ronnycakes reviews: The Grind Burger Bar, Section 17, Petaling Jaya

We’ve had our fair share of burger hunting these past few weeks, and the latest thing to hit this blog is the newly opened The Grind Burger Bar in Section 17. If I’m not mistaken, it has only been open for about two to three weeks and I actually think this is the soonest we’ve ever visited a place since it’s opening.

On the same row as Kanna Curry House, it was a quiet Sunday as we turned up before 12pm (The Grind’s opening time) and took our seats in the still-empty restaurant. The Grind sounds a lot like The Daily Grind, and the decor looks a lot alike too but what makes The Grind preferable to us is that it serves pork (yay!!) and the prices are definitely a lot cheaper than at The Daily Grind. Less talk, more pictures!

  
Vintage pin-up girls holding burgers race the brick and white walls; sauces and condiments; the empty (but not for long) seats.
The Grind Burger Bar is cozy, comfortable and well-lit.

The Fiery Peppercorn Burger (RM16); pork patty with crusted peppercorns, natural cheddar, greens, onion silvers, fresh tomato and mayonnaise.

All-pork patty encrusted in pepper. I found the pork patty a little dry and a tad bit bland, but maybe that’s just me as Wils was happily chomping away.

Something different from your usual hot dog: The Big Black Dog (RM16); pork bratwurst served on a pitch black charcoal bun topped with chilli pork, natural cheddar, mozzarella and fresh onions, served with herbed fries and greens.

The pork bratwurst was juicy, and went very well with the chili pork. I loved this!

Extra flavour was contributed by the generous heaping of mozzarella and cheddar.

 
Special mention should go to the fries, because they were sprinkled with nori seaweed salt. Delicious!

For our meal, the bill came up to only RM37.40, that’s definitely value for money for taste and portion as burgers like these would probably set you back more than RM25 in other places.
We’ll definitely be heading here again to try the other things on the menu.

Address:
The Grind Burger Bar,
7, Jalan 17/45, Section 17, Petaling Jaya.
(Same row as Kanna Curry House, further down from the Police Station)
Noon-3pm, 5pm-10pm.

Map *here*

ronnycakes reviews: Basix Cafe, West Hollywood, Los Angeles

When I was doing my research for places to visit and eat before our LA trip, I came across Basix Cafe which was highly rated and calls itself a West Hollywood tradition that is a favourite with the locals. Located on a corner lot of 8333 Santa Monica Boulevard, Basix’s menu boasts a large selection of breakfast offerings, from power breakfasts to muffins and buttermilk pancakes. The lunch menu is extensive as well, with interesting sounding pizzas, sandwiches and pastas.

We arrived at the Cafe at around 12.30pm and already the inside was packed to the brim. Luckily for al fresco seating and for outdoor heaters as the chilly wind almost froze our socks off.

The Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup (US$6.50 per bowl) was a slow-simmered thick broth with ripe tomatoes, basil, rosemary croutons and a parmesan cheese crisp. Certainly tangy and refreshing.

The Chicken Tequila Pasta (US$12.50) was a hit; fettuccini with red & green peppers, red onion, cilantro and a jalapeno cream sauce. The cream wasn’t overpowering and you could really taste the tequila in the sauce.

 
For an additional US$2.50, you can add a mini Caesar salad to your meal.

Chicken & Sundried Tomato-Pesto Fettuccini (US$12.50), chicken breast & sauteed mushrooms with a tomato-pesto cream sauce.

The Turkey Club (US$11), applewood smoked bacon (yummers!), bibb lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo and house-roasted turkey on toasted sourdough. A little bit on the dry side but delicious nonetheless. Portions are seriously huge on this side of the globe.

Spaghetti and Meatballs (US$12.50), 100% certified angus beef meatballs with fresh herbs. Look at the generous heaping of cheese topping!

Basix Special Scramble (US$8.50), 3 eggs scrambled with Italian chicken sausage, mushrooms, caramelized onions & fresh spinach with toast and choice of griddled potatoes, sliced tomatoes or fresh fruit.

Perfect breakfast food with a twist; Crabcakes Benedict (US$10); two poached eggs on crabcakes with chipotle hollandaise sauce, served with griddled potatoes. Wils absolutely loved this one, being a huge fan of eggs benedict.

 
Came with a side of fresh fruits (raspberries!!).

Great food at reasonable prices, I can definitely see why Basix is described as a place with “well-made, uncomplicated Cal-Italian eats with a decent price”. Definitely a must-visit!

Address:
8333 Santa Monica Blvd,
West Hollywood
CA 90069, United States

Map *here*

ronnycakes reviews: Kompassion by My Elephant, Damansara Kim

My Elephant has branched out to include a new non-halal Thai cuisine outlet by the name of Kompassion; and because My Elephant’s Thai food has always been something we enjoyed, Kompassion naturally made its way into our must-try list.

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon at about 1pm and already the entire shop was almost full to the brim. Luckily there was a tiny table for 2 that was available.

One thing you’ll notice on the menu is that there are a lot of fusion concepts at play and the dishes such as Thai Curry Ramen and Linguine Pad Thai to name a few, are dishes that you definitely don’t see in usual Thai restaurants. Another major plus point about Kompassion is that they serve pork whilst most commercial Thai restaurants are restricted to just duck/chicken/fish/beef offerings.

For starters we had the Smoked Salmon, Pork Bacon & Kimchi Salad (RM18.90). Who would have thought salmon, bacon and kimchi could go so well together? Both of us loved this so much and practically had to fight each other off for the last bite. Absolutely delicious and definitely out of the ordinary!

For mains, I had the Tom Yum Fried Rice with Grilled Seafood (RM18.90). A generous helping of scallops, prawn, squid and a piece of grilled salmon was served up with my rice. I loved the fried, but found that it lacked a little oomph in terms of spiciness and sourness but I suppose that is just personal preference.

Kimchi was also served on the side for the rice and it lent a sour-ish and savoury taste to the rice.

Wils had the super hearty Linguine Phad Thai served with Prawn, Crab Stick and Squid (RM15.90). Fried linguine noodles tossed with peanuts, chili flakes and seafood. Very refreshing!

 

If we had come to Kompassion with a larger party we could have tried their sharing platters of pork or Tom Yam Soup (costing about RM50 per bowl :O) but since it was only the two of us we went for the lighter stuff.

The next time round, I’ll definitely be trying that curry ramen for myself, and not forgetting a repeat order of that Smoked Salmon, Bacon and Kimchi Salad!

Address:
KomPassion Thai Fusion Food (same row as Euro Deli),
5, Jalan SS20/11,
Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya.

Map *here*