Made's Warung @ Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

Made's Warung has been a longtime favorite for locals and tourists. The myriad of choices may feel overwhelming and my suggestion is to go with traditional Balinese dishes which hardly go wrong. 

The restaurant is a great hang out place for visitors, thanks to its large garden area filled with tables and chairs, as well as a communal table section. 

Made Warung has two outlets, one in Kuta, another in Seminyak. Everything seems bigger and wider at the Seminyak branch, well... except for its menu. 

Soto Madura (IDR 35.000) - A bowl of heart warming soup after a 3hr flight from KL. 

Babi Sate (IDR 50.00) - Each Sate was delicately flavored with spices like coriander, cumin and turmeric. To further enhances the flavor, dip the sate into the homemade peanut sauce - You can never have too much peanut sauce on this babi.  

Gado - Gado (IDR 30.00) - Those into peanut sauce should definitely sample the Gado-Gado, which is vegetables in peanut sauce, mainly composed of assorted vegetables mixed in peanut sauce topped with some chili padi. 

Bebek Tootoo (IDR 165.000) -  A tender piece of duck tossed in traditional Balinese sauce. 

Nasi Campur Special (IDR 65.000) - This plate of nasi campur had a view of beef rendang, smoked chicken, sambal prawns and local vegetables. A very colorful view indeed! 

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Made's Warung @ Seminyak

Address: Br. Seminyak, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

Telephone: +62 361 732130

Website

Conditori La Glace @ Copenhagen, Denmark

When Master Confectioner Nicolaus Henningsen opened his doors at Skoubogade 3 in 1870, he never thought that the confectionery would stay at the same location for more than 5 generations. 

Guests have come and go in steady stream over the past decades - all overwhelmed by the extensive assortment of cakes, cookies, chocolates and ice creams. 

With furnitures dating back to the 1920s, the ambiance was pleasant, making it a wonderful place to indulge oneself with sweets and caffeine. 

Sportskage (DKK 52) - If you could only order one thing here ( which is not recommended ) make it the Sportskage. This house specialty was created back in the 1891 for a theater play called "Sports Man". The treat was amply riched by crushed nougat, whipped cream and macaroon bottom.

Fragilite (DKK 31) - Also not to be overlooked is the Fragilite, which literally means fragile in French. This lovely pastry was made of almond bottom, mocha butter cream and decorated with powdered sugar. 

Efterarskage (DKK 52) - Another name to drop is The Autumn Cake, an art piece filled with chocolate truffle, chocolate bottom and smothered with butter chocolate! 

Conditori La Glace is not just a go-to place for desserts, they also rule when it comes to hot chocolate.  

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Conditori La Glace

Address: Skoubogade 3, 1158 Kobenhavn K, Denmark

Telephone: 3314 4646

Operating Hours: Mon - Thu 8.30-5.30pm, Fri 8.30-6pm, Sat, 9-5pm, Closed on Sunday

Website

Den Gyldene Freden @ Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden

A continuous stroll at Gamla Stan will ultimately lead you to one of the oldest restaurant in Sweden - Den Glydene Freden. 

The restaurant name which means "Golden Peace" refers to the famous Treaty of Nystad in 1721, that helped ended the Great Northern War by making peace between Sweden and Russia. 

This traditional rustic Swedish home cooking restaurant has been in business since 1722. 

Its cozy interior, dim lighting and antique furnitures helped to recreate the 18th century dining ambiance.

The rustic open air kitchen was bright and graceful, filled with modern cookwares.

We were offered three types of bread - Swedish flat bread (top) Limpa bread (center) and Baguette (bottom). The limpa bread was extremely memorable given its unique caraway and anise flavors. It also had a subtle sweet tone, which made it rather interesting. 

House Made Selection of Herrings and Baltic Herrings - As we waltzed through the herrings from sweet (honey herring) to savory (capers herrings and goat cheese herring). We were presented with some boiled potatoes.

These delicate and lightweight potatoes paired well with the heavily cured herrings. 

Swedish Meatballs with Cucumber, Lingonberries and Cream Sauce -You can't leave the restaurant without trying the meatballs with lingonberries. The meatballs were bursting with fresh minced meat and was further punctuated with some lingonberries and cream sauce. If only we can find such delicious meatballs back in Malaysia.

Lingonberries also known as mountain cranberries, is a staple food in Scandinavia. It is a popular relish for meatball, beef stew and liver dishes. 

Marinated and Butter-fried Cod with Crayfish Sauce and Spinach (SEK 325) - The pairs were marinated and slightly butter-fried before it was topped with a slew of crayfish sauce. The final flourish of spinach and potatoes were ideal for spooning over the creamy sauce. 

Beef with Chanterelles, Bacon and Mashed Potatoes (SEK 355) - Lastly, the steak found its way from the vintage cookbook to the dining room's table. The perfectly cooked steak was hard to go wrong with any sauce, but the chanterelles sauce with bacon was a marvel. 

