Dining at a marketplace

Marche' Marketplace restaurant at the Curve is a unique dining place ; which conceptualized on the marketplace environment.
It has been a while since I have peered into the windows of the place whenever I walk past here and finally, I have made my way into the marketplace for lunch while I was there for shopping.

The marketplace dining was brought over from Switzerland; specifically by the Swiss group; Movenpick (famous for their ice-cream).
The atmosphere of the place simulated that of an actual marketplace; whereby stalls were set up with displays of the fresh fruits, vegetables and raw ingredients used for their cuisines.


The stalls are the station counters; which are categorized into the appetizers, starters, soup, pasta, main (grills, pizzas, etc), desserts, cakes and pastries, and beverages sections.

This ordering card is given upon entering the restaurant; and is to be carried by the customer until he/she exits the place.

It is used for ordering from the stalls and also for the staff to track the items to be billed at the end of the meal. If the card is full, you can request for another.

There are a variety of fresh fruit juices; which are freshly squeezed on the spot. I was sitting at a place facing the fresh fruit stall, and I could not resist the temptation of ordering one of their special concoction of the day!

This is the orange, carrot and strawberry juice (the juice of the day) and I am singing all praises for it as it is a combination of all my favorites!:)

It was good; and I even enjoyed the bites of the expensive Korean strawberries at the bottom of the glass.
It was a little expensive though for a fresh fruit juice; as it was priced at RM12.90 for a small glass like this.

Grilled Quarter Chicken

This was priced at about RM17-19.90 I think, and it comes with a side serving of mashed potatoes.
Adding a corn kernel would take an additional RM3.


I chose the fresh seabass to be grilled on my plate
It was okay, but I have a complaint; the scales were not properly removed and there were scales from the fish between mouthfuls of the fish meat.

To me, dining at Marche was like dining in a high-class market environment; but at a few times higher than that of the local market prices!~ (There were lots of variety though, and is a systematic setting for a full course meal)

Endless pancakes @ Paddington House of Pancakes

When the word 'pancake' is mentioned, the first and probably the only place that comes to mind is this famous (and the only one) Paddington House of Pancakes which serves one of the finest pancakes in town.

Their list of choices is almost endless with their large and heavily color-laden pages of creatively presented pancakes in the menu that you may be a little light-headed with your own selection.

The images of the different types of pancakes and the description are just tempting and alluring that you just want to have them all!~

Who knew that there were so many varieties of pancakes; in so many different forms and shapes, not to mention flavors?
The menu offers far more than choices for decision, I feel that it was quite educational too for those new in the world of pancakes.

I have been to a few of their outlets in the peninsular; from Penang to KL and to Selangor, and I have been sticking to my favorites most of the time (I can't get bored of them!) unless I go out in group gatherings.

One of my favorites here is the San Francisco


This is a simple dish of dory fillet pan fried/grilled with a side serving of a neatly rolled crepe of fresh lettuce with salad dressing.
(There used to be two separate smaller crepes; and now they have made it into one huge and fat crepe like this, with a large spoonful of mashed potatoes stuffed on top of the crepe)


Washington Salad (RM15.90)

A delightful way of enjoying your salad with bite-sized chunks of red and green apple tossed amidst the fresh green lettuce leaves and with crunchy walnuts in between bites.
The apples, lettuce and walnuts were just abundant that it seemed to be endless to this bowl of refreshing start to a meal.
This is definitely ideal for those who loved greens or are looking for a healthy diet.

Another light option is the Chicken Wrap

Well, to be honest, it was neither too light nor too heavy, so I would say it was just nice for those who want to enjoy a little of pancakes with poultry.


Brussels (RM18)

This is for the beef lovers; as this dish is a combination of cheesy beef bacon served with onions, mozarella, sunny side up, bakes beans and guacarmole on the in house PHOP galtette.


For something sweet and tasty to clean the palates, I love these dollar-sized pancakes promoted in Treasure Box (RM17.90)

These are miniature and bite-sized pancakes which are in the size of a larger size dollar coin and can keep you going if you are not watching!~
A delightful treat with ice-cream and peanuts and lots of fruits in it too, it is not only a treat for the adults but definitely a favourable dish for the children.


The prices here may appear higher for savoury treats for pancakes, but mind you, the serving portion of the pancakes make it all worth it.
If you are a small eater (for ladies especially), you might want to consider sharing.

I am looking forward to my next visit to Paddington.... =)

Lunch @ Kim Gary, The Curve

We are getting endless list of Hongkie food outlets here in Malaysia; and they are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere. Probably due to the affordable prices and also the easy and convenient bites for light and yet filling food anywhere.

