AK Food Adventure ~ Food Marathon @ Avenue K Shopping Mall Jalan Ampang KL ( PART 1 )

AK FOOD ADVENTURE

29 NOV 2014 

An Exciting & Fun Food Tasting Marathon At Avenue K

AK is Kuala Lumpur's coolest urban hub where shopping is celebrated. Avenue K aims to indulge your retail desires, cater to your entertainment needs and satisfy your appetite for top-notch dining in comfort.

With over 60 exciting dining options including Wondermama, Simplyd, Samba Brazilian Steakhouse Churrascaria, Tsukemen Izakaya, Marutama Ramen, Ayers Rock, Delifrance, Sushi Box, Ah Cheng Laksa, Tokyo Pastry, Johnny Rockets, Fat Boy's Burger Bar, Warisan Kafe, Espressolab, Upbeat and Krispy Kreme, there is no doubt that Avenue K is a Foodies's Haven.

Recently, about 50 hand-picked food and lifestyle bloggers were invited to be part of Avenue K Food Adventure on the month of November. I was also one of the lucky bloggers to be invited for this exciting and fun food tasting marathon event.

Every bloggers were each given a AK Food Adventure Passport and a goodie bag. Our task for the day was to just hop-on, hop-off on the dedicated eateries at Avenue K, eat and introduce them. A list of 20 selected participating eateries were available for us to visit, but we were only required to complete a minimum of 10 restaurants at least. As it was a whole day event from 10 am to 10 pm, my fellow bloggers and I have the whole day to eat in Avenue K, how awesome !

Wish Me Luck for the Food Adventure

Our task was to LOCATE the eateries, ORDER the food, CAMERA EATS before we do, simple as that. Seems easy but the challenging part was my team and I targeted to cover all the 20 eateries in the 12 hours event. Well, that was where the exciting and craziest part of the event begins for us.

We were practically running around the shopping mall , Order-Shoot-Taste-Passport Stamped before we moved on to the next stop. It was truly a fun and exhilarating food event for me as a food blogger.

My Foodie Friend, Vivian Chooi ~ vivichooi.blogspot.com with Me  

Crazy and thrilling adventure food marathon for me, Auntie Lilly of followmetoeatla.blogspot.com, my hubby, Uncle Hong of bestrestauranttoeat.blogspot.com and my two sporting good friends ~ food bloggers, Wen Li and Vivian Chooi as we braced ourselves for an NON-STOP EATING SPREE challenge at this AK Food Adventure. Passion drives, we were tired and full but utterly satisfied with our discoveries of more delicious plus yummy places to eat for our readers at this brand new mall.

This holiday, Avenue K transforms into a land of magnificence for the festive season. Bringing its Christmas decorations to life with enchanted pink Christmas trees, a gigantic Santa Claus riding on a fuchsia Mini Cooper and oversized presents. From the main entrance, shoppers are ushered into the mall filled with all things candy pink bright.  

Shoppers were treated to a surprise  visit by Santa Claus himself who merrily gave out Christmas lollipops from his large, red sack.

Avenue K greets its shoppers with larger-than-life Santa Claus sitting in his Fuchsia AK Mini 

Highlight of the day was when Avenue K launched its 'Santa's Party' Performance at 4 pm with amazing vocal powerhouse and singing sensation, Joy Victor leading the dance floor while belting out Christmas numbers. The climax of the launch was the amazing dancing performance, an ensemble of performers dressed as sexy Elves and pretty Santarinas, who sprang into dance once the DJ blasted well-loved and joyful Christmas tunes. 

Pretty Santarinas dancing away set the mood for a wonderful festive season

Shoppers In Awe with Joy Victor's superb performance

Larger than life, famous singer Joy Victor entertains the weekends shoppers with her powerful vocal performance dancing along with the pretty Santarinas. Singing sensation, Joy Victor belting out Christmas numbers transforming the ground floor atrium into a mini concert sets the mood for Yuletide holiday cheer and glee.   

The spectacular performance sent applause through the crowd and marked the grand launch of the festive season. The live musical dance dance show enthralled the shoppers and captivated the audience's hearts.

Photo Session with Diva Joy Victor  

The show isn't complete till you have snap picture with the pretty & gorgeous Elves dancers like me!

