Joycelyn's Early Birthday Celebration @ Putumayo Restaurant and D'Enigma Part 1

On April's Fool, that is 1st April, we celebrated Joycelyn's birthday 9 days earlier than her actual birthday. I invited a few of her close friends so that she could feel more comfortable and relaxed among us as I knew that she could only be herself when she's around with people she could get along with.

I invited Leon, our schoolmate whom we have been keeping in touch and hanging out since primary school, and Tifanny, our colleague,(a party animal like me) XP to celebrate that special day with Joycelyn.

We picked Putumayo Restaurant to have dinner, recommended by Leon. The outlook of the restaurant had drawn my attention when Leon drove passed to look for a parking. In that split second, I knew I had to take photos of its interior, and of course the food that was waiting to seduce us.

Standing in front of the the entrance, I felt like a little girl ready to walk into a world of a new dimension. I must have stood there for at least five minutes, literally transfixed by the sight that greeted me. After taking a couple of shots of its front view, I walked leisurely on the pavement with smooth white pebbles into the restaurant as if an invisible force had gently pushed me forward into a whole new world of luxury and pleasure.

Taking a few steps more revealed a dimly lit place brightened by lovely lamps, rustic wooden furnitures with cream-coloured cushions, and decorated with lush plants in pots of different sizes. We were greeted by friendly waitors and one politely ushered us to a table near the stairs. Once I seated myself on the soft cushioned chair, I felt relaxed and comfortable as if I was in my own house. Aside from us, there were a few tables occupied by foreigners, indulging in every bite of their food and sipping away wine while having a good chat and a good laugh with family and friends.

Leon is a friend of the owner and he has gone there several times. The owner, Ah Huat came over to our table and took our orders. We chatted for a little while before he went off. From the conversation, I found out that the interior was designed by a French interior designer, partly designed by Ah Huat himself too. The expenditure of the interior designing and renovating the whole place cost them an estimated amount of RM 500,000! All the furnitures, display items and cutleries were imported from mainly Indonesia and Thailand. Oh! Notice the paintings on the wall? They were painted by a Thai artist, which I adored so very much.

Shortly after our orders were sent, a waitor came to set our table. Leon said that each of these cutleries cost over RM 20!!! O.O I lifted the spoon to examine it, like a baby who had seen her very first spoon. It's quite heavy and I'm sure that every gram is worth every penny he paid.

Even the plate was heavy!

When the waitor placed the menu in front of me, I was impressed and slightly surprised to see that they were bound! The cover looked pleasant and clean, and the combination of colours matched perfectly well with the restaurant's theme.

First to arrive was Crsipy Lotus Root. Thinly sliced lotus root was deep-fried with salted eggs till crispy perfection. Although being a salted egg hater, I found this rather appertizing and the saltiness was surprisingly not overpowering.

Ah Huat recommended us this Hong Kong Style Kailan. It came with a combination of stir-fried and deep-fried styles with tiny anchovies. I liked the deep-fried version. It was crispy and a little saltish from the anchovies.

Next up! Fried Udon Ala Langkawi. Although I'm not keen on noodles, I have a soft spot for udon. Found among thick, chewy strands of noodle were a generous amount of fresh huge prawns, chunks of chicken, sliced onions and dried chilis; stir-fried with lotsa seasoning and black pepper. I could smell the pungent yet aromatic scent of black pepper even before I dug in. It was full of flavours but I thought that it was a bit greasy.

We had something special that night - Black Pepper Venison. It's stir-fried with red chili, onions, capsicums, and of course a lot of black pepper. I loved this a lot! The venison was sliced perfectly thin enough to absorb all the flavours.

Another dish which was highly recommended by Ah Huat was Mango Chicken. This was the star of the night. Huge chicken cutlet was battered and deep-fried till crispy and golden brown, and topped with fresh mangoes, served with special sweet Thai chili sauce. It was so addictive that I couldn't stop myself from adding more of it into my plate. It's a must-try dish!

We didn't order any dessert because we wanted to save some space for birthday cake later on. But, Ah Huat offered each of us a free Fried Ice-Cream to end our delightful meal. It was so nice and generous of him :)

Photos we took before dinner.

Group photo at Putumayo.

Overall, the food was splendid! Although I thought that the prices were a bit higher for the small portions, the welcoming environment and warm, friendly services worth every dollar you pay.