deconstructing royce'

i am not a chocolate lover but the raves for royce's nama got my curiosity.

the other variants of royce chocolates can be stored at room temperature except for the nama which needs to be maintained at a certain temperature.

when i found myself at suriaklcc i immediately thought of getting the nama at isetan which is relatively cheaper compared to getting it in manila.

the chocolate is wrapped in a thermal bag with an ice pack to keep it cool for 4 hours at the most to maintain it's consistency and form.

the nama is wrapped like a gift, the colors determine the flavor. i got me self the mild cacao variant.

after removing the paper wrapping, you'd find yourself a box that looks like the wrapping. talk about spending a lot on packaging.

when you open the box, you'd see a plastic container with the precious nama inside.

the nama is a block of chocolate that is cut into smaller squares with powdered cocoa. you also get a small plastic that helps you cut through the square to pick one.

i was able to try the white and milk chocolate variants but i opted for the mild cacao. i liked it because it's not too sweet and find it less bitter than milk chocolate which i found weird since i'd expect the opposite. the nama has a smooth and velvety texture that simply melts in your mouth. for choco lovers, this is a must try.

isetan
suriaklcc, kuala lumpur

manila:
konbini store
connecticut st. greenhills

SG: food republic

there's a food republic at wisma atria, which is basically a food court. i forgot the actual stall where i got my fast food version of steam boat. i simply got lured with the display.

you choose your food items from the display, an assortment of shabu shabu/steam boat ingredients and then they'll cook it for you. you can choose from a variety of noodles if you wish to have them added. i opted for spinach for my veggie (veggies are free...i think), each food item costs 70 cents (fresh fish ball, pork with tofu, egg tofu, pork stuffed tofu, etc.). the noodles has an additional charge as well as the soup. yup, even the clear soup that comes with it. this bowl costs around 7 SGD (now that i made the conversion, it's pretty pricey). a filling and satiating meal.

food republic

4th level, wisma atria

orchard road, sg

SG: toastbox

needed to get a quick fix and decided to get a laksa from toastbox. wanted to compare manila's version. it was perfect except for one thing. it has no salt. as such, the dish was simply bland. imagine slurping a rich hot coconut milk soup base that is spicy with no hint of salt. having a dose of fish sauce would have heighten the flavors of this dish. really disappointed with this one.

toastbox

food republic

suntec city

KL: little penang cafe

i always end up at suria klcc after a tiring day so i don't have any option but eat at resto's there. i've learned about little penang cafe so we gave it a shot.

we got two types of set meals both costing 13.50 RM. the first one is with a five spice chicken and sambal prawns with a choice of side dish (juhu char).

i got the kari hantu set which has penang beef curry, so hot but pleasing to my palate. it comes with lobak, chicken wrapped in soybean think kikiam but instead of unrecognizable ingredients you get chunks of chicken instead. also opted for juhu char as a side dish which is turnip cooked with prawns and dried cuttlefish. has the same texture and looks like lumpia stuffing made of green papaya but has this fishy taste which probably comes from the cuttlefish.

for dessert, we had ice kacang (4.80 RM) a traditional malay dessert. their version of halo halo. it has ice, milk, bananas, black gulaman, something that seems to be a light colored raisin, beans, sweet corn, a red syrup and peanuts on top. very appealing on a hot summer day but i'll probably still opt for the pinoy version.

here's the malay version of coke.

i'd have to say that it was the pangs of hunger that compelled us to finish our meals. maybe it was the choice of food items but i'd have to say that it wasn't as delectable or satiating as i expected. if you want to try it, it's at the fourth level of suriaklcc. cheaper than madam kwan's and it's busy too, so locals like it here as well. you might wanna try the specials instead.

little penang cafe

4th level suriaklcc

KL: mcdo

whenever i am out of the country, i make it a point to eat at mcdonald's. it's a long story on why i do this, but surprisingly i discovered a friend who does the same thing hehe.

for a quick snack, i got the banana pie. this one ain't available in manila so it was an obvious choice. it actually tastes good, would have been better if it was piping hot with a more flaky crust.

took a photo of their ketchup container too, it looks like a mini platito...sounds redundant since platito is already a small plate but think of a smaller platito in plastic form. the vessel is shallow thus containing a smaller amount of ketchup.

and look at this ad....they have onion rings? too bad they only serve breakfast when we got there.

mcdonald's

bukit bintang, kl

KL: madam kwan's

i've read about madam kwan's and its good reviews plus a disclaimer of being relatively more expensive compared to hawker food/other malaysian restaurants. however, its accessibility made it a viable option for me.

it has great interiors, a posh way to try malaysian cuisine. i got the ever famous nasi lemak. i didn't want to be disappointed with this dish so i opted to get it here. it was all good...spicy which i like. the chicken curry was just right, the coconut flavor of the rice was not over powering, the dilis (anchovies) was spicy which made a nice contrast of flavors with the bland hard boiled egg.

my friends got nasi bojari which is a huge set meal. the meal has beef rendang, fried chicken, boiled egg and assam prawns. a good meal for someone with a huge appetite or someone who has not eaten lunch by 5pm hehe.

here's an ala carte shot of the beef rendang. shredded beef cooked in a spicy red sauce. hot hot hot...perfect with lots of rice.

dehydrated with all the walking, i simply opted for water and they only serve evian. pricey but atleast i got it with a slice of lemon ;).

here's shot of their menu items.

madam kwan's

4th level

suria klcc

KL: roti fix

we found ourselves hungry at batu caves. however, we weren't able to find any decent food establishment since they all offer vegetarian cuisine only. we found an establishment that offers roti. since i love roti, i convinced my friends to give it a try.

had roti planta which is roti with butter. has a great combination of sugar and butter that made it oh so sinful and the warm crisp texture made it delectable.

also got roti canai, it was soft and much better than the ones i've had here in manila. but since roti canai is plain roti and the dip they gave wasn't pleasing to our palates this ended up as a none favorite.

each roti costs 2RM, around 26PHP which is not bad if you ask me.

roti shop

foot of the steps to batu caves

left side if you are facing the stairs