Pick n Brew, Glenmarie

1. Old Friends.

When a Makan Club member gets married, we honour her. This is my pictorial tribute to my dear friend, Jo aka Pretty Pui, who married her childhood sweetheart on 15 December 2007.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. - 1 Corinthians 13 v 4 - 7.


2. And New Friends.

It was a jungle of sorts. A concrete jungle filled with homogenous looking structures. Gigantic mammoths spewing smoke in their imposing garments. As I sped along the grids of Glenmarie industrial area, I looked left and right, drinking in my surroundings, committing names to memory as that was the only way I would be able to escape this imposing looking place on my way back.

I hunted for a welcoming light, but I only saw white fluorescent lights illuminating coffinlike guardhouses at the entrance of each industrial building. After only one wrong turn, warm lights beckoned me from a distance. In the heart of this maze was a diamond in the rough, bearing the name "Pick n Brew". I was late, of course, even though Bukit Jelutong was only 10 minutes away. I barged into the private room with a very loud "Happy Birthday, Teckiee!!".

What I like about Pick n Brew is that it exudes warmth. From the cozy sofas to the huge glass panelled walls letting in sunshine during the day, it is the kind of place where I feel comfortable reading my newspapers with my daily cuppa.

Since Jackson was entertaining us as his special guests that evening, his chef whipped up two special appetisers for us. The Salmon Gravlax with Scallion Cream and Parmesan Tuile was very unique. The scallion cream went wonderfully with the smoked salmon, where it effectively downplayed the saltiness of the cured fish, and the parmesan basket was wonderful - chewy and full of flavour.

Equally good was the chicken consomme, a clear broth with a pure, refined flavour that didn't reek of that dirty word, MSG. The sundried tomato and spinach gnocchi had an almost melt in the mouth texture which I reckon would be an acquired taste to those who prefer their dumplings with a little more bite.

My main course came from the Christmas menu, aptly named Seafood Galore on Feta Spinach. At RM40, it came with spinach baked mussels, prawn thermidor and grilled fish. The grilled fish lay on a bed of spinach and feta cheese. While some liked the flavour of the cheesy sauce on the grilled fish, I found that it slightly overpowered the delicate flavour of the fish. Then again, I prefer my fish with little dressing. The spinach baked mussels were brilliant; certainly no fishy smell there. And the prawn thermidor was excellent, thanks to its freshness. Definitely a recommended dish.

And what did the others have? Like me, Boolicious also had the Seafood Xmas special, while her honey buns, Splashie Boy, went for Chicken Chimicangas (RM19), a tortilla filled with minced chicken and spices, which he pronounced better than any other Chicken Chimicangas in Malaysia. I had to agree with this non-blogging foodie who definitely knew his chicken chimicangas. WMW had the grilled medallion of beef (RM35) in a special sauce of infused oil and coffee bean mustard. Jason went Asian with his Lamb Tikka served with Pilaf Rice (RM17). I must say that the Lamb Tikka was very good and it's probably something I shall try on my next visit there. Precious Pea's Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb (RM33) with apple mint yoghurt was enticing too. Birthday girl, Teckiee, had the Grenobloise Salmon Fillet (RM30) which came recommended by Jackson.

Jackson's Angel Hair Marinara (RM22) served with prawns, green mussels and squid in a tomato sauce was infused with the flavour of the seafood, and despite the fact that it was a little on the soft side, I'd vouch for the flavour of this dish.

A variety of desserts are also available, and believe me, these cakes taste wonderful. The most outstanding of these cakes is the apple crumble cheesecake, inspired by the Apple Crumble team's participation (consisting of Jackson, Teckiee, Precious Pea and WMW) in The Star's recent Drive For Food contest. Incidentally, this was the cake that was presented to Teckiee as we melodiously sang Happy Birthday to her! (Yes, food bloggers can sing.)

As a treat, we all got to create our own latte art. (Yes, food bloggers can draw.) Now that's money well spent, if you ask me!

Pick n Brew also has a great breakfast menu. All downed with a large cup of coffee.

My American set (RM18) also came with a muffin. Yummy! Breakfast sets are priced from RM9 for a pancake to RM20 for a breakfast steak.

Pick n Brew,
Wisma CNI, No.2, Jalan U1/17,
Section U1, Hicom-Glenmarie Industrial Park,
40000 Shah Alam.

Tel: 03-5569 1216

I swiped the operating hours from Precious Pea's blog. (You can also read what she has to say HERE. For the birthday girl's account, click HERE):

Operating hours :
Monday - Friday : 8am - 8pm
Sunday : 8am - 3pm
Closed on Saturday and public holidays



The good people of Abu Dhabi may view the pictures HERE.

Eat Work Shop, Glenmarie, Shah Alam

When I first heard of Eat Work Shop, I laughed. What workshop? A workshop with food? It certainly sounded like one of the many car workshops in the city which had chap fan (mixed rice) stalls parked right in front of them to cater to the blue-collar workers in the area.

My imagination was further fueled when I found out that Eat Work Shop was located in the industrial area of Glenmarie. I concluded that it was definitely a food stall in a workshop.

I have a knack for spelling. When I was 5, I was given a sweet for spelling rhinoceros. It was a proud moment for me. And so, when I saw the spelling for Workshop spelt "Work Shop", I laughed again. How typically Malaysian, I thought to myself. Trying to be creative, I bet!

Well, as you can imagine, the last laugh was on me. Eat....Work....Shop. Duh. ALTHOUGH, Yang Ariff, there is no shopping in this place, so why "shop"?


Finding this restaurant in the middle of the night with nary a soul in sight within a 2km radius felt like an achievement. As we climbed through a tiny gate attached to a wall that looked like it was still under construction, I suddenly knew what it felt like to be Aladdin when he first chanced upon the treasures in the cave. Before me, there stood a restaurant in the middle of nowhere with warm lights peeking out through huge glass windows, welcoming a hungry stranger in. There didn't seem to be many customers that night, though, but perhaps it was the location or the misleading name!

I love the pan-fried seabass which came creatively presented on a couple of risotto pancakes. The flesh was firm and the segments came apart easily as I cut through the fish. The accompanying passionfruit sauce added a tangy, yet sweet, flavour to the entire dish and did not compete with the flavour of the fish. (Note: this dish was not on the menu and was recommended to me by the lady serving us.)




Bald Eagle had the chicken with cubed potatoes and asparagus in a mango sauce (RM22.80/US$6.70). Again, I applaud the chef for his creativity in matching the uniquely created sauces with the meats.





For dessert, I had the chocolate fondant (RM12.80/US$3.70), which was essentially a moist chocolate cake that was served with pineapple confit and vanilla ice cream. As I sliced through the cake, warm melted chocolate oozed out to my delight and I quickly lapped it up together with the side servings. Perfect.


I'm rather lucky that Eat Work Shop is located so close to home in Bukit Jelutong, but even if we weren't living in BJ, I'd gladly make a trip here despite the distance.


Also check out:

• Essence of Life
• Living in Food Heaven
• masak-masak

Eat Work Shop
No. 9, Jalan Peguam U1/25
Glenmarie Business Park
40150 Shah Alam
Tel: 03-5569 7763