Kim Gary was one of the more popular Hongkie outlets here in Malaysia; and they even had Bosco Wong to endorse their brand.
One of their outlets is located in The Curve; and it was really crowded with shoppers on weekends; from 11am onwards. Most of the people will choose to have their "brunch" at this time as well.


They placed importance in hygiene; judging from the way they organize their utensils in the plastic case.


They do offer set lunches at an affordable price of RM11.90; inclusive of a soup for starters, main, and a drink.
Their tomato soup was one of the favorites among most patrons and I find that they usually serve this as well.


For drinks, there is a limited choice; between Milk tea, tea and iced lemon tea (if I am not mistaken).
Of course, milk tea is to be sampled upon when you dine in a Hongkie Char Chan Teng.


There is also a wide range of drinks offered on the menu but my favorite will have to be the Lemon with Aloe Vera drink.

It was just a great combination; and really soothing for the throat:)

The main in the set; Spaghetti with Fish fillets in cream sauce. You can opt for either rice or spaghetti serving.


For side order, this is one of my favorite; Fish fillets with sweet corn (RM7.50); it used to be only RM6.90.

Guess when price of rice increased; everything just followed.

As I have mentioned; there is such a wide range of beverages and desserts.
Somehow I noticed that Taiwanese and Hongkies love snowies.
There is a list of fruity snowies; and this is the red bean snowy.

There was a tangy taste that I couldn't describe; but it's definitely not coconut milk.
It tasted like pop soda or something.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this as dessert; cooling and just my favorite; iced red bean!:)


I got a discount voucher which entitled me for 20% off my next visit;)

Valentine's Day

14th of February was a meaningful day to shower your loved ones with kindness and appreciation; a token of reminder and a special day to remind them of your fond love.
This lovely day was not meant alone for lovebirds but also for your families, friends who falls in your circle of loved ones.

For me, this year was especially memorable since DearDear and I will be distant from each other for a while. Thus, my surprise was when DearDear called me and told me that he was on his way to KL to meet me on Valentine's Day morning!
This was just so sweet and romantic of him!!

We spent the afternoon in The Curve; since DearDear is not familiar with the roads in KL.

After wandering around the Street, we decided to try out The Apartment for lunch as it looked rather cosy and hidden from the glaring sun.


The interior design of The Apartment was just mediocre; nothing to wow about although the dim lightings and the cushioned chairs at the corners of the restaurants really exuded the comfortable environment.


I ordered a Strawberry Chiller (RM8.50) which was too sweet and fizzy for my taste! Rather disappointing (for me) that I couldn't enjoy my drink:(


I ordered the Mediterranean Fish Wrap (RM26.50) which consists of fish chunks and mashed onions with sauce wrapped.

It was pretty tasty and I find it light and pleasing for the afternoon.

DearDear ordered the Smoked Salmon Sandwiches (RM24.50) which was served with thick slices of smoked salmon with 2 slices of wholemeal crusts, butter and leafy vegetables.


And these were the complimentary chocolates in conjunction with the festive Valentine's Day.

I find the food in The Apartment on the average; nothing much to shout about.
However, all that matters was the mood and joy with your loved one on this joyous day. Furthermore, it was also the day of our anniversary, that's double festivity for us!:)

DearDear also bought doughnuts for the family from Big Apple Donuts; such a delight:)

Everyone enjoyed the sharing of love and happiness on this wonderful day!

How was your Valentine's, fellow friends?

Big Apple Donuts

Big Apple Donuts is no longer a stranger to the world of food these days and I have been hearing and reading about it so much. They have definitely made their way into Malaysian hearts, judging from the crowd I see at their outlet in The Curve.


There was a line leading to the counter to place their order for doughnuts, yeah, seriously, just doughnuts can garner a queue!

As Daddy jokingly said, "Gone were the days when doughnuts were only coated with rough sugar and cost only for 60 cents to a dollar per piece!"

I couldn't agree more:)
One doughnut here costs RM2++ and you can opt to buy them in half a dozen or a dozen.
Bro opted for the Half Dozen; 6 doughnuts for RM9.90 (to share among them, since I don't take doughnuts)

Nice packaging; ready for CNY!
I am sure there will be people buying these for visiting:)

The 6 doughnuts bro and Mummy selected!

They were just so colourful...and fragrant too!

Blue Lagoon doughnut



Nutty doughnut



Creamy and nutty

Nutty paste inside:)


Specially for Daddy, MANGO!


Blueberry



Really interesting and everyone seemed to enjoy it:)
Yup, doughnuts innovation is starting to penetrate into the current trend, what started off with Dunkin Donuts (the doughnuts innovator) has since led to Big Apple and also J.Co (I think).

Daddy is really right, Gone are those days where doughnuts were passed as just normal pastries:p