A Well Stamped ~ Auntie Lilly of FollowMeToEatla's Food Passport 

My Mission accomplished with Successful 17 F&B outlets reviewed in my exciting Avenue K Food Adventure ~ completed in a 12 hours non-stop food marathon. Watch Out for my post ~ PART 2 of  the Best Food to eat at Avenue K.

My 12 hours Food Adventure brought me to noodles house, burgers bar, cake house, steakhouse, malay warung, coffee house, chocolate kiosk and bakery among others in this coolest urban hub. From fast food to fine dining, we were pamper our taste buds and be spoilt for choice with over 20 different F&B options to choose from offering a wide array of scrumptious menus that will make you drool for more. 
     

Mouth-Watering Dishes of AK Food Adventure

Food & Food & More Food Pictures

  

Meanwhile, feast your eyes on my drool-worthy food pictures ~ Total of 17 F&B outlets I had checked out in my '12 Hours Back to Back Food Marathon'. There are a wide array of cuisines to choose from in Avenue K ranging from noodles, rice, sushi,grills, burgers, ramen, seafood, pasta, sandwiches, salad, wrap, coffee, cakes, desserts including Asian, Western, Nyonya, Chinese, Malay to Japanese fare.

Palate-melting Combination from the 17 F&B Outlets

Perfect Combination of Coffee, Cakes & Desserts ~ Sinful Treats but a Deserving Indulgence for Me

Truly a Foodie's Haven

A Fully Stamped Food Passport from 17 F&B Outlets 

All in all, my foodies friends and I had a great time, in fact a very challenging task for us to 'Eat, Shoot and Review' all 17 food outlets in minimum of 12 hours but we somehow did it. I'm proud to say that our success was all due to good teamwork and collective efforts from my team members, many thanks to Wen Li and Vivian, both young and avid food bloggers. 

  

Before I end my post, I would like to say that this had been an amazing, spectacular event for me this year. Many thanks to the Gina Suhki from AK team and Ashley Yeen for inviting me as a part of this exquisite event. 

Don't forget to look out for my coming post - PART 2 AK Food Adventure ~ Food Marathon ( PART 2 ) & PART 3 AK Food Adventure ~ Food Marathon ( PART 3 ) of Best Food To Eat in AK Avenue!

Visit their Social media Site below for more information! WEBSITE - FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM - TWITTER 

Avenue K Shopping Mall

156 Jalan Ampang

50450 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 2168 7800

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Kafe Vietnam @ Bandar Puteri Puchong ~ Authentic Vietnam Cuisine

Capturing The Essence Of Vietnam Cuisine

Family Cafe Serves Authentic Recipes From Homeland

Family-run restaurant Kafe Vietnam has managed to capture the essence of Vietnam cuisine, which is known for its natural flavours derived from using fresh ingredients that include lemon grass, ginger, coriander, lime, mint, cinnamon, bird's eye chilli and basil leaves. Restaurant's owners Justin Chew and his Vietnamese wife, Dona Linh runs the restaurant while Dona's nephew works behind the scenes as head chef to helm the kitchen.

Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of oil and generous usage of herbs and vegetables to enhance its dishes. I have always enjoyed eating Vietnamese food as its one of the healthiest cuisines worldwide.

Spacious & Clean 

Kafe Vietnam, a neighbourhood cafe located strategically at Bandar Puteri Puchong. Nestled in a corner shop lot at the main road, this cafe is not hard to spot, just look out for the mannequin in blue ao dài (Vietnamese national costume). The cafe's interior is spacious and cozy with a seating capacity of up to 50 people. 

The menu features an array of authentic Vietnam recipes such as Goi Cuon (spring rolls), Banh Xeo (crepe like pancake), Pho (soup noodles), Banh Mi (sandwich baguettes) and many more. The recipes come from Dona's family, so the husband and wife team working together to serve authentic Vietnamese cuisine with a family-oriented dining experience. 

Our feast began with 3 types of appetisers ~ Our starters are Chicken Salad, Beef Salad and Prawn /Pork Salad. Vietnamese salads is a combination of a variety of fresh vegetables served with meat - either boiled lean pork, beef, shrimp or chicken mixed together with condiments include herbs and peanuts. The salad is mixed with a sweet, spicy, sour and fishy vinegar dressing to give the tangy flavour. 

