ronnycakes reviews: Ramen Taiko, Mon’t Kiara Shoplex

It’s been a while since I’ve last reviewed a ramen place, and this one has been sitting in my files for quite some time. Having lived in Mon’t Kiara for more than 10 years, there are still some places that have been around for a long time which I still haven’t tried, and one of these is Ramen Taiko. Located in a rather quiet corner inside Mon’t Kiara Shoplex (for those that are unfamiliar with the names, Mon’t Kiara Shoplex is where Baskin Robbins and Las Vacas is located), Ramen Taiko specializes mostly in ramen but offers a variety of other Japanese dishes as well.

I had the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen Set (RM19.80++) which came with free flow tea and 3 pcs of gyoza. Whilst no ramen will ever beat Santouka in my books, Ramen Taiko’s serving was pleasantly tasty, with a soup that was rich, milky and savoury from the pork bone broth. Definitely something I would recommend.

Favourite candy egg! Eggs in both noodles were nicely done.

Mum had the Tokyo Shoyu Ramen Set (RM16.90++) which was a soy-based soup. It’s less rich than the tonkotsu soup base and would be perfect for those who prefer their ramen on the lighter side.

Gyoza was done nicely, pan-fried to perfection and the filling was juicy on the inside. While it was delicious, it still couldn’t beat Matsuba’s gyoza which is one of the best I’ve ever tried.

All in all, Ramen Taiko is perfect for a ramen fix on working weekdays, or if I’m being too lazy to venture out of Mon’t Kiara. On my list of tastiest ramens, I think Ramen Taiko can take the 3rd or 4th spot. Do note, prices are a bit steep if you don’t order a set lunch, and set lunches change every month.

Address:
5-0-2B,
Mont Kiara Shoplex,
Jalan Kiara, KL  50480

Map *here*

Clarissane reviews: Free Mori Bakery & Cafe @ Publika, Solaris

There’s a new bakery in town! From breads, pastries and cakes… a carb-laden haven!


One of their specialty and best-seller, the Layered Bun.


Meant to be peeled layer by layer and eaten fresh. With its soft, fluffy texture… every bread lovers dream! Taste a bit plain on its own, spread some peanut butter or nutella and voila!


The Parmesan Chicken Ham Bun was delicious! Just a hint of cheese on the bun wrapping a thin layer of ham, this is the perfect morning pick-me-up and will keep you going till lunch.

This Chicken Floss bun was my favourite among the lot! Generous amount of chicken floss buried beneath the bun, layer by layer.. every bite was heavenly!

Being an avid bread lover.. I’m in heaven already!


Their Coffee Cake is definitely worth a mention. Past few visits render a repeat of this item on my list. Subtle hint of bitterness with the right combination of sweetness makes it not overly empowering. Goes very well with their famous La Petite Free Coffee! Absolutely satisfying!

Address:
G2 - 67, Publika, Solaris Dutamas,
Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Map *here*

Free Mori also has branches in SS2, Damansara Utama, SS15 and the most recent one in Taman Danau Desa.

ronnycakes reviews: G Stick, Publika Solaris Dutamas

Ben’s Independent Grocer at Solaris houses a small tiny stand near the cashiers, a dedicated ice-cream stall that sells home-made ice-cream that looks very interesting.

Hand-made ice-creams and sorbets are cropping up recently, with Candylicious joining in the bunch (haven’t tried that one yet) as well as the newest fru-t-pop at Hartamas which we will be reviewing shortly. One very attractive about hand-made ice-creams are that you can be sure that they are au naturel, not like those mass-produced ones that you get from supermarket ice boxes.

This was back in December nearing to Chinese New Year, so they had the Mandarin flavour. Not sure whether they still have it anymore.

 
We tried the Pistachio stick (RM8.90) which was hand-made pistachio gelato dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with pistachio nuts. Loved the natural taste of it and the fact that it was not overly sweet. The presentation of the ice-cream looks very interesting too don’t you think?

On our return trip, we had the Rocky Road (RM8.90) which was chocolate ice-cream with walnuts and marshmallows. The little marshmallows on the side were so cute I almost didn’t want to ruin the stick by biting into it! Loved the taste and once again that it was not overly sweet.

No-one mans the stall but what you do is you call someone over from Ben’s General Food Store to serve you and you pay at their counter as well.

With an extensive range of flavours, our initial goal was to try all the flavours that they had but since our last trip to Publika we haven’t been visiting it much. I think it’s time for a revisit to see what new flavours they may have to offer!
If you’ve got a sweet tooth and you’re looking for quality ice-cream, G Stick is definitely worth a try.

Address:
Ben's Independent Grocer (B.I.G),
Lot No. 1A, 83-95, Level UG1,
Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Map *here*

ronnycakes reviews: The Red Beanbag, Publika, Solaris Dutamas

Publika is the current it-place, and houses many stylish cafes in it’s various nooks and crannies. The Red Beanbag is one of these stylish cafes hidden upstairs on the farthest lot on the same row as Nathalie’s Gourmet (who I hear has great macarons but I’ve yet to try), and we would never have discovered this Australian-inspired eatery if we hadn’t noticed it in one of Wil’s friend’s Instagram feed (Instagram is great for us to discover new food :D).

The interior is bright and spacious (another one of those loft styles) with wooden tables and chairs and plenty of decorative art. Note the canvas sacks on the wall with words like play, create, truth, dream, love.
Quite a few good looking workers there as well… waiters and chefs. ;)

I was charmed by the menus, printed on recycled paper and pasted on cardboard.

 

 
A “Smooshie” blend of Green Apple, Lemongrass and Rambutan. Uniquely refreshing.

