Bavarian Bar Bites & Sweet Treats @ Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant, MidValley Megamall, KL

When it comes to beer, the Germans do it best. At Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant, you can find a wide selection of biers from the Paulaner family, all brewed according to the Purity Law of 1516 and using pure spring water from its source. 

Last week, we were invited to Brotzeit to try out their new Bavarian Bar Bites that are specially crafted by their native Bavarian Executive Chef Helmut Murmann. Available daily from 3pm to 6pm, these small bites are perfect for those who are feeling peckish and want something light to satisfy an afternoon snack craving, while sipping on their wine or beer. 

The restaurant/bar is family-friendly, on the Sunday that we dined here we saw lots of families dining here with their children. With a smoke-free section as well, this is one bar we wouldn't mind bringing our kids to, to enjoy some authentic German fare. Though the food is authentic, the presentation is rather modern and aesthetically pleasing. We like the back wall decor, using recycled bottles - very cool effect. The walls show the bier making craft of German breweries and the journey of the biers from Munich to the tables in Malaysia.

The Bavarian Bar Bites menu will be available from 1 May onwards and features 8 items with prices ranging from RM13 to RM15 (except the Mini Brotzeit platter which is RM29). We started off with the hot dishes - the sausage duet, pork meat balls, breaded Camembert and mini fried platter, all of which were very good.

The sausages were excellent, a combo of spicy chicken and pork cheese sausages and I was surprised to find the spicy chicken sausage so tasty. This was served with a laugenbread roll (made in-house and very good as well) and a trio of sauces (sweet chilli/sweet mustard/Dijon mustard). We also enjoyed the traditional pork meat balls served with a tangy tomato sauce. The breaded Camembert is fried until it is nice and oozy and paired with a delicious cranberry/whipped cream sauce. The mini fried platter consists of a trio of breaded prawn, chicken and fish fillets, my fav being the flaky dory fish fillet.

Sausage Duet (RM13)

Pork meat balls (RM13)

Breaded Camembert (RM15)

Oozy Camembert

Mini fried platter (RM13)

From the cold selection, we tried the seafood teaser, gypsy pork belly roll and smoked salmon roll. I particularly enjoyed the gypsy pork belly roll, served with gherkins, boiled egg, cherry tomatoes and laugenbread roll. Chef Helmut also let us have a taste of obatzda and bacon spread (which comes with the Mini Brotzeit Platter). Obatzda is a type of Bavarian cheese made from Camembert, chilli and some herbs. And the bacon spread was so yummy - but not so good for the waistline as it is made from pork dripping and bacon.

Seafood teaser (RM15) - smoked salmon, seared tuna and prawn

Gypsy Pork Belly Roll (RM13)

Smoked Salmon Roll (RM15)

A German meal is not complete without some German beer. The Thurn and Taxis Fursten Gold Beer, a Marzen style brew is crafted in small batches in St. Emmeram Castle using the finest German malts, hops and yeast. This beer is usually served annually at St. Emmeram Fursten Gold Marzen Fest but you can now enjoy it for the first time in Malaysia. It was nice and pleasant, with a good balance of malt and fruity notes.

We also had a go at 3 shots of Berentzen flavoured schnapps (first in Malaysia too), which are made from natural juices of fresh sun-ripened fruits and Berentzen wheat spirit. Don't be fooled by their sizes, the alcohol content ranges from 16-20%. We tried the Crisp Sweet Apple, Fruits of the Forest and Juicy Aromatic Plum -  very nice, fruity flavours.  They are priced at RM15 per bottle or RM60 for a set of 5 bottles, and for every 3 sets, you get a cute Berentzen shooter glass.

Chef Helmut will also be introducing several new desserts to the menu in the coming weeks. I am sure many of you have heard of chocolate bacon before, but I don't think I've ever seen it sold/served in any restaurants around KL. Well, now you can try this intriguing sweet at Brotzeit - crispy chocolate bacon served with lemon pepper marinated strawberries with apricot sauce and white chocolate mousse. I love the chocolate bacon - first you get the sweetness from the dark chocolate, followed by the saltiness from the bacon. Not to be missed.

