Last month, on the 19th of September we were invited for a review session by The Little Cottage Cafe 2 (TLCC2) management to look into their lunch& dinner sets. This we were back there again but not on the invitation of TLCC2. This time we were dining as paid customers, but paid by a friend. As we mentioned in our earlier post that we were going to return for their “Sunday Lunch Buffet“, that was what we did. The Sunday Lunch Buffet is must do if you are looking for great eats during the lazy afternoon. In addition, the lunch buffet line is the only buffet TLCC 2 offers to its patrons if they intend to try out the catering service products that are available for bookings, outdoor and indoor. Although they do not have a huge selection of dish items as compared to the buffet lines in hotels, but it can definitely compensate for the quality of food that it offers. And it is considerably value for RM25.90+ for adults and RM13.90+ for children below 12 years old.
This trip to TLCC 2 was delayed a week due to food poisoning by one medium sized cockle that I had in a Malay food stall somewhere in Bayan Lepas, but my Gill Gill was not affected. I guess I am vulnerable to a certain strain of bacteria in cockles. There was some stomach cramps due to wind and active acid build up, nothing serious luckily. Awareness of food allergies or food sensitivities is very important when dining out, especially seafood or places that you have not been to. Thus, cleanliness and hygiene are important factors when we review eating spots or places. At TLCC 2, we noticed that the people who are directly handling food items wore surgical rubber gloves, which shows a sign that the management is serious in their food business. 
1. Croissant with chicken or turkey ham. The ham had a fine texture and smoky flavour, but the croissant was slightly dehydrated and cold as it has been exposed to the air-conditioning on the buffet line. 2. Deep Fried Spring Roll, was just your plain old halal spring roll. 3. Idako, it was crunchy, firm and tender in texture. The sauce had a localised taste with a prevalent aroma and taste of sesame. The sauce was milder in the sugary sweetness as compared to the usual sweeter version found in many local Japanese restaurants. The idako and sauce went very well with the greenish pickle that we took.
4. Soup of the day, Cream of Mushroom, the soup was average in taste when hot, but at a lower temperature the flavours were more distinct. Texture or consistency of the soup was slightly more fluid on this day.
5. Tempura Chicken Nuggets, our initial perception was the normal “MacDonald Nugget” type of nuggets, but they aren’t. The nuggets were crisp on the surface and were tender and cheesy on the inside. Cheesy because it had a cheese filing, thus it tasted much richer and flavourful as compared to the “MacDonald Nuggets”. Therefore dipping the nuggets into ketchup or chilli sauce is a no-no as it would have overwhelmed the rich fillings’ taste. 
6. Baked Golden Otak-Otak Fish, didn’t seem appetising to us at first but the taste slowly grow on us. The baked egg custard was firm and yet fluffy, but it was not as smooth as the traditional home-made type. This is a sign of over cooking which is then caused by the flames or heat needed to keep the dish warm for a certain period of time. Taste wise it was mildly spiced and fragrant. Different from certain commercially prepared otak-otaks, the TLCC 2 otak-otak uses “sole fish” fillets and lots of “lau yip”. They replaced the John Dory with sole fish due to the adverse comments in the local market. The Sole fish fillets were firm and smooth with some sweetness to them, quite similar to Dory without the fragile texture and muddy taste. 
7. Stir Fry “Nai Pak”, one of the choices for greens in the buffet line apart from the normal salads. The taste was normal and did not take much of our attention. 
8. Italian Fried Rice, each individual grain of rice was coated with the peppery taste and fragrance. It reminds of the days when we were hawking our special chicken or pork rice sets. Those were the days!
9. Sausages with Caramelised Onions & Herbs, this dish also brings back memories of the days when we were in charge of lunch at our old church, it was one of my specialties then and now. The TLCC 2 sausage dish uses quite abundance of onions, Italian herbs and black-pepper for flavour. The quality and texture of the sausages were of mid-range grade and better compared to some of the sausages found in other such establishments.
10. Mussel tasted sweet and sour with a light smoky flavour (BBQ, that was quite well balanced. The texture of the mussels were meaty, firm and tender. 
11. Spaghetti Napoleon, sauce was filled with tomato chunks and had a higher level of acidity and strong taste of bay leaf. The pasta was al dente, firms and not overcooked or over seasoned.
12. Baked Chicken Ham, it is chicken thus not as hammy as we want but it goes very well with their rice and steam bread. The tomato or sour base sauce was quite appetising and the texture of the ham more “real” when compared to the chicken hams offered in certain buffet lines.
13. Baked Fish Thermidor, it had a rich creamy and cheesy white sauce over batter coated fillet of fish. The fillets were firm and moist and not over cooked although it was immersed in the white sauce and baked in the oven. I experiment with this dish by putting it over the al dente pasta and created something which my Gill also agrees with, but make sure to finish the serving while it is still hot or warm. Anything that has cream is best when it is still hot or warm.
14. Grilled Monte Cristo Chicken, had a Chinese influence sauce over firm and tender cuts of chicken fillets. The sauce brought with it a hint of smoky flavour that was balanced with a touch rosemary herb that usually goes well with chicken dishes. The flavours of this dish were more dominant when it had cooled down a little bit.
15. Black-pepper lamb chops, were a bit chewy and hard due to constantly burning flames that were needed to keep the chops warm for the diners. I guess if we came early or there were more takers for this dish, the chops would be more tender due to the shorter replenishment cycle. We can’t really blame them as we know it is a buffet line and things would degrade in quality as they are expose to the constant heating or exposure to air-conditioning.
16. Laksa, taste was very Malay style with distinctive savories from “balacan” and sourness of the tamarind juice. The laksa are served pipping hot with all the toppings of curry flower, mint leaves, cucumber and pineapple strips.
17. Desserts were a bountiful. We didn’t get to try some of them as they were much sort after by the diner on that faithful Sunday afternoon. There were pudding , muffins, cakes, nyonya kuihs, fruits, ice-cream and ice-kacang. We were filled to the brim before we could start on the desserts for this round, thus I would not dwell on the dessert.
The dinning area and atmosphere is spacious and cosy with different setting to suit ones needs, be it dating couples, group gatherings or just for the lone-rangers.
Ratings for the “TLCC 2 Sunday Lunch Buffet” priced at RM25.90+ for adults and RM13.90+ for children below 12 years old. (No dinner buffet available as of now)
Taste & Texture:
- 3.5/5
- Good use of spice, herbs and dairy products.
Money Value:
- 3.8/5
- Although select is not very vast, but the quality of the ingredients and taste has more value compared to the money paid.
Service:
- 3.2/5
- Attentive and friendly service from the waiting crew and the manager.
Cleanliness:
- 3.5/5
- Clean plates and cutleries.
- Toilet was tidy too.
Atmosphere:
- 3.8/5
- Warm and cosy ambiance with good air-conditioning.
Address : 31, Gottlieb Road, 10350 Penang, Malaysia.
Tel : +60 (4) 228 1128
Business Hrs: Open daily from 11am – 3pm and 6pm – 10.30pm.
Popularity: 12% [?]
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