2nd Floor Kitchen & Bar @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail

After being very much attracted by the food photos and review in the Star newspapers recently, I was convinced that this would make a good venue for my next gathering with friends.

We came to 2nd Floor Kitchen & Bar @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail the following weekend after the newspaper article appeared (we couldn't wait...hehe!).  Note the pots of fresh herbs on the balcony.

Well, 2nd Floor (situated next to DC restaurant) is actually located on what-we-would-call the 1st floor of a shophouse.  The restaurant is run by the same management as the adjacent wine bar (Private Room) and the cocktail bar above it (The Pawn Room).

As usual, my friends and I arrived at prime dinner time without reservations and the smallish air-conditioned inner dining area was all taken up or booked.  We had to settle for a table at the larger alfresco (and smoking) dining area outside (luckily, the smoking was minimal that evening and we were able to enjoy our dinner).

I read that the kitchen is now headed by a young team and the new menu offers a lighter, more contemporary take with pork-centred dishes and usage of local flavours as opposed to the previous more traditional European-inspired offering although some recipes have been retained or tweaked.

We ordered three appetisers for sharing and started with a cold entree of 2nd Floor Salad @ RM22.  Well anything which bears the name of the restaurant should be good, right?  It consists of charred romaine lettuce with crisp, fragrant bacon and crunchy croutons.

It was topped with a soft poached egg perfectly executed with a runny consistency.  I'm not sure what the salad dressing was made of but I can tell you that it was good.  The light and refreshing dressing looked Caesar-inspired from the colour.

But it was the lightly charred romaine that stole the spotlight with smoky flavours in my mouth while still remaining juicy and crunchy at the same time.  This may look like a very simple salad but the smoky nuances brought on by the charring of the romaine upped the taste to another level altogether.  I don't usually order salads when dining out but this is one salad I won't mind ordering again and again...and again...it's smoke-tastic! ^o^

For our next starter, we went with a hot entree of Seared Canadian Scallops @ RM27 sitting on a bed of potato mash and roasted cauliflower, finished with fine shreds of bunga kantan and a generous sprinkling of pangrattato (or Italian breadcrumbs).  There's a mention of white wine (in the menu) which I believe went into the making of the sauce.

I would have appreciated a bit more searing and colour on the scallops but it didn't take away from the fact that they were beautifully cooked.  They were fresh, juicy and delicious.  The absolutely smooth and creamy mashed potatoes, smoky charred cauliflower and crispy pangrattato with the delectable sauce just made the whole dish irreproachable in taste and texture.

Our final hot appetiser was the Crab Beignets @ RM28 featuring fresh crab meat wrapped in crisp kataifi (fine threads of phyllo pastry) on top of a chilli jam served with citrus segments and a fresh salad.

The kataifi encased crab meat parcels were immensely crispy and very enjoyable eaten with the spicy chilli jam underneath.

With all three starters making a positive impact, I believe the mains will be equally, if not more, successful. From their pork focussed menu, options of pork dishes were aplenty with starters of Twice Cooked Pork Belly (RM26) and Iberico Collar (RM42) to mains of Grilled Spanish Pork Chop (RM36), Pork 2 Ways (RM40), Pork Ribs (RM55) with Black Angus Ribeye (RM85) and Rack of Lamb (RM65).  For non-meat lovers, there's also a fish dish (cod, if I remember correctly) and a few pasta options.  We settled on four mains for sharing starting with the Grilled Iberico Pork (200g) @ RM55 which proved too tempting to resist.

Just look at that exquisite char!  The Iberico pork, seared to perfection, was served with caramelised granny smith apples and potatoes and a fresh horseradish dip.  It arrived with a great caramelised crust on the outside and the well marbled and flavour packed meat was utterly juicy, tender and succulent.  Pop! Sizzle! Oink!  Just outstanding! ^.^

Our next main was the Seared Duck Breast @ RM36 which came with a very flavoursome potato rosti and crunchy, refreshing thin slices of baby radish served atop a pea puree, duck jus and a drizzle of cherry balsamic sauce.  The potato rosti threads were so fine, the texture was like meehoon, only much tastier.

