From Breakfast to Brunch @ Schokolart, Solaris Mont Kiara
May 12, 2009 | 3,674 viewsSolaris Mont Kiara is an up-and-coming hotspot (or probably already is), overlooking the PLUS highway, but far from public transportation-friendly. Driving to the place may require some knowledge of its location in advance, given the fact that the place is so near to the toll exit, a few wrong turns may alter your plan of dining at any of the restaurants there (and there are plenty, believe that!), and instead lead you to a Rawang tilapia run (HERE and HERE for the lost ones).
The new town of SolarisMont Kiara is the place for the elites, the ‘tai-tais’ (no translation, hehe), and the hungries. OK, two out of three, probably. From KL, go towards the Jalan Duta toll (correct me if I’m wrong), but take note of the green signboards indicating turning to Penchala Link, with Mont Kiara, Seri Hartamas, etc printed on them.
Schokolart (Chocolate + Art) – How tacky, but aptly named.This outlet is located directly opposite Tenji Japanese Buffet, that Japanese buffet restaurant which started the 50% off craze, sparking some tough competition amongst the other Japanese diners; creating ripples, waves and howls among the foodies community in the Klang Valley and beyond (in the case of Motormouth here).
The ambience itself speaks volume on Schokolart’s targetted patrons : The chic, young and trendy looking for a decent desserts bar, or a light meal while mingling with the yuppiesGoogle Schokolart and you’ll find reviews after reviews of this chocolate boutique, priding itself on its grand selection of pralines, chocolate desserts, and sinful beverages. With Theobroma and Godiva as pioneers in outlets specializing in chocolate products, the addition of Schokolart to the scene adds fuel to the revival in the desserts industry in Malaysia. (Further prove? Look at the bountiful doughnuts chains, and ice-cream parlours mushrooming all over)
The Temptation @ RM12We were expecting breakfast at Schokolart, arms akimbo and all, only to be duly disappointed as they only open from 11am onwards. Ouch, another half hour to go. But thanks be to the ones above, (or at least the management of Solaris), Cold Storage’s one floor below. So you can browse at possible the largest array of imported goods at any Cold Storage, spanning 2 floors with a cafeteria to boot.
Sweet Child Of Mine @ RM15.90As expected, we were the first customers that morning. The staff waitering our table was Barry, a friendly chap who was accomodating, yet far from intimidating. You get my drift.
Sadly, most mains were not available at that unGodly hour, (yup, nobody comes for breakfast it seemed!) owing to the previous night’s heavy traffic/patronage, being the eve of Labour’s Day. Well, OK. Since we were not in the mood for something heavy anyway.
The menu does not cover a lot of entries, mains, nor desserts for that matter. But worth mentioning is the various chocolate beverages being served, an impressive few pages of them.
Berner Roesti @ RM13.90
The Temptation (RM12) is their signature hot chocolate drink, made with 62% dark Cacao chocolates. Came piping hot in a mug (their own creation; a Hugga-Mugga – you’re supposed to wrap your fingers around the mug, warming your palms as well as your heart). Or so ideally. But I can’t even fit in my fat stubby fingers, rendering holding the mug a stunt in disguise. But the dark chocolate drink was thankfully not too sweet, but rich and creamy, and perfect with any savoury dishes. The accompanying homemade cinnamon marshmallow completed the whole experience. Sans a good book by the fire, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Sweet Child Of Mine (RM15.90) is listed in the section Schokolart Hurricanes, ie Ice-Blended Chocolate Drinks. Consisting of caramel fudge latte ice-blended, topped with the customary whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce, the cold drink lacked oomph in my opinion, slightly diluted and a notch below chocolatey heaven. Should’ve gone for Barry’s recommendation instead, named Soulmate – A wacky take on dark choc + peanut butter blend.
De La Mer @ RM24.90The Roesti was VERY delicious, surprisingly. Didn’t cross my mind a dessert lounge specializing in Swiss chocolate could whip up such lip-smacking roesti. Oh wait, roesti’s a Swiss dish right? Ooooh …. ok. No wonder …..
The roesti at Schokolart are served with sides of house salad (VERY sour, no thanks to the generous drizzles of vinaigrette), and your choice of Creamy cheese or Mushroom sauce. Crisp on the exterior, and brimming with flavours on the inside, the serving was just enough for a light meal, or for a hearty breakfast. I chose the Berner, which is panfried roesti with diced bacon and drizzled with fresh milk. Words can’t describe the scrumptious-ness of the simple pan-fried grated potato dish, but me being a 100% potato lover, I was in 7th Heaven. By the way, you can add a piece of gourmet sausage at RM5.50, in three flavours : Jalapeno Hot Smoked, Bratwurst with Mushroom & Cheese, and Bratwurst with Garlic Chive & Onion.
We had another main, the De La Mer (RM24.90) which was pan-fried salmon fillet and roesti served with the same ‘grimace-worthy-sour-house-salad’ and hollandaise-wasabi sauce. The sauce was a good complement to the slightly fishy & briny fillets of salmon, which were pan-fried well, though nothing spectacular. The accompanying roesti was another winner though, obviously.
For Love, Life & ChocolatesNo chance to sample the other desserts on their menu (they revamped theirs recently, but most not available yet), nor the chocolate pralines; Their hand-crafted creations. A lot of varieties, from the usual to the erm .. paranormal ones (think wasabi and Szechuan pepper!). 6 pcs at RM27 for takeaway, but a sampler plate at RM32 with a drink for dine-in.
