It's a Bird! It's A Plane! It's a Noodle Bar, Bangsar Village 2, KL.

(no pork served)

Exterior.

Lunch options in Bangsar are always a headache. Nothing is depressingly bad, but nothing is outstandingly good either. Somehow or another being stuck in a upper middle class nightmarish dreamscape with has rendered the food scene docile and subservient in form and conventionality like it's inhabitants. The Telawi area in Bangsar, bounded by Maarof and Jalan Ara is a little crucible of chicness with flagrant displays of wealth. The flaunting of German Marquess and French Label handbags are unabashed together with the affectionate displays of the expatriate and their local trophies.

Interior with schizophrenic hanging table lamps

Bangsar Village has taken the place of the neighborhood mall, and housed within Bangsar Village two is a pair of dizygotic twins, one christened with a clever pun "For Goodness Sake" which concentrates on Japanese cuisine and Sake, and the other christened plainly "It's a Noodle Bar". Both of them share a common menu. The decor is interesting, sort of a cross between Meathead David Chang's Ssam Noodle Bar and the functional fast food chain Wagamama at Soho with Lewis Caroll having a whimsical free hand in it's interior concept.

Seared Beef with ponzu. Hardly the tataki as described in the menu as it was sliced really thin but unfortunately, no hint of rawness.

The menu features the classic noodles dishes that are found in the streets plus some Japanese Udons. Side dishes for lunch include some Makis, and finger food such as soft shelled crabs and seared beef with ponzu. Those expecting edgy menus with new permutations of old favourites will be disappointed.

Beef Noodles

The Cold noodles were fairly well presented, the Cold Cha Soba was served on a bed of crushed ice whereas the Oroshi Udon was garnished in pretty orange daikon. There was nothing particularly adventurous or magical to it, nor anything that gives you an epiphanic vision. Just some well prepared cold noodles.

Cold Cha Soba

My dining companion who was recovering from a sordid weekend of sordid Bacchanalian Orgy opted for the warm beef noodles which smelled pretty good from where I sat.

Cold Oroshi Udon

The Umaki was a dreadful concoction of unagi eel omelet doused with Kewpie Mayo. The seared beef with ponzu was much better in comparison and the deep fried soft shelled crabs were crispy perfection.

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crabs with Ponzu

There only two types of ice cream served as Japanese dessert and Yakitoris are only available for dinner.

Umaki-ller

At a first glance, It's a Noodle Bar seemed to have fallen for the same disease as the other eateries in the vicinity with it's unimaginative offerings. However it's lack of pretension is accentuated with it's very decent down to earth prices of about RM9 to 18 for noodle dishes and RM8 to 38 for side dishes. A decent meal with a drink can be had for RM20+.

What makes it stand out would be it's very eager to please and pleasant staff and it's quirky Alice In Wonderland gone bonkers in Asian kitchen decor. A charming place to dine on the run without hurting the wallet. Otherwise, It's just another Noodle Bar.

It's a Noodle Bar
2F-29, Bangsar Village II,
No. 2, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, KL.

Emotional Catharsis.

One of those days when ineptitude of others drives me up the wall in rabid rage. When things go horribly wrong and newspapers are filled with drivel and the traffic is slower than the urine stream of an eighty year old man with prostrate problems. Mobile internet crawls so slow that emails take forever to load on my BuggerBerry. 4 zits popping out of my chin. Arghhhh!

Vichyssoise of Artichoke with Botan Ebi and Smoked Caviar

I headed to my favourite restaurant for some immediate relief. Gustatory Therapy. First to greet me was a cold soup with Botan Ebi, Smoked Avruga and Shoyu Jelly nestled on top of creamy artichoke Vichyssoise. Cooling and Calming, I took a few deep breaths and continued to savour the delights of some cold soup on a day when the temperature was hot and the psyche was in tumultuous rage.

Foie Gras Enfold with Dried Yuba and Balsamico Dressing

Next was a piece of Foie, wrapped in Folded paper thin Yuba (Foo Chook) that was deep fried until it was crunchy. It was served sitting resplendently on some puy lentils and served with a side of salad drizzled with Balsmico. I heard the angels sing and the unpleasant memory of losing my temper at some silly mistake someone made seemed further away.

Fresh Water Prawn with Squid Ink Pasta and Mixed Herbs

My wallowing in self pity was alleviated by the beautiful Squid Ink pasta wallowing in some rich Prawn Sauce bursting with Roe. It reminded me that deep in the squid ink darkness that defines my inner self, I am surrounded by resplendent friends who are rich in love. First some humorous email from @Fatboybakes about the amount of hair on @Nigelskelchy's head. A pick me up tweet from @Agentcikay checking for my vital signs.

Belgian Dark Chocolate Torte with Chocolate Ice Cream, a dream dessert.

A humorous tweet from @J_chocoholic about my previous post equating eating with sex. Another pickmeup sms from @keciktango and something about lunch from @boo_licious that added some sparkle to a listless day.

Even though lunch was ridiculously perfect and unbelievably good, it still took the small little things that friends do spontaneously to lift me out of my doldrums. The prospect of another sleep deprived night looms with piling work and my friends are probably oblivious to this post. Still, somehow I feel better because they are around.

No prizes for guessing where the food was from.