Delish: Express Gourmet

I dislike lunch time. I don't like leaving my desk, take demented lifts, go down 2000 floors and walk the expanse of a huge mega-mall to get my lunch... and then do the whole damn thing again. See? it was never so bad when all 6 elevators were actually functioning... now only 3 work and you should see the human hurricane that rushes to get into and out of that miniscule space. Worst part? There are no a/c's in any of the elevators in the whole of Malaysia (you better believe it!). With 35 people crammed into a space made for 20... it can get pretty hot in there (considering Malaysia enjoys tropical rainforest weather and has 100% humidity) and sweaty... and stinky. The elevator ride up (and down) takes about 15 minutes (our office on level27).

Bloody hell! I should really just take the stairs (I've done it a few times and it's takes me 7 minutes to get up to the 27th floor, complete with huffing and puffing), and save about an hour of my life stuck in the elevators each day! Now, if only the smokers would NOT hang out in the stairwell and rob me of the last few molecules of oxygen left in my lungs! To make a point... I think lunch time is a little over-rated.



But a girl's gotta eat... and even though I dread the call-out to "let's grab some lunch", I grudgingly go. But I don't venture too far. I head to Delish. It's opposite from the Starbucks I plonk into every morning to get my tall java on my way to work... so it's very convenient. I get the same thing every single time at Delish - Pho Bo or Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup... and it's lovely.



They serve it with beansprouts, chilli, Thai Basil, coriander and other fragrant herbs, on the side, so you can add as much as you wish. When this soup comes together - It's basically beef broth simmered for a long long time in spices (strong hints of star anise and peppercorns here), with flat rice noodles (to give it some substance) and slices of beef (and sometimes beef balls) added, to make it the slurpily-delicious concoction it is.



Thing is Pho Bo is not completely a Vietnamese dish. Made popular by the French Colonialists, Pho Bo is a fusion of Vietnamese and French cuisine (think consomme). It's lovely how sometimes in mixing together things that you think could possibly never go well together... something so beautiful is born.



On another note... a Chicken and Leek Pie made it's way to our table. It looked pretty to begin with - it's crispy baked pastry shell just scearming out for us to tuck in!



We did and it was AWEFUL! I know it looks lovely, but this boiled chicken with overdone leek, flour cooked bland stuffer was nothing close... to even edible in my books. When the chicken actually tastes like Tuna, I think at that point, you should be a little worried.

Delish makes a totally wicked Green Apple Juice (all their fruit juices have no added sugar, so blame the apple if your drink turns out be too sour). It's worth the RM 6.50 you pay for it and more.

Other noteable mentions: Tuna Barley Salad (tangy and filling although your breath stinks of tuna afterwards, keep gum handy), Roast Chicken, Avacado and Turkey Bacon Sandwich (healthy option: opt out for the butter, bacon and ranch dressing - get them to put a squirt of pesto instead. Get whole wheat bread), Penne Pasta Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and the Roasted Vegatables Salad (don't eat the onions in the salad - they're positively yucky!)

Delish is not cheap for a lunch time meal. But, I get special service (considering I spend more than RM 30 there) here and I spend less time away from my desk and can get right back to being the workoholic that I am!