Nosh Restaurant, Crown Square, Kuching...

Nosh Restaurant is a simply a hidden gem. Came here once when it was still called Mr Ho Fine Food, and was delighted to note that some of the menu has been improved and some were added in.
The environment is a balance between classy and affordable. It also gives out a cozy chill-out vibes where you can dine or lunch in with dates, colleagues, or friends. Bringing a kid here is also a good choice since it's air conditioned and they have proper baby high chair.

 Interior...

Nosh serves fusion food but they have more Western variety. For starter, this wild mushroom soup tastes authentic and you can feel the remnants of pureed wild mushroom. The overall taste is not bad, just perhaps should have been creamier.

Mushroom soup... 

A local variety, the signature fried rice is actually a good choice of order. The deep fried pork belly pieces they included is a delight, together with mixture of seafood with baby kailan, egg and top with local chips give off a balanced diet. Very fulfilling.

 Fried rice...

I forgot the name in the menu for this, but it's crispy pork strips, nice to go with a glass of hot coffee or a cup of hot Earl Grey in the evening.

Pork strips... 

And this is all-day breakfast! (because it's available even after breakfast hours, which is so fantastic! For me, that is..). A fat German sausage, crispy bacon, baked tomato, 2 bulls eyes sunny side up, baked beans and a piece of white bread. It's not too heavy for lunch and yet not too light, just enough to last me the whole day. 

Western breakfast... 

And for some on-the-side-order, this crispy and yet juicy roasted pork belly is served by gram, and this is 100gm (I think). Enough for two. Served with apple sauce, although I prefer it with chilly and soy sauce.

 Crispy pork belly...

 

What's a perfect dinner without a glass of hot coffee? I like that they prefer you to add in your own sugar to taste and it's cubed instead of granuled. :-) Been awhile since I last visit a cafe that uses sugar cubes.

 Coffee, sugar, mini pineapple tart...

 

Or for a healthier option... a glass of hot honey lemon and another iced honey lemon to even it out.

 Iced and hot honey lemon...

 

Nosh serves a variety of wine, liquor and beer too, for the wine-and-dine experience. All in all, a nice meal, good service, good food, good price, will come back to try other dish.

 The exterior...

 

Location: Ground Floor, Crown Square. Can't miss it.
Note: Non-Halal.

My Rating: 4.9/5

Elephant Cafe & Bistro, Jalan Ang Cheng Ho, Kuching...

I used to come here whenever I need solitude a few years back, when the place was not that much known. It had a romantic feeling to it, and it wasn't always too crowded. But, what was years ago.

These days, it's always packed during lunch time. From dating couples to business lunch meeting, Elephant Cafe and Bistro is an ideal place to hangout and enjoy good food. It's also Halal, which explains why it's most always busy on peak hours.

The intrerior...

This Cafe specializes in Western food. The grilled chicken chop that I had for lunch was perfecto, especially it's black pepper sauce and the french beans. Service was fast too even though it was lunch time and people were coming in the door in groups.

Chicken chop...

Although they have more Western variety, Elephant Cafe also adds in local dish to its list. Like this nasi lemak... The rice is just creamy enough (not too creamy or berlemak actually) and it's accompanied by a fried egg, chicken curry, crunchy peanuts and fried anchovies, and a piece of fried fish. A fulfilling combination for a simple lunch. And because you're having it here, don't expect a stall price. 

Nasi lemak...

Chicken sandwich with focaccia bread. I love the bread, but the chicken meat was a bit slab and dry but you can moisten it up with extra mayo (upon request).

Chicken sandwich...

And the drinks! A sweet and creamy chocolate shake which tasted very much like melted chocolate icecream and a glass of refreshing iced peppermint tea.

 Peppermint tea and chocolate shake...

This one's my favorite though... what I'd like to call lemon twist in some other place, but here it's just fresh iced plum tea lemon. Very soothing to the throat.

 A variation of lemon twist...

All in all, that comes up to RM54.00. Not bad. Opens everyday from 11am - 10.30pm, except Monday.

My Rating: 3.5/5