Hoopla Lounge @ Desa Sri Hartamas

Wine & Dine on Porky Goodness!

Wine lovers will be pleased to know that there is a newbie in town for affordable wine and dine. Hoopla Lounge, located in the popular hangout area of Desa Sri Hartamas, is the sister restaurant of ChapterOne Bar + Bistro.

I can think of plenty of reasons why Hoopla is going to be a popular hotspot to come. Located in a strategic location, Hoopla offers all its diners free valet parking. Yes, just hand your keys to the valet and head on upstairs to the lounge. Parking in that area can be a tough feat but with free valet offered by Hoopla, hanging out at the lounge is now made easier.

The moment one walks into Hoopla, you know that you’re in for a good time. The décor is dim and yet posh. Dark décor are brought to life with bold and colorful art pieces on the wall. A beautiful bar, a wine cellar, high back lounge chairs and low tables, spaciousness that offers privacy, these are definite reasons to visit Hoopla too.

Hoopla prides on offering a solid list of wines and currently have over 100 wines on their list. More wines are already in plan to be added to the current list, added owner Ernest C. An ardent wine lover himself, he believes that wines should be affordable so everyone can enjoy them. That evening, we enjoyed St Martin Reserve Merlot and Chardonnay from France. Though I am normally a white lover, I really enjoyed the red Merlot. The medium-bodied red has a refreshing acidity with smooth tannins.

One cannot certainly survive on wine alone! Here’s another delicious reason and a porky one indeed. Hoopla shares the menu with ChapterOne and there’s plenty of tempting dishes from local favorites to international dishes to keep everyone pretty happy indeed.

There’s plenty of snacks to go with wine or beer and one must-have bar snack is Hoopla’s Chicken Wings (RM22). Glorious crispy wings and drumettes well-marinated in Asian inspired flavors are so good, we happily dig in with our fingers. Served alongside house made chili sauce, the chicken wings are deliciously addictive as the moreish and salty flavor hit all the right spot together with the spicy kick-ass chili sauce.

Another house specialty is a simple one but goes great with wines. Lady Fingers (RM6) are lightly parboiled and dressed in Mentsuyu, garlic oil and sesame oil. Clean and delicate flavors coupled with the unique lady fingers texture makes a light appetizer to go with wines.

The next few dishes comes from the Connor’s special menu. First up, a Cracklin’ Chicken Karaage (RM38). Homing in on classic Japanese crispy fried chicken, this version has chicken marinated in Connor’s stout, fried crispy and drizzled with a creamy sweet and spicy sauce. Another great and delicious bar food and this dish comes with a glass of Connor’s stout.

Mains are next and from the same Connor’s menu, the Conner’s BBQ Chicken Thigh (RM40) was a crowd pleaser. A whole chicken Maryland roasted and basted with an unctuous sweet and sticky Connor’s infused BBQ sauce has such comforting flavors that one can savor often. It has such a down-to-earth flavor that makes the chook a treat to enjoy. Served with roasted potato wedges and another spicy and tangy chili sauce, we hope this dish stays on the regular menu. This dish also comes with a glass of Connor’s stout.

Porky goodness is up next and the Connor’s Rib Slab (RM85) wowed our crowd. The pork ribs are given a 48-hours marinade of Connor’s stout porter. Then it’s slow roasted till tender with on-going basting to create a sublime sticky and sweet BBQ glaze. The glaze caramelized and gave the ribs a luscious sheen of deliciousness with crisp edges. The ribs are so tender and moist. We enjoyed how the ribs still has a good bite too. Guess what? The porky ribs comes with 2 glasses of Connor’s stout porter in case one thinks that it’s not Connor’s enough!

The evening got even better when the Crispy Pork Knuckle (RM77) was placed in front of us. This mega platter of a gargantuan pork knuckle served with sausages, potato, crunchy veggies and three sauces had everyone flashing their cameras in paying homage to the hog simply because it looked amazing.

Full blast crispy, crunchy, salty and porky goodness, the pork knuckle had everyone going back for seconds. What makes this pork knuckle even more memorable was the sauces. There was a tangy brown sauce, a super spicy and sour sauce with herbs and a regular brown gravy. The pork knuckle richness was well-balanced up with all the sauces, especially the spicy one and makes it easy on the palate with that adrenalin and addictive heat from the sauce. Love the robust flavor of the sausages and the crunchy sticks of veggies does make the dish less sinful. Great platter for sharing and went so well with our red St Martin Reserve…

Despite all the meaty goodness, there was this amazing Pan Fried Seabass (RM31) too. The seabass was cooked so well, crispy skin with firm and moist flesh. The skin had lots of flavors from spices and the lightly pickled onion salad really gave a zesty zing to the fish. A squeeze of lemon added more flavors too. Served with creamy potato salad, I really adored the fish and would certainly order this again.

