Category: Restaurant Reviews


May
2013

House + Co – Bangsar Shopping Center $$ 14/20

categories: Eating Out, Restaurant Reviews

I love the set up here. It’s a breath of fresh air, literally, in a very mall-like mall. Green and airy. Local food and Western food, and some fusion dishes. Health conscious menu, high quality ingredients, and excellent presentation.

However, staff are not very informed on allergies at all and chef declined to come out. After much questioning of waitstaff and their going back and forth between me and the kitchen, we decided on a nasi lemak–the likeliest to be gluten-free.

They used all fresh ingredients and said that they did not cross contaminate with other gluten-containing ingredients. The recipe itself is ingenious. A green rice (basil? pandan?), several nuanced sambals, crispy fried fresh (and large!) anchovies, and a delicious rendang. I felt fine afterwards. However, they really need to train their staff to answer allergy-related questions knowledgeably.

Nasi Lemak at House + Co. Beautifully presented. Unique recipe. But yes, staff are fairly clueless about gluten issues.
Nasi Lemak at House + Co. Beautifully presented. Unique recipe. But yes, staff are fairly clueless about gluten issues.

Allergy friendly: ** Waitstaff were only reasonably informed. Chef refused to come out.
Taste: **** Delicious. Presentation par excellence.
Cost: $$ Around $20 – 30 per person for a main course.
Atmosphere: **** Cozy, airy, green, no stifling airconditioning.
Service: *** Waitstaff who try their best and are friendly.

Peace,

Daisy


Apr
2013

Craft Bakers Malaysia- Solaris Dutamas $ 12/20

categories: Gluten-Free Products, Restaurant Reviews

Gluten-free bread used to be something I picked up at the local supermarket, off a shelf, usually being able to select from at least three or four different brands, all with white bread, multigrain and other varieties. Living in Kuala Lumpur, bread is limited to when I dine at a restaurant like the Mandarin Grill or Garibaldi where they do make the effort to provide some gluten-free bread if you give them advance notice.

Otherwise, I get bread when I make the effort to bake it myself. When Daisy mentioned hearing of a baker that did gluten-free bread, it was on both of our must-check-out lists.

Craft Bakers Malaysia is an artisanal bakery that uses organic baking ingredients. Owned and run by Gandhi and Ellen Suppiah,they take gluten-free seriously and have a separate baking and prep room for all their gluten-free baked goods. The organic ingredients is a bonus and means no genetically modified corn. They bake gluten-free twice a week and you do need to place an order. They offer a variety of types of gluten-free bread but the most commonly available are white and brown bread. I tried both and found I preferred the white version as the brown tended to come apart a bit. It isn’t quite the sandwich bread texture I was missing, but it makes a pretty decent substitute.

Gandhi mentioned that they were still experimenting with different types of bread and will continue to expand their offerings and improve the existing ones. I’m definitely looking forward to more from them.

Kiss kiss,

Bubbles

Craft Bakers Malaysia

D2-G3-05 Solaris Dutamas
1, Jalan Dutamas 1,
Kuala Lumpur.

For orders, email:
gandhi@craftbakers.org.uk
admin@craftbakers.org.uk
Or via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CraftBakersMalaysia

Open for breakfast and lunch.
Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.00pm
Saturday from 7.30am to 4.00pm
Get there early as they are popular and menu items run out quick.

Allergy friendly: ***** They understand gluten friendly and cross-contamination and have a dedicated area.
Taste: ***
Cost: $ Around $12 to $16 for a loaf.
Atmosphere: ** Small an utilitarian
Service: ** It’s busy and patience is definitely needed but it is a small business and run by the owners themselves.