An Indulgent Breakfast – Of Amazing Pancakes, Blood Oranges & Julie Song’s Story
October 17, 2010 | 7,525 views
Blood Orange – Not your average orange, this one “bleeds” love and passion. Indulgence style.
After checking in into the resplendent ‘mansion’ of a room; the glam and glitzy Giulianna, we proceeded to a wonderful feast during dinner; using the freshest of local and imported seasonal ingredients and impressed with the marvelous culinary skills of Julie Song and her dedicated team in the kitchen.
Before you can even sit down at the comfortably-plush sofas at Indulgence, you will have to resist temptations in the form of freshly baked desserts and cakes every morning. How deceptively devilish ….
Indulgence provides a complete Bed & Breakfast package, and I was given ample time to snooze my way into the weekend before coming down for breakfast. Breakfast is served from 9am until 12pm daily (except when they’re closed on Mondays & Tuesdays, but the restaurant is still opened for hotel guests).
Almost like artworks, the tarts, pies and cakes at the counter seem to beckon me over …. in a trance-like manner. Not easy to resist a bite or two, before going for the REAL breakfast sets.
Continue reading after the jump, for the story behind Indulgence, the incredibly fluffy and light ricotta pancakes named Belissa, my first bite of the imported blood orange, and how you can order made-to-order cakes from Indulgence …..
Breakfast at the sun-kissed parlour of Indulgence – Do you know that among all the other sections in Indulgence, this is the only space occupied by the same rustic and charming furniture from their Canning Garden days?
Indulgence started way back in 1996. Julie set up her cafe at a half-shoplot premise in Canning Garden, facing the morning market. Although not befitting the throne of being situated at a prime location in Ipoh, that quaint cafe attracted a strong following among the foodies in Ipoh. In particular, her to-die-for Tiramisu and a myriad of cakes and desserts.
The Almond Croissant (top right) was her pick for breakfast, while the tartlets are the perfect light bites to go with their freshly-brewed Bristot coffee.
Then back in late 2005, Julie decided to go all out in her expansion plans. Bringing Indulgence to a whole new level; a full-fledged restaurant serving modern European cuisine at a majestic bungalow lot on Tambun Road. Yet she managed to retain that mystic charm of Indulgence with a spacious compound surrounded by a perimeter of green, nature-oriented facade without the need for a huge signboard with the name Indulgence emblazoned on it.
And two years marched on before she dabbled in the boutique hotel business; hence Indulgence had the Restaurant & Living moniker attached until this very day.
Boxed In (RM28/USD9) – Egg, turkey bacon, baby spinach, onion, sun-dried baby tomatoes and baked beans stuffed into a bread square with lemon hollandaise & lemon pepper pearls.
Much like how one should not rush through breakfast (easily the MOST important meal for the day), starting your day with any of their 8 choices of Breakfast Sets (priced from RM26-RM32 each) should be an experience to savour. Letting time flows by unnoticed, without the need to rush through for meetings and catching up with the rat race.
Hence, it is most advisable to come on a weekend, where you can take your sweet time tasting every bite of the immaculately prepared sandwich, pastry, pancake or even salad.
Belissa (RM32/USD10.30) (20 minutes preparation time) – Extremely light and fluffy (even airy!) ricotta pancakes topped with grated Belgian Callebrut milk chocolate, figs & honeycomb.
Browsing through the menu at Indulgence may take forever. Seriously. Not only do they provide a battalion of choices, the descriptions alone would have required you a few minutes before you start to decipher each ingredient, and imagine the ensuing combination of flavours.
Best is; Let them recommend to you. Yes, this saves your time and of course, the people at Indulgence know best. Some customers even go to the extent of having Julie walking over herself and attend to the orders. Since some Specials are not available on the menu yet, or won’t ever be since the use of seasonal produce from overseas render the thought impossible.
The texture of the pancake reminded me of the Cherry Souffle I had the night before; complete with the impossibly airy and fluffy bite. Since only egg whites are used, you can kiss the nagging thought of cholesterol-laden treat goodbye. The figs were of Turkish origin, and they change the condiments from time to time, based on the freshest produce they get.