The seared duck breast was cooked just right revealing a pinkish interior with juicy, tender meat.  The skin could be rendered down just a tad more for a crispier finish though.

The Pan Roasted Chicken @ RM30 was served on a bed of smooth and creamy potato mash with thinly sliced grilled eryngii (king oyster mushrooms) nicely complemented by the same herb-seasoned pangrattato and a lovely sauce.

It may be simplistic in choice but certainly not in flavour.  There was no faulting the wonderfully seared chicken rendering a fully fragrant, roasted skin with moist, tender meat.

Our final main was the Smoked Salmon & Eryngii Pasta @ RM32 with slices of inviting eryngii, a generous amount of crispy pangrattato crowned with moreish lumpfish caviar.

The linguini tossed in a white wine and butter sauce was good and the juicy burst of caviar popping in my mouth was extremely pleasurable...even if it was only a teeny-weeny amount + who cares if it's one of the less costly types of caviar...it's still caviar! ;P

For desserts, was there any doubt once I spotted something tangy like passion fruit? ;)  We chose the Passion Fruit & Coconut @ RM22 with lusciously decadent ingredients of passion fruit mousse, marshmallow, coconut anglaise and chocolate twigs.

I loved the zestiness of the refreshingly cold-to-the-bite passion fruit mousse against the soft, cotton-like marshmallow, sweetness of the coconut anglaise and crunch of the chocolate twigs and nut crumble.  Make sure you take a bit of everything to get the best enjoyment out of each mouthful. ^_^

Our other dessert for sharing was the Chocolate & Coffee @ RM22, a satisfying ensemble with almond jaconde, chocolate cremeux and whipped coffee ganache.  Ah, chocolate and coffee....two words that's music to my ears...and I'm sure to many other ears too.

If you're fans of either, you're gonna fall in love with this dessert.  We did.  We loved every single element on the plate....from the dense, soft, super-chocolaty cremeux to the lightness of the whipped coffee ganache with a salty edge, the crisp almond jaconde biscuit, the glossy, decadent chocolate sheets and the little touches of crunchy chocolate pearls.  It's chocolate heaven, I tell you, as the flavours of chocolate came through more distinctly than coffee! ^o^

Both desserts scored exceptionally well on taste as well as presentation...and, more importantly, our sweet indulgences weren't all that sweet.  As much as I love a colourful presentation, I'm also a fan of those one colour (or shades of one colour) presentation...it's restrained but it pops.  It certainly captivated the camera.....and me!

I only noticed one juice on offer and that was Orange Juice @ RM8, the chilled-kind, not the freshly-squeezed-kind.  Of course, you can have wines (from next door's Private Room), cocktails (from The Pawn Room) or just stick with the complimentary water if you wish.

My Personal Opinion

Everything we had, we were immensely pleased.  From the entrees to the mains to the desserts, there was nothing I could fault...including the reasonable prices for the quality of the dishes.  The execution was flawless, the dishes were harmoniously put together with flavours and textures combining well.

It's a place where portion sizes are just nice that going through three courses (of starter, main and dessert) comfortably in one sitting could be possible...and all from as little as RM100 per person too.  Or, you could share (like we did)...3 starters, 4 mains, 2 desserts (among the four of us)....it's share-tisfaction guaranteed! ;)

This place has great potential going forward with this newly curated menu.  In fact, this has a place among one of my most satisfying meals of 2017.  It's a must-return place!  So, come on up to 2nd Floor...that's on the 1st Floor (incidentally)..for possibly one of your most enjoyable meals in awhile! ^o^

2nd Floor Kitchen & Bar
46A Persiaran Zaaba
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-7727 3288