Fresca Mexican Kitchen & Bar @ Gardens Mall

A Mexican Culinary Adventure!

Mexican cuisine is so underrated in Asia. The cuisine has such wondrous flavours that it should really be given more limelight here. Glad to say at least there are a good handful of Mexican places to dine in our city. Fresca Mexican Kitchen & Bar has been serving scrumptious Mexican food that borders Tex-Mex in the city for the last five years.

Fresca has two outlets currently in Gardens Mall and Avenue-K Mall. Siblings Meng Lim and Jan Lim fell in love with the cuisine and the country’s passion for Viva La Vida, translated to Live Life, while seeking their adventures in Mexico and decided to open up their own Mexican restaurant. The cuisine is hard to replicate here due to the distinctive ingredients such as chilies, herbs and spices but that has not deterred the siblings from going all out and importing these ingredients for their restaurant.

Fresca has such an inviting and warming décor filled with lots of natural wood and iron steel. The country’s flamboyant colours are also projected here through posters, Mexican Sombreros and other display of knick knacks. The restaurant has a gorgeous bar and plenty of windows to allow lots of natural lighting. It’s a great place to enjoy a bold flavours of Mexican cuisine.

Not my first visit at Fresca, I am always pleased to be back for their delicious menu filled with small plates, dips and chips, main courses, desserts and of course lots of giggle juices. This round was a little different and I was here for a Mexican cooking demo by Chef BB together with Meng.

The owners believe in making almost everything they can from scratch. It is crucial to them in making their food from the freshest and finest ingredients available. They import lots of Mexican chilies such as Ancho, Pasilla, Poblano, Guajillo, Chipotle and Jalapeno as well as corn flour.

Today’s lesson was the makings of Corn Tortilla, Guacamole and Tacos Ensenada. Fresh corn tortillas are made daily using the traditional cast iron tortilla press and cooked on hot griddle. Its not hard to make these but one needs to find corn flour or Masa. There are white corn or yellow corn flour and Fresca uses both depending on the dishes.

Guacamole is another favorite Mexican dish of mine. I practically make these for all my home parties simply because it is so addictive and tasty with tortilla chips. Chef BB makes a really tasty guacamole using ripe avocados, chopped onions, cilantro, lime, salt and pepper in a big mortar with pestle. The trick is not to over mash the avocados, leaving bits of small chunks for textures. One can also easily adjust the seasonings to your likings. I like to add chopped jalapeno for extra bite.

Fresca serves Tacos Ensenada, California Baja style fish tacos. Using the freshly made white corn tortilla, he piles on golden crispy fried fish strips along with coleslaw, pico de gallo and cilantro.

After our cooking demo, we headed over to our tables for lunch. Baskets of golden crispy fried Tortilla Chips are served with house made Pico de Gallo and Guacamole. All salsas and dips are made fresh daily in the kitchen. These were so addictive, one order may not be enough, especially when you’re dining with a crowd of foodies and friends.

Tacos time! Fresca offers six choices of tacos filled with chicken, beef, fish and shrimp. We had their Tacos Ensenada and Tacos Alambre served with various salsa and sauces.

The Baja style fish tacos or Tacos Ensenada is such an easy dish to enjoy. Even my little one enjoys this a lot. Crispy beer-battered butterfish fillet with creamy crunchy coleslaw on soft tortilla is made even better when one piles on pico de gallo salsa, tomatillo sauce or chipotle sauce.

The Tacos Alambre has chopped beef sirloin cooked with Poblano chili, spices and onions and topped with crispy turkey bacon. Expect bold and big flavours of deliciousness from these tacos, especially when you piled on that spicy Chipotle sauce.

Pollo a la Parilla came sizzling on a hot plate. The grilled chicken is marinated with house special coffee marinade and is served with Mexican green rice along with sautéed onions and bell peppers. The flavours are quite unique and the coffee presence is certainly noted with hints of subtle sweetness. My little one actually enjoyed this dish a lot too, saying its yummy chicken with rice.

There are lots of other dishes to try at Fresca such as Enchiladas, Fajitas, Quesadillas, Burritos, Carne Asada and more.

We ended with a classic Mexican dessert of Churros con Chocolat y Cajeta. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser as these long crispy strips of Mexican donut coated in cinnamon and sugar is served with sides of chocolate dip and goat’s milk caramel. Such a drool worthy dessert!