On paper, the Boxed In set seems more appealing, loaded with savouries like turkey bacon, eggs and baked beans, and still is THE most famous choice for breakfast among the patrons. And yes, the addition of soft baby spinach provided much of the fibres according to dietary needs.
But Jessie (one of Julie’s most trusted) had me enthralled at the constant raves on the ricotta pancakes with fresh figs and honeycomb the night before. So I could not help but seemed a little bemused at the prospect of eating plain old pancakes for breakfast.
How wrong. Belissa was easily the BEST pancakes I have ever eaten. Unlike the conventional pancakes, the ones at Indulgence were so soft, fluffy and easily masticated; highly suggestive of a favourite amongst the children.
* Every Breakfast set comes with a choice of coffee/tea or fresh juice. Served from 9am onwards, until afternoon. Not available on Mondays/Tuesdays as Indulgence Restaurant is closed on those days.
The private lounge available for booking; if you need a place to hold private functions (>20 pax). A minimum amount of expenditure would be expected.
The Creme Brulee tart was torched on the spot, with a crisp layer of caramelized sugar on top. A lighter version of the Creme Brulee,, with a fresh vanilla fragrance. The Fresh Rhubarb tart had a zesty tinge to it, covered with crumbles on top. I was tempted to pick a few brownies in the beginning, but thankfully did not as the pancakes were more than enough.
Anyway, the array of chocolate brownies on display might just entice you to order a slice or two. About RM7/USD2.30 per slice.
*Indulgence also bakes cakes and cupcakes per order. A square/rectangle-shaped cake to be sliced into twelve pieces cost RM100-RM120 (USD32-USD39), while cupcakes with fresh fruits (raspberries, cherries, strawberries, etc) cost RM8.50-RM9.50 each (USD2.80-USD3.50). Make your reservations a few days in advance, preferably.
On the wall – Read how she comes up with new dishes; inspired by the senses and infused with passion. And Julie is adamant on maintaining her restaurant at the best possible level. The chairs would be given a fresh coat of paint every now and then.
Indulgence do cater to functions and parties. The parlour can be reserved for such an event, for about 20 persons. You can pick between a four course meal, or buffet spread for RM85++/USD27 per pax. Although they do not cater to external functions, but Julie admitted that once in a blue moon (hehe, my words, not hers) they do send petit fours and coffee/tea to small events as per requested.
And here’s the most interesting concept. Have you watched Chef At Home Take Home Chef? (Thanks emkae for pointing this error out). Yes, you can even hire Julie and her team to cook in your house! Of course, you need prior preparations and sufficient planning (the availability of utensils, ingredients, etc) before she can start cooking in your kitchen. No rates given, but if interested, just drop her a message at the Indulgence’s website.
Blood Orange sounds gory, but in reality the tarty citrus fruit resembles an ordinary orange, albeit loaded with juices and sweeter with a pleasant fruity essence. (click for Wikipedia’s article)
Current expansion plans? Julie mentioned that she’s up to her knees now in collaboration with MAS Airlines, elevating her culinary expertise to an entirely different level. Sky high, literally.
She has been credited for the training of the chefs at the Malaysian Airlines kitchen, so her impressive range of posh cuisine can be savoured by the Enrich Platinum members flying First Class/Business Class between Kuala Lumpur-Australia/Europe.
Read more about the Chef-On-Call menu she derived from various inspirations on Ipoh Echo’s June 2010 edition.
Does this lavish bungalow look anything like a hotel-cum-restaurant? Or more like a private residence? That’s exactly their intention; to avoid misinterpretation and differ from the norms that usually limits such establishments by pigeonholing Indulgence as just another boutique hotel, or merely a fine diner.
Many times the same question arose (yes, even from myself); “Why don’t you consider setting up a branch over in the Klang Valley, or any other states for that matter?”
To which Julie would shrug it off and smile.
“I am a proud Ipohan. This is my hometown where I have been living for years. I need to oversee the running of the restaurant myself, as I am very particular about the taste, the experience, and the maintenance of the restaurant and hotel.”
“Furthermore, I’d like to think that Indulgence has somehow helped to put Ipoh on the culinary scene of Malaysia, and on the tourist’s maps.”
