Chequers Restaurant @ TTDI KL- An American Love Affair With Waffles

Waffles is a special snack food for many American. You will be able to find a lot of restaurants in America that serves waffles almost everywhere; but not in the case of Malaysia. +BestRestaurant ToEat was invited to taste these American waffles at Chequers Restaurant which is located at 153, Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr Ismail TTDI Kuala Lumpur to savour some of these specially created dishes based on waffles.

Chequers Restaurant @TTDI, is decorated to resemble the minimalist American dining concept. Its' owner main aim is to inspire the taste of not only the sweet waffles, which we get to taste a lot as a desserts offering but to serve a savoury type waffles; as it will be a totally different ball game. 

The waffles that are served at Chequers Restaurant TTDI are less dense unlike the Belgian waffles and have a crisp skin. The secrets lies in a process of whipping the batter to let in more air and adding the right meringue portion.

With an expectation to taste on what savoury waffles has to offers, we started our review with 2 Waffles based breakfast delights; which the first is called the Down Town Benny (RM19.00); it is a savoury waffle, with a pan fried beef bacon and comes with 2 poached eggs with hollandaise sauce and guacamole (avocado dip) and topped with baby fresh watercress. We love the marriage of the different taste and texture made out of each of these ingredients. 

Our second breakfast dish is the Double Deck Croque Monsieur (RM18.00) which is another savoury waffle with turkey ham in between the waffles and thin tomato slices. The entire waffles is then wrapped in an egg much like a french toast and served with cheese sauce and topped with a sunny side up. As waffles are best served warm, you have to be quick into eating this to savour the best taste possible.

After the breakfast dishes, we moved to taste the main waffles inspired dishes which 2 of them are based on the savoury waffle; we begin with the Shroom Fiesta (RM20.00). This is a dish which is vegetarian; and suit those non-meat eaters or health enthusiast. It is a spinach flavoured waffle served with grilled portobello mushrooms and glazed cherry tomatoes at the sides. The dressing is balsamic and served with rocket salad and shaved parmesan cheese.

This is the followed by the Moo Moo (RM28.00) which is one of the signature dish at Chequers Restaurant TTDI. Using an in-house made seasoned striploin beef patties which are pan seared to the right charred condition; The Moo Moo is served with a special berry sauce and  topped with beef bacon, cheddar cheese, raisin slaw, pickled relish and waffle fries.

To cater to other non waffles fans, Chequers also offered a number of non-waffles dish; one that we tried was the Crusted Lamb Rack (RM42.00). Each of the lamb ribs are pan seared and served with mashed herbs potatoes, roasted baby carrots and honey grain mustard sauce. I love the texture of the meat which was still juicy and the aroma of the pan seared ribs coupled with the sauce was a wonder.

To finish off our review, we had 2 waffles based desserts; the first of which is the Melting Moments (RM17.00). It is a chocolate chip waffle i.e you can taste some of these little chocolate chips while taking bites of the waffles. Served with a hand battered banana fritters with almond nips and a scoop of vanilla ice cream which is drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce, it was very well paired with the chocolate chip waffle.

The last desserts to end the review is the Tropic Delight (RM17.00). We love this coconut based dessert as not only the ingredients are coconut based, even the waffles have bits of coconut strips in it. For lovers of coconut this is just for you. The dessert comes topped with fresh coconut meat, roasted almonds, coconut ice-cream and paired with fragrant pandan sauce. 

If you just like everything waffles, Chequers @ TTDI will definitely be the place for you to satisfy your cravings. 

Torii @TTDI Yakitori Whiskey Bar Kuala Lumpur- Premium Japanese Yakitori Review

 

Mention about Japanese BBQ, the first thing that comes to mind is Yakitori, +BestRestaurant ToEat was invited to review Torii  @TTDI Yakitori Whisky Bar located at 30, Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 1, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.

Torii Yakitori Whiskey Bar offers a modern bar and open kitchen concept, where one can view your yakitori being grilled with charcoal to perfection before being served to you.

Torii offers fusion Japanese with a western twist where you can down your perfectly grilled yakitori either with Japanese sake or the wide selection of whisky from all over the world. 

