The Morning After, Pavilion

The deal: RM30 for RM60 cash voucher for food and drinks at The Morning After

What we got:

In contrast with TMA's other outlets in Jaya One and Ativo Plaza, the one in Pavilion, KL wasn't a proper restaurant per se, but rather a counter-cum-kitchen with tables surrounding it. Perhaps it was because of there was no proper cooking area, that the food did not turn out as good as expected.

Wild mushroom soup (RM9.90)

TMA's wild mushroom soup supposedly came with 'hints of truffle oil', but we didn't taste any, not in the slightest. In fact, the soup came really bland, lacking even the basic taste of regular mushrooms. 

Pumpkin soup (RM9.90)

Although the taste of pumpkin in the pumpkin soup was more discernible than mushroom in the mushroom soup, it still wasn't one of the better ones we've tried (my favourite is still the one from Opika).

The American Dream (RM19.90)

The American Dream a.k.a. the big breakfast, with your typical egg, beef bacon, lamb sausage, roasted cubed potatoes, cherry tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms and buttered sammie, i.e. TMA's version of a bagel. The lamb sausage, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and mushroom were good, but the bacon was rather dry. The egg, too, was overly cooked, and so came out dry and, for lack of a better word, flaky.

Mexican Baked Eggs (RM17.90)

The Mexican baked eggs came topped with baked beans, with a filling of cherry tomatoes, peppers and chicken chunks. These eggs also lacked flavour and seasoning, and the one-dimensional taste of overly-done eggs and cheese resulted in us not finishing this dish. As with every dish so far (yes, including the soups), this came with buttered sammie. We found the texture rather tough, and while it tasted all right, our mouth got tired after a while.

All in all, we were not impressed by the food at TMA's Pavilion outlet. It could be that food at its other outlets (with a proper kitchen?) may fare better, but based on this experience, we are not likely to revisit.

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM32.25

Mono Sushi, Solaris Dutamas

The deal: RM16 for RM30 cash voucher for food and drinks at Mono Sushi (the RM30-for-RM60 vouchers were sold out by the time we decided to get the deal)

What we got:

Mono Sushi prides itself on its 120-variety of sushi; 10 interpretations each of 12 different main ingredients: aji (horse mackarel), ika (cuttlefish), hamachi (amberjack), suzuki (sea bass), tai (sea bream), hotate (scallop), ebi (shrimp), unagi (eel), salmon,  managatsuo (butterfish), tako (octopus) and maguro (blue tuna). Prices for the sushi range from RM1.80 to RM10.80. 

Left to right: salmon belly (RM2.80), butterfish (RM1.80), sea bass carpaccio (RM3.80), mentai butterfish (RM2.80), spicy blue tuna (RM4.80) and mango eel (RM6.80)

Ume shiso sauce sea bream (RM3.80) and nama su sauce sea bass (RM2.80)

When presented with so many choices, it can be hard to make a decision - so what we did was to decide what seafood we wanted first, then move on to how we want it prepared. As you can see we kept it safe the first order round, before venturing into less familiar territory with the last two sushi. 

The fish/eel were generally fresh, but we weren't a fan of the rice; it was too wet/mushy and the taste required tweaking (for us, some of the better conveyor-belt sushi chains may fare better). 

Chicken teriyaki and sushi bento (RM23.80)

Mono Sushi's bento box came with the usual chawanmushi and miso soup, but no fruits. Portion was a little small for our liking (though it may not look it from the picture; that or we were just really hungry) and we didn't really enjoy the sushi (the centre is cucumber, not fish as you would expect). In terms of taste, it was just average.

We also ordered a glass of cold green tea, which costs RM1.80.

As a whole, we'd say Mono Sushi was worth a try, 

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM32.50

Muugu, Jalan Jati

The deal: RM55 for RM100 cash voucher for food and drinks at Muugu

What we got:

Muugu is one heck of a place to find. We spent a good 10 to 15 minutes circling the Jalan Jati / Jalan Delima / Jalan Inai area before finally giving up and gave the restaurant a call. A good landmark is Villa Inai; take a left turn right before the condo block and you should be able to see it.

