Bad Experience in Bakar (by The BIG Group)

This post is going to be more wordy as I didn't take any pictures. Didn't intend to blog about this at first but I thought good or bad, it's worth a note :)

One lunch as usual, I went out with Denise for our girly Penang session. We went over to Lorong Kurau to get ourselves some Peranakan food in Baba Low's 486. You guys must all be super familiar with this place already, if not, a single Google search will lead you to hundreds of review about this place. It's really that good, and the price is also very affordable. 

Anyway, this blogpost is not going to be about Baba Low but about my experience to Bakar. The last time I came over to Baba Low, I was already interested in the shop that is under renovation beside it so when I went over and I saw that it's already open, I was excited. Me being me, I have always liked to have my after lunch coffee/dessert in a cafe, and I thought that both Bakar and Hits & Mrs (Upon Googling, I found out that they are all under The BIG Group) would be able to satisfy that craving.

After lunch, we first walked into Hits & Mrs because the place had a lot of buzz back then and I have yet to try. But when we went in and took the menu, it was all set lunches. We told the waitress that we are only looking for coffee and desserts and she told us they only served set lunches. This is something new to me and it made me wanted to try their set lunch (Maybe next time haha)

Image via TheMalayMailOnline

She then told us if we wanted to grab some desserts and coffee, we should try the next door, which is Bakar. I of course excitedly agree since I wanted to try both anyway. When we walked in to Bakar, the waiter already knows that we are there for desserts and at first he told us they only serve popsicles for dessert during lunch. But when we asked further, he assisted us in checking with the chefs and they presented us with more choices, which I was happy cause I am not a huge fan of popsicles.

Denise and I then chose to order 'Baked Cookie in A Pan' (RM25) and I ordered an additional Hot Mocha (RM12). Denise wanted to order ice chocolate as she don't take coffee but unfortunately, they do not serve chocolate drink, which was unexpected. 

When my mocha was served, I was not convinced by the look. It looked a lot like milo, or packeted chocolate drink, which I know it's not because I saw them making it. The mocha was very watery by the look, and the colour is not very appetizing (I wish I had a picture to show). My first sip was a larger disappointment. It tasted bitter, with no coffee taste in it. It tasted exactly like the coffee I tried to make a few days ago with my new coffee machine with unsweetened cocoa powder and milk with some espresso. I paid RM12 for a failed coffee I did at home!

Baked Cookie in A Pan came a while later but there are nothing to shout about on this. It's good, the cookie was very rich in chocolate and the vanilla ice cream on top of it melted and blended together with the cookie as they placed the ice cream on the cookie when it was burning hot. However, it tasted just like any other chocolate brownie with ice cream. Due to the rich and thick chocolate brownie however, it does get very filling by the time you reach half and the other half of the brownie gets slightly tougher to eat. Luckily, Denise and I shared or we would not be able to finish it.

Now now, I know maybe coffee and desserts weren't their specialty because they specializes in cooking with charcoal, the old style way (which is definitely something I'll come back to try). I had high expectations on their coffee and desserts because they are under The BIG Group and somehow, my expectations were there. I believe even if they does not specializes in other things on the menu, they should at least try to make it better, not serving us some half-assed (pardon my language) food or beverages. It was a disappointment in terms of coffee and desserts but I have yet to try their main menu, so I wouldn't know if the rest will do the restaurant justice.

Walnut Cafe & Bar

Every time when I drive to Bandar Puteri, I have always noticed a few new cafes emerging at the new office buildings (PFCC) but I never had a chance to try because I am always with family or the timing just isn't right.

I managed to try once about a month back slightly after work but only for coffee and cake. I ordered Tiramisu and remembered that it actually tasted good but was slightly disappointed by the coffee and the utensils given. I was given a spoon for my cake and for a cafe like that, I would expect that the barista they hired would have known a thing or two about coffee and the art but there was no art in my coffee and the taste was not up to standard as well.

This was taken on my first visit.

I believe that the cafe just opened their door to business not long before I visited because I can see the bosses (I think there were 3 to 4 of them) were managing the staffs and guide them on what to do and how to serve and not to leave food unattended in front of the air conditioned and all. The staffs seemed slightly overwhelmed as well..

