Monday, February 20, 2012

Organic Food @ Opika, 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya

IMG_8224


I seem to be haunting the 1 Utama shopping mall lately.


Kinda weird since I've actually stopped visiting it for some time already ever since I discovered looking for a parking space during the weekend is virtually impossible unless I employ devious secret ways to score a spot.


I guess the draw of new eateries to explore is too strong too resist just like Superman reacts to all those kryptonite.


IMG_8227


I was a little curious about this organic spot within the mall.


A rather brave thing I reckon especially since mall goers tend to prefer binging on other treats since they hang out in that air conditioned space to relax during the weekend.


Moreover, everyone's pockets nowadays seem a little leaner than usual.


Maybe that is why we found ourselves being the one of the few tables there during the weekend.


IMG_8235


It is rather a pity since the general public don't seem to take to this kind of food as they would have discovered a delicious meal within these mod looking walls (and a funky uneven ceiling) here.


We both thoroughly enjoyed the quinoa salad (RM20). Given a modern look, since it was shaped in a nice ring mould, the fluffy ancient grains were tossed with local herbs, diced avocado and mango. A spicy reddish sauce, prawns and a salad were served on the side.


I loved the contrast of textures - fluffy with a slight bite that melded well with the creamy green cubes and the slightly sweet mango squares.


Quinoa is always a preferred choice for both of us since we had ditched rice for that healthier grain long ago for our daily meals.


IMG_8239


Splashie Boy love his beef hence it was the Swedish meatballs (RM28) for him while I had the nasi ulam with ayam percik (RM30).


The meatballs were perfectly done - with a nice crust on the outside and a juicy beefy centre. I only managed to get a small sampler piece since he polished everything from the word go.


I enjoyed my aromatic nasi ulam made from brown rice and herbs. Toasted grated coconut and dried shrimps seem to give it a nice toasty flavour. The ayam percik was also very well done - made from ayam kampung hence there was no fatty bits but still juicy and tender. I liked how they dressed my plate with soft salad leaves too and crunchy lotus root chips.


IMG_8241


Dessert was a revised black forest cake (RM14) and a scoop of their artisan ice cream (RM6.90).


The cake was decent stuff with a chocolate sponge layers and bits of cherries with shaved chocolate but I preferred the soft vanilla ice cream. This tasted very homemade with a nice soft texture and the aroma of the vanilla beans.


picnikfile_J0GLfK


The space is huge as it stretches to include a market that is not fully stocked up at the moment.


A word on the juices, they also do a rather good selection of them that we enjoyed. The mixed varieties are priced around RM17.90.


While I feel the food is wholesome and cooked with a lot of love and care, I hope more customers will patronise the place in the future since things were rather looking quiet here. Maybe more organic food lovers will drop by this place once the Farmers Market starts in earnest. That is set to kick off from the first Sunday of the month from March onwards from 8-11am at the Central Park.


Opika Organic Market and Restaurant
Lot No. 105 & 106
Lower Ground Floor
One Utama (Old Wing)
Bandar Utama


Tel: 03-7732 2581


(Pork Free. Place is where the old food court used to be. For more pictures, see the Flickr set.)


*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

18 comments:

The Yum List said...

I love quinoa! Great to hear more organic places are opening around town. Just need more people to support them to keep them running.

Kenny Mah said...

Ooh, ayam percik made from kampung chicken... I've been having a craving for the village variety of our favourite fowl of late so this sounds perfect. The lotus root chips are a nice touch, aren't they? :)

devilck said...

The quinoa salad looks very nice, would like to try that. Don't think I have tried any of quinoa in my life before. :P

JoinMe.com.my said...

Hi boo_licious
Kindly be informed that this post has been reprinted on JoinMe.com.my, thanks. ^^
P/S: We have put your name and link credit back to this article.

Baby Sumo said...

I think in general many people have the perception that organic food is not tasty, I guess they just need a little educating that organic doesn't mean the style of cooking.

Ellen Whyte said...

Organic usually means tasteless so I tend to avoid them UNLESS someone recommends a place!

Michelle Chin said...

Absolutely love quinoa! I even mix it with rice. Hehe

missyblurkit said...

loved the quinoa salad. its so addictive that i wouldn't mind another serving. you must try the apple pie with walnut crumble. awesome maximum!

eiling lim said...

knew about this restaurant through Sean's blog and this place does serve very yummy looking food and doesn't look too healthy. hehe

Ciki said...

great place. we love it too;)

Nikel Khor said...

good!

Group Buyer said...

delicious~

J2Kfm said...

Good to see another new addition to the restaurants option in 1U. More impressive than ever, 1U surpasses the other malls with one of a kind eateries now.

boo_licious said...

The Yum List - ah yes, I'm a big fan of quinoa so am very happy. Just need to make sure these places survive. I was so sad that Eco Oasis closed down.

Kenny & ckiong - come come, we go try one day. Such a healthy chook and just right the texture of quinoa.

babysumo - true but I think people also get turned off the moment they see it is priced higher than normal.

Au & Target - am sure the kitties will approve of the chikkun here.

Michelle Chin - ah, quinoa with rice. What a great idea.

missyblurkit - thxs for the tip on the apple crumble.

eiling - lol, I guess presentation helps to overcome that organic fear factor.

cumi dan ciki - what a coincidence that you also went here that weekend.

nikel and j2kfm - go try. really good and yeah 1U has so many new places that it will take a while to try it all

crispinfayol said...

Utama Shopping Centre is a special make Organic Food. Really i like is food. And i like its Quinoa. Thanks for sharing.

cheap upc codes

Trisha7 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kyaminy06 said...

I love the cake, it's my favorite cake. iPad 3 cases Now, i'm hungry ...

T.L. said...

Looks good! I'm excited to try out their dishes. Where do you get your supply of quinoa btw?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...