Ahwahnee Dining Room @ Yosemite National Park

The magnificent Ahwahnee Dining Room was lavishly decorated with a 34 foot high beamed ceiling and large sugar pine trestles that complement the room's granite pillars. It was dressed with huge picture windows, chandeliers and medieval paintings to create the perfect ambiance for diners. Despite the luxurious decors, the 2 pages menu was rather disappointing with very limited choices.

Dungeness Crab Cakes (US$17) - The Bricked dough crusted with apple was very unique with rum and pecans dressings.

7oz Grilled Tenderloin (US$49) - The tenderloin was served together with root vegetable pave, veal sweetbread and porcini jus

Pan Roasted Steelhead Trout (US$33) - Hmmm.... the fish was overcooked and the sauce did not jived with the fish. What a pity.

9oz Angus Beef Prime Rib (US$46) - Palatable. Period.

Rotisserie Chicken (US$45) - The chicken was tender. Period.

Apple Pie (US$11.25) - Nothing great.

Apple Fig Tarte Tartin (US$11.25) - The crust was tough and the apple fig was extremely sour. The ice cream was the only delectable item on this plate.

What more can I say? Ahwahnee Dining Room desperately need a new chef. 

Verdict : NOT 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

Upper Deck Tanzini @ G Tower

Surroundings - Upper Deck Tanzini is tucked on the 29th floor of G Tower. The picture windows, glass ceiling and hanging lights created a beautiful moment for me and my girlfriends. The ambiance was both mystical and enchanting.

Menu - Upper Deck Tanzini is one of the few places in KL that only offers Pre Fix Menu. Diners are allowed to choose the number of food courses - RM155++ for four course, RM185++ for five course, RM215++ for six course.

Badges for the girls...

Amuse Bouche - Chef's big ideas in small bites. Not that small after all. I thought the serving was quite generous. The fish was slightly overcooked, but was artfully presented.

Smoked Northern Piks & Capellini - House smoked Pike Fish, Chilled Ulam Raja Capellini, Trout Roe, Chili Vinaigrette. The pasta was fresh and the Pike fish was tasty. Nonetheless, the dish was a tad too dry with too little sauce to go with the pasta.

Master Kobe Striploin & Wagyu Beef Rump - Even though the presentation was beautiful, I couldn't finish this dish. The quality of the wagyu was subpar and the kobe was unchewable. The worst part was the waiter didn't even bother asking how well I want my beef to be cooked. It was extremely disappointing.

Chocolate Cake accompanied by some fruits. The dessert was palatable.

Unfortunately, aside from the good ambiance, I have nothing nice to say about the food and service. The food was forgettable and all of us agreed that for RM155++, we can get better food elsewhere. Also, the waitstaffs wasn't very helpful and friendly, not the top notch service you expect from a fine dining restaurant.

Verdict - NOT SMITTEN

Egg @ Brooklyn, New York

As soon as we sat down, people started arriving and the next thing you know, there was a queue going outside the shop at 930am. Despite the pleasant environment and 4 stars rating from Yelp, most of the dishes we ordered did not work that well with our Asian palate. The biscuits & gravy, chorizo and sausages were over seasoned and too salty. The only thing that I really enjoyed was the yummy doughnuts coated with sugar.

Chorizo & Eggs

Home-made chorizo with egg, salsa verde, pickled jalapenos and toast

Biscuits & Gravy

Homemade buttermilk biscuits in sawmill gravy with pan seared mushroom

Egg Rothko

Easy cooked egg in a slice of Amy’s brioche and topped with Grafton chedder. Served with broiled tomatoes and ham

Grafton Cheddar Omelet with broiled tomatoes + Homemade pork sausage

3 eggs omelet served with broiled tomatoes and hash brown

Sugar coated mini doughnuts

Verdict: NOT SMITTEN