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