 GOI GA  ~ Chicken Salad 

( Shredded Chicken, cabbage, onion & herbs ) 

RM 13.90

  

GOI BO BOP THAU ~ Beef Salad

RM 13.90

GOI RAU CAU TOM THIT~ Jelly, Prawn & Pork Salad 

RM 13.90

Next, we had the Banh Trang Cuon which simply means the "Wrap & Roll" where edible Vietnamese rice paper wrappers are used to wrap basic ingredients such as rice noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber, lettuce and basil with meat added. These wrappers are thin, light and translucent in texture. I enjoyed eating the spring rolls as they are not only healthy but very tasty as well. The perfect finger food and good for sharing in big group too.   

They are several Banh Trang Cuon (Wrap & Roll) to choose from at Kafe Vietnam. Diners can pick from the , Deluxe Mixed Platter, BBQ minced Pork, Boiled Pork Belly, Vietnamese Pancake, Sugar Cane Prawn Cake or even  the Deep Fried Gurame/Tilapia.

THAP CAM CUON (Thit Nuong, Nem Nuong, Chao Tom va Cha Gio)

 Deluxe Mixed Platter 

RM 31.90

A combination of mixed platter of everything in the menu with Skewered BBQ Minced Pork, Chunky Pork, Sugar Cane Prawn Cake & Fried Spring Roll. With this platter,  diners get to try a mix of the meat items and it's good for sharing between 4 to 6 persons. Don't forget to dip your self- made roll with the sweet, spicy and sour sauce as both goes hand in hand to brings out the flavour and texture in the roll.  

BAHN XEO ~ Vietnamese Pancake

RM 15.90

Here is the Bahn Xeo, a Vietnamese Pancake made from rice flour, green pea flour mixed with some bean sprouts, pork belly and prawns and pan fried till crispy perfection. Use it as a filling together with the fresh vegetables, wrap & roll with the rice papers and pop em' into the mouth! 

Wrap & Roll 

This traditional Vietnamese Spring Rolls are a fresh and healthy, full of fresh vegetables and lean meat, so eat up!

PHO BO ~ Beef Clear Soup Koay Teow

RM 14.90

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup 

What is Vietnamese cuisine without the Pho? Dining experience at a Vietnamese restaurant would not be complete if you have not tried the Pho. This simple staple noodles dish is found in all major cities in Vietnam. You are bound to bump into a crowd of hungry patrons slurping delicious noodles at a makeshift pho stand. 

This simple yet flavourful noodles dish consists of a beefy broth, fresh rice noodles, a sprinkling of chopped spring onions, fresh herbs and generous slices of tender beef. One of Vietnam's most popular dish makes a wonderful meal understandably why and perfect for breakfast and lunch. Loves the light and clear sweetness of the beefy flavour, definitely goes well with many beef lovers.

BO KHO ~ Mild Spicy Beef  & Carrot Stew with Egg Noodles

RM 14.90

Bo Kho is basically Vietnamese beef stew, an aromatic and delicious dish cooked with fresh herbs and fragrant spices such as lemon grass, ginger, chilli, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and fresh basil.

Enjoy savouring this bowl of tender beef with lingering scents together with egg noodles at Kafe Vietnam. One of those comforting dishes that you love to have on weekends mornings when you're in no particular rush so that you can slowly savour and linger over bowls of beefy broth.  

 BUN BO HUE ~ Hue Slice Beef, Ham with Thick Rice Noodles in Spicy Soup

RM 14.90

Bun Bo Hue is a Vietnamese classic spicy beef soup. A light stock made with beef and pork bones, scented with lots of lemon grass and shrimp paste. You would enjoy this dish if you like its balance of spicy, sour, salty and sweet flavours and the predominant flavour of lemon grass.  

Spicy fiery orange soup ladled over thick rice noodles, common toppings include sliced beef, pork ham and plenty of fresh herbs. Definitely a better option for those seeking a spicier and sizzling flavour from the other two milder noodles dish. 

 COM GA XOI MO ~ Special Fried Rice with Oil Seared Chicken

RM 13.90

A Vietnamese Chicken rice dish, served with an oil seared chicken drumstick with a flavoursome yellow rice. Xoi Mo is actually a cooking technique where hot oil is continually poured over the chicken to cook it.

Everyone really loves the well marinated and tasty chicken drumstick as it was juicy and tender with the crispy skin. I was told that the drumstick was marinated with 8 different type of herbs and spices for a minimum of  at least 6 to 8 hours.   