Hoopla also has a list of local favorites such as Char Kway Teow, Tomyam Meehoon, Hokkien Mee, Mee Goreng and more. We opted for their Hokkien Mee (RM19), a plate of lardy infused braised dark fat noodles fried with cabbage and pork. The noodles are decent and has a good oomph of that rich and aromatic flavors associated with Hokkien noodles. I heard from another diner that the Mee Goreng was even better. Looks like I need to head back there for the Mee Goreng.

The evening was certainly fun and fill with lots of laughter and food. And since everyone was in full merriment, we ended up also enjoying the only dessert available on the menu, Chocolate Brownies (RM15). Now the portion seen here is actually 3 portions as there were quite a few of us sharing it. A decadent dark and rich way to end the evening.

And there you have it, all the reasons to head on over to Hoopla! Affordable wines, scrumptious menu filled with porky goodness, beautiful lounge made for hanging out and free valet parking, it’s a lethal and irresistible venue to relax and unwind at the end of the day. Olé for Hoopla!

HOOPLA LOUNGE

First Floor, 72-1 Jalan 27/70A,

Desa Sri Hartamas,

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 036-2116484

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hooplalounge

Bobo Kuala Lumpur @ Jalan Bangkung

An Extraordinary Night of Good Food & Wine, Art and Music

Hitting all the perfect notes of a fabulous evening filled with scrumptious food and wine, a passionate art collection and a gorgeous piano lounge sums up Bobo Kuala Lumpur. It’s about time too because there’s hardly any place like Bobo KL in our nation that exudes a classy ambiance coupled with a multi-sensory experience of food, art and entertainment under one roof. Owner Ed Soo and other partners, who have been successfully running their restaurants on Jalan Bangkung for years, are bringing in more joie de vivre with their latest venture of Bobo KL.

Bobo radiates a jazz bar scene popular in New York from early eras except its brought up to date with modern contemporary flair. Its concept combines the owners’ love for food, wine, art and music. Bobo occupies two levels on the famous row of shop houses in Jalan Bangkung. Enter the restaurant by its discreet side entrance next to Lucky Bo Restaurant, coincidentally also owned by the same owners.

The first level of Bobo houses the main dining space designed with modern elegance and filled with Ed’s personal art collection. The dining space is cleverly segregated into a main dining area, a casual lounge and a private section for functions. The restaurant serves modern European cuisine injected with creative twists as well as classics. Bobo also has a solid list of wines to go with its menu and is expected to grow with time.

After all that is said, why Bobo we asked Ed. Bobo, as it turns out, is Ed’s favorite huggable pet!

The name Bobo is a tickler but once you have experienced the place, you’ll find that the name does somehow lingers in your mind, reminding you of a wonderful and mesmerizing element that Bobo did with its owner.

Our group of nine shared platters of Starters and Secondos that evening coupled with house whites and reds. Kicking of the lot was golden batons of Polenta Fries (RM24) served with lemon truffle aioli. Sheer simplicity executed with precise crispiness of cornmeal fries filled with creamy deliciousness that had us craving for more.

The Foie Gras Pate (RM45) with cranberry sauce and onion marmalade was one of the best pate I have had. Silky smooth, creamy and decadent with a layer of clarified butter. The unctuous salty notes of the parfait of chicken liver is balanced by touches of tangy cranberry sauce and sweet jammy onion marmalade, all to be savored with toasted baguette. Superb!

For sharing, the Charcuterie & Cheese Board (RM39), a platter of chorizo de pavo, salchicon de pavo, cecina de vacuno, manchego, mahon and rock melon, is indeed a pretty antipasti that whets the appetite for more.

An oceanic harvest of plump, briny and sweet Fresh Irish Oysters (RM38) with extra virgin olive oil and tiny pearls of black caviar hit all the right notes of flavours and textures. Simply add a squeeze of lemon and slurp the whole aphrodisiac down for a taste of heaven…

I have always enjoyed a good arancini. Bobo’s Arancini (RM28) has all the check marks of a yummy Italian rice ball with its crispy shell, creamy and gooey saffron risotto rice with buffalo mozzarella cheese and tangy tomato sauce.

