Chawan @ Citta

Following its tremendous success at Telawi, Chawan has opened its second outlet at an unexpected location _ Ara Damansara's Citta Mall (we'd have expected Mont Kiara or TTDI).

Lontong with rendang daging tok. Decent enough to satisfy any hankering for Malay food, though the rice cakes might seem slightly too stodgy.

Nasi kerabu with ayam percik. Not the best in town, but it contains all the essential ingredients. Some of the food here could be precooked and lightly reheated on order, so both the rice cakes in the lontong and the rice in the nasi kerabu risk being less than lukewarm.

Entry on Chawan @ Bangsar: July 31, 2010.

Chawan,

Citta Mall, Ara Damansara.

Wondermilk @ Citta

Concluding our Citta Mall trilogy, we sought sweet succor at Wondermilk after our back-to-back meals at Baci and Gourmandis fell far short of spectacular.

Hello Milo & Very Very Very Chocolate "cuppacakes." This is Wondermilk's second cafe, even more charming than its original outlet at Damansara Uptown, with a terrific service team that knows its food and keeps the smiles coming.

Cookies & Cream Dream, with Peanut Butter Jelly Wonder. Since these are smaller than the ones at Bisou, Cupcake Chic and other outlets, the RM4.50 cost per piece might seem steep at first. But they're much denser, fresh and superbly moist.

Rocky Road & Chocolate Cheese Surprise. The real surprise for first-timers might be that these taste less cloyingly sugary than many other cupcakes, though they remain filled with flavor.

"Foxy" Red Velvet & John "Lemon." Cute names for cute cupcakes.

S'mores. Not something we see on a menu often _ crackers sandwiched with warm chocolate & marshmallows. Messy but marvelous.

Mocha cookies. Not bad, but not the highlight of teatime here.

Toffee & macadamia-flavored milk beverages to end on a satisfying note, thankfully.

+Wondermilk Cafe,

Citta Mall, Ara Damansara.

Gourmandis

Part Two of our Citta Mall exploration: After a middling brunch at Baci, we crossed the corridor for a midday meal at Gourmandis, one of the extremely few outlets here that offer booze.

Gourmandis' food is of the "fusion" bent, blending Eastern & Western sensibilities. The tempura soft-shell crab with bearnaise & red wine reduction sounded promising and looked hearty but tasted like typical soft-shell crab. Nothing more, nothing less.

Rigatoni carbonara with crispy beef bacon & fresh basil. One of those pastas that customers might chew absent-mindedly for a few minutes, and when it's finished, their only recollection would be, "it was OK." In all fairness, we would have loved this 15 years ago, when carbonara was relatively new in KL.

Squid ink linguine in curry laksa with prawns, calamari, clams, chicken, egg, tauhu pok & fuchuk. Alas, the pasta was limp, the broth was weak, and the seafood was less than satisfyingly fresh.

Carta Vieja Origen Chardonnay (Chile) & Santa Magherita Cuvee Pinot Rosso (Italy).

Singapore Sling & Tequila Sunrise cocktails. Cheap, but tasted nearly like mocktails.

Cafe Puci (rum, amaretto almond, espresso) & Long Island Iced Tea.

A note of caution: like Baci, Gourmandis has no credit card facilities so far (though both will, eventually). And like Baci, Gourmandis only informed us of its cash-only conditions when we were settling the bill, not while we were ordering. This could have been inconvenient, since the mall currently only has one ATM-equipped outlet.

Gourmandis,

Citta Mall, Mall, Jalan PJU 1A/48, Ara Damansara.

Baci Italian Cafe

One of the first eateries to plant a flag at CITTA, a new strip mall that has struck a chord with Ara Damansara's residents who now flock here for fun meals.

Baci is run by the restaurant empire responsible for familiar names like The Apartment, Malones, Italiannies, Market Hall & Bedroom. It's no surprise that eating here is a hit-or-miss affair, reminiscent of our experiences at those other outlets, where delicious dishes share the menu with dubious ones.

Bresaola, feta cheese, rocket & avocado panini. A convenient snack, with fairly fresh ingredients. We might have appreciated a more substantial filling and a toastier feel for the bread, but for only RM14.90, it's not a rip-off.

Aglio olio with whitebait. Somewhat interesting, thanks to the tiny, slimy fish. Customers seeking something simple to satisfy their pasta cravings will be pleased to hear this costs a mere RM12.80. Prices are nett for now.

Chicken, wild mushroom & gorgonzola cheese pizza. Skip this; the crust is too thick and doughy, while the toppings seem similar to what a fast-food outlet like Shakey's might serve. But again, the low expense is appealing: RM10.90.

Belgian chocolate & black sesame gelato (RM10.90 for two scoops). Frankly, the chocolate one feels like it came from a Wall's ice cream tub, while the sesame variety tastes too artificial (you'll find much better at a Japanese outlet like Coco.Tei).

Cafe latte & iced toffee frappe. Wine is expected to be available eventually.

All in all, it's a cozy, cheerful hangout that should work well for patrons who want to watch their cash, but the food still needs fine-tuning.

The calm before the crowds came. And when they came, they came in droves.

Baci Italian Cafe,

CITTA Mall, Jalan PJU 1A/48, Ara Damansara.