La Juiceria Superfoods @ Verve Shops, Mont Kiara

Scrumptious Superfoods!

There are many definitions to the word ‘Superfood’ and they are basically referring to food considered to be beneficial for health and well-being. Healthy food often mislead people into thinking that these food are bland. Superfood usually consist of fresh ingredients, more vegetables, fruits and beans, accompanied by protein. These are usually also prepared with minimal cooking and heat to retain its nutritional value. If prepared well, superfoods won’t be bland.

A recent visit to La Juiceria Superfoods at Verve Shops in Mont Kiara has also reiterated what I mentioned. Known for their cold-pressed juices, La Juiceria Superfoods is their latest café from the group offering healthy superfood dishes at affordable price. There is also its sister café called Goodness Greens in TTDI that serves similar healthy dishes.

La Juiceria Superfoods is spacious and bright. We were there one fine day for lunch and the ambiance was cozy and eclectic. There’s the main air conditioned dining area as well as a large alfresco area. One orders at the bar at the end of the room and your food will be sent to your table.

The food menu offers all day breakfast, soups, soba, wraps & pastas to superbowls, supersnacks and signature salads. The drink menu is just as long as the food menu, offering cold-pressed juices, smoothies, smoothie bowls, coffee, tea and raw desserts.

Our smoothies of Acai Berry (RM10.99) and Cream & Cookies (RM10.99) were thick, luscious and deliciously satisfying.

At La Juiceria Superfoods, every order of coffee comes with Chlorophyll water for detox, including this Americano (RM9).

Lunch started with a decent Truffle Mushroom (RM10.90) soup. Chockful of earthy mushroom flavours, the soup was creamy and velvety. Laced with a wonderful aroma of truffle oil, we polished this off happily.

La Juiceria Superfoods has a tempting all-day breakfast section, so much so we had to order one to try. Truffle Omelette (RM18.99) looks absolutely drool worthy with the sunshine yellow of fluffy omelette stuffed with sautéed veggies and mushrooms. It also comes with a side salad. Such a happy looking and delicious platter and certainly a great one to start the day with…

Nasi Lemak Wrap (RM21.90), power packed with flavours and a healthier version of our favorite national dish. Tender grilled chicken, kampung boiled egg, quinoa, lettuce, cucumber, tomato all wrapped in flour tortilla and served with side of sambal and crispy anchovies with peanuts summed up the wrap. It’s yummy and easy to enjoy but the best part of this is that it doesn’t leave you with a heavy note after savoring it.

Soba, made from buckwheat, is a healthier noodle option than the regular noodles. La Juiceria offers a few dishes served with soba and one of them is a scrumptious Teriyaki Chicken Soba (RM18.90). A yummy combo of charcoal soba noodles topped with teriyaki chicken thigh, soft boiled kampung egg, crisp greens and shoyu sesame dressing proves that healthy food can be very tasty when done right. The soft boiled egg makes the noodles extra silky smooth.

We moved on Superbowls of salads and first one up, the Protein Power Bowl (RM18.90). Protein packed with brown rice, chickpeas, pumpkin, almond, mushroom, tofu and more, this one is served with a creamy and lightly nutty dhal curry sauce on the side. When mixed together, it’s surprisingly delicious. Love the light spices and heat of curry as it makes everything more appetizing too.

The Tofu Garden Salad (RM17.90) was decent too. Tofu itself is pretty bland but when paired up with turmeric roasted cauliflower, roasted sweet potato, steamed broccoli, red cabbage, fried tempeh and maple balsamic vinaigrette, this bowl of salad isn’t as bland as it sounds. I was particularly happy with the fried tempeh as it gives the salad a nice nutty flavour.

If you’re pickier like me, I highly recommend the Build-Your Own Gourmet Salad (starts from RM16.90 onwards).

I went for the Grand with 1 Base + 5 Mains + 2 Supplementary + 1 Dressing + 1 Protein (RM24.90 – Grand + RM9 - Salmon). Mine had Norwegian Salmon Fillet with mixed salad leaves, beetroot, grilled mushrooms, roasted pumpkin, sweet corn, almond flakes, smashed avocado and Green Goddess dressing. Generous large piece of salmon nicely grilled and the Green Goddess dressing is sublime!

