VCR Ritchie Sets The Raya Mood On Our Palates With Golden Bliss

Traditional flavours with a café twist.

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Nestled away in a quiet lane within the heart of Kuala Lumpur, VCR Ritchie provides a quaint café experience for city-folk and those who are visiting the capital.

This neighbourhood eatery that is part of the VCR franchise is well known by café-hoppers, who go there for freshly-brewed coffee and daily pastries.

You’ll find the café entrance right next to Ritchie’s Pavilion. Image: Shahril | TRP

Regulars may already be familiar with their menu, but in case you missed it, VCR Ritchie has a bunch of new Raya-inspired items available which you don’t want to miss.

A taste of tradition

VCR’s Jalan Ritchie outlet has always stood out a little compared to their Bangsar and Bukit Bintang stores, with a slightly different menu that’s inclusive of sandwiches from VCR Stacks in Mont Kiara.

In the spirit of Ramadan this year, they’ve introduced new items under an exclusive menu called Golden Bliss.

TRP paid a visit recently to check out this special menu.

We decided to start with dessert first, because we let our inner child get the better of us when we saw how scrumptious the Cornflake Madu Tartine looked on the menu.

This open-faced sandwich was assembled with Cornflakes cereal, honey butter, sunflower seeds, pomegranate, and sweetened pineapple cubes, all resting on top of a slice of seeded sourdough.

The first bite was a combination of crunchy and soft textures from the Cornflakes and bread, followed by the creamy sweetness of honey butter. The cereal added a little more sweetness but was not overwhelming.

At RM26, the tartine’s portion was decent and can definitely be shared by two adults.

We could describe this dessert as basking in the sun’s rays during the golden hour, just before sunset. Image: Shahril | TRP

Two special drinks are available throughout the Golden Bliss period – Coconut Pandan Iced Latte and Raya Blossom. We decided to try out the Coconut Pandan Iced Latte mainly because it has coffee in it.

The drink has layers of Gula Melaka, pandan milk, coconut whipped cream, and finally, a shot of VCR Blend Espresso at the bottom.

After mixing it all up, the beverage had a floral and sweet flavour from the pandan and coconut, accompanied by a little bit of bitterness from the espresso. The sweetness didn’t overwhelm the bitterness so it didn’t take away the taste of coffee.

The price, as expected of a specialised coffee drink, is not the price of a normal cup of Joe at RM18 a glass.

A latte with a Malaysian twist. Image: Shahril | TRP

Next up, we ordered something that is usually seen at street food stalls and Ramadan bazaars.

The Lempeng Kelapa with Sambal Tumis is essentially coconut-infused pancakes with homemade sambal, and we have to say, this was the star of the show.

Each pancake was thick and fluffy, with a distinct coconut taste in every bite. When dipped in the sambal tumis, it’s as though you unlocked a whole new stage of flavour.

The sambal has a strong flavour leaning more on the sweet side, so those of you expecting something hot and spicy may be disappointed. But hey, don’t knock it ’til you try it!

As for the price, considering the rather large portion, we think it’s not too bad at RM12 for five pieces.

In pictures, they look like the average-sized popiah but in reality, the lempeng are actually huge. Image: Shahril | TRP

Finally, for the main course, we had the Nasi Briyani with Ayam Masak Merah and Acar, which costs RM30 and is perhaps the most substantial dish in terms of portion.

As the waiter slid the plate in front of us, we were greeted with a large quarter of chicken leg accompanied by a mound of basmati rice with mixed acar and keropok as sides.

The Ayam Masak Merah had a good balance of sweet and spicy, although after a few more bites, the spiciness did get a little more intense. As for the sides, we thought the acar could have had a stronger flavour as it tasted a little muted, but the keropok was perfectly crunchy and well-seasoned.

The briyani rice was fragrant and flavourful, with a hint of sweetness. Image: Shahril | TRP

Unfortunately, there was one more item on the Golden Bliss menu we couldn’t try as it wasn’t available, which is the Pandan Coconut Croissant.

We were told that the pastry has a short shelf life and is only available every other day. So, if you plan to try it out, drop them a message or a call first.

And sadly, for Muslims who are fasting, VCR Ritchie is only open during buka puasa hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

VCR Ritchie – 319, Ritchie’s Pavilion, Persiaran Ritchie, Desa Pahlawan, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Operating hours
Monday to Thursday – 7.30am to 6.00pm
Friday to Sunday – 7.30am to 9.30pm

Telephone no.
03-4265 2008

Google Maps

Make table reservations HERE

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