As we grow older, our paths tend to differ from those we have known for a majority of our lives. Best friends since schooling days, pre-university and et cetera become somebody we used to know. It is unlikely for us to still keep in touch, let alone stay as close as ever before while trying to keep up with the ever changing acceleration of the pace of life. This is why I always try to remind myself to cherish those around me and make an effort to reconnect with those important to me. For privacy purposes, I will be using an alias for a close friend I have known since I was seven. Let her name be Joy.

Fortunately, we managed to set up a date for dinner despite both of our busy schedules. Joy recommended the Naj & Belle Restaurant as their specialty was the infamous watermelon cake, which was also very well known in Australia which she loved. She picked me up at 7pm and we headed over to the Bangsar branch nearby my office. The parking there was very inconvenient as it was limited and the guards were not helpful as they did not understand English very well, and did not seem to want to help either. We ended up forced to park on the side street behind the restaurant where rows of creepy factories were located.

The restaurant did not have their name at the main door of their restaurant, which we found odd because it made us doubt if we were at the right place. The only indication was the watermelon cake in the display section at the reception area. So we strolled in and were greeted by a modern setting with black table tops and chairs. I liked how spacious each table was as well. The place was brightly lit with light bulbs and they had an open kitchen too. It all gave off a very professional vibe. Kudos to them for the interesting set-up.
Their menu was also the standard black and white, each dish neatly listed and described. Aside from the must-have watermelon cake, we also added two pasta dishes to our order to share. Our approximately 20-minutes catch up chat session was interrupted by the arrival of both our orders. Pretty quick considering they were not exactly easy dishes. The presentation was fairly pleasing to the eyes too!

 

I was eyeing the squid ink pasta, costing RM26.50 as I found the combination of squid ink and tomato sauce a little odd. However, to my surprise it tasted amaaaazing! The brilliant chefs had managed to fuse both tastes together without one overshadowing the other. The bland prawn did not do the dish much justice though.

Let’s not forget the RM29 soft shell crab linguini, which was basically buttermilk, my number one favourite. Unfortunately, the buttermilk sauce was pretty tasteless, but the taste of the spices made up for it. Also, thank God for the soft shell crab, which tasted simply divine. The crispiness of the outside was just the right combination with the tender flesh on the inside.

To top it all off, we called for our dessert to be served, costing RM14.80 to end the night. It was a rather small slice topped with cream and strawberries. The idea of placing a watermelon slice in between the cake was very queer to me indeed. However, as soon as I took a bite, I was hooked. The cake was not too sweet nor was the taste too strong. It tasted perfectly refreshing. Just what we needed after the two strong flavoured main dishes. All in all, Joy’s recommendation was spot on.

If you would like to pay a visit, the details are as below:
Address: Jalan Tandok, Taman Bukit Pantai, 59100 Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 10AM – 10PM
Phone: 03-2201 7078

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