Crudo simply means raw in Italian. The Salmon Crudo (RM34) was executed to near perfection. Sublime salmon slices lightly smothered in olive oil and paired with briny salmon roes, horseradish cream and lemon curd with dill and micro herbs evoked sensations of sultry and luscious flavours. The tingling hit of horseradish elevated the salty ikura together with subtle hints of lemon.

Bobo’s Caesar Salad (RM28) was not what we all expected. Nevertheless, the dish is beautifully scrumptious in every bite. Parmesan mousse on crouton topped with shredded romaine, a wafer of baked parmesan cheese and shavings of parmesan cheese, a pungent strip of brined anchovy, creamy and tangy sauces and a sprinkle of crushed peppers summed up the dish. The whole element just worked in harmonious flavours of a Caesar salad. The wobbly mousse was perfectly set and luscious in flavours. This dish is simply marvelous in every possible way from flavours to textures and creativity.

A classic rendition of an Italian favorite was showcased through Spaghetti ala Bobo (RM42). Slurp on garlicky and spicy aglio olio pumped up with medley of prawns, scallops and squid rings. Extra points for the toasty and aromatic crumbs on the pasta.

Upon seeing the Crisp Paupiette of Barramundi (RM75), I wished I had ordered the dish. A long fillet of barramundi wrapped with thin slices of crisp baked potatoes is served with a bed of braised leeks and a red wine sauce. I managed to taste this and loved the barramundi with the crispy potato blanket. The braised leeks is creamy and sweet with a deep aroma while the red wine sauce was pretty unique.

The Moules Mariniere (RM58) came piled high on a casserole with a side of toasted baguette. Fresh Australian mussels are cooked in white wine with lots of celery, carrot, leeks and onions. The plump mussels was sweet but the sauce was less impressive as it was not seasoned enough. A adjustment of seasoning would have solve this minor thing. It’s still cooked well and our friend who ordered the dish seemed to have no issue polishing it off happily.

I had the Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb (RM75) served with grilled asparagus and dauphinoise potatoes. Succulent pink flesh lamb racks are beautifully crusted with herb crumbs, giving the lamb a crusty texture and delicious herb notes. Savor the lamb with a rich demi-glazed sauce served on the side. The potatoes and asparagus went really well with the lamb too.

After dinner, we went up through a discreetly hidden stairway leading to the second floor of Bobo. Entering the room to the lounge, a bar set with tiles and grey hues of marble top as well as walls is sure to catch one’s attention. More art piece is set as a backdrop to jazz up the bar. One can enjoy their drinks here prior to the show at the piano lounge.

The music room was designed with minimal décor and yet, it commanded an air of elegance. Working with Sean Ghazi, our very own talented artist who has been making a name for himself in America, Ed and the team has also engaged a professional to design and set up the room to achieve exceptional effects for the lighting as well as the acoustic. The venue is really intimate and perfect for a night out of good food, wine and music.

Catch David Gomes on all regular evenings (apart from Mondays and specific dates) from 9.30pm onwards at Bobo Piano lounge. David Gomes is a talented jazz pianist and an amazing singer extraordinaire. We caught him in action that evening and was simply mesmerized with his performances. I wanted the night to last forever, deeply spellbound by interpretation of many classics of jazz as well as other songs.

There are also other artists making special performances such as Sean Ghazi, Stephanie Reese, Tria Aziz, Shanthini Venugopal, Ida Mariana and more to come. It’s a great opportunity to catch our very own local talents set in such an amazing ambiance.

For diners who dine at Bobo that evening, they are entitled to enjoy David Gomes performances at no cover charge or special guest artistes’ performance at 50% off. There will be a cover charge for non-dining guests. Make sure to follow BoboKL Facebook here for the latest line-up.

BOBO KUALA LUMPUR

57-77, Jalan Bangkung,

Taman Bandaraya,

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 60 3-2092 5002

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BoboKualaLumpur

Business Hours:

Tue to Sun – 5pm to 12 midnight

Closed on Mondays

The Roof, First Avenue: Hard Hat Tour of Asia’s First and Only Helipad Lounge, The Roof!

The Roof Opens for Boarding!

The latest buzz in town has everyone asking about The Roof at First Avenue in Bandar Utama. If you are not already on the exclusive guest list of the launch of the largest premium integrated dining and entertainment hub with a helipad lounge of 2013 in Malaysia, you need to be!

