Heres one DIET I want to go on!

DIET Cafe is a lovely gem of a cafe right smack in CherasKUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 Despite its name, DIET Caf is not about dieting. Hardly. It stands for Do I Eat Today? Having eaten there, the answer is a resounding Yes! every day if I can.It styles itself as a modern Aussie caf, with homey touches like framed tea towels, cross stitched pieces, little pots of flowers and bric-a-brac. Its truly a surprise find in the Cheras Business Centre.The menu is varied enough for you to drop in regularly, and as it opens at 8am on weekdays and 10am on weekends, where you can have breakfast or brunch till 2pm, or all day on Saturdays and Sundays.We were there for lunch, determined to cut a swathe through its comprehensive menu, from Homemade Pancakes and Bangers and Mash to soups, Salt Beef Sandwich, Pesto Pasta, Crispy Skin Seabass, and of course desserts.

The Pinkish DungFirst, the drinks amuse with names like Pinkish Dung (a Malaysian version of sirap bandung), Refuel (orange and watermelon) and Insomnia Cure (celery, cucumber and lettuce). I had a DIY fruit juice, a combination of carrot, apple, orange and cucumber (as chosen by me!).The Mushroom Soup was very good: the mushrooms were not all blended smoothly and I like it this way. Apparently diners in the neighbourhood had some issues with this. The Pumpkin Soup was a little strange because of some tart orange that didnt quite go with the pumpkin.I also enjoyed the Salt Beef Sandwich. The salt beef had a lovely aroma and taste; the thin sweet potato chips made great nibbles. There was just a bit too much horseradish cream on the romaine lettuce and cabbage but these could be easily pushed aside.

Bangers and Mash with onion gravy is comfort food ! at its b estBangers and Mash are the ultimate comfort food. Add a lightly sweet onion gravy to this and it all comes together scrumptiously. You want to slurp up every bit of the gravy. The chicken sausages and the chunky mashed potato were so satisfying.

delicious pesto pasta We ordered two pastas: the Asparagus and Mushroom Fettucine in a cream sauce which tasted good, and the Pesto Pasta which totally bowled us over. The one on the menu has seafood in it, but we had asked for just pesto with the pasta. The spaghetti was al dente and every strand was coated with the rich pesto which was fragrant with sweet basil. We asked for another helping! They should bottle this pesto and sell it.The Crispy Skin Seabass was skilfully done and cleverly matched with some tangy cabbage tossed in grain mustard and apple salsa. There was a crunch to the skin, and the fish was not overfried.The Homemade Pancakes had arrived in the middle of our meal, and we decided to save them for dessert. No harm came to them despite sitting on the table for more than 10 minutes. The stacked pancakes were light and fluffy, topped with diced fruits like strawberry, apple and kiwifruit and drizzled with maple syrup. They made such luscious bites that Im not sharing them on my next visit.The caf does a great Apple Crumble which sits on crispy filo pastry, with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top. Our friend CS had been looking for a plain butter and flour crumble like this, without any oatmeal or nuts and this fitted the bill. The Banana Caramel Puff (in filo pastry) was irresistible I tasted the sweet and aromatic pisang raja cooked in a little brown sugar, and a tinge of salt that gave it a lift.The Mocha Cup of coffee, chocolate and egg mousse did not hold a candle to these.The caf is run by some earnest young people who have worked in a well-known restaurant in a more affluent part of the city. Its such a pity that its in a locale where d! iners ar e more comfortable and familiar with Chinese food.There are many more dishes on the menu that I would like to try: the Grilled Striploin with Papaya Salad (RM38), the grilled NZ Lamb Rack with avocado salad, mashed potato and mushroom sauce (RM32) and Stuffed Mushroom Chicken (RM28).Its not at all expensive eating here: our Crispy Skin Seabass was RM28, pancakes RM8, soups RM8, Salt Beef Sandwich RM18, Pesto Pasta RM16, desserts RM8. You could have a brunch of two organic eggs with bread, baked beans, sausages and asparagus, juice and coffee or tea for just RM18.DIET Caf is located at 27 Jalan 3/101C, Cheras Business Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-9130 1700, website is www.dietcafe.com.my. It also does catering for parties and corporate functions.