TALK OF THE TOWN

How does your garden grow compared to Table Talk's?

Much as I like and am crazy about food, I don't have that much passion to devote my life to slave over a hot stove day in day out; churning dish after dish out consistently and unfailingly to please paying customers. Uh, I guess that's why I prefer writing about food than making an actual living out of it as a cafe owner or restaurateur.

I take my hat off to chefs and restaurateurs...they're such a special breed of people who not only can stand the heat but also take an unbelievable amount of crap from customers, staff, suppliers and the powers-that-be who need to be dealt with in the running of the F&B business.

I guess hope springs eternal in the hearts and minds of aspiring chefs and wannabe restaurateurs as they bravely go where eagles fear to tread...like Raymond Tan, the enthusiastic owner behind Table Talk, a cosy bistro-style outlet in Taman Tun Dr Ismail who has determinedly set out to put his money where his mouth is.

Natural freshness tops Table Talk's culinary philosophy

"Our aim is to serve real food made from fresh, quality ingredients," said Tan, MD and owner of Table Talk. "I insist on our dishes being free from artificial flavouring, colouring, preservatives and chemicals. If possible, we'd eliminate processed food entirely from our menu but as it is, we are still working towards that."

We are what we eat...

The health-conscious entrepreneur turned restaurateur shared how personal dining out frequency and his own yearnings for simple MSG-free fare have spurred him to venture into the opening of Table Talk. Despite encountering numerous obstacles that sometimes threaten to derail his lofty plans, he insisted on the chef making sauces and necessary dishes from scratch; going to the extent of banning canned food in the kitchen and air-frying chips instead of deep-frying them.

Look ma, no oil! Air-fried fries to lessen the guilt

Opened in November last year, Table Talk has gradually drew young families from around the neighbourhood for its weekend breakfast and a white collar working folks during lunch. The owner is also thinking of enticing couples and families to procure and pick up a picnic basket from the outlet and troop off to the lush Kiara Park nearby for an outdoorsy meal.

Cheesy, eggy goodness...dig in and discover sliced sausages, onion and rustic tomato sauce in the heart of it all

According to Tan, the breakfast crowd has been encouraging since it started. Word has started to spread among their regulars and he is confident that the numbers will increase steadily with time. He enthused on how the house Baked Egg with Cheese (RM13) is fast becoming a popular choice for youngsters who can't get enough of the baked speciality. The rich, cheesy egg mixture with sauteed sausages, onion and homemade tomato sauce is best enjoyed with slices of crisp toast, it's a substantial dish that should leave you replete.

Potato perfection married with peppery sausages and saucy sweet onion

If you're a potato head, then the Rosti Potato with Sausages (RM15) comes highly recommended. Crisp at the edges yet softly textured towards the centre, the delicious pan-fried grated potato patty comes served with sauteed peppery sausages in brown gravy.

The ultimate breakfast platter with eggs, toast, sausages, ham, beans & sauteed greens 

Heartier appetites may prefer the Ultimate Brekkie (RM18) - a platter consisting of two fried or scrambled eggs, turkey ham and sausages, homemade baked beans, rosti potato and lightly sauteed greens with wholemeal toast. Special mention must be made of the baked beans which definitely didn't come out of a can but painstakingly prepared on premise. They're less sweet and not as mushy. The greens sauteed with earthy sliced mushroom should go down well, giving you your first serving of veg for the day.

Fresh & fruity pancakes drenched in syrup and enriched with butter

The saucer-sized Fluffy Pancakes (RM12) are made-to-order and appeared in a petite stack. Personally I would have preferred the syrup served on the side but others may beg to differ. Other accompaniments for this airy light treat include butter and fresh fruits.

Boost your morning with a healthy Fibre Juice smoothie made with real juices and fruits

We also sampled two blends of Fibre Juice (RM9.50) to prep our tummies prior to breakfast. Don't moan or groan over Granny's Favourite - it's actually a healthy concoction of green apple, celery, pineapple and lemon to kick start the day.

