Latest Reviews

Im from Singapore and Uncle Duck used to be our favourite, never miss whenever Im in KL. But late weekend I went there which was sunday, the place was strangely deserted.

Evenso, the service was uninspired and slow, heck the waitress doesn't even get our food right! TO add to the dissapointment, the tea was so bland it tasted bitter without  a slightest scent or hint you're drinking tea. It tasted like its been reboiled 100 times. Horrible. Can see the owner doesn't give a dam too otherwise he would have known. He appears high and pomp behind the counter.

And the duck... was so tough and lacklustre that after a few bites I gave up on eating it. Tasted like old duck and bones. Calamari, etc haven't had the slightest  taste too. Whatever... it's off from my list frm now on. Goodluck to the arrogant owner.

This is great! Best pizza i ever had.

The dough was clearly handmade

and it was baked to perfection!

For a more complete review (pictures, prices, etc.): CLICK HERE

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Suria KLCC is, in my opinion, a really nice mall to wander about. With so many dining options, it was really difficult for me to decide where to eat though. Located at the top floor (if I'm not mistaken) of the mall, Little Penang Kafe grabbed my attention.

Char Koay Teow - The dish had the right balance of flavour, and thumbs up to the crunchy beansprouts which made it more delightful. Also, the dish came with a bit of crab meat which was sweet and moist. But well, it was just too little. 

Nasi Lemak Penang - The nasi lemak managed to capture my heart, even though the portion was too small. The coconut milk used gave the rice a rich fragrance and taste. The rice came with tamarind prawns, chili anchovies, mackerel, half hard-boiled egg, sliced cucumbers and spicy sambal belacan (shrimp paste chili). The tamarind prawns were the highlight of the day, with the indescribable sweet and sour goodness.

Bandung Cincau - Okay, it was my first time seeing such a unique combination. The drink wasn't as sweet as expected, which was good, but perhaps the cincau (lit. grass jelly) lacked the distinctive aroma.

Wings & hokkien noodles ....the best combo whenever i am in town. noodles are delectably unhealthy ... honestly the only way to go....those that subsititute the pork with chicken simply cannot replicate the authentic taste ah hua offers.

 

This place is nicely decorated for sure.  You get the real Royal Thai feel to the place. 

Just 2 of us ordered the following:

Mien Kham - this was good - some leaf with chilli, onion, dried shrimp, peanuts, sauce, dessicated coconut.  9/10

Tom Yum Seafood - I asked for the spicy version but all we got was a very watered down version without either the required acidity or chilli kick.  For $20 per bowl, we got a nice big prawn but blahhh   5/10

Chicken fried with cashew nuts - OK but nothing special 6/10

Beef massaman currty - Mild, with tough chewy beef.... Not very tasty either 4/10

Total bill was about RM150 which was steep for the quality.

 

M Kwans serves up very nice Nasi Bojari, Nasi Lemak, Beef Rendang....  Really good if a bit pricey. 

Some ordered (5) also ordered other dishes (fried rice, claypot tofu, noodle soup).  The fried rice was nice, but the claypot tofu and noodle soup were tasteless and bland - and not cheap

So, stick to the Malay specialties and forget the Chinese ones.

Original order made was baked Cheese with Tofu and Oyster mushroom,  baked Hong Kong Cheese baked rice and Hot & Spicy Nissin noodle with fried egg and Luncheon meat.

The waiter mess up with the order:  Bringing Hot & Spicy nissin noodles with pork dices, Hot & Spicy Nissin noodle with fried egg and  baked Cheese with Tofu and Oyster mushroom.

This episode happen during Lunch Time in Mid Valley Megamall. Thus, a lesson needed to be learn by their waiter is that please don't mess up with customers' order. For foodies out there  please go early to Hong Kong Kim Gary if you want good customer service because during Lunch Time the office crowd then to overcrowd the shop ending up not a single table empty at sight.

Since I had some good news to celebrate, my colleague and I decided that we should do a Girls' Night Out (GNO) at Bangsar near our workplace.

After much pondering that involved us walking up and down the streets of Bangsar, our eyes rested upon The Social and mutually decided to give it a go. We were attracted to the cosy ambience, the place had soft lighting, lots of shrubs and comfortable sofas and chairs outside the terrace. Inside, an island bar sits in the middle of the restaurant and pool tables adorned the back of the bar. Most of the restaurant/bar patrons were expats and the usual City folks.

Unfortunately as beautiful as the setting was, I have to complain that the service was pretty awful that night. We weren't even ushered to our seats and we had to ask for a table instead. After we happily perused the menu and decided on our choices, the waiter came to take our orders. My patience ran thin when the waiter did not get my order even after I repeated thrice and pointed to the choice in the menu. In fact, he even forgot my drink order and scuttled back to our table to get the order again. Total disappointment.

Food-wise, the menu offered both Western and Asian delights. Some of typical classic Western fare included burgers, pies, schnitzels but not much of meat selection (only lamb kebabs and shanks, and ribeye steak). In addition, they do serve a small selection of salads and sandwiches as well as pasta, appetizers, bar snacks, desserts and sharing platter. The Oriental selection included classic noodles and rice such as Char Kuey Teow, Nasi Lemak, Pineapple Fried Rice and so forth. The prices are relatively moderate, roughly RM20 above for Western mains and RM16 above for Oriental fares.

The wine list was a complete booklet of wine, cocktails, beer & spirits selection, and Happy Hour (12 noon - 9 pm) on a choice of beers, reds and whites. Pricing on moderate scale, it won't leave a gaping burnt hole in your pocket.

