LOVE LIFE, CHERISH MOMENTS

  Ello my lovely readers!!! So, my new semester has officially started. Man, it's HECTIC!!! We are having a community project now and tomorrow we are heading to Port Dickson area to carry out a household survey. So, today we were preparing all the questionnaires and plans for tomorrow. I'll need lots of sunblock, LOL. Anyway, after the heavy discussion, me and my uni peeps went to Milk and Butter for lunch. This restaurant is on my 'Food List' for quite some time already, so i thought of bringing my girls (+derek) for a rich lunch, pampering ourselves before we're 'barbecued' under the scorching sun tomorrow.

   Milk and Butter is a modern Western casual restaurant, located at Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar. It's very easy to spot, situated diagonally opposite The Antipodean Cafe, at one of the corner lot behind Public Bank, beside the Bangsar Village II. However, finding a car park spot is rather difficult here, as Telawi is ALWAYS packed with crowds and cars. My suggestion is for you to park in The Bangsar Village II, and walk there. It'll take approximately 5-10 minutes.


   Well, though it's called 'Milk and Butter', but the cafe is not well-known for its milk and butter. (well, who will sell milk and butter in a restaurant? that'll be weird). However, i've heard some good reviews about the Egg Benedict and dessert, so i've tried them out myself!! I ordered a set of Egg Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Asparagus and a cup of cafe latte to go with. Well, i find the poached egg was well done, but it lacked acidity to counter the heavy Hollandaise sauce. The Hollandaise sauce on the other hand was way too buttery for me. Other than that, the bread was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, smoked salmon was well seasoned. Moreover, the latte was quite milky, has a moderate foam on top and the cookie that came with it tasted so GOOD!! I'll like to praise them for the quality of coffee. I noticed that the coffee grounds they used was very fragrant and they also bought in quality milk (Australian Farm House Milk) to make the coffee. RM 9 per cup is quite worth it. :)

susu dan mentega :)

Butter~Egg' Benedict with Smoked Salmon--RM 16

see the runny yolk?

Milk--Cafe Latte

cafe latte with butter cookie--RM 9

   Besides, i've also tried out some of my friends' mains!! Jo In's dish was Spicy Spaghetti Arrabiata, which simply means spaghetti coooked with tomato concasse, chilli padi and basil leaf. However, it's way too spicy for me. Derek's Linguine Cream Concasse (consists of turkey ham, chicken ham, cream sauce, basil leaf and marina sauce) was awesome because it combined both the red and white sauce perfectly. Sarina's Scramble Egg, Slice Chicken Bratwurst & Potato Platter was ok, a huge platter, i would say. Laine ordered a Spicy Garlic Linguine Vongole, which is a pasta cooked with fresh clams in garlic and buttery white wine gravy. This is my personal favourite as the gravy was absolutely awesome. You can totally taste the sweetness from the clams as well as the alcohol form the white wine. I strongly recommend you to order this dish when you visit Milk and Butter!!

Jo In's Spicy Spaghetti Arrabiata--RM 17

Derek's Linguine Cream Concasse--RM 16

Sarina's Scramble Egg, Slice Chicken Bratwurst and Potato Platter--RM 17

Laine's Spicy Garlic Linguine Vongole--RM 23

   We were so full after all the milk and butter. However, we girls have two tummy right? One for mains and one for dessert. That's why we always have space for dessert no matter how stuffed we are. Hence, we chose 2 cakes from the shop: Tiramisu and Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-Cream. I love both of them! The tiramisu is rich with coffee mousse and the cake is moist. It'll be better if there was more alcohol within. The Warm Chocolate was made with much thoughts and sweet titbits. It's actually a warm chocolate fondant with chocolate caramel sauce inside, accompanied by some cookie crumble and a scoop of pure vanilla ice cream and banana slices. It is indeed very different from your usual chocolate cake.

Tiramisu--RM 12

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream---RM 17

   Furthermore, Milk and Butter provides you with a comfortable environment to dine and also perfect for social gatherings or business meetings. The interior is clean, sleek and serene, free from all the noises outside. The workers are so friendly and effective. Compared to the other restaurants around Telawi, the price of Milk and Butter is considered average. Around RM 20-RM 40 per person. Surprisingly, i find it somewhat similar to The Red Beanbag in Publika. You can also check out this awesome brunch cafe here. Woah, this in indeed a LONG post. Well, i enjoyed my time here, hope you will too. xoxo.

the smoking area outside

   Hi my dear readers!! As you have already noticed, i just changed my blog's look and what do you think? Girly? Pretty? Appealing? LOL. Actually, i've always wanted to change my previous boring look of le blog, but couldn't find the time and motivation to do it. Tonight, i wasn't feeling very well and started going all emo, dark and whiny. Hence, i thought of giving my blog a new look, at the same time, giving myself a fresh start in life.

