It was really a surprise when I get this chance to dine in
Fontana Cafe @ Equine Park. The owner of the restaurant is a Malay lady who married with an Italian gentleman whom she met during her study life in Australia.
Just a brief introduction on the owner Kak Riza (Idzauriza Bt Idrus) - She was an accountancy graduate in Australia, and she worked in a Mexican restaurant in Perth during her studies.
So for now, what is so special about this RESTAURANT / CAFE??
This is the only cafe in Malaysia that is being recognized by the Embassy of Australia and it has lots of local Aussie foods (e.g Aussie burger and Billy Tea) which could not be found else where in Malaysia...
The burger patties are minced and form by the cafe staffs and they are without MSG added.
The restaurant serves meats that we seldom have the chance to eat at other place e.g: Venison, Rabbit, Ostrich as well as Australian beef, in a large burger... Apart from that, the cafe provides Thai Cuisine, Malay Cuisine, catering as well as barbecue session.
Now for the food:
1) OZ burger in ostrich meat and turkey ham
Due to my cowardliness, I just tasted one tiny piece of this ostrich meat burger. The texture of the meat is similar to beef but it does not have the smell of beef. With another layer of turkey ham and also egg on top, your mouth will be satisfied by the richness of taste and flavour. And the most special part, is the beet root in it which is the speciality of Australia burger
2) Fontana Burger in ostrich meat
This is another type of burger is this Fontana burger. You will be wondering, what is the difference between OZ burger and Fontana burger when both of them are in ostrich meat? Fontana burger has only one layer of meat and the other layer is with hash brown with cheese. The special in this burger is that it is added with avocado. With the mayo and special tomato sauce added to the burger, it is has a creamy and smooth mouthfeel.
3) Hawaian Grill Chicken Burger
This chicken burger uses chicken drumstick meat but not minced meat like other burgers did. The whole large piece of meat with pineapple cubes and cream spread makes the whole burger feel refreshing and appetizing. You can either choose tomato sauce or chili sauce for this burger.
4) Chicken Chop
This chicken chop is totally different with the other chicken chop. Normally we will have chicken chop with breadcrumb skin, but this is breadcrumb free. The chicken drumstick is being coated with a thin layer of lemon batter, making the chicken chop has a slight sour taste of lemon which makes the fried chicken feel less oily. The sauce is another speciality of this chicken chop. Normally the sauce will has starchy and sticky taste and when you eat more, you will feel the sauce is "too much".
5) Mexican Nachos
This is my favourite dish. The spiciness and crispiness of the nachos are just nice and the minced beef on top of it has no strong smell and I enjoy the taste so much. The green chilies are just nice for the spiciness, and the red kidney beans are soft enough.
6) Drinks
 |
| Kak Riza with Billy Tea - the authentic Australian tea used to be drank by the farmers. |
 |
| Maltose - has oreo in it and taste slightly creamy and milky. |
 |
| Wattime Cruz - Strawberry taste which I do not like so much, but suitable for strawberry lovers |
Alright, this is the end for the food. About the environment, here are some pictures of the cafe.
 |
The signboard which can be seen when you drive thru the main road.
|
 |
| The menu board in the cafe, with brief introduction on the ingredients |
 |
| The eye-catching kangaroo skin, boomerang and digeridoo (I couldnt make any voice out of that instrument T_T) |
 |
| Souvenir and kitchen corner |
 |
| The bar |
Something extra~~~
As a foodtech-er, I observed some of the good practice in this cafe.
1) The freezer used to store the meat patties are in good condition, always maintained around -12C.
2) As what Kak Riza told us, the raw meat that is being bought in will be kept in different containers, covered with lid and locked to prevent any accidental or incidental cross contamination. (I like this!)
3) The kitchen area notice that only authorized personnel can enter the kitchen.
4) They have their own large garbage bin as Kak Riza emphasis on cleanliness.
5) They have no MSG added to their foods, which is a healthier choice for peoples.
6) They have different recipe for different meat e.g: venison meat patty has a smoky flavour, rabbit meat patty has a herbal taste to cover the smell of the meat.
7) The patties are home-made, so it won't have much food additives that is not-so-good for health.
Ratings:
Food as in taste: 7.5 out of 10
Environment: 7 out of 10
Price: 7 out of 10
Service: 7 out of 10
Overall comment: A good place to gather with friends as the portion of food is quite big for ladies, so ladies may share food among themselves.
Contact Info:
Kak Riza (Idazuriza)
016-3468594
Fontana Cafe & Catering
No. 7 Jalan Putra Permai 1A,
Taman Equine,
43300 Seri Kembangan,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
