Featured in New Straits Time

We're featured in New Straits Time, the Life & Times section. (Friday, March 21, 2014). Thank you NST! Here's the write up, which can also be read here: 

Perfect place to chill

By Tan Bee Hong |  phoenixbee@nst.com.my

With as many sofas as tables, TalentLounge sets the right ambience for laid-back dining, writes Tan Bee Hong

PROPPED against the glass wall are a bicycle and helmet belonging to a man relaxing at a table outside TalentLounge. He looks familiar and I believe I last saw his picture in the entertainment pages of a local daily.

It seems he has just finished a session at the nearby gym and is enjoying his breakfast of pancakes with house-made strawberry jam and honey.

In front of him, a “square garden” of trees filter the rays of the morning sun to allow a provoking play of light on the gravel floor. A picture of serene harmony.

Inside, the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee proves irresistible and I am impatient to take a sip while waiting for my order of quinoa and smoked salmon on toasted rye bread (RM24).

At other tables, customers are chatting quietly or working on their laptops. Half the interior has comfortable sofas while at one end, a small but permanent stage is where artistes and hopefuls alike come to perform, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. Only a month old, it’s already the venue of quite a few entertainment events and launches.

Yes, as its name suggests, TalentLounge is more than a restaurant. Ameron Yeop Rashidi and his sisters, Anis and Azhani, opened it with the aim to bring together artistes, writers and musicians as well as young hopefuls so they can interact, chill and showcase their talent. Even the waiting  employees are mainly cheerful college students.

ALL-DAY BREAKFAST

Breakfast is a big deal at TalentLounge and a whole page of its menu is devoted to this, with nine items and a few sides too.

“We offer items with a healthy slant,” says head chef Shaik Rhyszard Rahman.

Indeed, there’s even ganoderma coffee, made with lingzhi or reishi. The mushroom adds a slight bitterness to the brew and you can have it black, latte, cappucino style and even in chocolate. Ganoderma lucidum is said to boost the immune system and the liver, improve memory and helps the digestive system.

But if you don’t like the bitter notes, regular brews are available.

My quinoa and smoked salmon with a small salad is a pretty picture. Quinoa, a seed grain, is high in protein and fibre, gluten free and provides nine essential amino acids.

Shaik recommends baked eggs (RM18). Two raw eggs on a bed of ratatouille in a cast iron pot, are topped with mozzarella and baked. Served straight from the oven with two slices of toasted rye, it’s balanced meal. I love the ratatouille with its combination of yellow and green zucchini and peppers, cut in big chunks.

The really hungry should go for the big breakfast (RM26), a hearty serving of two eggs in any style, hash brown, mushroom, tomato, sausage and beef bacon on rye toast. And there is always pancakes or crepes with butter and house-made strawberry jam or honey.

HAPPY PORTIONS

Ameron describes servings of main meals as happy portions, enough to satisfy but not so much you won’t be able to finish. Pasta, steak, burgers - it is not easy to decide.

I pick pan seared duck breast with five spice and sauteed French beans  (RM37). Sliced to serve, the duck breast retains a hint of pink in the centre though I feel the sides a bit overdone. But customers can state their preference, something I forgot to do earlier. The use of five spice powder gives it an Oriental flavour which seems to go well with the drizzle of honey mustard sauce and chilli flakes on the edge of the plate.

For pasta (from RM20), there is a choice of  spaghetti or fettuccine for  aglio olio, carbonara, beef bolognaise, mac  and cheese and pesto. The latter is tossed with basil, parmesan and olive oil, with cherry tomato on the side. Lovely aroma.

Fish and chips (RM27) and burgers (RM25) are popular. For burgers, there is a choice of a grilled or steamed patty in a sesame bun with tomato and rocket as well as fries on the side. Looks rather spartan but you can add on cheese, onion, mushroom and egg. Other mains include pan seared salmon with spinach and ratatouille, roast chicken with potatoes, sandwiches and salads (RM20).

The rocket salad with balsamic dressing is a colourful combination of cherry tomato, pitted olives, crisp greens, with rocket (arugula) leaves lending a flavour of minty bitterness. Orange segments to give it a sweet, citrus flavour.

As TalentLounge opens all day long, customers can drop in for coffee, cakes and snacks at anytime. Azhani says poutine-style fries with chili beef or melted mozzarella and gravy are always popular though I prefer the chicken wings (RM14) which simply burst with the flavour of tomato, garlic, soya sauce and honey mustard.

Talent Lounge

Where
Ground level, Block A, PJ Trade Centre, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 03-7722 2952

Website:http://mytalentlounge.com/

Opening Hours
Monday to Thursday: 8am to 8pm

Friday to Saturday: 8am to 11pm
Closed Sunday

Getting There
Next to LHDN in PJ Trade Centre. Empire Soho is across the road.

What’s Cooking
Western with healthy slant.

Must Try
All-day breakfast.

You’ll Pay
About RM20 to RM50 each.

Atmosphere
Arty chic.

Service
Youthful enthusiasm.

Overall Verdict
Must try

Baked eggs with mozzarella and ratatouille. PICTURES BY KHOO SU TING

Read more: Perfect place to chill - Showbiz - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/showbiz/perfect-place-to-chill-1.523530#ixzz2wZAGmnT3