But since I've been wanting to try their food, I arranged a day and I went to PFCC for one goal, to try the cafe again. I almost detoured went ahead to try the other cafe called Miss T. or the Japanese restaurant called Hiro Zen Restaurant because I've been wanting to try them too and it's the first thing I see when I came out from the lift from the parking.

But luckily, I managed to pull myself together and reminded myself that my aim is to try out Walnut Cafe & Bar and to write a review for those who are interested (I think of you guys when I eat...hahaha) 

The further view of the entire cafe. It has two storeys. The top floor is usually open at night for the bar.

The entrance. Look so high-end. Wave to my silhouette please!

One part of the wall. I love this part because they place a lot of random objects on the frame with yellow lightbulbs that matches the colour of the bricks behind. 

My view from where I sit. The cafe is actually quite big and I am grateful that they did not try to put in as many tables and chairs as they can despite the space they had. So it's actually very spacious and comfortable to walk around. You do not need to worry that you will knock into someone on the way in or out.

They decorate the empty walls around the cafe with different types of clocks, as you can see here, there is one with the bicycle, one racquet clock, British flag clocks and many more. Besides the clock, some parts are also decorated with different shapes and sizes empty photo frames which looks interesting.

Stairs to the second floor. It's still not opened yet when I arrive. Look at how they use the empty photo frames to decorate the wall? Quite interesting, no?

Now, it's time for the food.

Family picture hahaha.

Latte (RM8.90)

There are still no art in my latte but I will not judge a coffee based on the art. However, there are still space for improvement for the coffee. There are a tinge of end bitter taste that is not very pleasant and it's caused from the espresso that sits too long before being poured and mixed with the milk. 

Wild Mushroom Soup (RM10.90)

I am always a fan of wild mushroom soup rather than the conventional mushroom soup. I have no complain on this soup. I love it to every bits. Okaylah, my only complain is maybe the serving is too small. The plate is quite big but the part where the soup is placed is quite shallow and small. Overall, I would recommend this if you're a fan of wild mushroom soup like me!

Wagyu Patty Pasta (RM25.90)

Beef meat, wagyu patty, napolitana sauce, parmesan cheese and running eggs.

This is my first time trying Napolitana sauce and I have to say that it's amazing. The sauce goes so well with the eggs and cheese and spaghetti, I will order this dish again in a heartbeat. 

However, the down point of this dish, is also it's main ingredient, the wagyu patty. The beef was slightly overcooked and it has some burnt area which resulted some parts to be harder to digest. The inside meat is tender though but I personally do not like the way the beef is done so by the time I got to half of the patty, I was already full of it.

With some slight improvement on the patty, this spaghetti would have the perfect combination in my opinion :)

Tiramisu (RM13.90)

You won't find the cake in their menu and the only way to know the types of cakes, is to see it from their counter. I remembered loving the Tiramisu my last visit, so I gave it another go. This time, they served me with a fork! *So much win*

The cake seems to have shrink slightly in size and the outlook of the cake does not look as appetizing as it was the first time. Nevertheless, it still taste good. The sponge in between the cream is soaked with coffee, when I put it in between my tongue and top palate, I manage to squeeze some of the coffee out. 

However, the bread crust at the end of the cake is a weird combination and it's very dry compared to the soaked sponge cake in front. It was a disappointment when I reached the end of the cake because the bread crust has a very bland taste and the dryness of it doesn't help.

Overall, the cafe is very new and still have much to improve in terms of the food & drinks as well as the menu as it is not up to date and there are quite a few typos here and there but it is a very nice and cozy place for a get together with friends or family. Since it's a cafe and bar, I assume if you don't drink alcohol, you can order coffee and still are able to chill with your other friends who drinks. 

Walnut Cafe & Bar

Address: G-10, Ground Floor, Tower 4&5, PFCC, Jalan Puteri 1/2, Bandar Puteri Puchong,, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Contact: 03- 8052 6607 

Opening Hours: Daily, 11am - 1am

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walnutcafepuchong/