Papadum Bites by Poppie the Bulldog: August 2015

Date of Visit? Monday, 3rd of August, 2015

Where is it? K-G-11, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Style? Porky 'western' and fusion food - relaxed dinning

Dog Friendly? Pets are allowed in the front room of the restaurant which is open to the street. The staff are very pet friendly and welcoming.

Poppie's Review

We arrived at Andes BYO for dinner on Monday night. It was quiet, as you might expect for a Monday, and we were seated on a very comfortable table at the front of the restaurant. The staff were very friendly and gave me lots of ear scratches and attention, they even said that I could sit up on the sofa with my mummy!

We also got a free serving of "Porky Fries" because I was there :-D

The menu is not particularly extensive but there are some interesting things to try.

We had:

Porky Fries
Pigs in a Blanket
Pork Satay
Scotched Egg
The Bomb Burger
The Pork Burger

Porky Fies - Strips of luncheon meat, seasoned with paprika
~This dish is complementary when you dine with a delightful dog like myself. We couldn't really taste the paprika, but they had a sprinkle of sugar on them, which sounds gross, but worked really well to enhance the flavour. This dish is is so wrong, its right - indulgent comfort foot - definitely worth a try!

Porky Fries

Pigs in a Blanket - Pork sausages wrapped in bacon
~The quality of the sausages are not very high and it was a bit dry.

Pigs in a Blanket

Pork Satay - Grilled homemade pork satay accompanied with Andes' satay sauce.
~ This dish had me salivating like a St.Bernard! Perhaps the fact that we ate it so fast that we forgot to take a picture is an indication... If you like pork and you like satay you must try this! We have had pork satay elsewhere but this beats them all hands down. Well balanced and delicious.

Scotch Egg - 6 minute poached egg wrapped in marinaded pork, deep fried and topped with crispy bacon. Served with garden greens and mashed potatoes.
~This dish was somewhat underwhelming. It is a traditional scotch egg, I am not sure what the difference between a "6 minute poached egg" and a regular hard boiled egg is, but it seemed similar to me. The yolk was firm inside and the meat was moist, but a bit bland - we couldn't really taste the "marinade". The bacon was yummy. The mashed potatoes are something to be avoided here - they use margarine and not butter in them! Not high quality mash at all!

Scotch Egg

The Bomb

The Bomb Burger - A thick pork patty, stuffed with cheese and toped with bacon and a fried egg. Served with coleslaw and a choice of fries or mashed potatoes.
~This burger is deliciously explosive! It is juicy, meaty and oozing with just enough cheese. The pork patty is well seasoned and the cheese to meat ratio is well balanced. The best pork burger we have tried in KL thus far. Yum!
My only slight grip with this burger is that I believe that they must have used a small amount of margarine in the cheese mix. This gives the cheese a love consistency and stops it from congealing as it cools, which is great! But it leaves the slight taste of margarine, thats why... butter is always better.
Again, don't have the mashed potato, the chips are much nicer!

The cheese filling of the Bomb Burger - Moist and Tasty!

The Pork Burger - A thick pork patty, stuffed with cheese and toped with bacon. Served with coleslaw and a choice of fries or mashed potatoes.
~This was basically the Bomb without the egg. Delicious though :-P

So, what's the final word on Andes BYO?

It is a fun and relaxed place to eat with furry family members like me. The staff are very friendly. The food is solid, the burgers and satay are excellent and I am keen to try their savoury waffles next time!

Moreover, this is some delicious porky food goodness that won't blow the budget. The prices are very reasonable and of course you can "BYO" your own booze and there is no corkage!

It's worth the trip - great spot to be!

Thank you for reading my blog!

For more news and reviews about dog friendly restaurants, hotels and activities in KL and around Malaysia check out my Instagram @poppiethebulldog and Facebook page www.facebook.com/poppiekaur

Date of Visit? Saturday, 1st of August, 2015

Where is it? Block A4 1st Floor A4-1-08, Publika, Jalan Dutamas 1, Solaris Dutamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Style? The Red Beanbag describes itself as "a modern contemporary Australian-inspired café" (from their Facebook page). Basically that translates to 'western' and fusion food.