For al-fresco diners, you can opt for this tasty fusion Japanese snack at the open dining area located outside the restaurant to enjoy the evening breeze and a cold cocktail or beers.

 Our  review started with the Buttery Shoyu Mushrooms Scallop Broth (RM20) . This soup has a very strong buttery and mushroom flavour. We love the taste and the scallop which was lightly grilled was very fresh, firm and succulent.

followed by 2 salad; the first of which is the Saute Mushroom Baby Spinach (RM20) . One of the mushroom which was the king mushroom have a very firm texture, while the grilled tomatoes added a tinge of sourish taste to the salad.

while the second salad is the Blue Fin Tuna Salad (RM20) . The tuna was lightly pan fried which has a grill on the outside while the fish meat was semi cooked which has a nice sashimi like texture and the fresh natural taste of the tuna. It is topped with a mayo dressing.

After that we had the special delicacies, which is the Bonded Unagi Foie Gras (RM29) ; made out of a thin layer of of grilled river eel with a slice of eggs and pan seared Foie Gras topped with a special sauce.

Chicken Wings (RM4 per skewer) is one of my favorite Yakitori and for this; it would take at least 20 minutes of slow grilling to give you the signature crust. Sprinkle a little lemon juice and you can really enjoy this tasty wings which is lightly salted with sea salt.

Another delicacies we had was the Sizzling Beef (RM35); A sirloin cut cooked with special BBQ sauce and topped with crispy garlic and laid on a bed of chopped mushroom. The texture of the meat was grilled to a medium done which still retains the juicy texture and taste. Served on a sizzling hot plate, the beef should be eaten quickly.

After that we had the Wagyu Tendon (RM8 per skewer) . Although a tad too salty, the texture of this tendon was a little chewy and will goes well with a real cold beer. 

 We just love this King Mushroom which is grilled and served with Shoyu sauce; The mushroom has the crunch, texture and taste which marries well with the sauce. We had a second helping on this. (RM8 per skewer) 

Next, we had the Sirloin Yakitori (RM15 per skewer). Love the balance of the meat with the fats with the right amount of sea salt and black pepper. 

For fans of  bean curd  (tofu), do not forget to order this Crispy Tofu (RM6 per skewer); After grilling it to a crisp; it is served with sesame peanut sauce and topped with bonito flakes. 

for the sea food, we had the Rock Lobster (RM11 per skewer) which is topped with scallion and served with an in-house made garlic chilli sauce.

For those that loves the special parts of a cow especially the tongue; you might game for the Ox Tongue (RM8 per skewer). A thinly sliced chewy tongue meat grilled with sea salt and black pepper.

After the yakitori, for those that needed some carbohydrate to fill their stomach, you can opt for the Torii Fried Rice (RM 25) which is served on a special hot stone bowl. 

While the pasta lover can opt for this simple looking pasta which is the Buttery Angel Hair Pasta Caviar (RM18). The chef uses premium french butter to lightly pan fried with herbs and topped with black caviar.  

The final yakitori we had for the night is the Sweet Potato (RM5 per skewer) . Lightly sprinkle with sea salt and butter, it brings out the natural flavours of the sweet potatoes.

For desserts, we had the Green Tea Creme Brulee White Chocolate Lavender Ice Cream (RM24). A unique fusion between east (green tea) and west (creme brulee); the taste of the green tea was superb; eaten with the fresh fruits of kiwi, strawberry and grapes. We love the White Chocolate Lavender ice cream which has a very smooth texture and is of the right sweetness level.

The final dessert is the Robataya Banana Dark Chocolate Sorbet (RM24). The banana are fried and then drizzle with a strong chocolate cream and served with dark chocolate sorbet.

Overall, we enjoyed the food that are served at Torii Yakitori Whisky Bar especially the skewers dishes. 

La Cafe Memoire TTDI Kuala Lumpur - A Porkilicious Meal Review By Best Restaurant

TTDI, is one of the hot spot for Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur folks to go to for some nice food especially for dinner or over the weekend. Best Restaurant To Eat was invited once again to this favourite dining area and this time it is at La Cafe Memoire which is located at 7A, Lorong Rahim Kajai 13, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI).