As per request from Julie herself, the picture of her has been taken down. My bad. 🙂
Yeah, maybe you can argue that since I am a food blogger I have been getting the preferential treatment and all. But back then, when I wrote a not-so-favourable review on Indulgence, Julie actually did read the article, and when she first met the real me back in April this year; she made a witty yet hilarious remark;
“Oh … so YOU’RE the one that has been writing all those things about me and Indulgence …!”
To which I responded by stating that I merely write things like they were. But she smiled reassuringly, and understood my views. Then she proceeded to explain about the hassle of finding and training of new and existing staff, and her passion to cook and please every single one of her customers.
Just that sometimes, people tend to be judgmental before giving her a chance to introduce Indulgence as a wholesome dining and living experience, rather than a fine dining establishment. If you had noticed, you do NOT have to be decked in your best attire for a meal here. I saw diners in shorts and sandals having a good time during dinner.
Motormouth says; “Don’t believe this blindly. Go out and experience Indulgence for yourself. Julie has successfully made me see her passion in her works. How about you?”
For the other chapters on The Indulgence Experience :
Chapter 1 – Indulgence Living – More Than A Boutique Hotel
Chapter 2 – Indulgence Restaurant – Feast Like a King
[…] An Indulgent Breakfast – Of Amazing Pancakes, Blood Oranges & Julie Song’s Story […]
Julie always comes round to my table to say “Hi!” whenever she is not tied up in the kitchen or elsewhere.
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OMG! How come the blood orange looks so rotten? LOL 😀
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A correction….the name of the programme is “Take Home Chef” not Chef at home!!! 😉
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 17th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Haha, thanks.
Chef At Home is the other show with Michael Smith cooking from his kitchen.
You’re fast, emkae!
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omg.. this is the first time seeing a blood orange.. it looks scary to me and i dun dare to eat at all.. i cant imagine how it would like to put that in mouth.. does it taste really sweet?
oh boy, the desserts in the shops really attractive and the interior is very nice as well.. it gives me a feel that as if im at home 🙂 it must be really comfortable to sit in there isnt it?
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 17th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Yup, very comfortable. That’s how Julie envisioned her pride and joy to be from the start. A place where one can relax and have a good time enjoying her food.
Yes, sweet with a tarty finish. Very juicy too, and if you close your eyes, you can’t really tell the difference. Albeit the scarily blood-red streaks across the orange.
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“To which I responded by stating that I merely write things like they are.” That’s to quote what you said in your blog. Sorry to say I beg to differ. Especially lately your “changed” review about Indulgence and Kizuna 1 @ RPGC. Looking at the feast and treatment given, all your previous comments changed. I am especially disappointed with you, Motormouth.
Quoting Julie, I am very particular about the taste, the experience, and the maintenance of the restaurant and hotel.” “Furthermore, I’d like to think that Indulgence has somehow helped to put Ipoh on the culinary scene of Malaysia, and on the tourist’s maps.” I think Julie statetement is over-rated.
Indulgence service was and still like before. Julie is still as arrogant as ever. People who had dealt with her can testify to this anytime. Maybe her customers do not know.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 17th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Tan HT, SukaMakan & Havana,
I do not appreciate spams, nor am I gonna delete your comments. I understood that you may have a bone to pick with Indulgence, had a poor dining experience before, or possibly a business rival of Indulgence’s.
You do not have to post several comments under different nicknames to put your points across.
(I am the admin for this blog, so don’t think I am not aware of this trick)
If you had dealt with Julie and felt that she was arrogant in her dealings, then please share your story. Instead of making slandering remarks. This will hurt reputations.
Be mature, be nice and be fair. If you are really disappointed with me thinking that the feast and treatment given changed my opinions of Indulgence, then yes you should be. This experience changed my mind about Indulgence, their missions and objectives. In a good way. Even if I had paid for the meal myself, this review stays true to my opinions.
