[FOOD REVIEW] Union Fashion Bar (UFB) @Taman Sutera Utama, JB

At the flourishing area of Taman Sutera Utama, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to meeting up with old friends over a good brew, or brunching during laidback weekends. However, the moment I stepped into Union Fashion Bar (UFB), I know this is not the kind of usual cafes I've been to. 

''I believe culinary is like an art,'' said Mr Yap, the executive chef and the mastermind behind UFB. It is where fashion meets culinary, combining Bakery Cafe, Full Dining and Bar perfectly. There is a seasonal theme to make sure customer always get different and exciting feel. From a great feast to some delicious desserts or good wine, UFB provides the best of it to satisfy your cravings for delicacies.

Union Fashion Bar

Passionate Dining in Fashion Style

Ma Cherie girls were honored to be invited over to UFB for food tasting on one fine afternoon. Greeting us at the entrance was Mr Yap with a big smile on his face. We had the opportunity to chat with Mr Yap while waiting for the food to be served. From our brief interaction, I sensed that Mr Yap is very ambitious and courageous in pursuing his dream. He had a dream back from his days in Indonesia to own his own cafe. And now, UFB is the fulfillment of his dream. But this doesn't stop him from exploring new menu and being creative in the presentation of food.

That's how that saying goes. In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.

Cold Pressed Juice RM11.90-RM13.90

From left: 

Dragon on The Sky, Classic Orange, Veggie Booster, 

Apple Magic, Strawberry Paradise

The latest in-vogue way of drinking juice - cold pressed it is! By cold-pressing the fruit and vegetables, the highest amount of nutrients possible is retained, giving an overall better and tastier juice. I really love Apple Magic, which is a combination of two of my favourite fruits - apples and grapes.

Mojito RM20.80, Lychee Martini RM15.00

What's the perfect way to capture summer all year long? A well-mixed Mojito, of course. Or a glass of lychee martini.

Healthy Choice - Salad

Smoked Duck Salad RM10.90

Prawn Pesto Salad RM12.90

A salad does not have to be just lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. At UFB, you can either enjoy your salad with thinly sliced smoked duck or pan seared basil pesto prawn.

Mama Crispy Waffle Chicken Sandwich RM14.90

THIS. Just look at this.

The combination of salty, crispy chicken with sweet, crispy waffle is seriously one of the best combinations in the world. I have never had such evenly cooked, mega crispy waffles in my life. It's one of those things that's hard to describe... But just trust me. It's very good.

Main Course

Grilled Butter Fish RM22.90

Grilled Chicken RM17.90

For main course, there are plenty of choices. Here I would like to highlight the two that I like the most. Grilled butter fish is smooth and buttery, the homemade tomato sauce has a tinge of spiciness in it, which I really love. The second is Grilled Chicken with my favourite reduction balsamic dressing. The chicken is tender and juicy!

Pasta

Vongole Pasta RM18.90, Salmon Pink Penne RM23.90,

Duck Confit Pasta RM21.90, Tuna Pasta RM16.90

Even more choices for pasta! Vongole pasta has white clam in white wine butter sauce. The amount of seafood in it is generous! No kidding. Salmon Pink Penne has pan seared salmon steak serve with tomato cream sauce. Duck Confit Pasta has spaghetti tossed in duck fat, looks tempting just from the presentation don't you think? :) The crispy ebi on top of Tuna Pasta gives that irresistible fragrance and Asian touch to the pasta.

Asian Menu - Fried Rice

Salmon Fried Rice RM21.90

Classic Indonesian Fried Rice RM16.90

I don't eat black olive, but this black olive pesto fried rice with pan-seared salmon steak totally won my heart over. Every grain of rice is fragrant and chewy, I just couldn't resist to have one spoon after another. The bottom picture is the Classic Indonesian Fried Rice. The chicken satay is well seasoned but it seems a bit over-grilled. Both fried rice are served with a pretty sunny side up.

Tortilla Pizzas

Tuna Pizza RM16.90

UFB Chicken Pizza RM16.90

Egg on top of pizza? Yes, only in UFB! You can enjoy dipping your pizza in the yolk of a half baked egg. Talk about creativity!

Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé RM15.90

It's time for the highly anticipated dessert time. Soufflé is a famous French dessert and the way to describe it? Sugar crusted and crunchy on the outside, soft and airy in the middle. The moment I had my first bite, I felt like a woman happily in love. Oh. My. God. It was so fluffy it just melted in my mouth! Ah pure happiness :D

Valrhona Chocolate Lava Cake RM16.90

This chocolate lava cake looks simple on the outside, but when you dig into the center, the richness of the Valrhona chocolate is extremely satisfying. Served with vanilla icecream, orange confit and seasonal mixed berries.

