plants are well spaced out but otherwise, it is quite plan looking.

Taste
The curry taste is not strong. It is a light flavour pizza, which the egg plant blends nicely with the japanese curry. Cheese volume is slightly lacking. I find that there are not enough cheese on top of the pizza. It is also possibly because of the lack of cheese that the egg plant blends with the cheese. I have not imagined that egg plant can be used on pizza and with japanese curry. A very interesting dish i would say.

RECOMMENDED

It is ok to give this pizza a try if you have not taken any japanese pizza before. However the chances of re-ordering this again would be very low, as there could be other dishes that is worth more of my attention.

Fusion of Western and Jap Food - Kissaten

Met up with my friend on a Saturday when i was in KL for a dinner meal. One of the party wants to eat Tonkatsu and so we decided to head to a nearby Jap and western fusion restaurant near our place. Kissaten @ Jaya One.

Kissaten, 喫茶店, in Japanese means Japanese-style coffee shop, those older and smaller establishment. Though it is a coffee shop, it does not have the cosiness of those smaller establishment. It is more of a restaurant then a coffee shop. They offer al-fresco dining experience as well.

The 'coffee shop' is quite a popular place for family outing. Most of the tables were taken and there were some big families dining in the restaurant. There were quite a number of tables and in some of the locations where the tables were placed, it seemed quite out of place. Imagine putting a table with 4 chairs in a cross junction between the exit from the kitchen, the main entrance to the  restaurant and the entrance to the restaurant from the stairs from level 1. It comes across to me that they are really making full use of the space that they are neglecting the safety of the diners.

We had ordered quite a few items to fill our stomach.

1. Grilled Saba Fish Set
2. Japanese Curry Pizza
3. Caramel Pudding
4. Banana Cheesecake