Bmon Cafe @ Kota Damansara

Located on the 1st floor along a row of shoplots at The Strand. Kota Damansara, Bmon Cafe looks to take advantage of its creativity to gauge customers to give them a shot. You will be greeted by a variety of interesting drawings and comics as you make your way up to the cafe, from the front gate to the stairwell leading up to their front door. 

One of the more unique cafes around, Bmon Cafe looks to take on a different concept altogether. Bmon chose to place their trust on bold, bright colors whilst most others go for a darker, dimmer, and more sophisticated feel. Probably because of that, the ambiance of the cafe feels more "open" and "happy", if you get what we mean. Its different, but we feel its a good kind of different.

Now, let's broach the topic that is most important, the F&B.

First up, their coffee. We went for our usual Long Black and Cappuccino that night. The coffee was pretty heavy bodied, complimented with a little acidity, and ending with a strong, fragrant aftertaste. All in all, it was a good cuppa, pretty impressive if we do say so. 

Then came the food. =)

Their signature, Hippo In The Pond, is an interesting dish to try. Potato croquette, served under a pile of corn, sausage and ham, with a half boiled egg and topped with fried strips of crab sticks, with a side salad and a cheesy brown sauce. Trust us when we say this, we tried deconstructing the dish and it was pretty difficult to judge, but when you put it all together, this dish will be pretty comforting. Everything on the top was cold(which was on purpose), but when eaten together with the warm, fluffy, crispy croquette, it just works. The sauce just blends everything together, without overpowering each element.

We also ordered the Chicken Wrap since we thought one dish won't be enough to fill our tummies. We really didn't expect much from this, thinking it would be just a normal wrap, but the balance in flavors really gave this dish a thumbs up from us. Chicken, mayo and onions wrapped in warm tortilla, simplicity at its best. 

Bmon Cafe looks to stay true to its own "brand" and interesting enough, it works. We are not manga lovers ourselves, but we were pretty impressed with the cafe. Its very inviting atmosphere makes this a good place to hang out and just chill, not too mention that the F&B were above average. So, if you're looking for a simple, yet stress free place, this is the place we would recommend. 

Bmon Cafe

8-1, First Floor, Jalan 5/20B, 

The Strand, Kota Damansara. 

Coordinates: 3.154223, 101.591952

Opening Hours: Mon-Fri, 12pm-10am; Sat-Sun, 10am-12am. 

Phone: 03-6158-9993

TBF @ Sunway Giza

As you walk around Sunway Giza, you'll notice that the hotspot that was once The Beer Factory has been replaced by another called TBF. TBF? Isn't that an abbreviation for The Beer Factory? Well, we digress. since we live in the present, let's instead tell you about our experience at TBF, Brunch, Bar, Desserts.

A quick first impression from the outside would be that the place still looks a bit like a bar, still often frequented by working adults during their happy hour promotion and through dinner hours, but if you talk to their ushers, they will be more than happy to provide you with their all day brunch menu for your browsing.

A huge screen on each side that projects the restaurant's brand.

Their tissue paper has a kiss and their phone number on it... Pretty unique.

Next, let's talk food!!!
For this post, we are intentionally posting our food in chronological order, so pls bare that in mind and bare with us. =)

Pancakes of Happiness (RM24)

2 soft fluffy pancakes, one with sauteed mushrooms, another can be accompanied by ham or duck bacon, with sides of salad and mushroom sauce. First impression wise, this looks like a pretty decent dish, but unfortunately, sometimes, looks may deceiving. The pancakes were fluffy, but pretty dry on the inside. That was probably why the mushroom sauce was there, but nothing is more of a put off than dry pancakes. The mushroom sauce was on the saltier side and the duck bacon was slightly chewy as well, probably due to its leaner cut. The side salad's dressing was overwhelmingly vinegary, one mouth could either wake you up or make you cough. The only saving grace of this dish was their sauteed mushrooms, though it was nothing to scream about as well.

After a disappointing first dish, we were prepared for the worst.

BUT that was when things took an unexpected 180 degree turn... =)

Salted Egg Fried Chicken Wings (RM21)

Next came the salted egg fried chicken wings. Needless to say, its chicken wings, fully coated with salted egg, fried with some curry leaves and chilli. The smell of this dish was phenomenal. The chicken was fried to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Seasoning was spot on and best of all, there is a small kick to it because of the chilli. Each mouthful was an experience and we can't wait to go back for more.

Waffle Hashed Benedict (RM21)
A pair of eggs benedict, sitting on layers of waffle hash and a strip of smoked salmon, with a side salad. At first glance, this was definitely a well presented dish. If you are anything like us, the first thing you would do is to taste the hollandaise sauce. Hands down, one of the better hollandaise that we have tasted. It was not overly buttery and we detect a hint of mustard, which made it slightly denser in taste. The sauce was on the saltier side, but, when paired together with the rest of the dish, it was delicious! The eggs were perfectly poached, and the waffle hash was crispy to the extent that it will break apart if you try to poke it through with a fork. The smoked salmon compliments the dish well, giving it another level of flavor and texture. This was easily the star of the night and definitely should be one of the reasons you visit this restaurant.

Brownie Bombs (RM18)

Finally was the dessert. They have some interesting ones available, but we decided to go for the classic brownie with ice cream. Their brownies are served in bite sized pieces and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This may seem like a typical brownie dessert, but there is a twist. Their brownies are baked to be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. This elevates the dish to a whole new level. Not only do you have your typical warm, oozie brownie to contrast the cold sweet ice cream, you now have a crunchy chocolatey goodness to go with each spoonful. This was a pretty decent dessert to end a meal, the only criticism from our end is that the ice cream was below par and we can tell from the texture, that the ice cream has been kept in their freezer for a while.

All in all, TBF gave us the impression that they do have what it takes to stand out and serve quality, delicious food. What surprised us the most was their food presentation and you can see from each dish that was served, they do put their heart on the plate. 

TBF,

Ground Floor, Sunway Giza, 

Kota Damansara. 

Coordinates: 3.151618, 101.591370

Open daily, 11am-2am