The Rustic Grill @ Damansara Uptown

I came to know about The Rustic Grill @ Damansara Uptown through my blogger friend's visits and what she had looked interesting enough for me to want to try.  So, I chose this place for my next makan outing with my makan buddies (it was actually our pre-Xmas gathering two Saturdays before Christmas).

Unfortunately, on that evening, it rained cats and dogs...that put a damper on our datenite from the get-go! When we reached the restaurant, we had to wait in the car for a while as we couldn't even get out because of the heavy rain (this shot of the restaurant was taken when we left).

We got out when the rain subsided a bit and were greeted by two lady servers.  Once seated, I noticed the cute kapak (axe) that acts as a knife and the so-called romantic fake candlelight that my blogger friend mentioned...and what's worse than a fake candlelight?...an out of battery one that's not even lighted (not sure why they kept that distasteful, not working thing on the table!).  Anyway, one of them then proceeded to explain about how the dinner menu works although I already got the gist of it when I made my reservations.

With every main ordered (the prices of which have been reduced to not include the RM30 which was originally inflated in the prices), it comes with free flow tapas at an additional cost of RM30 and all of us went for that which I duly relayed to the server when we ordered our 3 mains.  But what transpired was a series of she didn't seem to understand what I'm saying while she spoke with a strong accent which I found hardly audible as well.  I ended up repeating a few times until I felt agitated.  The lady (at the next table) must have overheard and sensed my agitation and walked to speak to a gentleman seated at the back of the restaurant who was having his dinner then (she must be a friend or family as there were other tables with customers who also seemed to be conversing with some member of staff).  When he started walking over to me, I realised he must be the owner (co-owner actually).  He apologised for her shortcomings (and to inform me that she's new on the job) and proceeded to repeat and confirm my orders.

Some restaurants tend to underestimate the importance of the front of house.  They fail to understand the first contact sets the tone for that dining experience.  If a server is new, not trained (well enough) or not well versed with your menu, he/she should not be put on duty to take orders.  There are even restaurants who will put dedicated or their more senior staff on taking orders while the rest will do other menial jobs like serving and clearing tables.  Some of them are so good at their job they don't even need to jot down the orders...and this server was writing down everything slowly and intently.  She didn't seem to understand that I wanted my meat medium rare...and repeated "well done?" to me (?!).  Finally when all was sorted out, I told her to start us off with one each of everything (there were 10 tapas that night)...and she proceed to ask my friend what tapas she would like! :O  Omg, common sense will tell you one person can't eat all 10 tapas on her own...and that it was for sharing among us.

I don't want to come off sounding like a difficult customer but this is an upper class restaurant selling food that can cost RM100-150 per pax, should I not expect a bit better service than what I got?  Anyway, putting that debacle behind me, our evening started with a flow of tapas from the kitchen (the tapas menu is written on the board and may change daily).

Tapas 1 - Sauteed Clams

The clams were cooked in a creamy, garlicky, spicy sauce with lots of chopped garlic...that's how I like them! But when I see mostly empty shells with most of the clam meat having fallen off their shells, it's usually a sign that the clams are not at its freshest but, not withstanding the less than stellar clams, they tasted good (with the spicy sauce and garlic masking the could-be-fresher clams).

Tapas 2 - Smoked Duck Breast

True to its name, the tender duck breast had some nice char marks on them and we could taste the smoky flavour in them.  This was another winner!

Tapas 3 - Grilled Eggplant

Nothing to like or dislike...these were just simple grilled slices of eggplant till super soft.  Didn't have as much grilled flavour as the previous tapas.

Tapas 4 - Ratatouille

This is a vegetable stew featuring tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and onions.  But the plate we got felt like it has been reheated (from a bigger batch cooked earlier) as the vegetables seemed to have gotten overly soft.

Tapas 5 - Grilled Eryngii

The chewy grilled mushrooms needed more grilling for that lovely charred flavour and I thought I detected a hint that they've just begun to spoil when I ate one with a funky taste (well, mushrooms do have a tendency to spoil rather easily).

Tapas 6 - Deep Fried Baby Crabs

Who doesn't love salty, crispy, deep fried anything?  Not me!  These baby crabs came out piping hot and crunchy and whatever seasoning was used, it was fragrant and salty...yumzzz!  This was a hit across the table.

Tapas 7 - Sauteed French Beans

A simple stir-fried french beans with some slivers of red and green peppers, they tasted nothing out of the ordinary though I appreciated that they used more garlic.

Tapas 8 - Meatballs

Pleasant enough this dish of beef meatballs cooked till tender in a nice, tomato-ey broth (much like a meatball marinara)...maybe the meatballs could be a tad juicier.

Tapas 9 - Chicken Wings

Ok, my blogger friend has warned me about these chicken wings...and she was right, the wings were dryish and not even tender (I think the wings were far too small and not meaty enough).  If you compare this with simple charcoal wings from a stall, I know which one I'd rather have.

Tapas 10 - Chicken Picatta

These were thin pieces of chicken breast coated in egg and fried before topping with some kind of tomato sauce...and they were among one of the better tapas we had.  This was more like a chicken picatta pomodoro (unlike a more traditional one made with lemon juice and capers).

And that brings us to the end of the different types of tapas available that evening.  As they're free flow, you can choose to repeat any of the tapas that you like (if your stomach still has space).  For us, the 3 tapas that were worth repeating were the spicy clams, smoked duck and crunchy baby crabs...and we did but, unfortunately for them, they had to bring us new plates and cutleries as they cleared our plates after we were done with our mains without enquiring if we wanted any more tapas.