There’s even dessert to end your meal. La Juiceria offers handcrafted raw desserts by The Honest Treat. Select from lots of various flavours from Banoffee, Raspberry Chocolate, Minty Chocolate, Orange Chocolate to Raspberry Dream, Berry Banana and Tropical Surprise. These are pretty decadent and tasted fudgey, fruity and chocolaty. You might as well order their cold-pressed juices to go with these for a sweet and guilt-free ending!

LA JUICERIA SUPERFOODS 

G-2, Level G, VERVE® Shops,

No. 8, Jalan Kiara 5,

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-6280 6381

Website: www.lajuiceria.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/La-Juiceria-Superfoods-Verve-Mont-Kiara

Business Hours:

Daily 8am to 10pm

Kuching Noodle House, Garden Shoppe @ One City: Homemade Sarawak Street Food

Home Cook Sarawak Noodles and Hakka Delights!

Two best friends put their talents in the heart of Kuching Noodle House with their recipes. Located at Garden Shoppe at One City, Kuching Noodle House serves up Sarawak street food and Hakka dishes fit for daily enjoyment. Opened from less than half a year, looks like words has gotten out as the café was packed for lunch when I visited during the weekend with my family.

My niece and my family visited one Sunday lunch since she lives very near this café. Although it was after 1pm, the café was packed and people kept walking in. The crowd can only mean one thing, good food with value for money. We check out its simple but sufficient menu which consists of Sarawak street food noodles, some rice meals and some side snacks. After our orders were taken, I was pretty happy to notice that there were plenty of staff and so service was very efficient.

The café is really pretty and comfortable at sight. Lots of space, and the mix of wood, white washed walls and ceilings and cement is further enhanced by its creative lights hide in rows of bubus. Bubu is an Asian traditional fish trap basket that is shaped like a long barrel and is made from bamboo and rattan. The kitchen is partially open and so diners can get some kitchen action if you are seated at the back area of the dining room. The ambience is bright and clean and I was particularly fond of the old school rattan and bamboo stools.

We took on the recommendation of the staff for our food and drinks since it was our first visit. Kuching Noodle House imports their coffee and other ingredients from Sarawak frequently. So we opted to try their Ice Sarawak Coffee White, Home Recipe Pineapple Drink and Cucumber Lime Juice. The Sarawak Coffee White is decent and sufficient for non-coffee drinkers like me. Maybe I should enjoyed it hot because it certainly tasted better with my partner’s hot Sarawak Coffee Black as it has more aroma and body to the coffee. For me, I really enjoyed the boiled Home Recipe Pineapple Drink and Cucumber Lime Juice simply for its freshness and fruity flavors.

We ordered some side snacks simply because we were starving. The two-piece Cai Kueh came with a side chili sauce. It’s delicious and even more so because that little side of chili sauce is super appetizing. The Cai Kueh has soft rice flour skin encasing cooked sweet jicama and carrot. It is very simple fare but that chili sauce rocks for sure because we asked for more…

Nyonya Lobak came next and this one fare decent as well. It came with the same yummy chili sauce and some pickled radish and cucumber. The lobak was more sweet than savory due to the vegetables in the roll. It was soft and not as firm as my mother’s recipe. The lobak still fared pleasant as its flavors matches well with the awesome chili sauce.

Hakka Stuffed Bittergourd fared better than the lobak as the stuffed bittergourd had all the authentic flavors in it. Two pieces of beautifully stuffed bittergourd is cooked till soft and remains juicy and savory. As my mother-in-law is Hakka, this dish is pretty close to her recipe when she makes it. Hakka clan uses more minced pork in their stuffed Yong Tau Foo rather that others who uses more fish paste for a bouncy textures. This one also had more minced meat hence it had a softer and sweeter texture and flavor to the dish.

I barely tasted Kuching Noodle House’s signature of Kolo Mee Char Siew. My little one loved it so much, he polished it off happily and in fact asked for more. With my one bite, the noodles are really delectable as it had a lovely bouncy texture and the minced meat and char siew was pretty flavorful. The fried shallots added an oniony aroma and some crispy lettuce accompanied the noodles. There are other variations with prawns and smoked duck if char siew if not your thing. There are two sizes for the noodles and these are priced between RM6.90 to RM8.90 depending on the variation and sizes.

I was told that Kuching Noodle House makes their noodles from scratch every day. When I had walked to the back of the café, I did spy a little enclosed room with some noodle machines. This is another good sign as it can only mean no preservatives in the noodles. I almost wanted to order this again but we decided to try other dishes.