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Careful of people who are too nice to you as you may be in danger of destroying what you have taken so long to create when you blog about them. I suggest that you should only blog about places that you are not invited to for the credibility sake
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 17th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Thanks David. But the truth is, Indulgence managed to change my initial perception of the restaurant, which was a high-end and upmarket fine dining wannabe. Initially, I felt that the place was over-charging the customers, a full course meal without liquor may come to at least RM70 and above per person. But as time goes by, we see places like Citrus, Brewster’s, Secret Garden, David’s Diner, Macoy and Eastern’s Brasserie cropping up and in a flash, Ipoh’s dining scene has changed. Paying more than RM50 for an occasional dinner is considered acceptable now. Living standard has improved leaps and bounds, turning Ipoh into possibly a gastronomic hub, rather than a plain street food haven (Ipoh STILL is, btw).
Seeing that a restaurant from my hometown of Ipoh garnering accolades and awards in international arena made me proud. I was even ecstatic when The Pomelo @ Banjaran Hot Springs Retreat is being listed as one of the restaurants for the MIGF 2010.
I have always practised this principle of not doing favourable reviews for free food, except in cases when I personally have confidence that the dining experience would be positive. In the case of Indulgence. Julie showed so much passion for her works, she deserves all the accolades and a pat-in-the-back.
David, I am just another food blogger, writing about my personal food and travel endeavours. I have never been a food critic, nor am I getting paid for any of the reviews. My intention of writing about places (free food or paid food) is to create awareness; about the food that I ate in Ipoh, around Perak, and during my travels to the other states in Malaysia. Be it in a positive or negative manner. Some readers might think that invited/paid reviews = biased opinions. But that’s fine, as one can choose to read the post for exposure sake, and for an idea on what that eatery offers. And I have always put a disclaimer on invited reviews at the end of the post.
I hope this clears things up.
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David Tan Reply:
October 17th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Fine, I’ve always followed yr blogs with keen interest. Perhaps its your sooo enthusiastic comments on Indulgence that set the alarm bells ringing in my head. No fault of yrs but imho Ms Song is fully to blame for giving some Ipoh people a negative perception of her place.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 17th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
That’s fine David.
I appreciate all comments and feedback from the readers.
Small things like this makes all the difference.
Keep on eating!
BTW, apart from the price is extremely HIGH, do you really think the food is that HIGH??? I mean Indulgence lah. Dont know…if you ask me, my answer is NO. Presentation can do lah but food taste…nothing to shout about.
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Agree with David Tan. Be yourself.
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SukaMakan & Havana – Even if you are the same person, or different people from the same group, there is NO need for repeated comments to put your points across.
In other words, DO NOT SPAM.
Refer to my reply to Tan HT’s comment above. TQ.
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The food looks nice :), nice to know Ipoh is growing up more and more.
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Two thumbs up to Julie for putting Ipoh on the culinary map. I too am a proud ex-Ipohan who is going to break a personal tradition of eating only Malaysian street food when I am home on holidays. This time I am planning to sample some treats from Indulgence when I visit Ipoh in about 2 weeks. I am an avid reader of your blog and will definitely be visiting some of the makan places you have recommended. Keep up the good work.
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Wow… there are many delightful treats from Indulgence. Would sure like to drop by and try the food 🙂
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can imagine waking up for a nice breakfast.
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I thought that was a grapefruit 😛
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One of the best things to have in Indulgence is free (I hope it still is), the house bread! Julie Song taught me the best way to eat this. Dip in olive oil (I think) and vinegar. Heavenly!
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Damn, those food looked goood! Esp the pastries. 😀
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i appreciate your write up on all these makan places where we get the info for free. thank you.
but i do have to say, u over did it for indulgence. me and a few colleagues have been patronising indulgence since her early days in canning garden. we all share the same feelings that it’s more of the decorations than the taste that’s selling. plus the posh price tag that goes with it, like buying branded goods.
we are picky eaters and we recognise good food. in fact ipoh food are not as good as proclaimed except for about 30% of the eateries. if one knows how to look, there are more good food eateries in kl. 🙂
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 19th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Hi amelie, I appreciate your views too. Don’t worry, all the feedback would be taken into consideration.
Indeed, Indulgence does not charge cheap, or even moderate prices. Hence definitely not a place for a casual meal on most days. But once in a while, when someone craves for a little indulgence (no pun intended), or a proper place for gathering or finer feast, then this place might be a good pick.
And I can’t help but agree that when it comes to good cafes, bistros, restaurants and fine diners, obviously Klang Valley, or even Penang have them in abundance. Especially the top notch, award winning ones in hotels, and some rare gems (like the chef from Max Kitchen) independently.