Complimentary bread

Twisty tomato (RM13.95)

Described as 'classic tomato - with a flying kick', Muugu's rendition of tomato soup does indeed have that extra zing to it - we suspect, with an addition of chilli, but just the right amount as not to overwhelm the natural flavours of the tomato fruit.

Truffle fries (RM11.95)

Ahhh, truffle fries. Although Wiki tells us that most truffle oil is actually not made of real truffles, that doesn't change the fact that the bowl of fries we had were wonderfully aromatic and absolutely addictive. So good we paid scant attention to the dipping sauce that came with it.

New York strip (RM39.95)

Muugu called it steaks 'award-winning', so how could we not order them to try? We got the 220g New York strip, which came with sides of ratatouille and mashed potato, and our choice of sauce (we opted for the red wine). We wouldn't necessarily call it the best we've had, but pretty decent as far as steaks go. The mashed potato was a little bland, but we loved the ratatouille. Yums!

Mixed seafood fettucine (RM27.95)

Our other main was the mixed seafood pasta - choose between the penne, fettucine, linguini or spaghetti, tossed with prawns, squid and mussel in a tomato base. Again, a fairly well-executed dish.

What we liked at Muugu, besides the service, was the rather affordable price tag relative to the location. For a restaurant housed in a bungalow a stone's throw away from the Golden Triangle, we expected prices to be on the higher side, where soups would cost somewhere in the mid-twenties and mains probably somewhere near forty (steaks would be in a different price bracket, of course). We really wouldn't mind revisiting.

As was the case with our Black Market vouchers, we got free RM25 credit, so we ended up only paying RM30 for RM100 deal value. 

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM33.20

Black Market, Kampung Pandan

The deal: RM50 for RM100 cash voucher for food and drinks at Black Market

What we got:

First of all, apologies for the pictures in this post. As we're only using our phone cameras (no DSLRs!) and the lighting at Black Market wasn't ideal (it was not well-lit enough for proper pictures), the pictures are pretty dark and low-quality. 

Garlic butter scallop (RM16)

We started off the meal with an appetiser of garlic butter scallop. The amount of scallop more than justified the RM16 price tag. Enjoyable, especially for those who love the fragrantly stinky bulb (this dish was loaded with 'em!).

Black Market's grilled chicken (RM25)

Black Market's grilled pork shoulders (RM38)

We wish we could say we were wowed by our mains (we wanted so much to be) but sadly we can't. While the chicken was succulent, the pork turned out tougher than expected. The sauce for both also tasted rather similar, in that both were quite overwhelming and salty. Save for the different meats used, we couldn't really taste much difference between the two. Truth be told, I regretted my rather ordinary pork order (which costs almost RM40 before service charges). I'm not saying the mains were bad, but I suppose we had higher expectations of the food, especially after seeing how many people were raving about the place in their blogs.

Red velvet cake (RM13)

Our dessert of red velvet cake was quite forgettable. 

Our dinner at Black Market worked out to be  a very cheap (relative to the place, that is) meal for us. Because the group discount site was running a campaign where you could get RM25 off any single purchase of RM50 and above, we only paid RM25 for a voucher worth RM100. After taxes, we only had to top up RM1.20 so our entire meal at Black Market only cost us less than RM30. You can bet we were pretty happy about that!

(We weren't happy that parking cost us RM5 though.)

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM26.20

Amaze K Cafe, Kota Damansara

The deal: RM15 for RM30 cash voucher for food and drinks at Amaze K

What we got:

Amaze K is a hidden gem located in the more industrial part of Sunway Damansara (a street away from where Ad Hog is). We were pleasantly surprised by how affordable a lot of the menu items were.

Cement, steel and bricks - rather standard set-up for cafes nowadays, but one we like nonetheless

Mushroom soup (RM5.90)

Tastes somewhat run-of-the-mill, but thick and creamy enough to keep us satisfied.