Set to offer many with the ultimate experience in dining and entertainment, The Roof comprises of an integrated concepts that features 5 outlets – Stratosphere, Signature, Malt & Leaf, Score and Play. Every one of the outlets is truly unique and we got to take a ‘Hard Hat Tour’ recently. Flooded by members of the media, bloggers, celebrities and distinguished guests, everyone congregated at Score for the event to be launched.

A quick summary about The Roof, it was designed under the proficient stewardship of the country’s premier drivers in entertainment, The Group (F&B) Sdn. Bhd. (The Group), in partnership with property developer First Nationwide Group under the umbrella of See Hoy Chan Holdings. The event took off with a welcoming speech by Director of The Group, Dax Lee.

“We are always looking for avenues to reinvent the dining and entertainment experience for the young at heart – both international and local clientele. We want customers to have upscale service, excellent food and creative presentations. We built The Roof to become the epitome of Kuala Lumpur’s premium dining and entertainment scene that offers the ultimate lifestyle experience.” said, Director of The Group, Dax Lee.

With our hard hats on, various groups took turn to check out the 5 concepts of The Roof. Each one hosted by notable personalities to give insights of the concepts. Though some are still work in progress, there is an element of excitement to see the final concepts when it opens this November.

SCORE

Its all about sports! Presented by Peter Davis, Score features an exciting sports bar set to let sports fans and wannabes cheer on as they hang out for some casual unpretentious fun. Major sporting events and live telecasts broadcasted on the huge screen set behind its neon lite bar will definitely score points with many. Other highlights include pool competitions and dart tournaments. With a capacity of 150pax, Score is set to let your adrenaline roll as you cheers on your games with plenty of beer and finger food.

So bring on your camaraderie spirits and let the games begin!

MALT & LEAF

A hang out for cigar and single malt aficionados, Malt & Leaf’s extensive list of international malts and tobacco coupled with its amazing view of the city is guaranteed to please. Hosting us for Malt & Leaf is Carl Graham, who explained that this bar is set to be equipped with a walk-in glass cigar cabinet filled with well curated selections of the finest cigars and a menu of exquisite single malts. Malt & Leaf’s bird eye view is perfect for the evening’s sunsets and night lights!

PLAY

Miss Malaysia 2010, Nadine Ann Thomas played host to the designer supper club, Play. Doubles as a premium dance club with local and international DJs, it’s the largest dance club in Petaling Jaya. Looking for a place to dance your troubles away, Play is perfect for you. Set with state-of-the-art staging, audio and visuals plus a patio view of the city, it would be hard not to play here!

Psst.. Lil John and DJ Tenasha are already set to rock this place in November…

SIGNATURE

Gourmands will be pleased at Signature by The Hill, a gastro-lounge serving award-winning signature cocktails and plethora of Asian and international fusion cuisine. The contemporary restaurant cum bar cum lounge offers more in the gastronomic experience as gourmands can look forward to special cooking classes, sumptuous weekend brunches and wine pairing dinners. The 350pax Signature oozes with class and offers more than what meets the eye. It will be a truly unforgettable dining experience at Signature as presented by Cay Kuijpers.

STRASTOSPHERE

Saving the best for last, we all braved the stairs leading up to Stratosphere. Truly mesmerizing, Stratosphere features an opulent rooftop bar with a magnificent 360 degree view of the greater Klang Valley.

Boasting Asia’s first and only green helipad bar, the circle roof top features neon lite bar, live DJ booth, plush white and navy sofas, grassed and white pathways, Stratosphere is definitely the place to be seen and heard.

Ingeniously design to let the sky and the city view dictate the ambience, one can simply unwind and entertain with much pleasures. Stratosphere offers exquisite drink list and scrumptious canapés.

At Stratosphere, watch the sun set or set the mood for a little romance!

A perfect backdrop for niche events, weddings, fashion shows and product launches, the sky’s the limit for Stratosphere!

*picture credits to Issac Tan

The great news is that the launch of The Roof is only just 2 days away. Snag yourselves an invite by signing up for an exclusive invitation at The Roof’s Facebook page here. You’d never know who you might meet up there…

Experience the Elevation of the Ordinary at The Roof!

THE ROOF

1, First Avenue,

Bandar Utama,

47800 Petaling Jaya

Tel:  603 7729 1628

Website: www.theroof.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheRoofMalaysia