Butter + Beans at Seventeen

its the last day of 2012, it should be well spend and indeed it was..after a big feast at Matsuya the night before ( missed the sea urchin tofu and fat, thick sashimi), lets go for something lighter and we decided to go for Butter+Beans at Happy Mansion right behind Food Foundry..they are related anyway..and of course on the eve, traffic was smooth. It meant the day started off well! Whoopie!!

love the interior of the cafe

it was a petite little cafe but sufficient enough to serve you a good cuppa coffee and to feed you a good piece of cake. and it was awesome that a barista i knew from my previous workplace had already shifted here. Glad to see he is doing well.

where is the menu? this is the menu. don't you think the illustration of the bear look so cute and adorable. i'm not so sure what juice they serve but for tea, its Gryphon. 

all bread and pastries are freshly made on site, they have an in house pastry chef, but i don't see any other hot food items.. but my eyes literally focused on the display when i stepped in. saw the croissant, as a big fan of croissant but remembered coming across a blog stating the croissant is on the 'bread' texture instead of the flaky kind, I decided to leave it aside. To me, you know its a good croissant when you literally messed up the whole place after finishing one. the girls had their quiche and they find it not bad but its not a quiche day.

its a cake day!! and Raspberry Orchid cake it is. Its very seldom for me to have cake without cream coz its hard to find one that is moist, you need to balance it. MOIST crumbs and DRY crumbs is two different thing!! and the flavor interest me, a good one to go with tea but how can i not have a good cup of coffee from Neil right?? did i regret it? NOPP, the cake looks dry but its not, its pretty moist and the flavor, i'm not so sure how orchid taste like, but the aroma of this is a pleasant one, i can taste the raspberry though. NOM NOM NOM! one more thing, NOT OVERLY SWEET!! good point for that. 

then we have this pistachio chocolate tart, according to the barista, its Varlhona chocolate, but erm some how, i don't really felt it and at one point, i thought its sicao..one more time its not overly sweet, the ganache was smooth also. I wished the pastry was more flaky though.  you know its good cause i bought two home for teatime.

That is what Neil made for me, till now i din know is it a flat white or capp, its like something in between which most of you will said latte but its not serve in their latte cup. Nevermind that, i was quite busy chit chatting with the girls though, and not paying full attention on the flavor profile besides the chocolatey after taste and the temperature of the coffee is done right! Thanks Neil!

they also have bread on sale such as baguette, epi baguette, etc etc. Price is definitely reasonable. Boo bought the baguette, will asked her how is it, but recently i'm into Komugi bread, yes over-priced according to some, but i still love to munch munch especially their walnut bread. more on that next time. 

do anyone know where can i get the mini cake tray..love this kind of tray, love giant cookie jar..what else?? lol

and after the girls left, its time to hang out a while with Neil and have a cup of hot chocolate. erm, from what i see, they don't use Varlhona cocoa powder, its a mixture of cocoa powder of a company and also Varlhona chocolate tablet and of course warm milk. if you like ur hot chocolate thick, this is not for you, its lighter in taste, the cup where you can finish everything and still have space for the next cup.

and i shall come back for the next cup!! 

Hope everyone have a blessed 2013

sin

Butter +Beans at Seventeen,
BG-1a, Happy Mansion,
Jalan 17/13, Seksyen 17,
Petaling Jaya.
Mon-Sun: 0830-2030
03-79544822

RADISH

found some round Japanese radish in the market recently

never tried before, so lets give it a shot

texture wise, slightly firmer than the long radish 

next time should tried it uncooked. cold salad with citrus dressing?

or maybe soy vinaigrette??

this time, simple ingredients

konbu/red miso/mirin/balsamic

should have used some dashi..its okay lets leave it for next time

top with momma's planted scallion and toasted brown sesame

sinny

Mizu, Bangsar

with Japanese restaurant everywhere, is not difficult to find that one like

the row of Japanese restaurants in Subang had been the first choice if i ever want a decent meal that is near

but now i wouldn't mind to travel slightly further to Mizu or maybe a bit further down to Fukuharu (next post maybe if i'm hardworking)

never really thought of eating here until one day, there is nothing else we felt like eating when doing groceries at BV. and seriously no regrets

we had a very friendly manager serving us, slightly loud but friendly and she is fast, doesn't need to write down the order, she just seems to memorize everything in her mind

we love the sashimi here. very fresh and FAT!!! look at the toro and scallop..yummy..i don't even need the soya sauce and wasabi. and we have different types of fish on different visit although the basic salmon is there..i love the amebi the most!!!! wicked!!! fresh and 'creamy' if that is the write word to describe it..

white bait salad is good. its not in the menu, but since the manager introduce to us, why not have it right.

but the dobin is still not my fav. the dobin i love the most is still the one in fukuya (btw, its been pretty long since i had fukuya)

ok, the roll and tofu was nothing to shout for..the typical ones..but still enjoyable. and its a must to be on the table when I'm dining with a lady that need to have everything on the table.

love the grilled squid there too, with the salty tangy dipping. very addictive and i think it would be a very good beer food. its not necessary need to be fried right??

and people who knows me wouldn't be surprise if i say its a need to either order a cold soba or onigiri every time i had Jap food. Please don't ask me why, i don't have an explanation to that. i guess it become a bad habit dy...

hmm, when is the next visit?? ish ish

sinny

Barista Jam '12 @ 'F' by Buffalo Kitchens

after the CTI conference, Barista Jam '12 was held at 'F' by buffalo kitchens the next day.

this event was all about gathering the coffee enthusiasts to talk about coffee and of course coffee jamming.

