fbb xmas party2
Christmas and New Year Come Early for Lyrical Lemongrass and friends (check out the hunks!!!)

1.

Meeting Fatboybakes has definitely improved my social life. How else does one get a party thrown in one’s honor, or in Fatboybakes’ words: “All in honor of AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS who’ll be blardy partying in Sydney for xmas and new year. CIS BEDEBAH.”  Awwww.  I have tears in my eyes.

FBB’s menu (printed on tracing paper, just like in the fancy restaurants) boasted a lavish tea time spread, much like those described in Enid Blyton’s storybooks, that included foie gras pate, assorted cheeses, bacon & mushroom pizzas, Spring Golden sakura pork char siu, Mr Ho’s Salted Ox Tongue and cold cuts, garden salad, mushroom and pork stuffing (sans turkey), absolutely perfect freshly baked scones with the most sinfully delicious clotted cream and jam, rum and raisin tart that had enough alcohol to get one tipsy, his latest creation – the Spencer’s 4 Seasons X’mas moussake (moussey cake? cake and mousse?  see picture top right corner) and christmas panforte.  Oh, and loads and loads of Macallan to ensure a healthy glow to the skin.  Did I mention that this was just for tea?

And so we sang carols and exchanged gifts, and when the clock struck 7.30pm, we took off our Santa hats, started the countdown and sang Auld Lang Syne to welcome the New Year.  Spending Christmas and New Year with my dearest friends is the best feeling in the world.  Thanks, FBB, for a wonderful party!  You go girl!

2.

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Eggnog latte (RM15)

There are other ways to enjoy a good Christmas meal, of course. (Sans the hunks, unfortunately.)  One way that won’t burn a hole in your pocket is to try Pick n Brew’s RM28 Christmas All Day Special (available in the month of December from 11.00am to 9.30pm) consisting of a soup (changes daily), a choice of main course (from beef, lamb, fish or chicken) and a drink.

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Oven baked stuffed chicken on soft mushroom polenta and sauteed vegetables

The chicken breast was baked with a garlic cheese stuffing that hinted of rosemary. I absolutely loved the polenta mash that was cooked with couscous which gave it a nice grainy texture. I must warn you, though, that if you’re planning on doing some cuddling, this is NOT the dish for you as the flavour of the garlic is potent.

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Beef escalope and lobster tail with sauteed mushroom and grilled potato

Instead, try the beef escalope and lobster tail, a much smaller portion compared to the chicken breast, but less of a date-killer. The meat is lean, tender and juicy and even though the lobster tail isn’t more than a mouthful (now you see it, now you don’t), the meal is well balanced with a lovely fruity balsamic sauce (which actually reminds me of a vino cotto) that brings out the flavour of the meat quite well. The beef is slightly thicker than normal, though.

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Mixed grain cookies

For an additional RM10 (or RM15 without the meal), one can opt for a glass of wine or an eggnog latte instead. The eggnog latte comes with a dash of brandy, a nice thick concoction that is really good. Pick n’ Brew also offers, for RM12 (from 3pm to 6pm), a choice of their gourmet coffees and teas and a plate of 5 cookies (mixed grain or chocolate chip) or chocolate log cake. The mixed grain cookies are delicious – somewhere between muesli and sweet cookies.  (So that one can enjoy the cookies and feel like one is still on a diet.)

PnB

The ambience at Pick n’ Brew is more like a cafe, but with a higher comfort level as compared to a coffee place. It has an enclosed smoking area, separate from the non-smoking section, quite unlike certain restaurants that make a mockery of the smoking/non-smoking demarcation of space. The christmas menu is surprisingly good value for money and the presentation takes it a class above normal cafe food. There is the usual pull between what Pick n’ Brew represents, and I still can’t figure out what their niche is. Finally, thanks, Jackson, for your kind invitation to sample the Christmas Menu at Pick n’ Brew.

Pick n’ Brew
F233, 1 Utama Shopping Centre
Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7726 0102

Note: Christmas All Day Menu is also available at Pick n’ Brew Hicom-Glenmarie outlet from 11am – 7.30pm only. Eggnog Latte is not available at Pick n’ Brew Hicom–Glenmarie.

Credits. A special thanks to:
1. Fatboybakes, for the X’mas/New Year party photographs, and
2. HairyBerry, my Weekend B^*ch ©, for the gorgeous photographs taken at Pick n’ Brew.