Smoked duck spaghetti (RM11.90)

The smoked duck spaghetti was done aglio-olio style, but the pasta suffered from being too wet. Not our favourite spaghetti, but we appreciated the amount of smoked duck thrown in despite the dish costing only RM12.

Hainanese chicken chop (RM15.90)

Amaze K's Hainanese chicken chop fared much better - crispy deep-fried chicken drenched with tomato sauce, topped with shredded onions and diced carrots, with sides of fries, tomato slices and chopped green beans. Portion is commendable, and the sauce was good too (give me tomato sauce over brown sauce anyday). Yup, we liked this dish.

Iced latte (RM9) and carrot juice (RM5.90)

Amaze K's coffee is Espressolab-supplied, so rest assured that your caffeine fix will be, at the very least, decent. The fresh carrot juice, thankfully, wasn't (overly) diluted, which we get sometimes when restaurants try to skimp on quality and make a quick buck.

Sa-yung (RM12 for 6 pieces)

Before we made our way to Amaze K, we contacted the cafe to pre-order their sa yung, or 'Chinese doughnuts' (a one-hour pre-order notification is needed so that they may prepare and serve them fresh). We specifically asked that it be packed for take-away before we left, and we were pleasantly surprised when they handed us our doggy bag when we were almost done with our meal. Not only were they observant, but they didn't need any prompting as well, so kudos for that. 

No photographs of the sa yung, sadly, by the time we got home several hours later after running some errands, they were not as pretty to photograph. We had some in the car while they were hot, and they were a delight to eat - crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside. 

Value-for-money would be the most appropriate phrase to sum up our experience at Amaze K. Would we return? Yes, definitely. 

Tax: None

How much we paid: RM30.60

Simple Life, Bangsar South

The deal: RM29 for RM50 cash voucher for food and drinks at Simple Life

What we got:

Vegetarian food is our go-to food on those days when we feel like we've had a little too much meat in our systems. That, and it makes us feel just a little bit better that we're doing our (small) part for the environment too by consuming less meat.

Sweet and sour crispy abalone mushroom set (RM18.90)

The set meals at Simple Life are priced decently enough. Not as cheap as we hoped for meat-free meals, but not exorbitant either. We got a sweet and sour crispy abalone mushroom set, which came with brown rice, a mini salad, some chopped beans and carrots, pandan 'chicken', and a bowl of soup.

The mushroom were delicious; fried till crispy and coated generously with sweet and sour sauce, tossed together with capsicums and tomatoes. We loved that they served brown rice instead of rice, and the little side dishes that came with the set. Top it off with a bowl of clear soup, and you've got a pretty filling meal for one.  No complaints taste-wise.

Mini steamboat set meal (miso soup) (RM20.90)

We also got a mini steamboat set meal, where we had a choice of either black beans, miso, burdock or tom yam soup. The steamboat ingredients included mushrooms (common, shimeiji,  oyster and emoki), corn, carrot, pumpkin, tofu, seaweed and other greens. Our choice of miso soup--the soup is essentially the make-it-or-break-it of a steamboat, really--was a good one; slightly salty at first, but once you've got all the ingredients  in, the sweetness of the vegetables really balances the whole thing out.

Melaka nyonya cendol (RM5.90)

We couldn't say we really enjoyed our dessert though. While we're fans of gula melaka, this cendol seems to have gone overboard with it, so it ended up being really sweet--too much for our tastebuds to handle.  

RM50 for a vegetarian meal for two (before vouchers) may seem a little steep, to be honest, but we've seen Simple Life vouchers featured several times on group discount sites, so do look out for that; it'll be lighter on our wallets, and perhaps our waistlines too.

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM29.25

Cubes Pizza, Solaris Dutamas

The deal: 2 regular 9" pizzas at Cubes Pizza

What we got:

It wasn't an easy task locating Cubes Pizza in the maze that is Solaris Dutamas. It took us a good ten minutes of searching before giving up and asking for directions.

Decked out in mainly red and white

Once seated, we promptly placed our order. It didn't take too long for our order to arrive, perhaps 15 minutes?