Dog Friendly? Pets are allowed to sit outside on the patio with their owners. No water or treats provided for pets.

Poppie's Review -

We arrived at the Red Beanbag around eleven o'clock. This may not have been the best idea as it was prime brunch time. There was a line, but the staff were friendly and gave us a card that said "cappuccino", they told us that it would be about a twenty minute wait and that they would call out when our table was ready.

We had heard a lot about the Red Beanbag online. It is mentioned on a lot of websites as a great place for my humans and I to hangout together and get some great brunch.

Unfortunately, we were rather let down by the atmosphere of the place. Firstly, pet owners should note that Publika is not itself very pet friendly, so if you are walking from the car park to the Red Beanbag it is better to come prepared with your pet carrier. Secondly, the Red Beanbag itself is a busy and buzzing place which attracts a wide range of people, maybe we were just unlucky, but there were some patrons of the restaurant who were quite rude to us and not dog friendly. This was upsetting for us because we didn't feel welcome after coming all the way to Publika because the Red Beanbag is "dog friendly". Adding to this was the proximity of the seating - as the tables were quite close together my humans felt that they needed to keep me on a very short leash.

After twenty minutes we were seated. We had a look at the menu - it was interesting and varied. However, the Red Beanbag is pork free, which was a surprise to us as we were looking forward to some juicy bacon and sausages. Never the less, we ordered two coffees and two of the recommended dishes - 1. Benedict III 2. Signature Baked Eggs.

The coffee was very nice - smooth, rice and well poured.

Benedict III - Beef bacon / Turkey Ham served with kale, sautéed mushrooms, roasted garlic butter portobello mushrooms, on a bed of fluffy french toast, drizzled with hollandaise sauce and served with two poached eggs (RM26)

~ If you are a fan of eggs benedict this is certainly a dish to try. The savoury french toast gave a lovely texture and absorbed the egg yolk well, while the kale and mushrooms were delicious additions and really complemented the dish. The hollandaise sauce was rich and well balanced with just enough tang. We chose to have the beef bacon with this dish and I must say that it was the nicest beef bacon that I have had thus far, it was moist and tender, but it was still beef bacon.

Signature Baked Eggs - 2 eggs cracked in a bowl of lamb, chicken and beef bratwurst topped with mozzarella cheese and baked to perfection. Served with sourdough toast. (RM22)

~ This dish was a huge disappointment, I am not sure why it is a recommendation. Somehow we were imagining big, juicy bratwurst, eggs with runny, rich yolks and a light sprinkling of stringy mozzarella. However, the 'bratwurst' where chopped up in a small terracotta dish - there certainly wasn't three whole bratwurst in there! The eggs were over cooked and it was smothered in cheese - in fact it was mostly cheese! Not really what you expect for twenty-two ringgit. Moreover, the sausages themselves tasted cheap and processed, not like the lovely homemade bratwurst you would find in Australia.

Unfortunately, we didn't feel like trying anymore as we were quite conscious of the people leering at our table expectantly.

The staff were very efficient and pleasant, but not very attentive. We had to call them over to order drinks and then food and then for the bill (but to be fair it was very busy and the food was served very quickly).

So, what is the verdict on the Red Beanbag?

The coffee is good and chef can certainly cook. The menu is interesting and diverse. Don't get the baked eggs - I don't think they have a very good sausage supplier! Benedict III is certainly a winner and the Atlantic would be another one to try.

Don't expect puppy love from the staff or other customers. I was missing all the love and belly rubs I normally get when I go out! This is a restaurant which is more dog tolerant than dog friendly. In the end, for us, it wasn't really worth the half-an-hour drive there, but if you are in the neighbourhood and you like the look of the menu then give it a try.