   Stumbled across this design and it instantly stroked me. By just looking at the color and little kiddy stuff on top brighten up my moody night. Sigh, life goes on even when you don't feel like it. So just pick yourself up and move on!! Alright, signing off now, thanks for reading my frustration, i feel so much better now!! xoxo

Show the world your smile, your bright side and keep the dark ones to yourself :)

   Beautiful morning!! I was having this random craving for dessert, so why not start writing something about it, hopefully this will overcome the craving. (don't think so :/). Anyway, today i'm gonna blog about Nadeje Mile Crepe Cake in Melaka, which has gained its popularity in Malaysia over these few years.

   I believe, you, who has been reading my previous entries would know that i just got back from Melaka recently. I've gained so much until i feel guilty to eat anything. LOL. Melaka has been kind and generous to me. Well, i've heard so much about this place before i went there. Almost everyone who came back from Melaka will say: "hey, you should go to Jonker Street and NADEJE.". After tasting so many of mile crepe cake from other cafe and bakery, i HAVE to try the 'God of Mile Crepe'---NADEJE.

Nadeje @ Plaza Mahkota

    My friend told me that it's not supposed to be called NA.DE.JE, as the DE should be pronounced as silent. Hence, the correct way to pronounce this is: NA.JE. Nadeje is established since 2006. Till now, it already widen its territory across Melaka, having 3 branches, namely Plaza Mahkota, Mahkota Parade and Jaya 99. FYI, Nadeje is invading Petaling Jaya as well (thank God). They are going to open a brand new shop at Dataran 3 Two Square!! I can't wait to pay them a visit!

classy interior of Nadeje @ Mahkota Parade

CAKES!!!

   Nadeje offers not just mile crepe cake, but also a huge variety of special cakes and Nama Donuts. The mile crepe cake alone has more than 20 types, i can say that this is the biggest mile crepe supplier in Malaysia. We went to both their branches in Plaza Mahkota and Mahkota Parade, both were packed with people! You can imagine how good is their business. To my surprise, Nadeje is not just an ordinary cake shop chain, it's more like a bakery cafe, offering coffee, beverages and food as well. We ordered a few kind of mile crepe and they were all fantastic!!

from 12 o clock: strawberry, mango yogurt,  double chocolate, royal milk tea, original, green tea, praline lover, royal milk tea, chocolate stawberry, royal milk tea.

My humble opinion:
1. Strawberry: i like it cause the cream is not too sweet, and they gave us a generous amout of fresh slices of strawberry on top.
2. Mango yogurt: the essence of mango is very rich, along with some cream cheese texture, love it!
3. Double chocolate: erm, nothing special about this, just taste like a normal chocolate.
4. Royal milk tea: surprisingly, this taste a  lot like Chatime's milk tea!! Quite fragrant, not bad.
5. Original: this is my personal favourite! It is rich with light vanilla smell and love the mild sweetness from custard cream!!
6. Green tea: i find it ok, would be better if the matcha flavor is more intense.
7. Praline lover: like the double chocolate, nothing special, couldn't really taste the hazelnut.
8. Chocolate strawberry: this is much better than the double chocolate, at least the bitterness of chocolate is well contrasted by the help of straberry within.

   Pricing wise, it is fair, around RM9-10 per piece. The food and drinks wise, is considered average. The environment is good, service is excellent.

le cappuccino~

   Overall, i still find Nadeje awesome!! Though some of the flavors might need some improvement? Compared to mile crepe from The Twelve Cups, Penang, I would say, it is a tough call. LOL. You'll have to experience yourself to decide!! Ohh, a friendly reminder, if you wish to take away your mile crepe cake, you'll have to buy a nadeje bag from the shop along with ice packs. There is 2 types of bag: small and big. The big one costs around RM9. However, you can always reuse it. Sigh, in the end of this post, my cravings is still not fixed!! OK, gotta find something sweet to munch at. Till then, xoxo.
 

 Day 2~
   Early in the morning, Moi picked us up from our apartment and straight to  The Stadthuys Building of Melaka (i prefer calling it the red building). I couldn't believe that there was so many people already! After a short tour, we went for Melaka's famous Chicken Rice Balls at Chung Wah Restaurant, just opposite the Melaka River, beside Jonker Street. It was quite crowded but we still managed to find a seat. We then ordered a quarter chicken and 30 rice balls. This is actually just a normal chicken rice we eat elsewhere, but instead of a plate of rice, they serve it in 'balls'. The reason why i love the 'balls' here is because not only they were fragrant and smooth, rich in chicken oil, but the texture is fantastic as well!! You can put the whole rice ball in your mouth and chew it like a bubble gum. However, the chicken wasn't very special, i would say not bad.

Chicken..

The Famous Melaka Chicken Rice Ball!!! Yummm

it was only 10am..

   Next, we also went to the very popular makan spot in Melaka~Cendol 88. It is situated in one of the shop in Jonker Street: Jonker88. FYI, Melaka Cendol is famous for the incorporation of Gula Melaka/Palm Syrup in it. Gula Melaka is a type of sugar produced from the sap of cut flower buds of the coconut palm. Hence, it has a very unique and refreshing fragant with it. I've never try cendol from places other than Penang (it's a Penangnite's ego), but this cendol really surprised me. The shaved ice is so fine and delicate, gula melaka given is abundant and addicitive and adequate milk in it completely elevates the taste of gula melaka. I've also tried out their durian cendol and find it interesting and tasty as well.