The reason that had me walking into Kuching Noodle House was Sarawak Laksa. I have developed a crush on the unique Sarawak Laksa broth from my other food escapades and was craving for a bowl of piping hot and spicy Sarawak Laksa. The café’s Sarawak Laksa was pretty decent and satisfying. The laksa broth had sufficient spices, lending a full bodied taste of spices in a thin broth. The only difference here is that this is a healthier version as milk was used instead of coconut milk. For a healthier version, its definitely very enjoyable without the guilt. The laksa comes with chicken, prawns, egg omelette and coriander. Add the dried chili paste with a squeeze of lime on the side to add more oomph!

My other niece and other half enjoyed the Ginger Wine Chicken with Mee Suah. A traditional Hakka dish, this one uses the yellow ginger wine as its base for the broth. It’s a warming dish as the yellow ginger wine is not overwhelming here but sufficient enough to make its presence. The overall flavors are earthy, a little tang with lots of ginger essence. The soft mee sua noodle has chunks of chicken and shredded wood ear fungus with wolfberries. I think it’s perfect when you want some comfort food.

The Steamed 10 Grain Rice with Minced Meat and Salted Fish is very value for money. For RM9.90, one gets a big bowl of nutritious steamed 10 grain rice topped with blanched greens and fried shallots, a side of clear consommé and a scrumptious patty of steamed minced pork with salted fish. It’s a complete dish where you get your carb, veggie and protein. The steamed minced pork with salted fish is absolutely yummy, so much so we all ended up fighting for this dish. My little one also had some of this and love it’s too!

Kuching Noodle House appeals to those who misses home cook food and wishes for comfort dishes like these. Prices are very decent and those seeking value for money meals at any time of the day will find this café suitable. The owners were present that day and were very friendly and approachable. Both happen to be named Helen and they were seen scurrying around to assist their staff in ensuring diners is well taken care off. We talked to them a bit and found them to be very passionate about their recipes by making sure that everything is homemade as much as possible and as fresh as possible. If you looking for Sarawak Laksa and Kolo Mee, do head over and give Kuching Noodle House a try!

KUCHING NOODLE HOUSE

B-08-GF, Ground Floor, Garden Shoppe @ One City,
Jalan USJ 25/1A, Klang Valley

47650 Selangor

Tel: 019 378 6933

GPS: 3.0438738, 101.5817349

F&N Seasons NutriSoy Breakfast Love Campaign: Start Your Day with Soy Goodness!

Eat Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Pauper!

quoted by Adelle Davis

  

We all have heard the saying many times and yet how many of us actually eat breakfast today? Nutritional experts believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies have shown that those who do not eat breakfast are likely to have issues with health and weight gain. It is also important for those who do eat breakfast to make sure it is a healthy one!

 

A recent invite by F&N Seasons NutriSoy in conjunction with their Breakfast Love Campaign had me spending a lovely Sunday at The Cooking House for a cooking demo on how to make healthy and nutritious breakfast with F&N Seasons NutriSoy soy milk. Being a mom is no easy task as we all thrive to juggle our family and work. Sometimes I admit to paying less attention to what I serve my little one due to all the activities in my life. So I was really excited about this cooking demo initiated by F&N Seasons NutriSoy to learn how I can make a healthy and nutritious breakfast for my family through their Breakfast Love campaign. The campaign’s main focus is to have Malaysian mums like me show our love for our family by pairing a wholesome and healthy breakfast with F&N Seasons NutriSoy beverage.

We arrived early and had our healthy breakfast with F&N Seasons NutriSoy. As soon as everyone settled in, the event took off with a light speech by Selena Tan, F&N Seasons NutriSoy Brand Manager. She proceeded to give us all an insight about the benefits of F&N Seasons NutriSoy soy milk before our cooking demo started.

 

 

Made from soy beans, soy milk is a great source of protein and is made easily available nowadays. F&N Seasons NutriSoy makes an excellent and delicious soy milk perfect for daily consumption and is also readily available in the market. Packed hygienically, F&N Seasons NutriSoy provides a great source of protein without any added preservatives, flavouring and coloring. It is perfect for those who are lactose intolerant and is also low fat compared to other dairy beverages. In fact, the soy protein helps to reduce cholesterol. I am also pleased that F&N Seasons NutriSoy has two versions of soya bean milk – original and less sugar. If taking soy milk has lots of benefits for us, I would happily do so since soy milk is really a delicious beverage to enjoy. Even my little one enjoys this beverage quite often in my home and outside.

