Rondaevoo @ Ativo Plaza, Bandar Sri Damansara

Hello lovelies,

Second visit to Rondaevoo @ Ativo Plaza (only had a cup of coffee previously, which was alright. would've made me happier if there was coffee art).

So where exactly is Bandar Sri Damansara (BSD)? 

I'm sure most of you "PJ kia's" are wondering the exact same thing. 

Never heard of BSD? Don't worry. Just a couple of years ago, I was also living under a rock when a college friend of mine (to whom I now wed) told me that he lives in BSD.

Being the ignorant & arrogant PJ girl then, I widened my eyes and said, "BSD? Well, I've never heard of it. Whereabout is it?"

Needless to say, I had this immature mentality that PJ is Number #1/the-best/the-ULTIMATE/the-gold-mine and that anything located outside PJ area would be categorised as 'others', which meant that I can be totally ignorant and stupid about it. 

WRONG.

Well well, thankfully all of us grow up. heh.

Anyway, back to the question. WHERE EXACTLY IS BSD?

..Pass the LDP toll like how you normally would when you make your way to Desa Park City or Kepong area. At the present moment, LDP toll costs RM1.60 - please don't increase the price, it's already mad expensive as it is. 

After the toll, kindly keep left and MAKE THE NEXT TURNING TO YOUR LEFT. It will lead you  directly up a hill. The left turning is of utmost importance as BSD is simply located there..up the bukit. haha. 

Honeslty, I don't quite understand why BSD is called Bandar Sri Damansara. It would've been much more appropriate if it was named BUKIT Sri Damansara instead. There isn't even any 'city-like-builings' in that area. Does anyone else notice?! COME ON. Though, you would probably be amazed by the number of petrol stations in that circle of land. 

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Ativo Plaza is a relatively new development located at Bandar Sri Damansara. Definitely a notch higher than all the other areas in BSD, if you know what I mean. It's wide and spacious, nicely done. 

Now, the only other ingredient we need to brighten up this place is.. the crowd. 

Here we are at Rondaevoo on a beautiful, breezy Saturday evening. *takes a huge whiff of the surrounding air*… not much traces of carbon monoxide. It's all gooooood. Feeling uber positive as we arrived. The wind and weather have definitely lifted up my spirits! *twirls*

Ativo Plaza. Check the mini-fountain-thingie out. 

More of Rondaevoo. It does seem rather lovely, doesn't it? We've never had the pleasure of dining indoors the past two visits, so I'd rather not comment on its interior. Though, I have to make it a point to have a cup of coffee inside one day. 

Going through the photos, I just took notice that Rondaevoo's choice of colour is rather.. dark. Not that I mind at all. In fact, I felt right at home. HAHA. 

BY THE WAY, (and I'm totally happy sharing this with you!) see the picture above?? Don't look at that black shirt fellow(that's Collin btw), take a look at the number of tables available outdoors. 

Not many, but more than plenty to make me happy! 

WHY THE EXCITEMENT? 

ANSWER: NO SMOKING ALLOWED! ……...SOMEBODY GIVE ME A HIGH FIVE. *piak*

There are 2 small tables hidden behind the cafe (can't be seen in this picture) where smokers can "distress" and freely destroy their lungs discretely. I've sat at the smokers area (I don't smoke, my hubb & his friends do) and I have to say that EVEN the smokers' chairs aren't as comfortable as the ones available for non-smoking diners. Bias? I say JUSTICE, BEE-YOTCH! 

Rondaevoo promotes healthy dining, which is all sorts of good!

Mama Meat Loaf Wrap (RM10.80)

Pish posh, enough talking. Let's eat. 

Roasted potatoes, eh? Not crispy nor was it tasty, which can only mean one thing -It's healthy. HAHA

Frankly speaking, I kind of like the wedges. It might be a little on the plain side, but that's how potatoes taste like. 

All in all, Mama Meat Loaf Wrap was enjoyable. To my surprise, hubby enjoyed the wrap very much (although bits & pieces of capsicums were in it). He's not a fan of bell peppers. That's gotta mean something, right? He's hungry. or.. it's good. 

The fillings are chilled, the taste of mayo wasn't too overpowering. Nothing lip-smacking but overall, this dish was decent. Perfect for brunch or tea. A great snack. I find the price quite reasonable too. 

Carbonara (RM22.80)

Of course, a no-brainer to whom actually ordered this creamy dish. YOURS TRULY YO. 

This plate of Carbonara by Rondaevoo isn't your traditional Italian dish. 

Rondaevoo's version is served with wholewheat spaghetti and meatloaf as a substitute to bacon/ham. 

Wholewheat spaghetti? Well, I have never! At least, not until last Saturday. 

I liked the wholewheat pasta very much. Cooked to perfection, al dante. 

Meat loaf? It's different, not in a bad way. I have conflicted feelings now, which would I prefer? Bacon or Meat loaf? It would've been great if they added both. I assume that their meat loaf must surely be healthier.

Let us picture this scenario, as I was stuffing the carbonara into my system, I start to feel a tad sated. To my surprise, having the meatloaf each time I felt a little cloy kind of reboots my system automatically - the process comes to a cycle until the plate was completely wiped clean. 

It's different. I liked it. Then again, I'm a love struck teenager when it comes to carbonara's. All sorts. 

On a side note, I would have preferred my mushrooms to be a little more cooked. But hey, that's just me. 

Brown Rice Nasi Lemak (RM8.80)

Look at the size of the chicken! Now, look at its price! Worth it, much? Brown rice too!
Hubby opted for Rendang Chicken. In my opinion, I felt that the poultry was rather chewy/overcooked but Collin said that chicken rendang takes hours to cook, so it's completely natural for its texture to be tough to chew. What??!?! Unacceptable, haha.
Anyway, this authentic Malaysian dish was decent as well. Not bad at all *nods head*.

