LOVE LIFE, CHERISH MOMENTS

   The British are known for their elegant language and manner, polished etiquette and most importantly, scones and afternoon tea. Hence, when i visited London during my spring trip, of course i gotta have some of that before returning. Ms Zheng and i met up with our old buddy Jasper, who is currently based in London for a quick catch up over some tea and pastries. He recommended this humble tea house called Maison Bertaux, right behind the busy London Soho, located off The Greek Street.

Delicious pastries and cakes!

     Maison Bertaux is the oldest French patisserie (French pastry house) in London, established since the year 1871, by Mr. Bertaux himself. Throughout the years, this pastry house remains standing in the evolving metropolitan with its traditional French pastries and a wide selection of warm tea. We were welcomed by an array of pastries as we stepped into this old and humble double storeys hut. Next, we were required to make our order at the counter before proceeding to our tables on first floor. As you can see from the photos above, every corner of this tea house screams classic, elegant and warmth, so welcoming and comfortable for a relaxing afternoon tea.

   I was hoping for some warm scones and tea, so we went for 2 traditional English scones, accompanied by cream and strawberry jam, a Strawberry Tart and a slice of Chocolate Cheese Cake for sharing. Our tea selection would be the classical Earl Grey and Chamomile Tea.

Traditional English Scones, served with whipped cream and strawberry jam.

Strawberry Tart

Chocolate Cheesecake

Earl Grey Tea

#flatlays

   I guess some of you might have noticed, i have a certain standard when it comes to scones, as mentioned in a few of my previous entries. I'm glad to say the scones here were up to par, with its crumbly texture and buttery flavour. The only thing i hope to alter, would be the addition of clotted cream because that lovely thing is essential! Strawberry tart were tangy and fresh; while our chocolate cheesecake was a huge let down. The cheesecake had too much solidifying agent within, causing it to be too jelly-like. Nevertheless, our tea was amazing! I adore the strong alkaline after taste we got from the Earl Grey, giving us extra caffeine kick.

Missing you both!

   Overall, it was quite interesting experience, sipping tea accompanied by wonderful desserts, overlooking the busy street of London, spiced up by never-ending conversation with my dearest buddies. London truly has its own unique charm, with captivating vibes and surprises. I can't wait to be back in this metropolitan, explore more cuisine and finds to share with you guys. Stay tuned for more updates! xoxo

More Information~
Address: 28, Greek Street, London W1D 5DQ, United Kingdom.
Website: http://www.maisonbertaux.com/maisonbertaux.com/Maison_Bertaux.html

   Greetings earthlings! It has been over 3 months since i came back from my UK-Europe trip during spring time. Every time i look back at our photos, i can't help but long to return for another wonderful experience. One of the more memorable moments during this trip was in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mr. J and i along with our friends in Glasgow, took a bus ride to the historical city for a one day trip. Laine booked us a table in an amazing 1-Michelin-starred and multiple award winning restaurant called The Kitchin for us to experience first hand, what's fine dining in The UK.

   After a brief walk around the city, we found our way to The Kitchin for our lunch, which we already reserved prior to this. The location is not difficult to find, along the Commercial Street, only stone throw away from The Victoria Quay, across the small stream, right next to The Scottish Government building.



   The Kitchin is the proud brainchild of Chef Tom Kitchin, which carries the philosophy of 'From Nature to Plate' and this is also the main concept for the restaurant.

'From Nature to Plate' is a true reflection of Chef Tom Kitchin's passion for the finest, freshest Scottish seasonal produce and the cooking at the restaurant reflects Tom’s training under some of the world’s best chefs blended with his own Scottish heritage.

The Kitchin presents modern British cuisine influenced by French cooking techniques and an appreciation of the best quality ingredients available from Scotland's fantastic natural larder. The produce at The Kitchin arrives fresh daily thanks to a close team of selected suppliers who supply the restaurant with seasonal produce every day. All the meat and fish is bought in whole and all the butchering and filleting is done in-house daily.