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Den Gyldene Freden

Address: Osterlanggatan 51, Box 2269, 103 17 Stockholm. 

Phone: 46 (8) -249760

Yamagoya Ramen @ Publika, Solaris Dutamas

Located on level G2 (same level as Rakuzen and Ben's) at Publika, Yamagoya Ramen which opened its doors in April 2012 has garnered quite a good following over the last few months. 

Seasoned Soft Boiled Egg - Never leave the eggs in the kitchen, as there are meant to be served. Even though the eggs were a tad over cooked, nothing can come between our love for eggs, especially well seasoned eggs.

Yamagoya Ramen (RM19) - Yamagoya Ramen was probably the plainest option on the menu, which was nothing more than a twirl of silky soft noodles, bean sprouts, 2 slices of char siu, wood ear fungus and thinly chopped green onions. The char siu was tender and well flavored with a nice salty and intense pork flavor. 

Mukashi Special Ramen (RM24) - This was probably the most popular ramen on the menu, where noodles luxuriated in hot broth, together with seasoned egg, bamboo shoots, char siu, wood ear fungus, seaweed and green onions. The broth was rich and creamy, while the noodles were thin, round and buttery soft. 

Black Garlic Ramen (RM22) - The blackened soup was garlicky and more pungent compared to the milky pork bone soup. The noodles were perfectly toothsome with a touch of nutty garlicky flavor. This was definitely a healthy blend with a different depth of flavors.

Gyoza (RM11) - While we appreciate the wholesome ramen broth, we can't help but to love the gyoza, which completed the meal with another tang. 

Many Asians believe that noodles represent longevity and it is not meant to be cut or bitten half way. So if you are planning to have noodles tonight, make sure you slurp them in one go and try not to choke yourself in the process =)

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

The Lord's Cafe @ Cameron Highlands

The Lord's Cafe (previously known as T-Cafe) has been baking superb scones at the first floor of Main Road, Tanah Rata since 2003. The pastries and desserts have long been the cornerstone of the menu. 

While the rest of the city swelters, 

We are blessed with cooling breeze. 

Strawberry Fruity Scone (RM2.80) -  Scones are an essential part of a traditional afternoon tea. The Lord's scone was light, fluffy and well risen. 

Chicken Pie Home Speciality (RM4.30) - Golden crusted pie filled with chicken, carrots and peas. 

The welcoming pie tasted even better with a few dabs of ketchup.

Cameron Valley Strawberry Tea and Boh's Camomile Tea (RM2.90 each) - We wonder why evening tea seems to taste better at Cameron highlands.

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

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

Kirishima @ Dua Residency (Dua Annexe), Kuala Lumpur

There are two ways to stand out in the increasingly crowded Japanese game: authentic flavors or value for money proposition. Kirishima is one of the few Japanese restaurants that offers both. The food here are not priced prohibitively and the ingredients are always fresh.

Nestled snugly among the apartments of Dua Residency, the eatery comes with well trained waitresses, minimalist decor and Japanese zen type vibe that sets it apart from your local sushi joint. 

We started off with boiled spinach, dressed with sesame seed and light soy sauce. 

It was followed by lotus root, carrot and Chinese mushroom

Chawanmushi (RM8) - This may be an old fashioned dish but the silky soft steamed egg never fails to win our hearts over and over again.

Kani Salad (RM32) - A piled of mixed salad topped with crab meat flakes, tomatoes and shrimp roe with wafu dressing. 

Shiro Maguro (RM38) and Salmon Oyaki Mori (RM42) - The restaurant receives new shipment of fish every Tuesday and Friday. Hence, it is wise to come during those days to enjoy immaculately fresh sashimi.

Foie Grass BBQ (RM38) - It is not very often that we will find Foie Gras on the skewered menu. When we saw it, we were tempted to try. The pronounced earthiness and creamy texture was enough to guarantee a standing place next to the Chef's grill. 

Soft Shell Crab Roll (RM18) - The hunky roll was held together with rice paper, filled with generous amount of avocado and soft shell crab.  

Grilled Minced Chicken (RM9) - In effort to showcase the minced chicken's brilliant pairing potential, the Chef hosted a raw egg yolk next to it.

Wagyu Seiro Mushi a.k.a Steamed Wagyu Beef (RM38) - The wooden square steamer, which was placed on top of a boiling pot of water, was filled with thinly sliced wagyu beef and cabbages. The dish was unpretentious, with tender beef slices that exploded into buttery flavor.

Garlic Fried Rice (RM12) -  A garlic laced fried rice served in a hot stone bowl. The result was an epic dish with Japanese flavors running headlong into Korean cooking techniques. 

VERDICT: SOMEWHAT SMITTEN

Smitten Dishes:

Wagyu Seiro Mushi 

Garlic Fried Rice

Salmon Oyaki Mori