La Cafe Memoire TTDI is a new cafe that was established to initially catered to the affluent market for specialty desserts; as more customers request for some savoury food, it has lately introduced a couple of specialty dishes which we had the opportunity to review.

The decor here are mainly made up of recycled forklift crates; which the owner and partner have ingenuinely design, reworked and developed it into functional tables, chairs and countertop using this recycled material.

For those that loves alfresco dining, there is a balcony open areas where diners can enjoy the open air while slurping their favourite dish or meals in that area.

For our review, we started with the Smoked Duck Salad; it comes with a special balsamic vinegar that have a sourish taste and was just nice with the fresh garden salad while the pan fried smoked duck pieces offers a slight salty taste to this dish.

This is then followed by the Seafood Aglio Olio - With a tad of spicy flavour from the chilli flake; cooked with fresh seafood such as the succulent prawns, bouncy white squids and mussels and topped with capsicum.

Next, was the Creamy Bacon Fettucine - The fettucine at La Cafe Memoire are in house hand made on a daily limited basis. The pan fried bacon in the dish have a very distinctive taste which marries well with the mushroom cream garlic sauce and the springy fettucine.

This is then followed by the last pasta that we had, which is the Japanese Curry Pasta fettuccine which has diced chicken; and cooked with carrot and onion.

I am not really a great fan of Japanese Curry, but after tasting it here, my perception was changed and a little trick which the chef shared with us was that he added some brandy into the final cooking process which brings out the special curry flavour.

After the pasta dishes, we were introduced a burger dish which is the Deluxe Burger with an in house made thick pork patties, salad, tomato, a slice of cheese, pan fried bacon, sunny side up; topped with a special in-house made sauce and a charcoal bun, Customers can also opt for a plain bun too. This burger is served with oil free air fried french fries.

For the main course, we had the signature Pork Chop. We were informed that the chef uses a special Mongolian (had a tinge of 5 spice powder) marinade to pre-marinate the pork chop before frying it. The dish is served with a special mashed sweet potatoes which when eaten with the pork chop gives it a natural sweetness taste.

According to the chef; in Japan, there is a favourite food that the Japanese eat when they have their favourite beer; which is the Mussels and Fries.

The mussels are steamed with onion, a tinge of lemon sauce and sauteed with white wine and served with oil free air fried french fries. To ensure the quality of this dish, the mussels must be as fresh as possible as there aren't any other ingredients in it.

The last dish which is not on the menu now and soon to be introduced is the Pork Bacon Pizza. The Pizza is a Napoli Pizza dough which is quite similar to the Naan bread. It is thin in the middle while the side looks more like the hand tossed.

The chef have added a small portion of spicy chilli flakes and sprinkles of bits of Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese with pork bacon, onions and sweet cherry tomatoes. La Cafe Memoire TTDI plans to offer 6 pizza in the coming months.

To end our meal, we were offered 3 desserts the first of which is the Mango Tarts. The tarts are in-house made and filled with the cream and topped with fresh Milk Mango and sprinkle of fine snow white shredded coconut bits.

followed by a special Tiramisu creation which is topped with caramelized sugar and cut off pieces of almond and hazelnut to gives it a special sweet and nutty flavour to the Tiramisu.

The last desserts; which is also the star of the night was the Nutty Bacon Sundae; this desserts will tantalize your tastebud in 3 areas; the first of which is the sweetness from the vanilla ice cream. As you take the pan fried oven baked bacon to scoop up the ice cream you will taste the salty taste of the Bacon blended into the sweet caramel nutty taste of both the ice cream and nuts.

As you venture deeper into the glass, you will come to the calamansi sorbet; at this point your taste bud will find the sourish sorbet a refreshing taste transformation. Towards the bottom; with the mix combination of all the taste and blended with the bacon oil, it leaves your mouth with a slippery taste of the entire desserts.

Overall, the simple setup of La Cafe Memoire TTDI offers a casual ambience and nice food at a decent price. Do check this place out when you are near TTDI.

More Review of Café By Best Restaurant. Pls click Here

TTDI - Best Restaurant Other Review in TTDI. Pls Click Here

Western Food and Restaurant Review by Best Restaurant. Pls Click Here

Kuala Lumpur - Best Restaurant Other Review in Kuala Lumpur. Pls Click Here