Crispy goodness

This is not your ordinary tiramisu, it's a orange cream cheese flavoured tiramisu which is light and refreshing.

Another classic combination of apple and cinnamon - chocolate profiterole with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon sugar apple fritter on vanilla sauce. The apples are soft but still with a bite, paired nicely with the profiteroles.

Service: Good.

Location: Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant, Lot G(E)-018, Ground External Floor, Mid Valley Megamall, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2287 5516

Website: http://www.brotzeit.my

Unlimited Sushi Weekend @ Enju Japanese Restaurant, Prince Hotel KL

Enju is The Prince Hotel's casual Japanese restaurant serving modern Japanese cuisine. There is a sushi bar, a la carte dining area as well as private tatami rooms. Every Friday and Saturday, diners can enjoy unlimited sushi at Enju for RM65++ per person. 

Choose from a selection of nigiri sushi (sushi rice topped with sliced seafood), makimono (rolled sushi), temaki (hand rolled sushi) and gunkan sushi (battleship sushi), which you can order and eat as much as you like. Other than unlimited sushi, the sushi dinner also includes either miso soup or clear bonito soup, one main course and one dessert. Sounds like a great deal, right?

Sushi, sushi and more sushi! Eat to your heart's content ;)

Service is good, food arrived pretty quickly after we placed our order and green tea was refilled without us having to ask (never had an empty cup all night). We were served some pickled ginger and an appetizer of gindara (cod fish) with a lovely shoyu butter sauce.

There are 19 types of sushi to choose from, and we tried 14 of them (with multiple orders of some, of course;)). The nigiri sushi topping includes maguro (tuna), ebi (boiled tiger prawn), abura bouzu (butter fish), shake (salmon), ika (squid), tamago (egg omelet), suzuki (seabass), tako (boiled octopus), hamachi (yellow tail) and inari (sweet bean curd skin). I like the tuna, butter fish, seabass and hamachi. From the gunkan sushi section, we ordered one with ebiko (fish roe). From the makimono sushi section, we tried the dynamite roll (fresh salmon, tempura prawn, avocado) and jumbo unakyu maki (grilled eel, salmon roe, cucumber and lettuce). I like the dynamite roll, colours were pretty and the tempura prawn gave it some texture. We also had california maki (avocado, cucumber, crab stick, fish roe) and soft shell crab maki (deep fried soft shell crab, fish roe and cucumber).

Sushi galore!

We had one each of the miso soup and clear bonito soup - goes well with all the raw fish!

Dynamite roll (there's no rice - I LIKE!)

California roll and soft shell crab maki - lovely!

Jumbo Unakyu Maki 

For the main course, you can choose one item from this selection - beef sirloin teppanyaki, mixed vegetable and prawn tempura, yasai korokke (crispy vegetable croquette), shake teppanyaki and chicken teriyaki. Both Hubby and I went for the Australian beef sirloin teppanyaki, served with garlic, shoyu butter and mixed salad. The beef was slightly chewy in parts, but the shoyu butter sauce was very good.

Round 2 of sushi

For dessert, we both picked the green tea ice cream, served with a red bean compote. A satisfying end to our dinner. :)

You can read our hotel review here.

Service: Excellent.

Location: Enju Japanese Restaurant, Level 2, Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur, 4 Jalan Conlay, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2170 8888

Website: http://www.princehotelkl.com

GPS Coordinates: 3.150179, 101.714516


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Pho Hoa, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, PJ

The Unc always "tortures" me with photos of pho that he has in a lovely Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Ha Noi in Erlangen, Germany. Hence I am always on the lookout for good pho in KL, and glad that I found it at Pho Hoa located in The Curve. 

Pho Hoa is a Vietnamese chain of over 70 restaurants serving noodle soup, with locations all over America, Canada and Asia. It has been around for almost 30 years, and is now the largest Vietnamese fast-casual dining chain in the world. Pho Hoa specializes in naturally flavored and healthy soup, whereby each bowl of soup is carefully prepared with a variety of meat toppings and accompanied with fresh coriander leaves, bean sprouts, hot chili peppers, lemon wedges and basil leaves.

