Thursday 30 January 2020

CNY Day 1 Lunch @ Marta's Kitchen


So. After the big makan the previous evening, my brother and I took our parents to Marta's Kitchen for lunch the following day.

To be on the safe side, I made reservations. Who knows, after so much Chinese food, people might flock here for something different, right? hah..hah..

So we looked at the menu. Then something caught my eye.


The photo of the Basque Cheesecake looked terribly familiar. My eyesight is no good, so I asked my brother to read the watermark on the photo.


Phong Hong Bakes & Cooks! Eh? My photo lah! Well, well, Marta hmmm.... It's OK. As long as my watermark is still intact, it's fine by me. I am not a famous person, so maybe this could be publicity for me hah...hah...

I also discovered earlier that Says.com also used my photo. My photography skills must have improved by leaps and bounds wahahaha!!

So anyway. My parents let us do the ordering. After looking through the many many items, and finding it very difficult to decide, I saw this.

Please note that I took this from the internet and prices have since been revised.
The Tabla Mixta (RM350.00). I thought it might be a good idea since we were having trouble deciding what to order. We also ordered the Paella Valenciana.


For drinks, coffee for my brother and I and iced lemon tea for our parents. We were served some warm crusty bread and olive oil with Balsamic vinegar as appetizer.


And then the Tabla Mixta was brought to the table. It was huge!


Lets's see what's in there according to the menu.


Iberico Pork, Txogitxu Sirloin (done medium rare)...


... Suckling Lamb Chops (buried under the greens)....


... Tiger Prawns (???) (they were very tiny), Deep Fried Squid....


... fries, Iberico Ham and some slices of cheese.


At the center of the platter were mayo, roasted peppers (I noted these were chilled) and a tomato based dip.

My dad was not eating much, claiming that he was still full from the reunion dinner. My mum was clearly not very impressed with the food, though being a good sport she ate some. 

To be honest, I was not hungry at full capacity (surprise, surprise) and I myself may have been underwhelmed by the experience. But still, my brother and I ate with gusto as we always do. 


The items I did not enjoy in the platter were the lamb chops (though tender, they were gamey), the Iberico Ham (the smell was too strong for me) and of course the cheese (I tried  only a small bit). 


The paella was as good as before but we were too stuffed to fully appreciate it.

But still....


heh..heh... A slice of the Basque Cheesecake and...


... Churros with melted chocolate (which tasted very much better than the one we had on our first visit).

With such a heavy lunch, I skipped dinner that evening. And with the benefit of hindsight, it's best to take the parents to eat food that they are familiar with but at least mum (whose palate is more versatile than Dad's) satisfied her curiosity about Marta's Kitchen.

25 comments:

  1. What????? I hate these people stealing people's photos!!! The writers for says.com are the worst! I had to go and tell them off and then only did they acknowledge the source. You should talk to Marta and DEMAND a free meal...or a free slice of the cka eat least. These people are so shameless, daylight robbers!!!

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    1. Quite a common thing that happens as I understand it. They could have at least asked for permission but as it is, I don't mind it. As long as there is a link back to my blog or if my watermark is left intact, I am prepared to forgive hah..hah...

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  2. I am surprised that they need to use your photo instead of taking their own. If they didn't bother to remove your watermark, they should have asked your permission to use your photo.

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    1. I agree with you! I suppose it is more convenient to just "borrow" someone else's photo. Had they asked, I would have gladly consented.

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  3. From your review, the platter seems disappointing. I think your mother would have preferred the paella if she wasn't already full from trying the various food from the platter.

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    1. I think so, the paella and some other sides would be better.

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  4. Churros look good. You better make your watermark bigger so everyone can see it when people steal your photos!

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  5. So the two of you basically finished the platter without much help from your parents then....well done, that is a lot of food! ;) I agree the churros do look better this round. From your comment of chilled roasted peppers (leftovers maybe?) to gamey lamb, strong smelling Iberico ham to tiny prawns, I can understand why you found the food underwhelming.

    Yeah, sometimes the 'older generation' wants to try western food but then they end up not appreciating the food coz they are not used to it. Like you said, best to take them to eat food that's familiar to them...like Chinese food! ;)

    By the way, 'stealing' of photos is quite a common thing...even whole reviews. I've had that done to me numerous times (I've seen my reviews appearing on some dining guide website but they at least link it back to my blog). I used to be pissed off about it initially but now it doesn't bother me anymore. Take it as a compliment that your burnt cheesecake looks good enough for their menu...haha! :D But you should correct them and say this is not a Basque cheesecake but a Malaysian one...kekeke! ;D Perhaps they didn't use their own photo for their menu coz they don't bake their own cheesecakes. I know a lot of cakes that's served/sold by cafes out there are not their own, a lot are supplied to them.

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    1. I remember you mentioning a while back that your reviews/photos were "stolen". I didn't think this sort of thing would happen to me as my photos are just so so. Well, in a way I am a little flattered lah that they used my photo. At least my watermark was left intact, so I forgive them hah..hah..

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  6. PH,
    Happy Chinese New Year... Harap tak terlalu lambat beri ucapan heheeee.

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    1. Thank you, Amie! Masih tak terlambat. Kita raya sampai chap goh meh :)

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  7. The platter sounds disappointing but at least the paella, cheesecake and churros were good.

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    1. Initially wanted to order those small tapas but there were not enough that were suitable, so just hantam the big platter LOL!

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  8. At least they should ask your permission before using your photo.

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    1. Yes, and I would have gladly consented :)

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  9. i can empathise - my mom and aunts might not fully love the food here too, since their favourites tend to be chinese and japanese fare. the platter looks super-tempting to me though - and i wouldn't say no to paella ever! :D

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    1. At least your mom and aunts like Japanese. My parents don't like Japanese at all!

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  10. lolx….u should ask for a free cake since they used ur photos for the menu, lolx! but I tink nowadays is quite common to 'steal' pictures from blogs...even my plain 'Maggi mee with egg' photo being used, but at least they got give 'photo credit' so it is fine with me.

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    1. Ya lor... But Marta was not there, if not I would have jokingly kacau her about it.

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  11. Wow!! Indeed famous liow! Using your photo on their menu, not bad, not bad... a compliment indeed on the brighter side... I don't think I would see anyone taking mine for their menu! hahahaa...

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    1. Famous kah? LOL! Who knows your photo kena curi but you were not aware hee..hee...

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  12. You must be famous in your country if they take your photos:)!

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    1. Oh no! Not famous, they just so happen saw my photo and liked it hah..hah..

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  13. I don't think that platter enough to be shared by 4-7 pax =.="

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