After our little educational speech, our cooking demo took off, led by Chef Kenneth Kam. What I love immediately about this cooking event was that we all got our hands dirty and took on the actual preparation of four breakfast dishes. There were quite a few of us bloggers that day and I got to meet up with some familiar faces and some new ones. Right away, we all got comfortable with each other, rolled up our sleeves and set to work with the guidance from Chef Kenneth.

We were divided up into groups as there were four breakfast recipes with some incorporating F&N Seasons NutriSoy soy milk into them. My group whipped up Homemade F&N Seasons NutriSoy Pancake with Banana and Toasted Almonds. Now before you say that you do not have time, rest assured that all four recipes are really fairly simple and easy to whip up.

We measured all the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately. Combined them together till it reaches a smooth consistency and leave it to rest for a few hours preferably. Chef Kenneth also mentioned that the pancake batter can be prepared the night before to save time. Just leave it to rest in the fridge and it can be cooked on a hot pan right away the next morning.

After the batter has rested, at least for 30 minutes, we proceed to ladle the batter into ring molds on a heat pan. Our pan cake fluffed up upon contact with the heat. Once cooked to a golden hue, serve our delicious pancakes with fresh cut bananas, toasted almonds, honey or maple syrup and chocolate chips. The recipe is really healthy as it uses F&N Seasons NutriSoy soy milk and grapeseed oil.

Homemade F&N Seasons NutriSoy Pancake with bananas, toasted almonds

2 cups          Flour

2 tbsp          Sugar

2 tsp            Baking powder

2 tsp            Salt

1 cup           Grape seed oil

2 cups          F&N Seasons NutriSoy

2 tsp            Vanilla essence

3                 Bananas, sliced

½ cup          Almond flakes or almond slivers, toasted

                   Maple syrup to serve

Method

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2. In another bowl, whisk together grape seed oil, F&N Seasons NutriSoy and vanilla essence until mixture is relatively smooth.

3. Heat an ungreased, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.

4.  Pour ⅓ cup of batter into the center of the pan. Cook until the edges start to look dry and visible air bubbles have just started to form near the center of the pancake.

5. Flip and cook the other side until golden.

6. Remove from frying pan and place on a serving plate.

7. Repeat until remaining batter is used up.

8. Serve hot, with sliced bananas, toasted almonds and maple syrup and F&N Seasons NutriSoy soy milk.

The next group took on Homemade Banana and Walnut Muffins with Dark Chocolate. The recipe sounded really good and yummy. This recipe does not include soy milk in it but it is definitely yummy when served with a glass of F&N Seasons NutriSoy soy milk.

 

 

The ladies had loads of fun taking turns to prepare the muffins. Everyone worked as a team and we all even had time to pose for photos. Steps were delegated and everyone had a task to perform, whether it was to measure the ingredients, cream the batter or mashed the banana. Again, we were told that this batter can be made the night before and all that is left was to bake the muffins the next morning for 25 minutes.

Everyone came prepared with their cameras and phones to record all the step-by-step process… me included!

  

Homemade Banana and Walnut Muffins with dark chocolate

250g                    Plain Flour

1 + 1/4 tsp           Baking Powder

1/4 tsp                 Baking Soda

1/4 tsp                 Cinnamon Powder

50g                      Sugar

50g                      Brown Sugar

110g                    Egg (2 eggs)

200g                    Melted Butter

460g                    Ripe bananas (Pisang Berangan), mashed well

Handful                Walnuts, roughly chopped

200g                    Dark chocolate, melted

Method 

1.   Preheat oven to 180C.

2.   In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3.   In a medium-sized bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter and cinnamon

powder.

4.   Lightly fold wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients until just

combined and batter is think and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter.

You do not want to make the batter smooth. Over mixing will result in tough and rubbery

muffins).

5.   Spoon the batter into muffin moulds and sprinkle some chopped walnuts over.

6.   Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top.

7.   Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until cooked.

 

I am not a fan of banana but when these muffins came out from the oven, even I couldn’t resist taking one. The muffins are gorgeously fluffy and aromatic with a lovely sweetness from the ripe bananas. The bananas paired so well with the soy milk flavours. I am so going to make this recipe for my family!

