A great starter, just to take the edge off the hunger. The pâté is smooth, and the taste of mackerel is well balanced with the other ingredients.

It’s in the name: BIG breakfast. VCR’s main breakfast offering is a plate piled high with sausages, ham, eggs, tomato, salad, mushrooms and a lamb-tomato sauce. My only gripe is that the salad seems to take up most of the plate, rather than being an accompaniment.

The ricotta is a light and fluffy cloud that sits atop a thick slice of toast. Paired with jam, this ricotta toast is a great snack or light lunch option. Goes well with a long black.

Kangkung Belacan the way it should be done. With lots and lots of chillis and lard. The vegetables here may be simple, but the flavours are as complex as any meat dish on their menu.

Such a simple dish, yet the flavour is anything but simple. The deep levels of smoky flavour envelop the bittergourd, while the chicken lends a meaty flavour to the dish that is hard to pinpoint. An absolutely beautiful dish that puts all other renditions to shame.

Step back in time at this kopitiam, which still has all the original fittings and floorings from the 60s. The fish head is served in a thick syrupy sauce, with ginger and lots of chilli. Have it with rice, but watch out for bones!

Probably one of my fav banana leaf places. While the service is a little slow on some days, the food is always good. Highlights include the fish cutlets, egg kurma and mango fish curry.

This dish includes a whole avocado, so approach with caution (i.e. an empty stomach)! Poached eggs sit atop slices of chicken ham, balanced on top of avocado halves. The overall taste was good, but there were a couple areas to be improved. Namely, the bread wasn’t quite toasted enough and the hollandaise sauce could’ve been thicker so as to coat the eggs nicely.

Spaghetti, tossed in an avocado sauce and served with prawns, squid and cherry tomatoes. While it could’ve used a smidge more salt, the taste of the avocado in the sauce was fresh and light. I felt the portion could’ve been bigger considering the price, but overall a dish well done.

Delectable. It’s a step above the usual red ruby with coconut milk. The Red Rubies are crunchy, and the jackfruit fresh. Opt to have your ice cream arrive just before you finish your meal, to give it a chance to melt - otherwise you’ll be chipping away at the half-frozen ice cream.

Okay, I have to admit. I didn’t know this salad was going to be so huge when I ordered it. The portion is more suited to a group of four than just two people, and would make a great appetiser. At RM25, the portion is well worth the price. The dish is completed by the dipping sauce it comes with, which is a sweet chilli sauce laden with toasted crushed peanuts, minced pork, dried prawns, red onions and chillis. I’d definitely have this again.

The salad consists of fern shoots, prawns and squid, tossed in a VERY generous amount of creamy coconut sauce. It comes with a hard boiled egg and is topped with crispy fried onions. At RM20, it’s a little pricy, but the portion size is definitely worth it. The sauce is much heavier than the one used at Frame Thai, so it’s more of a main dish than a side salad.