But still, when comparing regionally, we still have a long way to go, before even recognized as a country known for its fine dining establishments, or gourmet dining.
When we look at this from a Street Food point of view, one cannot deny that Ipoh DOES have a LOT of good choices, some hidden gems waiting to be discovered by the masses, and favourites that can’t be replicated anywhere else.
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i personally feel ipoh has more good food than penang. everytime i go penang i feel like there’s not much choice, it’s either char kuay teow, laksa, hokkien mee, jawa mee or pasembur. maybe my expectation is too high or penang food is commercialised, the food i normally eat in penang is good but not excellent. or maybe i don’t know where to find those secluded area for good food in penang…hmm..any guidance?
that’s just my personal view with no intention to offend anyone ya.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 20th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Haha, sure sure. But i can’t deny that I love Penang food too.
I am not a fan of Laksa, hence no comment on the Ayer Itam vs Balik Pulau fiasco.
But I love Char Kuey Teow. And you should try Jalan Burmah’s Sin Hwa, Pulau Tikus wet market’s at night version, Batu Lanchang’s CKT during the day, and even AH Leng’s on Jalan Dato Keramat.
Find them all here : http://www.j2kfm.com/penang-food/
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I think you have to tell some truth in your work. If I am not mistaken you were paid to write at some outlet in ipoh for http://www.foodstreet.com
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 20th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Hi Peter.
Sorry to say that you are wrong.
Let me clarify this, FoodStreet picks some of the older posts from my blog, at a price.
BUT, in no way do the restaurants or hawker stalls published on FoodStreet knew about them being featured.
And no, they do NOT pay any advertisement fees too.
Thus if you’re an ardent follower of FoodStreet’s, you would have noticed that the posts picked from my blog covered everything from street food, to restaurants, and places ranging from Ipoh to around Perak, and so forth.
Hope that cleared things up for you. 🙂
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this is just brilliant!!! I can’t stop salivating looking at the pic. I will take my gf there soon. Thanks for the post and kudos to Julie for her great work 🙂
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 24th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
You’re welcomed. Just sharing the experience with the readers. And glad that you find this useful, instead of patronizing.
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Hi,
I am a lady who loves to dine alone during lunch. I’ve been to places whereby the seatings are too packed and I notice that most diners will give an awkward stare to people like me who eats alone while enjoying my book. I haven’t been to Indulgence before but I’m looking for a comfortable place and have a light lunch while enjoying my book. Is there any suggestion?
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 28th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Hi pinkie, there are a few that come to mind.
Indulgence’s dining area is separated into several segments, offering privacy and solitude when you need some.
Citrus Wine & Dine (the inner section) is dimly lit though, but does offer a very comforting ambience for a single dine-in.
Aside from these, Eastern’s Brasserie in town is not that packed during lunch, and the spacious setting does seem a little intimidating but very bright (from the natural light), and good for a read.
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Hi..thanks for ur reply. I’ve been to Citrus but it’s too packed…no privacy at all
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It’s no surprise julie has to find new staff all the time. cos she treats the staff esp the new ones like crap. and the pay sucks!! this is coming from an ex-staff who worked as waiter. and i’m sure many other ex-staff would agree with me. i even have frens who quit after working for 2 days bcos they just couldn’t tahan all her nagging, lecturing and bit**ing. i’m surprised i worked there for more than 1 month. The 3 bucks /hour(what she pays now i’m not sure) she pay us just isn’t worth our time listening to all her lectures.
it would be nice to feel appreciated once in a while. i’m sure i won’t mind going the extra mile despite the meagre pay. Heck i can go on and on about the horrible experience working there (seriously writing a few-thousand-word article would be a piece of cake), but i would rather comment on the piece of cake that constitutes the pride of Indulgence–> tiramisu. in my opinion, it’s nothing special at all. Alexis’ tiramisu trumps Indulgence’s tiramisu hands down. Enuf said.
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[…] Well … maybe because this is the brainchild of one lady named Julie Song, from Indulgence. […]
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Breakfast @ Indulgence Restaurant & Living – The Julie Song’s Story | Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel