squeak. speak. roar!

Nat and I went to Murni’s to check out their food after hearing so much about it. After waiting for 15 minutes calling for the bloody waiters and the owner - who acknowledged our existence - still nobody came. So fuck it, we left. Along with another couple I saw leaving who arrived shortly before us. Odds are I’m never going back ever. I doubt they will miss our business though. Having had experience in the service industry, I have extremely high demands from restaurants. Partially because Malaysians need to snap out the ‘restaurant is boss, customer is not’ mentality. Murni’s can only retain a certain amount of regulars but will likely chase away new ones like me. Plus, I hate mainstream mamaks! :P Commercialised to the core and not that fantastic either.

But that is not what this post is about! lol. Shortly after leaving we went to Swensen’s instead. We were waited immediately and the food was prompt. Sure it cost a bit more than Murni’s but we both were hell of a lot more happier about the service!!

Clam chowder - baby clams, diced potatoes, carrots, onions and celery in creamy soup served in a sourdough breadbowl. I’m a sucker for breadbowls. And clam chowder. It was pretty good but it was a lot smaller than expected. Second to Zuup at least in terms of concept. However the soup tasted like it come out of the can and it was missing the heartiness with the lack of seafood inside.

Caesar salad with golden-fried breaded fish. Nat wanted the fish. The picture in the menu had 6 strips of breaded fish but we only had 4. We wanted to complain :P Nat liked the fish and I like the salad that comes with a herb mayonnaise dressing. There was no romaine lettuce in it though so it was technically, not caesar. lol.

Chicken mushroom mayo - grilled chicken and sautéed mushrooms on a mayonnaise pesto base. It came a little burnt but it was bearable because who really eats the outer crust anyway? But still, the pizza was a large disappointment because they did not use mozzarella cheese. It tasted pretty salty and rich like cheddar and the entire pizza was dominated with that cheesy taste. It became jelak after a while.

Fish & chips with tartar sauce, U.S. fries and coleslaw. Nat wanted more fish so he took 6 bites out of this dish to satisfy his craving and we swiftly moved on to pack it for home. lol.

Swensen’s as I remember it was an ice cream parlour where I celebrated one of my childhood birthdays. It was a luxury back in those days to eat ice cream at Swensen’s. It was before Baskin Robbins, Haagen Dazs and New Zealand Naturals. To survive the ever-competitive F&B industry in the country, they had to repackage themselves as a restaurant while maintaining their adventurous array of ice cream desserts and sundaes. They now have ice creams served on a hot, boiling skillets. Beat that! I wanted to try it but my pants already felt tight by them. Next round, I guess.

The food selections is your average western fare with a healthy variety of snacks, burgers, pizzas and salads. The odd baked rice may tickle your fancy too if you like that sort of thing :) It is also limited enough that you won’t tear your hair out over (like PHOP). It just needs to market itself into a more hip place to be and it might just bring in the crowd and not just old fogeys like me who got turned off at Murni’s :P It really deserves it … the service was excellent! :)

Swensen’s
22 Jalan SS2/67, Petaling Jaya
47300 Selangor
Tel : 03-7876 3644
Fax : 03-7876 3645

Opening Hours :
Weekday : 11.30am – 11.30pm
Weekend(Fri/Sat) : 11.30am – 1.00am