Make sure you order their Agua Frescas to quench your thirsts. There’s Tamarindo, Hibiscus, Limon, Mango and Horchata. These are all perfect with the Mexican dishes as they are all somewhat tangy and fruity.

FRESCA MEXICAN KITCHEN & BAR

Lot G242-A, Ground Floor, The Gardens Mall,

Midvalley City

59200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2201 2893

Website: www.fresca.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/frescabar

Business Hours:

Sunday to Thursday        11am to 11pm

Friday & Saturday           11am to 12midnight

Ăn Viet @ The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley

Eat Viet for a Worthy Cause!

Vietnamese cuisine has recently started to sprout everywhere on our shores and I can’t say I am complaining. I adore the cuisine. Love the bold and robust flavours of Vietnamese cuisine that also always gets a vibrant punch of freshness from its usage of raw herbs and vegetables.

There’s one Vietnamese restaurant that has been rocking up authentic Vietnamese dishes in the heavily packed The Garden Mall at Mid Valley. Ăn Viet, which translate to Eat Viet, is not just serving up scrumptious Vietnamese dishes but also joining in the global movement to create awareness of minimizing global food wastage.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, a staggering 1/3 of the food prepared for human consumption globally goes to waste! That’s just a shame. When growing, my parent always made sure I finish the food on my plate, every bit down to the last grain of rice. They have always reiterated that I finish my food, at least what is on my plate and so today, I really dislike wasting food. It’s hard to know that while we have a lot of food available here, the other side of some countries are literally starving. And there’s also all the wastage when our earth is already having issues in shortages of ingredients from land and sea.

Ăn Viet offer diners’ choices of the number of gram of rice (120g, 160g, 200g) or noodles (80g, 120g, 160, 200g) they can eat with no difference in price. What a great idea as this would definitely encourage diners to only order what they can finish and avoid food wastage.

Another worthy cause in addition to minimizing food wastage, Ăn Viet will set aside RM.10 for KOTO, a social enterprise in Vietnam that helps disadvantaged youths to gain access to holistic and vocational skill development opportunities.

The ambiance at Ăn Viet has a warm and comfortable. Lots of wood tones contrasted with grey slate, giving the whole place a nice edgy and modern touch. There’s also a bar cum open kitchen where one can catch some kitchen actions too. By the bar, there is a row of Vietnamese fish sauce which is available for purchase. Ăn Viet use this particular brand for its rich and umami flavours in all their dishes.

Helming the kitchen is Chef Nguyen Kim Tuyen who hails from Vinh Phuc, located about an hour away from Hanoi. Having garnered a solid list of certificates and experience in various restaurants all over Vietnam, Chef Tuyen also has experience as Chef Consultant in the set-up of few Vietnamese kitchens in various exclusive restaurants and hotels. Chef Tuyen’s menu is filled with scrumptious Vietnamese dishes that are suited to our Malaysian palates so one can expect dishes like Pho, Vietnamese Spring Roll, Bun Cha, Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and more.

First up, any Vietnamese meal should be accompanied by their renowned Vietnamese Drip Coffee. Enjoy the Ca Phe Sua Nong which is warm or Ca Phe Sua Da which is iced that packs quite a caffeine punch. Another house beverage to enjoy is the Xa Gung (RM7.90), a house brewed lemongrass and ginger drink. This one is a great tummy warmer. There also a refreshing Lime Mint Tea.

A house specialty to try is the unique Ca Phe Trung (RM8.90), hot Vietnamese drip coffee served with whisked egg yolk. The egg foam gave the coffee a luscious richness as well as a creamier note. I really enjoyed my Ca Phe Sua Da as it was deliciously pack with hits of strong coffee notes and was smooth and creamy too.

Dinner commenced with Goi Cuon (RM8.90), a classic Vietnamese fresh spring roll served with a dipping sauce made with that 100% fish sauce we saw earlier on the bar. The spring roll had lots of fresh and crunchy flavours and textures from its poached tiger prawns, vermicelli, carrots, cucumber, lettuce and herbs. A healthy appetizer that is light and easy to enjoy…

Nom Hoa Chuoi (RM13.90) or Banana Blossom Salad, a medley of banana blossom, cucumber, carrots and onions tossed a light but flavorful zesty and savory salad sauce, is finished with poached prawns, roasted peanuts and fresh herbs. The unique aroma and texture of the banana blossom is light and tender, easy on the palate with a tasty flavour.