I felt genuinely pleased that the three dishes we ordered exceeded my expectations. To be fair, my expectations of Rondaevoo was quite low. HAHA. Why? There were easily more than 30 other dishes offered in their menu. Looking at the vast array of selections to choose from, I made a hasty conclusion that Rondaevoo's food will taste below average and that I will never want to revisit the cafe despite having a calm and tranquil vibe. Initially I thought that a small, independent cafe was unable to match up to its menu. Total discrimination. My bad. I am wrong, again.
Right now, I'd say Rondaevoo might just fall into the category of 'Jack of All Trades, Master of None'?

I quite like it here. It's a nice place to chill.

Have... you met Jaden? :) 

Cutie pie! *Squeals* He was so well-behaved when hubbs & I arrived. It was really windy, which I suppose made the baby happy cause Jaden seemed completely relaxed as if he was in the Bahamas soaking in the sun, enjoying a holiday. Doesn't he look so chill? HE USUALLY FUSSES AND WANTS TO BE CARRIED WHEN OUR FOOD ARRIVES (cause he's bored), SO I WAS REALLY REALLY HAPPY THAT I GOT TO EAT IN PEACE. Thank you, wind. 

He was fast asleep as soon as we finished our meal. We decided to bring him to a fountain nearby (approximately 5 meters from Rondaevoo haha) to snap a pic! Wonderful, wonderful. 

Happy Chinese New Year everyone.

Level 1, Ativo Plaza,

Lot A-1-6, Block A.,

No.1, Jalan PJU 9/1, Damansara Avenue,

Bandar Sri Damansara, PJU 9,

52200 Kuala Lumpur.

Rondaevoo's Facebook

Until next time,

Jx

Selera Jaya 223 @ PJ

Selamat pagi semua! (Good morning to all)

Today, let's go back to basics to remind ourselves the reason we're called 'Anak Malaysia'.  

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Malaysia's national dish,.. Nasi Lemak! 

What exactly is 'nasi lemak'? If this word is directly translated from Malay to English, nasi lemak would mean 'fatty rice'. Fatty in the sense of rich or creamy. 

Technically, the rice is cooked in santan a.k.a. coconut milk & pandan leaf a.k.a. screwpine plant which allows the rice to be fragrant and "fat". 

Traditionally, nasi lemak is served with cucumber slices, roasted peanuts, small fried anchovies, hard boiled egg and not forgetting the most important element, SAMBAL (spicy sauce)! 

Okay, enough with the history talk. 

Let's grab ourselves summa dat fatty food @ Selera Jaya 223! 

Selera Jaya 223 

Yeah, it's really packed at night. (btw, this is 10 p.m.) We 'tapao-ed' our supper so I didn't manage to snap any pictures of the food court's interior. There are many other stalls selling different varieties of food such as fried rice, noodles and mutton soup.

Note: Some might find this place a little dodgy so try not to flaunt any branded items to attract unnecessary attention. I like to come here when I'm all sweaty & disgusting-looking ;)

VOILA! Back at home with our goodies.

6 packets of nasi lemak, 5 sticks of otak-otak. 

GUESS HOW MUCH THESE COST? RM12! That's like 4USD for 6 packets & 5 sticks! Probably enough to feed 2 hungry men or 3 hungry women or 1 hungry American :) 

1 packet = RM1.50 whereas you can purchase 5 sticks of otak-otak for RM3.00. 

We bought 3 packets each of red labeled & blue labeled fatty rice. Red & blue are sold from different owners hence, different taste. 

Yatie's Nasi Lemak (red label)

Suri's Nasi Lemak (blue label)

THIS. IS. THE. SHIZZNIT!

Okay, I only took one nasi lemak picture so this is how it looks like inside the banana leaf :) 

Are you salivating yet? 'cause I am currently lau nua-ing!

A packet of fatty rice mixed with peanuts, anchovies, egg & sambal. Such a beauty. 

Before you say that this meal looks unappetizing, I would like you to close your eyes and try it. Just trust me,.. close your eyes and EAT IT. You'd want 2 more packets when you're done with the first spoon. 

Verdict time. 

Red- Yati's version is my favourite. She knows me well. The sambal is SPICY and I LOVE SPICY FOOD. However, there weren't any traces of cucumbers in it. The rice wasn't as fragrant as one would imagine but the sambal won me over anyways. Last night's sambal was sweeter than usual too, weird in a good way as the sweetness is supposed to be Suri's trait. 

Blue- For those who can't challenge the heat, I recommend Suri's fatty rice. The sambal is supposed to be sweeter (but for some reason it was a tad salty last night.. I really do not want to know the reason) and the gravy is wetter. Similar to Yati's, Suri's nasi lemak lacked the aromatic fragrance and cucumbers as well. 

Otak-otak

Traditionally wrapped in banana leaf as well, otak-otak is supposed to be a 'cake' made of fish meat & spices. 

One might beg to differ, but this isn't my favourite version of otak-otak. It tasted so processed :( AND WHY IS IT SO RED? As red as a male dog's thingy. YERRRRR.

Anyway, my hubby & many other friends are able to bag 5 pieces of these red sticks into their stomachs without any hesitation but I. Just. Can't. Do. It. 

Since I know many others who're able to enjoy the otak-otak without any complains, you should give it a try. If you don't like it either, we must be long lost twins, triplets, quadruplets etc.

Be sure to give our national dish a go whenever you're visiting Malaysia. To all locals who are currently overseas, fatty rice will always be here waiting for you.

Selera Jaya 223

Jalan 223

Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Waze the place if you're not too sure of its location!

Anak Malaysia,

Jx