Pesto chicken 

(Italian herbs, marinated chicken, onions, sundried tomatoes, cheese, homemade pesto sauce)

Shrimp scampi

(cooked shrimp drizzled with olive oil and garlic, topped with cheese on a bed of Sicilian cream sauce)

Maybe because I grew up eating mostly Pizza Hut pan pizzas, I really didn't mind that Cubes' pizzas were not thin-crust. In fact, I actually like it.

Toppings-wise, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the pesto chicken. It tasted rather salty and did not resemble the kind of pesto sauce I was used to. I preferred the shrimp scampi; I would say this is rather similar to Domino's Classified Chicken, albeit with seafood. 

Not a bad place overall, but it could certainly benefit from more visibility in the complex.

Tax: Service charge of 10% and government tax of 6%

How  much we paid: RM22

Marufuku Udon, Jaya One

The deal: RM12 for RM20 cash voucher for food and drinks at Marufuku Udon

What we got:

We've been frequenting Sanuki Udon in Taman Desa for several years now, which we love for its simple, fuss-free, affordable meals and speedy service. So when we decided to check out Marufuku Udon, Sanuki's sister restaurant located in Jaya One, we couldn't help but make comparisons with our favourite udon place in KL.

Gyuniku nabe (RM13)

Tempura seafood nabe (RM12)

Marufuku has, no doubt, a lot more choices when it came to the menu. There was a bigger variety of udon, side dishes and drinks, and they also serve donburi and dessert which are not available at Sanuki. Prices are generally RM1 or so higher than Sanuki, which is understandable given its location.

We got the gyuniku (beef) nabe and tempura seafood nabe, both of which are not offered at Sanuki. Served in a claypot, both nabes were rather substantial in portion, with more than sufficient servings of beef/tempura. While most people would welcome an egg in their noodles, we would have preferred doing without it so that we could enjoy the light, sweet taste of the broth. Aside from that, we were pretty much satisfied with our main course.

Kakiage (RM2)

The kakiage here was surprisingly cheaper (by RM1) than the one at Sanuki, despite Marufuku being housed in a shopping complex. The vegetables were cut thinner than what we're used to and have come to enjoy, but that's just us nit-picking.

Chicken katsu (RM5) 

Chicken katsu with wasabi mayonnaise, also not available at Sanuki. We would have enjoyed it more if the wasabi flavour was more prominent.

Chicken karaage (RM3) and tempura oyster mushroom (RM2)

The chicken karaage was pretty consistent in quality with the one in Taman Desa, albeit being rather small. The tempura oyster mushroom was fine.

One significant difference I found between the two outlets is the service. While service was efficient at Sanuki, with food usually served within five to ten minutes of placing the order, the waiters at Marufuku seem unable to cope and appear to be working somewhat haphazardly, resulting in food reaching our table rather slowly.

All in all, considering the amount of food we had, the price we paid was certainly more than worth it.

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM24.70

Fikcles Cafe, TTDI

The deal: Meal + drink for 2 for RM28 at Fikcles Cafe

What we got:

Lontong goreng (RM10.90)

The lontong goreng seems to be a much raved-about item in the blogs we trawled prior to visiting the cafe (yes, research is important!). Fried rice cake with onions, garlic, ginger, chilli and an egg, the portion was big enough to share. As it was our first time tasting this dish, we have nothing to compare it to, but on a stand-alone basis it proved to be rather decent. We would've loved it more if there was less chilli oil pooled at the bottom of the dish.

 Hearty breakfast (RM14.90)

We wanted to try the salted egg squid, since this also seems to have garnered positive feedback from previous customers. Alas, we were informed that they would not be offering this dish that day, as they did not want to compromise on the taste of the dish as the quality of the ingredients were not up to par that day. We got the hearty breakfast instead upon their recommendation.

The scrambled eggs, unfortunately, suffered from too much of a good thing--with the good thing being butter. Not sure if it was a fluke that day, but like how Kaffa Cafe botched their scrambled eggs with way too much salt, the chef here seems to be a bit too generous with the butter. The sausage was slightly spicy and very delicious, while the mushrooms, baked beans, tomato and croissant was average. 