 
Good things have been said about The Red Beanbag’s Signature Breakfast (RM19.90) which is the only full works breakfast priced at that rate we’ve seen recently. Poached, fried or scrambled eggs on toast, sautéed mushrooms (thumbs up for using something other than button mushrooms), grilled tomatoes, beef/chicken sausage, beef bacon, baked beans and hash browns. Refreshingly simple!

I had the Don Scallopino (RM24.90), a super unique combination of seaweed risotto, with seared scallops and seafood. Ingredients were abundant, with two scallops, two prawns and a handful of clams. Taste-wise my only gripe would be that it was a tad bland but it wasn’t overly creamy like some risottos are, so it was easier on the palate. What’s good is that the price isn’t overboard as well; at some other place I’m sure it would cost north of RM32.

The Red Beanbag certainly did not disappoint, with good food and good prices, and friendly staff too!

They even posed for our photo haha.

 

A great place for hanging out with your friends, great ambience and I hear quite good coffee too (even though I’m not a coffee person myself). Definitely worth going again for the breakfast menu or to try the other things on the menu (pasta next!).

Address:
A4-1-08, Solaris Dutamas,
50480 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

Map *here*

ronnycakes reviews: Korean BBQ at Little Korea, Solaris Mon’t Kiara

I’ve been thinking and thinking of Korean BBQ recently and especially the one at Little Korea which was one of the best BBQs I’ve had. It’s been sitting backlogged in my list of posts (had it on New Year’s Eve) so forgive me if there’s a discrepancy with names and pricing.

Korean BBQ is best shared to be able to try more things, how much can two fellas eat (plus the fact that Korean places give so much banchan)?

 
Sam Gyoub Sal (RM29) or pork belly slices, is great for barbeque, the natural pork fat that comes oozing out when you grill the meats makes it better than any ordinary stir-fry.

You can barbeque it yourself, or ask one of the waiters to do it for you. We requested the waiters to do it for us because we were too chicken faced with a spitting and sizzling pan *shy*.

The meat was great eaten on its own with the spicy bean paste sauce Little Korea provided for dipping, or wrapped up in fresh lettuce with the provided condiments and sauces.

 
We also had a bean paste sauce O Jing Oh (RM38) or marinated squid, which was top notch. Very fresh pieces of well-marinated squid in the spicy savoury bean sauce. Went great with rice!

 
Finally we had a Kimchi Jeon (RM27) or kimchi pancake, to share, and found it pretty disappointing, the only downside of the night. The pancake was bland and soft and barely tasted of anything.

In conclusion, Little Korea’s BBQ is definitely one to try, can’t go wrong with the BBQ meats. Soups there are really good as well, so bring a large group with you to try a larger range of dishes! We hear the Kimchi Hot Pot is good too.

Btw, if you haven’t done so already, like our Facebook page!

Address:
Little Korea Korean Restaurant
5-3 7-3 9-3, Jalan Solaris One
Solaris Mon’t Kiara, KL

Map *here*

ronnycakes reviews: Ben’s, Publika Solaris Dutamas

Ben’s is one of those places we’ve been to millions of time, but by “been to” we mean sit down, take a look at the menu, have a few minutes of discussion, then get up and walk out again. For some strange reason every time we go to the Pavilion branch we never ever end up eating there, and it took BIG opening an outlet at Publika for us to finally take the plunge and try Ben’s. We weren’t disappointed at all!

 

In my opinion out of all three BIG restaurant chains currently out there, my favourite one has to be Ben’s, its got such a wide variety of food and best of all the desserts are super amazingly yummy… x)

Ahhh that is the question, and I definitely live to eat x). I love how Ben’s has a little table ornament with a small stack of “small talk” cards for you to make conversation. Perfect for first date fillers. :D

 
We first had this Hearty Chicken Soup (RM11.90) at Plan B and we loved it. Ben’s version is as good, or even better and because I’m not one for Parmesan and asked them to skip the Parmesan crisp that usually floats on the surface of the soup, it tasted even more soothing and tummy-warming. Hearty indeed!

I had the Chargrilled Seafood Spaghettini (RM22.90) with chili flakes and wilted spinach (never really understood what wilted spinach means), which was your run-of-the-mill aglio olio style spaghetti with generous and fresh grilled seafood thrown in.

The Golden Soft Shell Crab Spaghettini (RM21.90) gets top marks for originality – the creamy sauce was cooked with cili padi and curry leaves giving it a kamheong-esque feel. On the downside, it was a bit too rich and one felt a little satiated halfway through. Nonetheless, the soft shell crab was crispy and fried to perfection.

 
Just look at all those fat marshmallows sitting on top of this Rocky Road Cake (RM11.90). Layers of peanut cream and chocolate mousse with rocky road mix on a biscuit base is to die for! Every bite was a chocolate lover’s heaven.

Even Mickey couldn’t resist a bite. :P

On another visit, we got a little adventurous and tried the Mango Lychee Trifle (RM11.90) with jelly & custard cream. Seemed a bit unconventional at first but Wils absolutely loved it. The base was sponge cake with tangy jelly and generous portions of diced mangos and whole lychees. Yum!

Ben’s is a place I’d definitely visit more than a few times especially for the desserts. Already thinking of getting my slice of birthday cake from here… :D or maybe Le Deux Garcons hmmm?

P.S. You may have noticed a new addition to the side of our blog, we’ve got a Facebook page now! If you’ve been looking at our reviews and like what you see, or you’re a recurring loyal reader then please like our page on Facebook here for immediate updates! :)

Address:
Lot 37A & 37B, Level G2
Publika, Solaris Dutamas,
Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Map *here*