Justin also shared with us the yellow rice was cooked with a unique spice found only in Vietnam which was used to fry the rice with for that special fragrant it brings out.   

 COM THIT KHO TRUNG ~ Rice with Stewed Pork Belly & Egg

RM 13.90

A Southern Vietnamese classic dish of braised pork with hard-boiled eggs simmered with coconut juice. This dish is an everyday dish the Southern Vietnamese people enjoy year around, but also a festive dish during Tet, the Vietnamese New Year.

I love the creamy egg and tender pork belly combo, so earthy and so flavourful, so comforting to eat. Spooned over rice with plenty of sauce, it's the perfect comfort food for a rainy day. The light-tasting sauce made from coconut juice provide plenty of sweetness on its own, add depth to the juicy pork.  

 COM CA BASA KHO TIEU ~ Rice with Black Pepper Basa Fish

RM 14.90

For those favouring something apart from the pork and beef, can opt for this fish dish called Black Pepper Basa Fish. Basa fish is an imported fresh water cat fish from Vietnam. White fillets with no bones, and flesh that is light, firm texture with a mild fish flavour. Cooked with black pepper, fresh chillies and fish sauce, this dish goes very well with rice.      

Crispy Fried Oysters 

RM 17.90

Fresh Korean oysters were dipped in batter and fried to perfection. Creamier and pricer than the regular ones, it was crispy and juicy too!

HEN XUC BANH DA ~ Fried Saffron Lala Meat with Sesame Seed Rice Crackers 

RM 17.90

Imported from Vietnam, the yellow lala was pan fried with fresh herbs and chillies and served with crispy sesame seed rice crackers.  

Appetising starter ~ Fried Baby Squid 

RM 14.90 

 LAU VIT NAU VHOO ~ Fermented Beancurd Duck Yam

RM 31.90

A popular Chinese Vietnamese dish with recipe from Dona's family. Justin takes pride in his Vietnamese cuisine serving his family time-honoured recipes. A crowd pleasing dish, it was mildly flavoured broth using premium fermented bean curd paste as the main ingredient. Almost a complete and balanced meal with vegetables, foo chok and chunky yam added in. Good stuff !

An intense protein laden milky broth simmered for many hours, you could taste the meaty goodness in the broth. Everyone at the dinner table really enjoyed this delicious dish eaten together with some fresh greens and noodles too. Go and try this savoury milky duck broth to delight your palate. I'm sure you won't regret it ....

NUOC GIAA KHAT ~ Special Vietnam Coffee

RM 6.90

Wrapping up the meal is none other than the famous Vietnam Coffee, a drink synonymous with Vietnam cuisine. My favourite of the night was without a doubt the NUOC GIAA KHAT ~ Special Vietnam Coffee. An in-house blend with 45% of lowland coffee, 45% of highland coffee mixed with 10% wild civet coffee beans commonly known as 'Kopi Luwak'. A must-try for coffee lovers,

You can also stock up imported Vietnamese groceries from Kafe Vietnam. Justin and his wife brought in some popular brands of Vietnam instant  noodles, premium grade fish sauce, cooking sauces, condiments, crackers and many others to choose from.

Kafe Vietnam ~ Pre-packed Coffee For Sale

Kafe Vietnam also sells some pre packed coffee in their cafe. Imported from Vietnam, there are 3 types which are House Brand, Deluxe Grade & Civet Cat Premium Grade Coffee for you to pick from. 

We left feeling utterly satisfied. Justin and his team are people who are truly passionate with their food, culture and heritage and with only one aim to serve tantalising and authentic Vietnamese cuisine to the local folks in Malaysia.    

So, if you are looking for some real tasty and affordable Vietnam food, just come by to Kafe Vietnam and look for Justin and Dona for some good recommendations. Don't forget to mention Auntie Lilly ~ FollowMeToEatLa  'brought' your tummy there! 

Kafe Vietnam

No. 1 Jalan Puteri 4/1

Bandar Puteri

47100 Puchong

Selangor.

Tel: 8052 7472

Opening Hours: 10:30am to 2:30pm, 5:30 to 10:00pm

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/kafevietnam

Drop a LIKE in my page for my latest review

www.facebook.com/FollowMeToEatLa