The perfect indulgence to conclude our dinner at UFB.

And don't miss out these edible works of art ❤

Thank you Mr Yap for the great feast for the Ma Cherie girls!

I am definitely going back for more, how about you? :)

Union Fashion Bar (UFB)

24, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4,

Taman Sutera Utama,

81300 Johor Bahru.

(next to Papa Rich)

Tel: 016-719-9809 

Email: unionfashionbar@gmail.com

Opening Hours: 

Sunday - Thursday: 12pm - 12.30am  

Friday - Saturday: 12pm - 1.30am

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UFB-Union-Fashion-Bar-629727313794241/timeline/

Instagram page: https://instagram.com/unionfashionbar/

[FOOD REVIEW] Passionfood cafe & Bakery @ Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru.

What comes to your mind first when you hear the word ''passion''? It is a word of strong emotion, and that's when someone loves food so much that she decided to turn her passion into a business.

Thanks to my bff's recommendation that I get to know of this hidden gem in Taman Pelangi.

You can easily spot the shop from the distinctive pink and white signboard. :)

Passionfood cafe & Bakery - the 'pink cafe'

......where all food are made with love and passion! That's their tag line in their menu. They serve French and Western fusion cuisine, premium cakes and coffee.

There are two dining sections - indoor (which is air-conditioned) and outdoor. I personally love their interior design. The theme colours are pink and white, which most of the girls couldn't resist!

The macaroons and cakes displayed at the counter are so colourful and they just caught my eyeballs right when I stepped into the shop. If you enjoy tea-for-two, they have a mini High Tea set served on an elegant two-tier plate, with a pot of tea, plus your choice of a cake slice! Didn't get to try it, maybe I shall make another visit for it? ;)  

They were featured by newspaper before!

Fresh brewed tea - Earl Grey RM7.90

Signature Chocolate RM8.90

Haha looking at it just put a smile to my face. :) How thoughtful of them. But what I really like about this is that it contains bittersweet chocolate sauce, which gives a very rich chocolate taste.

Eggs Benedict RM15.90

Alert alert! HOT FAVOURITE dish among regular customers. It is listed under Breakfast-All-Day menu but it is available for the whole day. (Yes!)

In fact wanted to take a picture of the egg yolk oozes out but I failed. -.- But trust me, the moment when the egg yolk flowed out and spreaded all over the toasted French white bread and turkey ham, I literally screamed! *screams* The specially made Hollandaise sauce drizzled on top of Eggs Benedict has a creamy, buttery and eggy taste with a hint of lemon. The poached eggs are so heavenly nice even until now I am missing the taste of it. I really wanted to lick the plate lol. I secretly rate it five stars. Must try must try okay people!

Carbonara Ala Funghi RM18.90

The linguine (a form of pasta) tossed in white sauce is superb! There are also turkey ham and mushroom in it, with a little bit of cheese powder sprinkled on top. Yum yum.

Chicken Roulade RM23.90

I ordered this right away when I first saw it on the menu. Passionfood's very own version of French chicken thigh roll with turkey bacon, asparagus pine nuts, and melted cheese inside! However, it kinds of disappointed us, probably because we ate it last, and it turned cold already. Oh, the asparagus pine nuts caught my attention! Tastes like beans. I love the sweet potato sauce surrounding it, and dipping the wedges into the sauce, what a combination! I love! :)

Apple Crumble Pie RM8.90

Ordered this to satisfy my own cravings for dessert. Haha. And what's a meal without a sweet dessert to mark an end to it? Apples are my all time favourite so this dessert for sure has won over my heart! The scoop of vanilla ice cream also complement well with the pie.

With my love.

Thank you for spending the afternoon with me!

Overall, I think Passionfood has some good main dishes. Although not up to the standard of fine dining (as they are still considered a small cafe), but good enough for an enjoyable and satisfying meal. Some of the dishes are pricy, so make sure you know which is worth to try before you come!

My ratings:

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Cleanliness: 4/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Price: 3/5

Passionfood Café and Bakery 

14, Jalan Perang, 

Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru.

07-331 5330

11:00am to 10:00pm (Monday to Thursday); 

11:00am to 11:00pm (Friday); 

10:00am to 11:00pm (Saturday); 

10:00am to 10:00pm (Sunday)

Closed on Tuesday

No pork, no lard, no Halal cert

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/passionfoodcafe

How do you find my food review? Tell me by commenting below!

I am still learning. Promised to give you better and better posts in the future. :)

Love,

Eunice.