WhupWhup @ Subang Jaya

Chinese New Year (CNY) has been a very quiet affair for me this year.  I haven't been out much (since my pre-CNY makan with friends at Putien) and that's because my mom was taken ill over the CNY period, had to be hospitalised and recuperated at my home after her discharge from the hospital.  She was finally well enough to return to her place on the 12th day of CNY.  So, it wasn't until the 13th day (Saturday) that I finally went out with friends followed by lunch with my husband's family at Ming Palace @ Corus Hotel the next day.

Knowing that my friends were probably 'tired' of Chinese food already throughout the festive period, I decided to choose WhupWhup @ Subang Jaya, opened last December, for our CNY meet-up.  This place (like Beam) is located in the most unlikely places for a cafe...an old (yarn) factory in an industrial area.  There's a small parking area within the compound, otherwise parking is available around the streets outside.

The facade of the place isn't very flattering from the outside...and it was pretty much the same on the inside. They've retained the general interior practically untouched with cement floors, high ceilings, not even a fresh coat of paint on some parts of the inside walls and doors, but it certainly had the feel of spaciousness (with lots of room between tables) and some softness (from the fresh flowers and potted plants).

You can certainly talk (and laugh) loudly if you wanted to with no worries of piercing stares from the next table or them eavesdropping on your conversation.  There's also an area which features arts and crafts for sale.

At first glance, the menu seemed to offer some French-inspired dishes.  It isn't very extensive but distinctive enough with 3 starters, 6 mains, 4 pastas, 4 sandwiches and 2 all day breakfast to choose from.  Service was friendly and amazingly fast (which was good since we were famished by the time we got there around 2.30pm).  I think the food came out fast and furious within the next 10 minutes.

We started with Nu' Yolk @ RM35, the most expensive appetiser on the menu and even more expensive than most of the mains.  Why wouldn't it be?  It featured scallops after all....with grated parmesan and salted egg puree.  The scallops were fresh, juicy, slightly sweet and pan-fried to perfection for a delicious bite.  It was succulent and went well with the salted egg puree.  I've read reviews that said the puree was too sweet but glad to report it wasn't such (perhaps they've tweaked the recipe after initial reviews).

The other starter we shared was Fat Shrooms @ RM12 consisting of sauteed eryngii (king trumpet) mushrooms with garlic parmesan and tomato concasse.  It was an ok dish though I found the mushrooms a bit chewier than expected.

With the starters out of the way, we dived into our first main with gusto, Salmon Hayek Pasta @ RM25 (we chose spaghetti).  The spaghetti was cooked al dente and tasted light with a similar tasting tomato/onion concasse found on the eryngii mushrooms.

As for the salmon, the 'picture paints a thousand words'....you can see just how well the salmon was seared to take on such a nice colour and with a crispy skin to boot.  Salma Hayek would be proud (to put her name on the dish)...outright delicious....kekeke! :D

Next, we had the Duck 3 Ways @ RM28 with a choice of fettuccine.  The Duck 3 Ways starts off with thick slices of tender duck breast confit.  Although the duck skin wasn't rendered down enough to produce a crispy skin, it was still nicely seared and wasn't chewy at all coz there was very little fat between the skin and meat.

The fettuccine was then tossed with enough bits of duck bacon and salted duck egg for a nice, savoury balance of flavours.

We also tried one of their best sellers, the Glazed Lamb Shank (with Ratatouille & Rosemary Taters) @ RM38.  The taters (potatoes), simply boiled and pan-fried lightly with dried rosemary, could have been better with a bit more searing on the outside.  The ratatouille of vegetables fared better.  Roasted and soft, flavourful in a tomatoey sauce, I think there were aubergine, onions, red and green peppers.

The lamb shank that has been slow-cooked for hours were fall-apart tender.  Lamb has never been a meat of choice for me but this one was juicy and tasty.  I think I can have more lamb shanks from now on....hee...hee! ;D

Since they ran out of Chicken Mojo with Rosemary Taters & Pan-Fried Oranges @ RM22, we went with another salmon dish.  This time it was the Mohawk Salmon (with Pineapple Salsa and Mash) @ RM28.  The salmon skin, detached from the fish, was nice and crisp on a bed of creamy and yummy potato mash.

But it was the pineapple salsa that stood out with chopped pineapple, onions, cilantro and chillies (wished there was more of it on the plate).  For me, it was the freshness of the cilantro (Chinese parsley) that brought the salsa and salmon to life.  You can see that the salmon was perfectly executed, moist and flaky, with a great sear on the outside and still pink in the centre.  So good, it was my favourite dish of the day.

For our next dish, we went for a repeat of duck, specifically Citrus Glaze Confit Duck on Mash, Ratatouille & Citrus Sauce @ RM27.  It was either this or Beef Bourguignon on Mash @ RM28 since their Mojo Filet Mignon with Rosemary Taters & Pan-Fried Oranges @ RM38 wasn't available.

Now what's there not to like about confit of duck leg where the meat is slowly cooked in its own fat until meltingly tender and finally finished on the pan for a great sear on the skin.  It was served with the same mash (as the Mohawk Salmon) and ratatouille (as the Glazed Lamb Shank).

Our final order was one from their All Day Breakfast, the Whup Daddy @ RM25 featuring a extra long chicken (or beef) sausage, duck bacon, 2 eggs (poached/scrambled/sunny side up), baked beans, sauteed eryngii mushrooms and pan seared tomatoes served with toasted country bread.  After a host of interesting dishes, this was the least creative dish (in terms of taste and presentation) but something the kids will lap up with enthusiasm nonetheless.

We also got a slice of cake (Lemon Slice @ RM13) as a prelude to my friend's little girl's upcoming birthday and the crew was nice enough to bring it with a candle and a birthday song.

Their decent coffees come with quirky names like....

Whitest Boy Alive (Iced Latte) @ RM12

The Brains (Flat White) @ RM10

The Brawns (Cappuccino) @ RM10

& The Naranga (Orange Juice) @ RM8

My Personal Opinion

This offbeat eatery, housed in an old factory, may not look like your typical beautifully decorated cafe but they did manage to whup up some good and reasonably priced food.  So, come here more for the food and less for the ambience ;)

I did enjoy all the dishes other than the mundane Whup Daddy from their all day breakfast menu but, if I had to choose, I'd probably list Nu' Yolk, Mohawk Salmon and Glazed Lamb Shank ahead of the rest.  As good as the mains were, the sides are equally important and I'd like to see a bit more creativity and variety than just mash, rosemary taters and ratatouile which were seemingly repeated in two or more of the mains.  Not only that, even the garnishing of fresh rosemary seems to be repeated on almost every plate! ;D

Having said that, it's still a place I'd be more than happy to return to for a taste of their slightly more unconventional cafe fare.

WhupWhup Restaurant & Cafe
No 12 Jalan SS13/3B
47500 Subang Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 03-5612 6250