~source from thekitchin.com

Food map, showing us the origin of ingredients used in The Kitchin.

Spring themed set lunch menu

Bread Sticks served with cream cheese

Freshly baked Bread served with house butter

Complimentary cold Amuse Bouche Carrot and pumpkin puree topped with pickled carrot, radish and cucumber.

   Alright, let's begin with appetizer. I had the Scallop while the rest had the Pork dish. There were 3 scallops beautifully placed over a pile of sea salt, served with some fresh squid and garlic sauce. Our scallops were well cooked and the garlic sauce were incredible savoury, successfully complementing the natural sweetness from these seafood. The pork dish was something unique. A croquette is actually a breadcrumbed fried food, normally stuffed with mashed potato or grounded meat. In this case, the croquette was deconstructed, with grounded pork shin as the center, surrounded by a crispy ring that was not directly connected to the center. Best thing of this dish is definitely the leek and potato sauce that was rich and creamy.

Scallop Orkney queenie scallops served with a wild garlic butter and squid.

Pork Clash Farm Pork shin croquette served with a leek and potato sauce and a fried hen's egg

The inside of the master piece.

    Next up, our main courses. Each of us ordered different mains, so we got to taste every single items in the menu. I had the fish dish, which is European plaice, or flounder, while the rest had the Chicken and Ox dishes. My fish dish was seasoned minimally and the creamy sauce was good but not great. Addition of rhubarb was a little bit odd to me. Although it was executed beautifully, but it was not my favourite. On the other hand, the chicken breast was alright, great flavours and varied textures. Personal favourite has to be the ox dish. As weird as the dish sounded, the flavours were impeccable, with explosion of flavours, from spicy to sweet, from salty to savoury. Each of the item within was well thought and perfectly done.

Plaice Seared fillet of North Sea plaice served with a braised fennel, rhubarb and sea purslane

Have a closer look

Ox Inverurie ox tongue boudin served with braised ox tripe and red pepper

Chicken Haulkerton Farm chicken breast served with Jerusalem artichoke potato risotto and confit leg

    Finally, we got our desserts. We had both of the Coffee and Rhubarb desserts. My coffee souffle looks incredible on the outside and tasted even better on the inside. The souffle has an excellent height to it, freshly baked from the oven. Its texture was warm, fluffy and airy, with intense coffee punch and chocolatey flavour from the ganache. Espresso ice-cream couldn't scream more AWESOME, with its incredibly strong espresso and creamy texture. Rhubarb is not a common ingredient in Malaysia. We seldom come across this food in any cuisines from home. Hence, when i tried out the rhubarb, i wasn't sure what to expect. The texture was soft and tasted sour, pairing with the sweet and rich vanilla cream, creating a perfect dessert. However, the rhubarb sorbet was too sour to our liking. Nevertheless, this dessert was still stunning and mind blowing.

Coffee Coffee souffle served with chocolate ganache and espresso ice cream

Rhubarb Rhubarb jelly and set vanilla cream served with poached Tomlinson's Farm rhubarb and rhubarb sorbet.

Look at this beauty

  Overall, The Kitchin offered us a wonderful and memorable dining experience with its delicate food presentation, freshest and organic ingredients, quality and cutting edge cooking style along with top notch service and ambiance. None of the fine dining restaurant back home can compete with Chef Kitchin's one of a kind dining concept. He wisely combined the French technique with his origin--Scottish spirit in his cooking, creating a colourful, vibrant and impeccable dining experience for guests. The Kitchin is definitely the place to be when you are in Edinburgh and craving for quality fine dining at an affordable price. I hope you enjoy today's write up and i can't wait to show you more!

Mr. J and i

With the gentlemen

Thanks Laine for the recommendation!

   French cuisine has always been a mystery to me. Living in Malaysia, i did not get plenty of opportunity to taste authentic French cuisine as it is so expensive and hard to find. Only until the summer last year, when i visited Paris, only did i try the local, authentic French food. I believe many of us perceive French cuisine as one that is delicate, classic, petite and luxury. However, today i am going to share with you a small cafe that serves excellent and authentic French cuisine, without costing a fortune!

