Caving in to Churros

Our June long vacation seems to culminate in this tantalising, gastronomic moment. Never mind that we had wolfed down a melange of seafood dishes from Malacca own 'ikan bakar' haven of Umbai in the previous three days.

Today, on our usual mall jaunt, I managed to coax (or is it more like coerce?) Hubby to sit down at Chinoz, The Gardens. I've become familiar with the Chinoz brand through my husband's business lunches in its KLCC joint. However, I find the ambience in the KLCC restaurant too stuffy and corporate-like. Needless to say, I distance myself from trying the food due to this gnawing fact.

The one in The Gardens Mid-valley has a more family-friendly appeal, without sacrificing the taste, service and quality. While I naturally prefer tomatoey sauce for my pizza, I didn't particularly mind the pesto base for our generous portion of funghi and free-range egg pizza. Four slices each were enough to satiate our palate. The appetizer of grilled squid with lime vinagrette serves as a nice counterpoint to the rich pizza.

The star of the show, hands down, was churros with Valrhona (reminds me of Venny) chocolate dip. The last time I tasted churros that good was in DisneyWorld in 1996. We scarfed down the elongated, sugary pieces dripping in chocolate in record time. A worthwhile, headlong sugar rush.

I will definitely come back to this Chinoz for more.