Truly unique, one simply must order the Xoi Chien Phong (RM13.90). The crispy ball of fried glutinous rice puff had us all amused at sight. Served with grilled lemongrass chicken salad, the fried glutinous rice puff is delicious. The puff is actually hollow. Crispy with bits of chew parts, the rice puff is lightly sweet too. It goes really well with the smoky chicken salad with lots of crunch from the cabbage slaw and peanuts. The dish is worth a try as I have never come across such a dish in any Vietnamese restaurants here before.

I also enjoyed the grilled rice paper dish called Banh Trang Nuong (RM8.90). The smoky chargrilled crisp rice paper is filled with bits of minced pork, quail egg and dried shrimp. The salty and moreish flavour is rather addictive and would make a great snack or appetizer.

Clam lovers are so going to love the fresh clams cooked in coconut water called Canh Chua Ngao Nuoc Dua (RM13.90). Despite the broth looking cloudy and grey, the flavours are indeed amazingly yummy. Full of briny clam flavour with a subtle coconut sweetness, there are also hints of lemongrass and chili notes. Clams were tender and delicious as well as the additions of juicy soft cherry tomatoes.

The Pho Bo (RM18.90) is a national dish of Vietnamese cuisine and the version here is sufficiently satisfying. Thin and tender slices of lean Australian tenderloin and brisket along with herbs and crunchy bean sprouts are served with medium rice noodles. As mentioned before earlier, one can order the amount of noodles that you can take – 80g, 120g, 160g or 200g at the same price. This is to avoid any food wastage, so order what you can eat!

Simmered for over 12 hours long, the broth is wonderfully beefy with hints of spices. The version hails from the North and so the broth is clear and earthy. Although the Pho Bo here is not as extravagant as some others I have savored before, this one still packed a lot of tasty notes, especially that punchy fiery house made Sriracha chili sauce served on the side. I love the overall flavours of the noodle soup so much that I literally almost polished the bowl on my own.

If there is one must-try dish at Ăn Viet, it has to be the Bun Cha (RM17.90). Chargrilled sliced pork belly and minced pork patties are served in a pool of sauce made using 100% pure fish sauce. There are pickled green papaya, carrots and chilies in the sauce too. Served on the side is thin rice noodles, fresh basil, mint and green coral lettuce.

One is supposed to take bits of everything on the side and dunk it into the sauce, then savor it with the sliced pork belly and minced pork patties. The whole dish is an explosion of flavours from its sweet, savory, tangy and lightly spicy notes to the interesting mix of textures from the pork and rice vermicelli to the herbs and greens. Unctuously tasty, the sauce really packed thunders of delicious flavours that makes you want to keep on eating the dish. Not only is it just tasty, there is an essence of comforting notes on the palate from all its beautiful mélange of ingredients. Simply a Must-Order!!

We also tried their Grilled Lemongrass Chicken (RM15.90), a street dish of rice served with grilled lemongrass marinated chicken thigh, sunny side up egg, chili and pickles. The smoky and tender chargrilled chicken is jam-packed with vibrant flavours of lemongrass, including skewered with lemongrass and grilled. Sufficiently hearty, the one dish meal is laden with enough protein to make me happy and satiated. I really like the sourish appetizing pickles and lemongrass chili that balances up the heavier proteins and rice.

The evening ended with a dessert that looked pretty familiar. Banh Bia (RM8.90) with Condensed Milk Ice Cream (RM RM12.90) is a Vietnamese style durian flavoured ‘mooncake’. Similar to the Suzhou style mooncake, this one has soft layers of pastry enveloping durian and mung bean paste with salted egg yolk. Salty and sweet, the dessert was well-received by our diners that evening. To amp up the flavours, order this with the luscious Condensed Milk Ice Cream.

There is also the Viet-ffogato (RM9.90), a house made concoction of Vietnamese drip coffee with condensed milk ice cream and coconut milk. Strong coffee notes are wondrously balanced with the sweet and luscious scoop of ice cream, a version inspired by the classic Affogato.

I have really enjoyed the scrumptious flavours of Vietnamese cuisine at Ăn Viet. There’s plenty of dishes that easily caters to every one of all ages. Portions are generous for the price and I would certainly return for the following dishes of Xoi Chien Phong, Banh Trang Nuong, Pho Bo, Bun Cha and Grilled Lemongrass Chicken!

