Go Gourmet

Carb-loading with Go Gourmet, kicking off with Chinese fried rice. Nicely laden with chicken, crab, anchovies & salted egg but completely lacked 'wok hei.'

More "nasi goreng," served with Thai "weeping tiger," or grilled rib-eye beef. Respectably tender meat, but the rice failed to pull its own weight, bordering on bland.

The Malay nasi ulam fared better, with deliciously boneless "ayam percik."

Pad Thai. Well-executed; not the best ever, but piquantly satisfactory.

Kuey teow with beef slices & balls. Lots of succulent meat & bouncy balls for merely 14 ringgit, but to nitpick, the broth seemed deluged with sodium.

Turning Japanese: chicken katsu don, featuring rice topped with crisply breaded chicken & egg. Tasty enough to pass muster at most Japanese outlets.

Chicken miso ramen. Not bad, but with so many ramen specialists sprouting up in KL nowadays, this is only worthwhile if you can't reach a real restaurant.

Ending it all: seafood kuey teow. Will fill the tummy, won't wow the taste buds.

Go Gourmet,

Kuala Lumpur.

Go Gourmet

It's no secret that we shy away from chilies, keeping Thai & Indian food to a minimum. But since variety is the spice of life, we tested our taste buds with fiery fare from Go Gourmet.

Roast duck red curry with tomatoes & pineapple. Tangy, but terribly oily.

Prawns pad prik khing, with lots of long beans to keep things (relatively) healthy.

Sometimes chilies hide out of sight, striking without warning. This stir-fried minced chicken with basil leaves looked innocuous, but several bites contained something more perilous than pepper.

We poured too much chili flakes over our pad si yew, leaving us red and tearful by the time we were midway through it.

Now for the Indian selection. Thankfully, though this tandoori chicken appeared ominously crimson, it seemed to bear more turmeric than chili.

Bindi bhaji lady's fingers. Our first helping of okra in ages!

Lamb vindaloo, to set our tongues aflame.

Wrapping things up with a not-tame-enough chicken briyani. Let's just say we're not foreseeing any Thai or Indian restaurant entries in the near future.

Go Gourmet,

Kuala Lumpur.

Go Gourmet

Our salad days have returned, thanks to Go Gourmet's solid salad selection that includes a very hearty Caesar with salmon.

Earlier entries on Go Gourmet: Nov. 4, June 25 & July 9.

Simple but satisfying: rocket leaves & shaved parmesan in balsamic vinaigrette.

Roast chicken, avocado & grilled Mediterranean veggies with pine nuts.

Classic Nicoise salad, featuring mesclun with tuna, eggs, olives, onions & beans. With Go Gourmet's prompt delivery time, the salads arrive fairly fresh, suffering scant compromise in flavor.

Asian salads are also available: salmon sashimi, crab stick & ebiko in miso dressing.

Three Thai options, starting with a crispy prawn & pomelo salad.

Young papaya salad with dried shrimp. Too much chili in this one left us panting.

Larb kai (minced chicken salad with roasted rice). Oh, woe: more spiciness!

Kanonkop Kadette (South Africa, 2008), from wineactually.com.

Go Gourmet,

Kuala Lumpur.

Go Gourmet

Go Gourmet: Round Three. It's all about seafood this time.

Earlier entries: Nov. 4, 2010 & June 25, 2011.

Go Gourmet's mixed sashimi platter is decent, with reasonably thick, fresh-tasting slices of salmon, tuna & yellowtail costing RM28.

Other types of fish are available too, all cooked. The barramundi goujons were a bit fast-foodish, reminiscent perhaps of something that Long John Silver's might serve. But they were addictive and (thankfully) not too greasy.

Can't really complain about the sea bass steamed with lime, garlic, coriander & chili. The fish was firm and fleshy, though perhaps not as flavorsome as expected.

Of course, all that lives in water isn't fish _ certainly not soft-shell crab, prepared Thai-style here with basil & chili . A massive, crunchy helping, enough for two or three to enjoy, even though it wasn't piping-hot.

"Chiew yim" squid, tossed in garlic & fragrant salt. Guilt-inducingly greasy.

Eel isn't elusive (OK, so unagi is actually freshwater, but never mind that). The unagi teriyaki bento box is decent, though at only RM24, this isn't top-notch unagi. Similar instead to what a respectable shopping mall sushi outlet might serve.

King prawns fried with eggs. So there we have it; not only does Go Gourmet serve all manner of water-dwelling creatures, it does so in a variety of styles, from Chinese and Japanese to Indian and Thai.