Smoother but no less nutritious is Anana-cado which has banana and avocado whizzed with milk and mint for a richer, indulgent drink. You probably can survive half the day on this alone if you're not incline to eat anything upon waking.

Flicking through the a la carte menu, I notice a decent selection of Appetisers (RM12 to RM35), pasta (RM20 onwards) and mains (about RM42 onwards) that should keep non-fussy diners amply filled and satisfied.

Someone told me the steaks at Table Talk are worth savouring too but for me the proof of the pudding is always in the eating. For now I'm sure Table Talk is as keen as any newbie eatery out there to get a taste of sweet success. All it needs is a chance to prove itself. Not such a tall order is it?

TABLE TALK, 4, Jalan Datuk Sulaiman, Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Tel: 03-7733-7718

IT'S A PIG-OUT

On a recent quick hop-over to Singapore, we stopped by for a simple lunch of soup (gasp! those who know me would be shocked as soup's not exactly down my lane) and sandwich at a little outlet called The Soup Spoon.

But hey, I figured that if the outlet's packed the food must be good rite? They even let you sample your choice from a little tasting cup. We opted for the set which consists of a huge bowl of soup, 1/2 a sandwich and a glass of iced lemon tea.

We settled for Clam Chowder which admittedly could have done with more clams and less starch in it but taste-wise it was passable. We were famished and the piping hot brew went very well with the given bread roll. The Ham & Cheese Sandwich (oh, the joy of eating REAL ham in eateries!) was incredibly scrumptious! The panini was soft, the cheese suitably melty and the ham slightly briny - perfect to go with the tangy side coleslaw salad (something our local KFC should learn from). Overall, it was a simple, hearty and reasonably priced meal.


After trawling the malls (they all began to resemble each other after a while), we sought refuge in Blue Mountain Cafe. The place was busy even on a Friday afternoon...I had an Iced Chocolate with Marshmallow (shame it was only one!) - again stupendously good; very chocolatey and milky and just what I needed to soothe my frayed nerves from all that trudging around.

We hung around until it was time for dinner. We headed straight for Tampopo Family Dining - a Japanese restaurant at Takashimaya which touted its Black Pig specialities. Good thing we were early too as the place was soon packed to the brim!

I had Tsuke Soba - essentially cold buckwheat noodles with sliced bacon and leeks in a rich, delicious broth. What made it really outstanding was how the condiments of 2 tiny yuzu strips and a miniscule dollop of citrusy/peppery salt gave such a distinct, tantalising lift to the overall ensemble.


Hubby had the Kyushu Shoyu Ramen - as expected, it was equally yummy. The noodles were springy, the pork bone-based stock sublimely sweet with loads of wakame seaweed, sesame seeds, a hard-boiled egg and a sliced of Black Pig 'char sieu' in it.

Talking about that, we also ordered BBQ Black Pig - only two slices per serving but terribly sumptuous. Despite the meat being incredibly lean, it has a nice melt-in-mouth texture.

Another version of the noodles which we spied from the next table came with a mind-boggling tennis ball-size minced pork ball! I can only imagine just how salubrious it must have tasted...

Of course, I couldn't leave without trying this dessert I had been dreaming of the whole afternoon. The creation features multiple layers of ice-cream, custard and fresh fruit or different flavoured filling on top e.g. peaches and chardonnay, chocolate, green tea, etc

I opted for the Chardonnay Peach Mariage which comprised white peach jelly, chardonnay ice-cream, raspberry confiture, tart and white peach ice-cream. It was a heavenly confection that I had a hard time describing. It's just very sensual, lusciously creamy but light; the taste of crisp Chardonnay clearly discernible on the palate.

According to the promotional flyer, the Patiscream is made with 100% Hokkaido milk in Japan and features seductive variants like Mont Blanc (Italian chestnut cream with Custard Ice Cream and Sponge Cake), Blueberry Cheese Mille-Feuille, Belgium Noisette Chocolat and Passion Mango Trifle.

Needless to say, I looked rather like the cat that got the cream after that sweet treat.