Irrawaddy Fine Foods

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Irrawaddy Fine Foods is a Western deli and café at Jalan Chow Thye. It shares the same physical building as That Little Wine Bar; the latter is a fine-dining restaurant and wine bar. While Irrawaddy Fine Foods operates from 10:00am till 5:00pm, The Little Wine Bar takes over till midnight. In both cases, the business is closed on Sundays.

I dropped by Irrawaddy Fine Foods today for my late morning brunch. Coincidentally, the deli just rolled out a new menu today. Food can be ordered at the bar counter.

The Full English Breakfast (RM12.80) looks appealing. This breakfast platter is just the perfect way to start a lazy Saturday. Orange juice is available for additional RM2.90.

Egg is integral to a proper Western breakfast. The two eggs can be requested in any style: poached, scrambled, sunny side up etc. Scrambled eggs are my favorite. I am glad that the eggs are done to perfection: slightly moist but not too watery.

The trick is to allow the eggs to be slightly under-cooked when removed from the pan. This is because eggs will still continue to set after the heat source is removed. If the eggs are cooked till done, the scrambled eggs will become too dry and unappealing.

A light sprinkle of black pepper is always good. I tend to skip salt because I feel that saltiness ruins the natural goodness of eggs.

The taste of bacon is also commendable. The two thin strips are grilled just right to give a light crisp. I admire the fact that the bacon is not oily or greasy, like how it is done at certain places elsewhere.

The two breakfast sausages are also delectable. Made of seasoned ground meat, the sausages are savory and easy with each bite.

The slice of grilled tomato is still juicy and mostly intact in structure. The natural sourness adds flavor to the mostly sweet and savory platter.

The baked beans are quite normal to say the least. I guess there is no different way to reheat baked beans.

As for the two slices of toasted bread, I feel that it is still soft and slightly soggy. I prefer more thorough toast to give the surface a better sense of crispiness.

The Orange Juice (RM2.90) is essentially freshly squeezed fruit juice, not prepared from concentrated cordial. Usually I avoid using ice because it tends to dilute the juice. Even if I want the juice cold, I prefer it refrigerated not iced.

Overall, the Full English Breakfast has some merits to deserve a good recommendation. The dining atmosphere in the deli is also quite cozy and relaxing.

Parking was not a problem during my visit. However, legal street parking is rather limited during certain hours. In the evening, additional parking is available behind the restaurant.