Chandon Prestige Cuvee 2002, thanks to rebeccasaw.com. Delicious!

Go Gourmet,

Kuala Lumpur.

Go Gourmet

Go Gourmet: Round Two. Earlier entry: Nov. 4, 2010.

This food delivery service provides plenty of meat to placate carnivorous cravings. For beef-eaters, recommendations include this toasted brown multi-grain sandwich with salted beef, mustard & gherkins. A savory treat, hearty enough for two to share.

Surprise! Pork is available too. Go Gourmet has its own kitchen that whips up its food, but it also offers a small selection from Bangsar's El Meson. The non-halal items are placed in separate bags during delivery _ so non-Muslim customers can enjoy this "Ultimate Pork Burger," featuring a thick, juicy patty sinfully topped with cheese, bacon, mushrooms & caramelized onions.

Lamb steals the spotlight in the Thai massaman curry, a rich but rather oily creation packed with not-too-chewy meat, peanuts & potatoes.

Fowl isn't forgotten. The Chicken Diane is a competently executed version of this classic Western recipe, featuring a thick chunk of chicken breast, pan-fried and topped with mushroom-&-asparagus cream. Kids will probably adore this (though they might ignore all the veggies).

Don't denigrate the duck: this duck rilette linguine with garlic confit & chili was a perfectly prepared Italian pleasure, al dente and all.

Go Gourmet's forte is promptness, with food always arriving within an hour. Can't accuse them of working at a snail's pace, though they do serve escargot. Meaty ones, submerged in an unfortunately cloying cream sauce.

Fans of seafood will find much to savor. For fish, the Madras curry of Spanish mackerel, okra & tomatoes is similar to what an South Indian outlet might concoct.

Michel Chapoutier Domaine Bila-Haut, bought from wineactually.com.

Go Gourmet,

Kuala Lumpur.

thai/revisited: i still strongly recommend PATIO THAI

ED NOTE: This location closed a/o 5/2011, but should reopen in 6/2011 as a different Thai restaurant. maybe under different management or owners?

PATIO THAI
No. 12, Alley 247, Dun Hua S. Rd., Sec.1
(02) 2731-5288

website: patiogroup.com (in English, but incomplete menu online)

lunch: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
dinner: 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

$$

Visit reviewed: 2/17/2011
previously reviewed: 11/24/2008 & 3/9/2007





Pleasantly surprised once again by the food at Patio Thai, though I liked the appetizers and thai style fried rice noodles with prawns (NT$300) more than the curry. Having had some bad pad thai recently, Patio Thai's pad thai is clearly on the sweet side which is the way I like it. I know that's not how everyone likes it, but I'd go back for this dish alone. The chewiness of the rice noodles are enhanced by the tofu puffs and crunchy peanuts and we had to order another dish when this one was quickly finished. I might say this is my favorite pad thai in Taipei.



The sizeable menu is easy to browse, in English and Chinese.

Go with a lot of people so you can order a bunch of appetizers to share. The trio of golden fried chicken spring rolls, prawns pouch and vegetable cigar appetizer platter (NT$280) with fried tidbits reminded me of the combo platters we'd get in Chinese restaurants back home...


the duo of chicken, beef and prawns satay (NT$300) with all the peanut sauce poured on already...



the crispy soft shell crab...



prawn cakes (NT$290) with another sweet dipping sauce....

crispy golden fried chicken with chili, garlic and pepper (NT$320)...

Man, I just noticed most of our appetizers were fried. Okay, order some veggies to balance it out... morning glory with shrimp paste.

I end up ordering this grilled beef fillet in green curry with bamboo shoots, aubergines and sweet basil almost every time and not loving it every time. Oh well. It's quite spicy for those of you looking for some fire. Next time I'll have to remember to look for those little chili peppers marking the spicy items on the menu.

I enjoyed our Tom Kha seafood in coconut galangal soup even though it came towards the end of our meal (instead of the beginning). It's sour like Tom Yum soup, but also sweet because it has coconut milk in it. One of my friends was confused by the flavors and said it tasted like slightly sour milk to her. I don't think it tastes like that because I like it, but some may be put off by the combination of the milky, sour and sweet.



The best thing about Patio Thai is it's usually not crowded so I enjoy the tranquil and lovely setting and friendly service.

OTHER LOCATIONS

No.28 Ren-Ai Rd.,Sec 3, 7-3F,
(02) 2700-8618

at Sogo
No. 45, Chung-Hsiao East Rd., Sec. 4, 11F,
(02) 2721-5998