I ordered Chicken and Mushroom pie (RM26) with a glass of Cosmopolitan which is my favorite cocktail (RM22), my colleague picked Marinara Aglio Olio (RM28) and a glass of Cabernet Merlot (RM19). The wait was alright, it didn't take long for the food to arrive despite the fairly large crowd.

Now, the best part - that is savoring the food! The portions were pretty reasonable, not too big and not too small either. I have to admit that the presentation of my pie was rather boring so not much points for food presentation in my opinion. The Chicken and Mushroom pie came covered with creamy sauce, broccoli and carrots and mash. Now, the taste of the pie was rather bland and the pastry felt like it was some frozen pastry bought from the supermarket. The mash was not something that I would eat - it didn't even taste of potatoes but mostly flour! The Marinara Aglio Olio was a little spicy but the sauce was too diluted it looked like the spaghetti was swimming in a bowl of soup. They were generous with the squids, prawns and clams though. The Cosmopolitan was alright, but it was a little too strong for my liking.

Overall ambience - it is a smoking area, loud and noisy crowd so not a place for those who enjoy peace and quietness. Great place for chillout sessions with drinks and a game of pool or chat. Also a place for romance/first dates but then again, it's rather a subjective choice.

I won't be visiting this place much for food but definitely recommend it as a place to chill out with friends after a long hard day at work.

Smoking/Non smoking : Smoking zone

Staff service : Poor and could be improved

Food and Beverage : Average. Food could do with some improvement

Ambience : Great place to chillout, drink, chat or game of pool

Pricing : Moderate

Food list : http://www.thesocial.com.my/pdf/menu_dine.pdf

Wine list : http://www.thesocial.com.my/pdf/menu_wine.pdf

Visiting Kuala Lumpur after a long spell, it was interesting to note that the food and beverage landscape had changed dramatically, with the emergence of upstarts catering to the more eclectic palettes. To my recollection, the area of Bangsar Leonard’s is situated at used to be a collection of assorted watering holes and street stalls serving the best wok-fried greasy goodness that KL had to offer. The crowds were mostly the young (and not so young), thirsty and rowdy.

On my first visit to Leonardo’s last week, things could not have been more different. As I was led up a warmly lit staircase to Leonardo’s, the images of all things Renaissance floated through my mind as I was greeted by candle lit images of the Vitruvian Man and other notable etchings of that brilliant Renaissance mind.

The warm, cosy, rustic atmosphere very quickly gave way to a plethora of aromas, all of which caused this group of diners to salivate like Pavlov’s furry friends. Carnivores of course, would have loved it here. Prominent on the menu was pork, prepared in as many ways as the chefs could devise. Think of cuts of shoulder and knuckle, Kurobuta or regular, roasted or barbequed, crackling skin and piquant juices streaming from every incision. Once the smorgasbord of pork arrived in 4 different varieties, everything became a blur. There portions were perfect and not much was left behind.  This brought back memories of April 2010 when we dined at Apfelwein Wagner (Schweizer Straße 71, Frankfurt) a Frankfurt dining institution since 1931. The quality of pork, especially pork shoulder, was comparable for both restaurants. The only difference was the unconquerable mountain of food at Adolf Wagner’s restaurant – which was tailored to the Euro-sized stomach. A preferred tipple in Frankfurt, was apfelwein (apple wine), which tasted of a cross between apple cider and watered down retsina. The good news in Bangsar was that we got to wash down our meaty meal with an extensive selection of wines. We found some of the medium bodied reds in Leonardo’s walk-in wine chillier to be very compatible – even the house pours. Prices reasonable and the service was pretty good. To be fair, visitors not from these parts (like me), would have to be led to the restaurant by someone familiar. But like a good homing pigeon, I’m sure I would be able to find my way back very soon. The dress code seemed to be trendy smart casual, and the almost full restaurant seemed to be an even mix of expats and locals. As we understand from the waiters, lederhosen are welcomed year round.

Leonardo's has been around since 2009 and has found a steady following of customers eager to try its many signature pork dishes.  From stuffed Spanish peppers to hand made pizzas to pork knuckles, my friends and I always love the food.  The molten chocolate volcano dessert is also worth the wait.  The supper menu is also unusual in serving local favourites like Hokkien Mee and Bak Ku Teh late into the night.  This is a haven for late night groups who fancy a drink and a bite in a decent place and don't want to hang in a hot and crowded mamak stall or coffee shop.

Located on the first and second floors of an unassuming shoplot, Leonardo's is located in a leafy part of Bangsar, far enough from the crowd but still slap bang in the hidden dining mecca of Jalan Bangkung.  Leonardo's sits side by side with its sister restaurants Cava, Opus and Four Seas.  Because of this, the 4 restaurants share a security guard to patrol the area so coming and going even late at night is extremely safe.

Leonardo's has one of the nicest chill-out wine bars in KL.  The top floor bar is exquisite.  Exposed brick work and double height ceilings with views of KL Tower and even Genting on a clear night means that you feel quite liberated and at ease with the space.  It's also a great place to have late afternoon meetings after work. Fireworks can even be seen in the skyline during major festivals.

To top off the experience, I notice that many patrons know the Leonardo's staff by name and everybody is always smiling and laughing.  The management must be doing a good job.

Do make reservations in advance as it tends to fill up especially late in the week and weekends.  It seems this hidden gem is hidden no more .... but that's not going to stop me from going again!

There's a map at www.leonardos.my