You can choose the meat toppings you want with your noodles, such as eye round steak, brisket, tendon, meatballs, flank or tripe. You can even choose how oily or healthy you want your soup to be (the oilier it is, the more tastier it tends to be!). Then, you can choose to omit or add items from your bowl (if you don't like it) such as Thai basil, coriander or lemon. And finally, you can choose to have more or less noodles at no additional charge. 

Steak and flank pho 

The herb/vegetable toppings are served separately

I chose the steak and flank pho (RM16.50) with all the toppings and regular soup. The soup was very tasty which does not leave you thirsty after. Flank is slightly more fatty, so it's a much more flavorful cut. The steak is leaner and is slightly cooked by the broth to "medium" by the time the order reaches the table. For me, this was a really great bowl of pho. 

Hot Lotus Tea

Hubby went for the brisket pho (RM16.50), with more noodles and richer broth and no coriander. The brisket was very tender. The soup was very rich (you can see the layer of oil) but it was really good if you're not worried about your waistline! Haha I guess once in a while it's ok. I feel that Hubby's soup was more flavorful than mine.

Iced lemon tea (RM5.20)

Verdict: Now I can also "torture" The Unc with photos of a great bowl of pho! ;)

Service: Good.

Price: Total bill RM47

Location: Pho Hoa Noodle Soup, G34, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, 40870 Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-7725 9880

Dim Sum Buffet @ Tai Zi Heen, Prince Hotel KL

During our recent stay in Prince Hotel & Residences KL, we also sampled their a la carte dim sum buffet at Tai Zi Heen Chinese restaurant. Named "Dim Sum, Dim All", this pork-free buffet is available on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between 11.30am to 2.30pm and is priced at a very reasonable RM45++ per person. It features 45 best-selling dim sum items and is cooked to order. 

Crispy Prawn Dumplings with Mayonnaise

The restaurant was fairly busy on a Saturday afternoon, food service was pretty quick though there was quite a long wait for the desserts. Most of the items that we tried were very good, you won't even be missing the pork in your dim sum. I would say the dim sum here is pretty good value for money, plus you get to enjoy it in a really nice, comfortable ambiance.

Our two favorite items were the Hong Kong roasted duck and crispy prawn dumplings with mayonnaise, which we had multiple servings of. The roasted duck had a very nice crispy skin while the crispy prawn dumplings were so juicy. I also love the baked mini custard egg tarts and mango pudding, wanted to reorder 2 extra portions of the mango pudding but they ran out. Must remember to order this at the start next time ;)

Hong Kong roasted duck served with plum sauce

Rice rolls filled with shrimp and yellow chives - smooth rice rolls

Crystal dumplings filled with dry sole (har kaw) - thin, translucent skin with big juicy prawns

Steamed fluffy barbecued chicken buns - our kids love this

Baby D helping himself to a pau

Barbecued chicken puffs with parmesan cheese  

Chicken and shrimp dumplings filled with mushroom (siew mai) - another must-order for the kids

Purple spinach dumplings topped with Mexican clams - this was yummy. Big juicy prawns within!

Oven baked mini custard egg tarts - another favorite of ours. They're pretty small, so we had several orders of this. Very good!

Mmmmmmmm.... yum!

Deep fried glutinous rice balls with pandan lotus paste - kids love this!

Chilled honeydew melon with sago

Mango pudding with passionfruit puree - refreshingly good. Love this.

You can check out my other post on Tai Zi Heen's dim sum here.



Pork-free.

Opening times: Lunch; 12.00 pm - 2.30pm, Dinner; 6.30pm-10.30pm.

Location: Tai Zi Heen, Level 2, Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur, 4 Jalan Conlay, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2170 8888

Website: http://www.princehotelkl.com

GPS Coordinates: 3.150179, 101.714516



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