Our third recipe was a Mushroom Omelette with Oven Roasted Tomatoes. Chef Kenneth gave us lots of tips on how to make a great omelette and cook it like professionals. Our omelette was jazzed up with fresh herbs for more aromas. The sky’s the limit when it comes to making omelettes and we were told to get creative in our homes and use any ingredients we love in our omelettes. Again here, I do notice how well creamy eggs paired beautifully with sweet nutty soy milk. The mushrooms also lent an earthy note to the rich eggs while the roasted tomatoes are just fresh and juicy.

Mushroom Omelette with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

150g           Mushrooms, wiped and chopped

1 tbsp         Oil

2 tbsp         Butter

Pinch           Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Pinch           Dried parsley

2 tbsp         Butter

4                Eggs, lightly beaten

Pinch           Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4                Tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp         Olive oil

Pinch           Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C.

2. Place the tomatoes on a baking tray, lightly drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven to roast.

3. In a frying pan heat the oil and butter until the butter is foaming.  Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with a touch of dried parsley, salt and pepper, sauté for approximately 4-5 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. In another pan, heat butter. When the butter is hot, swirl it in the pan, add the eggs, allow to cook for about 2 minutes. 

5. Place the mushrooms in the middle of the omelette.

6. Allow to cook for a few minutes.  Roll the edges over the mushrooms; gently turn the omelette over so the seam is face down in the pan.  Allow to cook for a further 2 minutes or so.

7. Gently ease the omelette onto a plate.  Remove the tomatoes from the oven, scatter over the top of the omelette along with any leftover mushrooms and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

By now, we all were having a blast! Everyone took turns to pose for photos, ask questions and help out with everything. The morning flew by and we all got to savor our fruits of labor as soon as each recipe was completed.

Our last recipe was a Wholemeal Breakfast Wrap with Mixed Greens and Grilled Chicken. Though we got a recipe for marinating the chicken, we went beyond it and added fresh herbs and lemon zest.

As soon as the chicken hit the grill, everyone and I mean everyone was saying how good the chicken looks and how awesome the aroma was in that room. As soon as the chicken was cooked and cooled, Chef Kenneth assembled the wrap with the dressing. Again here, there are no rules and we were all encouraged to add in whatever takes our fancy.

The wrap is perfect as packed lunches as it won’t go soggy and taste fresh and flavorful. Using whole meal tortillas also helped to make this healthy and nutritious.

Wholemeal Breakfast Wrap with Mixed Greens and Grilled Chicken

2 pcs           Chicken breast

Pinch           Salt

Pinch           Pepper

½ tsp          Lea & Perrins sauce

½ pkt          Mixed leaves salad

4 pcs           Wholemeal tortilla

Honey Mustard Dressing

2 tbsp         Honey

1 tbsp         Dijon mustard

1 tbsp         Lemon juice

1 cup          Mayonnaise

2 tbsp         Cooking Oil

Pinch           Salt

Pinch           Black pepper

 

 

Method

1.   Marinate chicken breast with salt, pepper and Lea & Perrins sauce.

2.   Place chicken on a grill pan and grill until both sides are just cooked through, around 6 – 8 minutes on each side. Let rest and cut into strips.

3.   For the salad dressing, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until emulsify.

4.   Lay a piece of tortilla on a clean plate, spread 1 tablespoon of the salad dressing on the lower third of the tortilla. Lay ¼ of the chicken breast slices over, followed by some mixed leaves salad. Drizzle some more honey mustard dressing over and roll up. Continue with the remaining tortillas. Serve immediately.

At the end of the demo, the F&N Seasons NutriSoy team showed us the easier and simplest way to a healthy and nutritious breakfast made for those who have time constraint. Simply pour F&N Seasons NutriSoy soy milk over our favorite cereals and breakfast is served!

 

Group photo session to show our love for F&N Seasons NutriSoy Breakfast Love Campaign

It was truly a very memorable and enjoyable event. Besides learning about the benefits of a healthy and nutritious breakfast with soy milk, we also got to learn several recipes and meet new friends. I also learned that F&N Seasons NutriSoy is so versatile that I can enjoy the soy milk beverage as it is or incorporate it in recipes. Thank you to F&N Seasons NutriSoy for initiating the Breakfast Love Campaign and for organizing this event. It is important that we are always reminded on leading a healthy life with our families and keeping our tummies filled with nutritious food.

Stay tune for my own healthy breakfast recipe with F&N Seasons NutriSoy!

For more information about F&N Seasons NutriSoy and more tips on breakfast recipes with F&N Seasons NutriSoy, check out their Facebook at www.facebook.com/NutriSoy.MY