On the whole, the place has potential, but to reach out to the masses, they have to think of branching to other easily accessible areas in Klang Valley, as well as shopping malls and business centres. My two cents’ worth, anyway. 🙂
Location : Schokolart @ Block K-01-05, SohoKL @ Solaris Mont Kiara, 2, Jalan Solaris, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. Tel No : 603-6203 0968. Site : http://www.schokolart.com/main.html
Chocolates!! The main looks really not bad wor. Scholart no other branches except in solaris?
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Yeah, it does seems like Solaris is a hotspot lately. Read quite a lot of blogs posting about restaurants in it. Read that their dessertswere good. Hope you can try it out next time. =)
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YEs many review of this place and I am attracted by it. ^-^ Must visit this place when I go KL.
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Agnes Cheong : none yet for the time being. the mains look normal, but the roesti’s good. but i like my potatoes, so a bit biased. =P
Sugar Bean : but to travel all the way there for a meal? i’ll think twice. oh i rmbr, i was about to go to Departure Lounge for breakfast! but it was closed. =(
Food Paradise : attractive eh? a chocolate lounge can never go wrong.
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The town looks so different in the daytime. I can’t really see much when I was there during the night.
Would like to try some of their drinks…thanks for sharing.
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Chocolate… I m a die hard fan ler.. The hot chocolate drink looks so tempting! Heard bout this a lot.. but yet to have chance to try it out.
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haha..thks for lettin us know tht they open so early on Suns!
I was thinkin of tryin their RM35 set for two – teatime. seems really worth it..& hw can u miss the choco satay?? ohh..rite..u were too early..
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ck lam : thank YOU for sharing your 1st visit. 🙂 poisoned by all of your reviews.
allie : there’s still chance, no worries.
thenomadGourmand : hahaha, choc satay. presentation’s good, but somehow felt not worthy. but they were far from ready that early though.
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What a nice place….
I like their design logo 🙂
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I want to try their weekend chocolate buffet, but don’t know if I can tahan the chocolate overload…kekeke =P
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All these mushrooming of chocs and donuts eateries sure won’t help our blood sugar and waistline! And our money too!!
Well, indulge once in a while is OK, I guess!
Aren’t you from Ipoh? So you regularly come down to KL or are you staying in KL?
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Looks nice.will try it soon
thanks
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I’m not really a choc fan so will probably give this a miss. The place looks nice though 🙂
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I’m a potato fans like u too 😉
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wow, i like ice blended chocolate drinks, i’m a chocoholic! It’s not too sweet huh?
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Am I the only one who doesn’t fancy chocolate ? Oh no…:)
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i had a hard time coming here as well..luckily the bf knows where it is. i still dont know how to get there now! lol
but i do love the place. can’t wait to try out their monthly chocolate martini parties!
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Selba : their menu, ambience, and concept’s a novelty as well.
Bangsar-Babe : binge on chocs for a day, then fast the next? hehe
foongpc : i’m from Ipoh. and staying in Ipoh. just that sometimes i’ll be down in KL.
KOW and OLC : waiting to hear your experience then. 🙂
Raynebow : really? guess some do not like sweet stuff.
mimid3vils : I can REALLY eat my potatoes! trust me on that!
kevin chung : seems they blend dark choc into their drinks, hence the lack in sweetness.
cariso : far from it. Raynebow also not a fan (refer comment above).
Lingzie : they’ve monthly martini parties?! sweet!
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i love this place!!!
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my complaint that it is not far enuf for ppl!! place been crowded so badly ever since every restaurant came crowding the area…
pain in the arse to find parking..
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Agree with Joe.. parking is a real nightmare! And there are still at least a dozen outlets here that I am dying to try like Saffron and Departure Lounge. I’ve somehow gone off Chocolate for the time being so will probably head there for the roesti alone now.
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On my list of to dine in Solaris. The other is Dubrovnik. I will try to arrive by 1215 to be the early bird.
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Next time come later 😉
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Duckie: really? i’ve gotta try those nibble-size pralines.
Joe : then come in the morning. like me. hahaha ..guaranteed no headache.
550ml jar of faith: initially went for Departure Lounge for breakfast. but closed that day. so ended up having brunch instead.
worldwindows : yeah, Dubrovnik, Croatian restaurant? didnt see the shop though.
jason : aiya, how to know leh? Solaris was so quiet that morning!
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this place looks great! love the environment and the setting over there. would love to drop by once my best-ie is back ^__^
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ai wei : christine eh? hehehe… she’s finishin very soon right? let’s pray she gets the place of her choice.
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Lucky you,got to try the desserts. just wondering, if i were to take a cab from kl city centre to solaris mont kiara, how much would that be in RM? dun wanna get cheated, making my way to kl for 3D2N next week.
Oh yes, this evening, i went to the newly opened branch of schokolart in s’pore, and guess what, they don’t have any desserts! because they were all made in kl and air flown..even some drinks couldn’t be made because of missing spice powder that hadn’t been transported in!
So, i had Temptation ($6.60 = RM 15.90!) and my friend had something like Cinnamon Choc drink, same price as mine, haiz!! Drink was ok, but I wanted desserts!
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