ĂN VIET

LG-203B, The Gardens Mall,

Mid Valley City,

59200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2201-1191

Facebook: www.facebook.com/anviet.my

Business Hours:

Mon to Sat, 1130am - 10pm

Sun & Public Holidays, 11am - 10pm

Olive Garden Italian Kitchen @ Mid Valley Mega Mall

Your Friendly Neighborhood Italian Restaurant!

Olive Garden Italian Kitchen has finally landed on the shores of Malaysia. The famous American Italian restaurant chain, with a staggering 800+ outlets worldwide, has been serving comfort Italian cuisine since 1982. Started in Orlando, Florida, the family friendly casual dining restaurant takes on modern Italy traditions by serving hearty Italian food that one can enjoy on daily basis.

Joining its other sister chains of Red Lobster and Longhorn Steakhouse, the first Olive Garden Italian Kitchen opened in Mid Valley Mega Mall on May 2015. The restaurant is not as big as its other international chain but is designed with comfort in mind. Echoing its other international outlet theme, Olive Garden Italian Kitchen Malaysia has lots of natural wood and stones elements to exude warmness and comfort when dining. The dining area is sectioned and diners can choose from banquette seating to the regular table setting. One can even catch a glimpse of the kitchen actions in the dining room.

The menu at Olive Garden take diners into the homes of modern Italian where there are lots of hearty Antipasti, Piadina or Flatbread Pizza, Soup, Pasta, Meat, Seafood and Poulty Main Dishes as well as Dessert.

Kids below 12 years old Eat for Free all day and all week. T&C applies.

One highlight of every Olive Garden restaurant all over the world is their Unlimited servings of Soup or Our Famous House Salad together with their freshly baked Breadsticks with any order of entrée for the diner. Olive Garden’s Breadsticks is authentic Italian bread that is deliciously warming and simply a must at every Italian table. The Breadsticks have a medium dense texture and has a beautiful aroma.

The house signature Our Famous House Salad (RM15.50) offer diners a simple garden green salad paired with fresh tomatoes, red onion, black olives, croutons, Italian dressing and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Kudos to grating fresh parmesan cheese at the table as most restaurants do not offer such a treat these days…

I love soups and the Italians are famous for their soups. Nothing fancy but rather homestyle hearty and rustic soups that warms the tummy at every meal. One gets three choices of soups at Olive Garden. From Pasta e Fagioli (RM11.80) to Chicken & Gnocchi (RM11.80) and Minestrone (RM11.80), these soups are good for our heart and soul.

Pasta e Fagioli and Minestrone are tomato-based soups while the Chicken & Gnocchi is a cream based soup. While the Pasta e Fagioli has beans, ground beef and pasta in the soup, the Minestrone is a vegetarian classic of vegetables and pasta in tangy tomato broth. The Chicken & Gnocchi is a good choice for those who loves creamy soup and this one has bits of roasted chicken, spinach and soft traditional Italian pasta dumplings called gnocchi.

To kick off any meal at Olive Garden, one should start with some of their Antipasti dishes, especially when dining in large parties. Since we had quite a large group that evening, we shared their Sampler Italiano (RM59.90) which has Calamari, Lasagna Fritta and Shrimp Scampi Fritta served with two sauces.

Lasagna Fritta is actually pieces of lasagna crumbed, fried and served over Alfredo sauce with a finishing of marinara sauce and parmesan. One can opt for a spicy or non-spicy version of deep fried crispy Calamari or Shrimp Scampi Fritta. The Shrimp Scampi Fritta is lightly crumbed, fried and tossed with garlic and lemon butter or a spicy hot pepper sauce. Everything on this sampler appetizer platter is delicious when savored hot.

The Italians do love their cheese and so cheese dishes are plenty in the Italian cuisine. We had an order of Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta (RM29.90), a three-cheese fondue that is best enjoyed with bread. The oozing melted cheese had us enjoying bold cheesy flavours of mozzarella, provolone and parmesan. Salty, cheesy and umami flavours are my kind of food!

More cheese and this time, it’s on Italian flatbread pizza called Piadina. We had their Triple Cheese Carbonara Piadina (RM18.90), another three-cheese of mozzarella, parmesan and Grana Padana all melted on crisp thin flatbread with roasted cherry tomatoes and crisp beef bacon. Yum…

Chicken Parmigiana (RM26.90) is one of the more popular Italian dish that is much-beloved by many Italian households. Crispy crumbed parmesan chicken is fried and topped with homemade marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese before being finished on the broiler to gratin it all together. The chicken is always served with a side of spaghetti with marinara sauce. Everything on this dish screamed simple but delicious comfort food that one can enjoy on a daily basis.