Green tea extravaganza (RM14.90)

Essentially ice-blended green tea with milk. You'll love this if you love Starbuck's ice-blended green tea cream. Serving size was great too.

Flat white (RM8.90)

If there's one thing we would recommend they improve on, it would be the ventilation of the place. Because the kitchen wasn't properly separated from the dining area, we could smell what's cooking the moment we opened the doors to the establishment; not exactly what we expect when we choose to have our meal at a cafe. That aside, our waiter was really friendly, making for a pleasant dining experience.

Tax: None

How  much we paid: RM28

Bricks & Barrels, Desa Sri Hartamas

The deal: Western lunch at Bricks & Barrels for 2 people at Bricks & Barrels

What we got:

Keeping it short and sweet this time: the deal was for 1 soup of the day, 1 choice of main course and 1 ice lemon tea for each person.

Mushroom soup

Soup of the day. Tastes like the store-bought variety.

Pan-roasted honey mustard pork chop with creamy mustard sauce

Generously sprinkled  with peppercorn, the honey mustard pork was sweetly savoury and well-flavoured, albeit the meat was a bit tougher than we would've liked. The accompanying sauce tasted like a mixture of cream and cheese (somewhat salty) with light hints of mustard. If you ask me, I thought the pork chop is best eaten sans the cream sauce, which rather drowns out the sweetness of the marinated meat.

Italian roast pork loin with wild white mushroom sauce

The Italian roast pork loin looked a lot more appetising in the picture on the deal page, so we were a little disappointed when the meat came looking rather white and dry. On its own, the pork was a little plain-tasting, although it had rather interesting, light hints of lemon. Again, not a fan of the sauce, although it was less cloying than the creamy mustard sauce.

As with the honey mustard pork chop, the Italian roast pork loin came with a strip of roasted pork skin that was too hard to enjoy.

Ice lemon tea

The food was not too shabby in general, although nothing particularly knocked our socks off.

Tax: None

How much we paid: RM29

Yuu-jo Japanese Restaurant, Mont Kiara

The deal: Omakase 6-course meal for 2 pax (RM37) at Yuu-jo Japanese Restaurant, Mont Kiara

What we got:

Despite being advertised as 'omakase' on the deal site, it really isn't. This 6-course meal seems to be a current promotion, because you could order it even without vouchers, albeit at a higher price. 

For our first course, we were served a bowl of soup each. Although it was labelled 'chicken soup', the broth was more vegetables than meat chunks, but it doesn't matter--it was delicious regardless. We couldn't get enough of this.

Next came the salad. Now, we're not salad people (give us meat any day!), but we enjoyed this one: salmon flakes and bits  of tempura with cherry tomatoes and greens. The highlight of this dish? The dressing, hands down. My partner took his first bite and went, 'Wow, refreshing!'. The dressing was light and citrus-y, and, cliche as it may sound, really awakens the tastebuds.

Dish 3: salmon carpaccio. Unlike the thin fish slices you'd normally find in most Japanese restaurants, Yuu-jo's salmon was sashimi-thick and served skin-on. Would've preferred it without the skin, though. My partner felt it wasn't very fresh but I thought otherwise.

Our fourth dish (and we were starting to feel like we've eaten half a main course by now) was yasai, or vegetable, tempura. Consisting of cucumber, eggplant, sweet potato and onion, I didn't quite like the breaded texture of the deep-fried vegetables. Give me normal tempura batter anyday.

Ah, our main course, finally. He got the beef teriyaki don while I chose the salmon teriyaki don (serving for both was a little on the smaller side). Nicely flavoured from the salty teriyaki sauce, but the beef turned out tougher than we'd like, while the salmon came a little dry on the inside. Not a bad dish overall, but could've been better.

Dessert was ice-cream. We were given one scoop of vanilla and one of chocolate. Nothing to shout about; these taste like your typical store-bought frozen treats.

At RM18.50 per person, I'd say it was a good deal.

Tax: Service charge of 10%

How much we paid: RM37