Smitten By Ideas: Breakfast Is Still The Most Important Meal Of The Day

According to Massive Health's Eatery, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But if your breakfast consists of sinful food like nasi lemak, roti canai or curry mee, you are definitely not starting your day on the right foot. 

Studies suggest that eating fiber rich breakfast such as cereal, bread, fruit and vegetables may help to prevent low blood sugar levels between meals and increase the level of satiety for the rest of the day. This will help control hunger and you will probably eat smaller portion during lunch and dinner. On average, people who don’t eat breakfast eat 6.8% more food throughout the day. 

It is worth nothing that, the healthiness of the food we eat decreases by 1.7% for every hour that passes in the day. Lunch is 7.4% less healthy than breakfast, while dinner is 15.9% less healthy! The healthiness level of the food also decreases for every day that passes in a week. We eat less healthier food on the weekend, as we like to indulge after a week of hard week. We probably had more cupcakes, more pastries, more burgers and of course more alcoholic drinks!

Despite all these statistics and advices, I started off my day with nasi lemak, tonkatsu for lunch and I'm already thinking about what I should eat for dinner. Question: How did you start your day?

Happy Friday! =D

Breakfast at The Dining Room @ YTL Cameron Highlands Resort

When we found ourselves with surplus of strawberries and tea leaves, we know exactly what we will be eating the next morning at YTL's Cameron Highlands Resort. The cascade breakfast service offers tea, coffee and juices, followed by a bakery basket, fresh fruits, yogurt, cereal and hot English breakfast. (RM70++ per person).

The large picture windows provided natural daylight for a bright and breezy ambiance

We were quite certain that the kitchen was working with better raw products that are procured from Cameron Highland itself. 

Muffins and Sultana Danish snuggled up in a bakery basket.

Free range eggs poached, served on macaire style potato croquets with wild mushrooms and hollandaise sauce.

Two eggs any style served with beef bacon, breakfast sausage, sauteed mushrooms, stewed tomato, fried farmhouse bread and golden hash brown.

We are fans of good breakfast, especially one that comes with fresh fruits. =)

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Red Beanbag @ Publika

Red Beanbag's menu dazzled with hearty Australian dishes that are fairly priced. The interior was modeled after Australian-inspired cafes, with rustic tables and concrete counters filling up the empty space. 

Cute beanbags hanging above the kitchen window.

Leave it to the passionate baristas to provoke your taste buds.

Beautiful coffee art.

Eggs Atlantic (RM17.90) - Poached eggs with hollandaise, asparagus, mushrooms and smoked salmon. The eggs were cooked perfectly with hearty vegetables and fresh smoked salmon. The only disappointment was the bread - a toasted bread would make a good finishing. 

Long Black - Very drinkable coffee with a soft body and decent aroma.

Eggs Benedict (RM15.90) - Poached eggs with hollandaise, asparagus, mushrooms and streaky beef bacons. A simple hearty meal to kick start our day.

 A meal at Red Beanbag feels like a blissful Melbourne vacation. We are fortunate to have new cafe like this popping out around Dutamas area.

Verdict : SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Boon Fly Cafe @ Napa Valley

Located right next to Carneros Inn, lies a quaint little red barn that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu toggles between signature dishes and fresh creations, inspired by the agricultural heritage of the region.

Our first stop at Napa - A modernized red barn with a chair swing.

The restaurant was homey in its modern minimalist design. 

The open kitchen gave the feeling that I was dining at someone's home.

World Famous Boon Fly Donuts (US$9.75) - Tiny donuts dusted with the right amount of sugar and cinnamon. Worth US$9.75? Definitely not. 

Boon Fly Benedict (US$15) - Beautiful poached eggs covered with a generous amount of Jalapeno Hollandaise sauce. The Caggiano Ham was a sweet surprise, tucked between the eggs and artisan pain levain.

Poppa Joe's Eggs In Hole (US$13) - Griddled sourdough bread with 2 fried eggs in the center, paired nicely with a THICK piece of ham and "oil free" hash browns.

 The eggs were the focal point of the bread.

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but it turns crucial when one decides to spend the entire afternoon roaming the vineyards.