Durian Cendol~

Original Baba Cendol...check out the stickiness of gula melaka

kind of reminds me of Penang~

   Before leaving, we did some simple shopping at Jonker Street. Then Moi brought us to A Famosa, a fort built by the Portuguese during their settlement here in Melaka. However, after more than 500 years standing proudly agaisnt the Straits of Malacca, most of the fort is gone, except for a small gate house, Porta de Santiago that is still remain standing. Well, the rest of the post will be some photos for you to enjoy. Melaka is really a small but colourful city with its amazing history, heritage and also great food and culture. Thanks to Moi again for everything in our trip to Melaka!!! xoxo

Staircase at the Stadthuys

le blogger~

Christ Church Melaka

with Jo In and Laine~

beautiful sky of Melaka

A Famosa

le blogger being all tourist-sy

St. Philip Church on top of A Famosa

   I was out for the weekend, moving down south to a historic city--Melaka. Together with some uni peeps, we have been planning this trip for quite a while and i'm so glad that it worked in the end. I really enjoy the time spent with them and of course the food Melaka offers. So, this will be a general update on Melaka food and places you should go when you visit Melaka.

Day 1~
   It took us around one and a half hour to drive from KL to Melaka. A big thank you to Moi, which is one of our uni friend and Melaka local for bringing us around for all the undiscovered great food!! After meeting up with Moi, we went to Amy's Herritage Nyonya Cuisine at Taman Melaka Raya for lunch. Moi said that this is the best nyonya restaurant in Melaka, even better than Nancy's Kitchen so he strongly recommend this place. He helped us ordered some simple dishes that were so good that we finished everything on the table!!!
   From top to bottom, left to right: fried tofu with kerabu, sengkuang cups, omelette, PongTeh chicken, Asam fish, Vege cooked with Lemak (milk), Petai Prawns and lastly, stir-fried mix vegetables.
The flavors is well balanced with generous amount of great quality ingredients. The price is affordable, around RM20 per person and the environment is clean. I can say that this is the best Nyonya food i've ever tasted!! *satisfied*

   Next, we went to the legendary NADEJE Mile Crepe Cafe!!! I've heard so much about their mile crepe cake from friends and food blogs, made a dessert lover like me so anticipated to try out their cakes!! I'm so gonna blog about this place in detail in the next post!! Anyway, we celebrated Derek's birthday with a total 9 pieces of finely done mile crepe cake of different flavors and colors.

My pick of the day~ Original Mile Crepe

colors~

   After that, we went to Pantai Klebang for a walk cause we were way to full for food after all the cake and cream. We visited Muzium Kapal Selam and had some crazy shots by the beautiful beach. Later, we stop by at the roadside, just opposite the Klebang beach for the famous Coconut Shake. It is basically an ice-blended coconut juice, grated coconut flesh and some ice, topped by a scoop of refreshing vanilla ice-cream.  This is just a perfect drink for a hot evening!!! Totally love this as it is not too sweet, so chilly and refreshing. Everyone should try this when you come to Melaka!!!

The long queue

   For dinner, Moi brought us to the famous Ban Lee Siang Satay Celup. Satay Celup is something like Lok Lok or hot pot, but instead of the normal broth, they use satay sauce for dipping. Their satay sauce is made out of grated peanut, sugar, chilli and some secret recipe that they refused to tell us, of course. You can pick whatever you want to be dipped in the satay sauce, ranging from meatballs to vegetables, stuffed ladyfinger and mushrooms. Each stick costs RM0.60. A dish of complimentary bread and cucumber is provided. This is completely new for me and i'm loving it!! I would say that it is a very special way to enjoy a meal. This is a must have when you visit Melaka!

The boiling satay sauce

Dip dip dip~

   Next stop--Jonker Street!!! Well, Jonker Street is one of the oldest street in Melaka, and like Penang, it is certified as one of the World Herritage Area by UNESCO. We went for the night market that day and really enjoy ourselves to the max!! Food, performance, fashion items and anything you'll expect from a night market, they have it all. One of my favourite pick of the night is durian puff. It is actually a normal cream puff, but instead of custard cream, it's stuffed with a mouthful of durian cream. To all the durian lovers out there, must try the durian puff here alright?



   After an enjoyable walk, we went for supper at a malay fishing village at Sungai Duyung. Moi said that the ikan bakar here is very nice so he brought us here for an hearty supper. OHH MAN!! It was such a big and satisfied meal. Beside the ikan bakar, we also ordered some seafood like mussels, squid and vege, all in Malay Kampung Style. At first, i didn't expect much from this place, but surprisingly, everything is fresh and properly done. So in love with the mussels cooked in sweet and sour sauce and the chill ikan bakar. Moi said they always get fresh seafood here because this is the fishing village. The fishermen will go out to fish during late night and come back in the morning. They will leave some stock here at the restaurant with cheaper price too. Hence, we get fresh seafood with a cheap price. The plus point is, only locals will know this place. Beat that, tourists!!! :)