Olive Garden also has a large dish called Tour of Italy (RM59.90). It’s a dish one orders when one cannot decide what to eat. Three classic dishes of Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna and Fettuccine Alfredo is a dish meant to be shared unless one can really packed on the carbs. It’s a familiar platter of Italian favorite flavours all at one plate.

Here’s another lasagna dish of Lasagna Primavera with Grilled Chicken (RM38.90). Its layers of pasta and vegetables with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese lasagna baked till soft and melted and served with grilled chicken and creamy parmesan sauce. It’s a nice change to be enjoying the light vegetable lasagna instead of the richer meaty one. The grilled chicken also made the dish a bit healthier.

If you are up for a treat of the king of crustaceans, Olive Garden has a scrumptious Lobster Fettuccine (RM53.90) that seafood lovers will rejoice in happiness. The pasta dish has Maine lobster tail and shrimps cooked in a rich lobster seafood cream sauce served on fettuccine pasta. The sauce is moreish and full of seafood essence. Every slurp is creamy and delicious while our lobster tail was nicely cooked till tender.

Another seafood dish that is bound to be a favorite with many seafood lovers is Pasta Pescatore (RM41.90). Fettuccine pasta is tossed with creamy red pepper seafood sauce with chunks of shrimp, bay scallops and mussels. This dish is quite creamy and has a subtle red pepper sweetness. Best savored hot, we polished off this pasta whole-heartedly…

Being an ardent salmon lover, I am always up to ordering salmon dishes when I see one. The Salmon Risotto (RM45.90) certainly caught my attention. Pairing up with another favorite dish of mine, the risotto, one gets a nice piece of grilled salmon, shrimp, seafood risotto and a tomato and basil pesto. I like my salmon cooked with a medium center so make sure to let the staff know how you like your salmon cooked for extra pleasures.

Besides seafood, Olive Garden also has a few beef specialities. We had their Steak Toscana (RM79.90) and Center Cut Filet Mignon (RM79.90).

The Steak Toscana is a piece of nicely marbled ribeye cooked to your likings. Simple flavourings of butter and fresh herbs are added to the ribeye to enhance and keep the beefy flavours. Enjoyed this with creamy garlic mashed potatoes for a solid steak and potato dinner!

For those who prefer leaner cut but tender meat, go for the Center Cut Filet Mignon as the premium center cut filet is deliciously tasty and tender. Also prepared with minimal ingredients, I can really take the beefy goodness of the filet with a light hint of buttery richness. This one is served with grilled vegetables.

We ended our meal with Italian desserts of Piccoli Dolci (RM6.80 for 1 / RM18.00 for 3 / RM29.00 for 5). These are mini glasses of layer desserts inspired by Italian desserts. Choose from the five flavours of Almond Tiramisu, Chocolate Mousse, Lemon Mousse, Dark Chocolate Caramel Cream and Strawberry & White Chocolate. My favorite was the Dark Chocolate Caramel Cream and Lemon Mousse.

Then there is the Black Tie Mousse Cake (RM12.80), a chocolatey and cheesy cake that is lusciously rich and decadent. Dark chocolate cheesecake, creamy mascarpone custard and chocolate cake is a match made in heaven in the dessert world. Utterly rich with dark chocolate notes, the cake will have chocolate and cheese lovers sighing at pleasure.

Another famous Italian dessert that appears in almost every Italian restaurant I know is the Tiramisu (RM12.80). Olive Garden’s version is fairly light with a good note of espresso soaked ladyfingers sponge and a thick layer of mascarpone custard before being finished with a generous layer of cocoa powder. This one is a non-alcoholic version so kids can enjoy them too.

We enjoyed our dishes with lots of happy giggle juices of Frozen Strawberry Margarita (RM31.00), Frozen Tiramisu (RM29.50), Long Island Limoncello (RM32.50) and Strawberry Passion Fruit Limonata Mocktail (RM16.50). They make a mean and super refreshing margarita here so make sure to order one!

Olive Garden great for hearty Italian comfort food. It’s also a great place for casual dining with family and friends. With a plus point of Unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks with every order of entrée and kids below 12 eat for free, Olive Garden makes dining there a satisfying pleasure! 

OLIVE GARDEN ITALIAN KITCHEN

Lot F051 Mega Mall

Mid Valley City

Lingkara Syed Putra

59200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2201-0221

Website: www.olivegarden.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/olivegardenmalaysia