 I always like the idea of food before drinking =)

Verdict: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Paula's Pancake House @ Solvang

You have never been to Solvang, if you have never dine at Paula's Pancake House. The wait was 40 mins, but a quick snack at Olsen's Danish Village Bakery proved to be a short wait. This popular pancake house features original thin Danish style pancakes served with fresh fruits. It also has an all day breakfast menu and lunch menu that starts at 11am (except Sunday which starts at 12pm).

It opens at 6am and close at 3pm.  This is the most popular restaurant in town with people flowing out of the door

Happy diners enjoying their meal and soaking up some sunlight at the patio

The interior is not lavishly decorated but it has a cozy feel

The restaurant was dolled up with some Xmas decorations

Paula's Special - Danish pancakes topped with warm cinnamon apples and fresh whipped cream (US$8.75). This ain't any ordinary bready thick pancake. This thinly spread out pancake was light and fluffy. The combination of warm apple and maple syrup were wonderful.

Breakfast Special - Sunny side up eggs, sausage and hash brown potatoes. The sausage was extremely aromatic and juicy, while the hash brown was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside 

Buttermilk Pancakes with scrambled eggs and grilled premium ham (US$10.45). This old fashioned buttermilk pancake is thicker than the Danish pancake but equally light and fluffy. The perfectly grilled ham was succulent

Egg Benedict - Poached eggs with premium ham on grilled English muffin topped with Hollandaise sauce, served with sliced tomato and fresh fruit cup (US$10.95). Paula poached its eggs with love, topping off with thick Hollandaise sauce and olives. Absolutely beautiful....

We ordered additional corn beef hash and grilled danish sausage - It was perfect =)

You can pack this Solvang Danish style sausage home for US$9.99 (10 per package)

Incredible food with waitresses showing generous amount smiles.

Verdict : TOTALLY SMITTEN

Ye Ole Smokehouse @ Cameron Highlands - Breakfast

Surroundings - Located at Tanah Rata, The Ye Ole Smokehouse is one of the most famous boutique hotel in Cameron Highlands. Built in 1939, this iconic building is situated near the 18-hole golf course. The eclectic mix of furnitures and fittings helped set the right English ambiance for this old colonial.

Menu - The Smokehouse offers traditional English breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. As expected the British kitchen serves tea all day long. Fruits and vegetables are sourced locally from Cameron Highland, while the meats are sourced from the reliable producers around the world. The kitchen has also long been famous for its homemade scones, cakes and jams.

It was a bright and sunny day. Unfortunately we woke up a tad too late to secure a table at the patio area.

Fresh orange juice without ice!

English Breakfast Tea.

"The is ultimate English breakfast" says Mr. Smitten. Hmmm....really?

The blueberry muffin was cold and it reminds me of the muffin served on FireFlyz. The croissants suffer similar criticism. Its not my prerogative to start my day with a sorry pastry. =(

This hearty bowl of English porridge is smooth and has a light consistency. Did you know that porridge should be stirred only using the right-hand and in a clockwise direction to ward off evil spirits?

Homemade jams

My big breakfast set.

Honestly I was quite disappointed with the service and food quality. The pastries was not up to standard and the big breakfast was just mediocre. I much prefer the breakfast at La Bodega. Nonetheless, the stay at The Smokehouse is something to be treasured.

Verdict: NOT SMITTEN

Marmalade @ Solaris Dutamas - Breakfast

Surroundings - Jump start your day with a hearty meal at Marmalade. This child friendly restaurant is located at Level G3, right next to the children playground of Solaris Dutamas. The homely atmosphere coupled with friendly wait staffs set the right tone to start your morning with a glow.

Menu - The restaurant focuses on delivering simple home cook food with big flavours. The salads, gourmet sandwiches, spaghettis and other comfort food makes it an excellent spot for health conscious diners. Marmalade was voted the Best Healthy Eating/Vegetarian Restaurant in the Time Out KL Food Awards 2010. Bravo!

The intensely chocolaty milk shake and refreshing fresh apple juice.

Sounds of Havana was staked with crunchy pineapples, diced pepper, fresh lettuce, roasted chicken cubes and some fragrant cashew nuts. To finish, the bowl was drizzled with honey mustard and coconut salsa.

The combination of strawberries, bananas and french toasts echoed the sweetness of life.

Verdict: TOTALLY SMITTEN