Indulgence Restaurant and Living, Ipoh

I'm suddenly running out of new spots to explore in Ipoh. Having some craving for good Tiramisu and the coincidence of spotting some old photos in my camera, I realized these photos have not been up yet. This post will be about an afternoon tea in Indulgence Restaurant and Living, Ipoh.

Yes, I have blogged about this place and its few main course before during my boss's treat for appreciation of the Annual Dinner Committee last year. And this time, this post will be featuring items which I pay using my own money instead. So happen I remembered on that afternoon, the main dining area was closed because somebody booked that place for some private wedding function.

Indulgence is one of the pioneer in "fine dining" in Ipoh. But for those who have really tried or read about reviews on real fine dining in KL, Indulgence would most probably categorized as semi-fine dining only at most. Sidetracking a bit, few days ago, a Director of an food and beverage group emailed me to enquire about Ipohian preference/acceptability over casual dining and wine bar. I'm deeply honoured that after years of blogging, simple acts of contacting me really motivates me to further embark on this gastronomical journey. Perhaps, he will invite me to do a private food tasting/soft launch review of this place? =)

Ok lets come back to the 2nd review of Indulgence. To be honest, I do not really like coming to places like this. Especially when I'm driving just a Saga. Feels inferior. Nevertheless, just wanna bring my parents to experience what is the hype about Indulgence is all about. Just once maybe. JUST ONCE only.

And afternoon tea would be cheaper. At least I will be rest assured the bill would be definitely below RM100. Beverages here mostly range from RM6-RM10. The photo above features the Iced Coffee and Hot  Latte. Both average in terms of looks and taste. Looks like cup and saucer used in mamak outlets right? :p

This is the Hot Lemon Tea served with brown sugar. Hmm... fine dining? More like casual dining to me in terms of how they serve their beverages. I find Bread, Expresso, Dessert (B.E.D.) triumphs in their hot beverages presentation in terms of coffee art. Maybe I dont drive a Mercedes, BMW, Audi... and my mom don't carry an LV handbag, my dad don't look like a rich Datuk, so no coffee art for me lar? >.<  This explains why I don't like going to these places. Mostly double standard service.

Tiramisu (RM16 if I'm not mistaken) here is abit over rated. They proudly said they used mascarpon cheese but somehow I felt that the whole Tiramisu is a mess and the espresso used to dip the sponge fingers is more like long black to me. Yes, abit too watery. You can see water dripping out of the layers. The cheese used is light but somehow it didnt complemented the other ingredients well. In simple, its a bit "dilute/too light" in taste and will not leave a fond memory in your tastebud. I've tasted way better ones elswhere. The one worth mentioning is the one from Italianese in KL. My colleagues said the one in Spaghetti Sweet Tea Cafe (SSTC) and the previous ItaliaMia (before the mat salleh chef sold off the shop) are noteworthy ones in Ipoh.

This is a slice of Moist Chocolate Cake. Nothing really special. The cocoa used didnt give chocolate lovers they satisfaction they are craving for. I was expecting something richer and more potent instead.

This is the Butter Bread Pudding. A personal favourite of mine. Not many cafes in Ipoh serve this. Prior to serving, it is reheated thus giving a warm and moist centre. Best eaten with some vanilla sauce to ensure every mouthful is lightly creamy and chocolatey as well.

Another chocolate affair in my list. They serve different brownies (mostly ranging at average RM7 per slice) - This one is the one with Apple Cinnamon Brownies. Caramelized apples with the significant presence of cinnamon really gave the conventional brownies its own distinctive taste. I would anytime prefer this than the monotonous tasting Moist Chocolate Cake.

Oh, this is a very special pastry/bread/cake. Priced at RM5/piece, if I'm not mistaken, its called a "Tea Cake". Tastewise, its a bit bland, but the texture is indeed unique. Its like a cross between the Chinese Cruellers (Yau Char Guai) and sourdough bread. In simple, its a bit chewy (light QQ mouthfeel) but has quite dry crumbs. I do not really fancy it but it was indeed something out of the ordinary. Oh yeah, by now, you would have noticed that strawberries are over used as decorative topping here...

Hence I would like to dedicate the Chocolate Eclair (no signs of strawberries here) picture to wish one of my blog reader a Blessed Birthday!! Yes, this tiny morsel is 100% chocolatey from the inside out. The choux pastry, which is light with a crisp has a hollow centre pumped with chocolate custard filling and further topped with sugar glazed and chocolate drizzle. There are some chocolate coated puffs to make this dessert most pleasing to any chocolate lovers/sweet tooth.