this was the second coffee jamming held by them, hopefully there will be more coming up in future. 

this place is pretty awesome if you want to spend a quiet afternoon with a great cuppa of coffee, or reading those book i love (who doesn't like 'The Fat Duck, Noma..etc etc), or hanging out with friends..going to try their brekkie soon enough

back to the story, I had the opportunity to try out the coffee brought over by Van-lin. Two different beans from different regions. Sorry i don't have the pictures but i still remember the taste and aroma of the coffee. One was lighter in taste, smoother, and i do agree it goes better with the milk, or in my words, a more lady kind of coffee..gentle. The next one was stronger, more pungent, and the aroma actually linger at the palate for a much longer period. if you asked which did I favor more, I would say, I prefer having both at different time, different mood.

 they had a small, fun competition too. to see who can make the most rosetta in a cup..hmm i decided to stand there and watch since i don't even remember making a love..lol..guess my sifu will be pretty disappointed with me huh..

this cup was by Ryan..5 in a cup..pretty awesome huh..

 Cheryl and Fai..it's great to talk to both of them. thanks for the sharing the other afternoon..

 ahh...its Cheryl turn..how was it?? haha

 this was not from Cheryl. it's Van-lin. 6 in a row..two thumbs up for this.

how long does all this people take to master all these skills and after gulping so much coffee, they still have such strong passion towards coffee..the sensitivity of smelling and tasting, that's one thing i envy..

 the manager of 'F', Rachel, an awesome lady, energetic. and i remember what she said, ' i love the machine lots'. i mean you seldom listening people saying this as the common said ' i love coffee' or 'i love latte art'. listening to her story of her coffee journey just makes me feel like flying straight out of the country at that moment and be at the spot she once stood.

 Tung-wei performing..someone who turns his hates of the 'black liquid' to love and all thanks to all the coffee enthusiast around him. and we shall thanks him for holding this FUN event at his place. 

 everyone seems to paying full attention when it was Sk turn

 Barista Jam 2012 rocks!!

let's look forward to another awesome one!!

WE LOVE OUR CUP OF COFFEE!!!IT'S A WRAP!!

sinny

CTI conference

looking at the leaflet, the first two words IDEAS > INSPIRED just pop up

indeed it was an inspiring day today, speakers from all around sharing their stories, moments of glory, the hardship, understanding the market nowadays. 

from Mr. Van-Lin, 2 times Taiwan Barista Champion, to Mr Tony Tan, Head Barista of Les Amis Group, Mr Ryan, Singapore Champion, Ms. Cheryl Lee, Malaysia champion, Fai from Thailand, Mr Sk Leng, the managing editor of Coffee T&I magazine Malaysia edition, Mr. Tung-wei, co founder of 'F' by Buffalo kitchen and etc etc

Tung-wei from 'F' and Van-lin from GaBee

 Van-lin, who is also the owner of Gabee that have gone through years of hardship to where he stand now today. As what he said, knowing only how to make coffee doesn't determine the success of the business. This is so true, especially in the market nowadays, we see cafe mushrooming everywhere but also vanish at no times. Understanding the correct marketing techniques and branding was crucial in a business. For the past years, GaBee had collaborate with different brands which brings a bigger success to his own core business. I guess the willingness to sacrifice time and effort in his business pays off after all. 'Coffee is not only about drinking but also packaging' (btw, congrats to him for his newborn baby girl prior to this conference)

Cheryl and Ryan demonstrating on making coffee and latte art

 Two main question mention by him was 1. Why do you want to be in this industry?? is it merely for the love of the coffee or for the love of interaction with people. 2. Where do you want to stand in this field?? (i guess i need to find out the ans of this two though i'm not in this field totally)

Latte art by Ryan

 one thing i like that was being mention that day was 生活的态度 (hope this is the correct writing). i guess this is true, our daily attitude in life actually do affects us a lot in all terms, in relationship, in work, in socializing....

grinding, grinding

 For a barista, making good coffee is a basic, is the core job, is the responsibility, no tolerance on not performing the job. So, besides making good coffee, what else is there to be done, to be seen, or to be improve? 

saw how everyone pay full attention on every hand movement of Ryan??

 of course, every speaker share whatever they have done and motivating the young baristas, but at the end of the day, its all about making the first step. I guess i'll never fully understand the hardship they have gone through to reach the spot they are now. Some are just lucky, and some just work their ass off.

another awesome one

 after the sharing moments, we were separated in groups and going through 3 different workshop. On latte art with Ryan and Cheryl, creative coffee and cooking with coffee with Van-lin and Chef Jochern Kern, and also coffee pairing with Tony. I love the food pairing part the most because the chemistry behind the changes of flavor when pairing a simple food with and without the coffee is just interesting. even different coffee brings different changes of flavor for a same food (of course with Canele pralines..hihi..)

always fancy looking at all the swirl when the barista is making the latte art

 is making beautiful latte art achievable just mainly by practicing all day long or sometimes it does come naturally..a born talent..hhhmppp...

macarons from Berjaya college and pralines from Canele, for food pairing

 when it comes to cooking with coffee, the Chef was cooking turkey with coffee that had been reduced and quite heavily sweetened to cut off the bitterness from it and also some acidic ingredients playing the same roll. i would said it's not everyone kind of food but i do remember tasting the coffee flavoured ribs when i was doing internship. sorry to say, i guess the ribs tasted better with coffee than the turkey especially after it had been smoked. the intensity of the coffee with the smokey flavor was a good pairing, the bitterness of the coffee doesn't need to be cut off nor altered. 

thank you so much to all of them for the willingness to share their journey with us

'serve with a promise, serve with a heart'

sinny