   Croisette Cafe is a French restaurant run by a lovely couple, in Cascadium Condominium, Bangsar. The condo is situated off Jalan Maarof, opposite of BSC Bangsar. Just enter as visitor and go up to the swimming pool area. This cozy hut is just right beside the pool. My family and i went for a simple dinner on a Saturday weekend and there was quite some crowd there. The restaurant is small, so make sure u call the owner to make a reservation prior to your visit. I will attach the phone number below.

   We opted for their set dinner as it's interesting and value for money. Croisette Cafe changes its dinner's option every now and then so it might differs from this menu when you visit them next time around. Basically, a set dinner costs RM 84 per person and you get to choose from a series of starter, mains and desserts. Amuse bouche, which is a light bite size appetizer will be provided as well.

Add RM 34 for 2 glasses of wine or beer

Amuse bouche--Toasted bread topped with tuna, tomato and olive

Starter--Salad Landaise duck confit, gizzards, smoked duck with simple garden salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vineger

   Salad was finely made with fresh greens and smoky duck. I didn't know that the smokiness of the protein will work well with crisply greens, perhaps i can try it out next time!

Starter--Scallops pan fried, leeks fondue

   Succulent scallops precisely cooked and seasoned with simple yet stylish presentation, giving us a full senses enjoyment!

Starter--Grosse Raviole Cepe mushrooms and Foie Gras (duck), truffle oil cloud

The raviole here, which is wrapped pasta with fillings was earthy and well balanced. I love how subtle and balanced the seasoning was, together with the truffle oil, fully accentuated this dish.

Main--Duck Confit, Potato Sarladaise and salad Mesclun

   This was my choice of main of the day. First of all, i love duck, so this was kind of bias to me. I find the duck was well cooked, but slightly dry and salty. It might work better for those who fancy sodium a little bit more than i do.

Main--Beef Rib Eye, flambeed with Brandy, mixed pepper sauce with Gratin potato

   As you can tell from the photos, the steak was cooked to perfection. It was juicy, succulent and tender, with burst of amazing flavors from its natural essence. My favourite item on the dish is the gratin potato as i find it rather interesting. It is basically layers of thinly sliced potato made into a lasagne form with the addition of cheese in between those layers. This definitely wowed my mind and i do not mind having run on the trackmill for 30 minutes just for this!

Dessert--Ice souffle orange & Cointreau liquor

    Finally, we reached the end of the course with the most anticipated desserts!! French has always been known for their expertise in crafting elegant, artistic and tasty desserts and i was far from disappointment that night! This orange liquor ice-cream was simple but mind blowing with complex flavors running across the tongue. The citrus contrasted the liquor perfectly, with some beautiful meringue as topping.

Dessert--Chocolate Parfait, orange rinds confit inclusion, sauce Bergamot

   Next up, the must-have chocolate cake! This was my dish and i was totally in love with it despite the after-guilt. I love the classic combination of orange and chocolate, works well for me. The soft, freshly baked chocolate cake also tasted extremely pleasant together with the cream sauce beside.

Dessert--Gateau Fraisier, Patisserie Pistachio

   Last but not least, this strawberry cake that was not very attractive on the eye but tasted amazing on my palate! Well, how can i resist strawberries right? The sponge cake was spongy and soft and i love how the tangy-ness of strawberries added so much dimensions of flavors to this dessert!

   In other words, this was a great dining experience as i learnt so much about French cuisine. It was elegant, subtle, simple, mind-blowing and memorable. Its pricing for a French cuisine was considered slightly more than average, definitely an expensive one compared to other cuisine. However, there is no harm pampering yourself once a while right? Perhaps for that special occasion. The chefs and staffs here are pretty warm. They are very interested to get our feedback and attentive to calls. Besides the set dinner, there are still plenty of amazing a-la-carte items to be selected off their menu. Don't hesitate, go grab some French goodness now! xoxo

Contact info~
Phone No.: 016-3304477
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Croisettecafe