 

Onto the mains, the first dish that came out of the kitchen was the Seafood Stew @ RM65 described as a rustic Spanish-style stew containing various seafood such as prawns, mussels, squid, fish and la la in a lobster and saffron broth together with diced up vegetables of bell peppers, tomatoes and onions finished with a sprinkling of parsley and some slices of red radish.

The broth was just nicely thick and delicious...and the seafood were plentiful indeed (mussels were huge and there were another 3 peeled prawns besides that big head prawn), just that I was hoping for some better quality seafood as I felt some could have been the frozen kind like the peeled prawns and fish (I believe it was frozen tilapia) lacking just that sweetness that fresh seafood is known for.  Nevertheless, it was still adjudged the best main of the evening for me.

Our next main was the Seared Salmon Fillet @ RM55 featuring a piece of seared Norwegian salmon with dill cream sauce and lemon zest served with sauteed greens of broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes and red turnip (topped with some alfafa sprouts).  It was also accompanied by a vegetable salsa of chopped red, green and yellow capsicum, tomatoes and lots of fresh herbs.

The moment the dish arrived, I knew instantly something was missing as I've seen photos of phonghong's partner having this dish twice.  I let it slide coz I didn't want to be a difficult customer.  Although the description only mentioned one sauce (dill cream sauce), visually I can see 4 as shown by the streaks of green, orange and yellow and a dollop of white.  Eaten altogether, the dish was alright as the salmon was cooked well but missing the cripsy skin was a bummer! >_<  The server so happened to ask how was the dish when he cleared the plate...and that's when the opportunity presented itself for me to ask what happened to the crispy skin?  What he replied was quite shocking...he said the kitchen must have forgotten about it! O_o There was "no apology", "no let me check with the kitchen and get back to you"...it was as if he knew...and left it at that! >:(

Our final main was the Angus Striploin @ RM88 boasting of a boldly flavoured cut with house jus and crispy shallots.  I chose beef seeing that my blogger friend has shared the 2 beef dishes she liked here, the BBQ Beef Back Rib and Beef Tenderloin.  But what was coming was the biggest disappointment yet...one of the worst beef dishes I've tasted in a long time! T_T

When the beef was served, the server immediately informed me that the beef is cooked a little further than medium rare.  I was taken aback and didn't know how to react (as I've never heard a server owning up that the doneness is not what the customer asked for even before I had a chance to cut into it).  The fact that they knew the doneness was not right but still brought it to us tell me that it means I've to accept the dish no matter what.  

Looking at the dish, my first impression was the beef was not even properly seared (it came all pale-looking with only a few grill marks) with a thick layer of fat on top that did not seem to be properly rendered down. Cutting into the steak with my tiny kapak, the meat revealed it was cooked well done (and not a little more than medium rare as the server claimed).  I had a hard time cutting the meat into slices (even with my axe!) and the resulting meat was chewy and tough (I literally had to chew till the cow comes home)....and, even more surprising, was that the plate came with the exact same condiments and sauces of the previous salmon dish! >.<

When I get something like that, I get the impression that the chef doesn't care enough (or cutting corners) by serving 2 dishes with the exact same sauces/condiments (they won't always work in another dish and I thought the sauces/condiments worked better with the salmon dish).  I can understand why kitchens use the same sauces/condiments but you have to change it up a little to tailor-make it to each dish...and, more importantly, it has to be cohesive in the dish you're serving (and it wasn't in the steak dish).  There was a house jus and a creamy white sauce (again possibly the same one as the salmon dish) served separately with the meat.  Didn't think much of the sauces coz the house jus was a little thick and over-reduced while I don't often have white sauce with my meat.

There's also a (very limited) buffet section (I think they're mainly for the kids) where they serve French Fries, Pizzas and a cauliflower dish that night....with a chocolate fountain as well (for dessert).  I took some French Fries when I saw a fresh batch being served, so I got some to nibble on.

As for drinks, we ordered two Iced Lattes @RM11 and one Iced Capuccino @ RM12 remembering how my blogger friend had a wonderful Iced Americano with her Rustic Big Breakfast 2 months earlier.  When our coffees arrived, we thought we'd be in for a treat...woohoo....such a big glass!

My first impression...it looks too good to be true....actually it looks too pale and milky...and my suspicion was proven right...it was too diluted with not enough coffee taste....uuurrggghh~  We also asked for water to be served not knowing (at that time) that we'd be charged RM2 per person for it (they did refill it once)! >.<

And if you think that was the end of our troubles...not quite.  When I asked for the bill (and luckily I checked before paying), we were billed for 4 mains.  I said why 4 mains when there were only 3 of us?  They hurriedly took the bill back and it was a pretty long while before they came back with the corrected bill.  How incompetent can their staff be when there were (as I remember) only 4 paying tables that night (the large table who knows someone from the restaurant, a lady with her 2 kids who knows the co-owner, a table that left earlier...and us).

My Personal Opinion

Did I get a different chef that night (from my blogger friend)?  Or maybe I was just unlucky that he/she was having an off day!  Whatever it was, if you're looking only to fill your tummies to the fullest and taste is not your most important criteria, the meal offers great value (with free flow tapas and an all-you-can-eat buffet spread that's very limited though).  If not, nothing will endure you to this place...not the ambiance...not the service....and certainly not the food! >_<

In the end, it was a meal with some hits but more misses...one that was flawed from the beginning to the end! >_<  Based purely on taste, I'm not sure why they have such a high rating on Google coz what I tasted that night was no where remotely near 4.8 (maybe a 4.2 rating is more befitting...and I'm being generous) but if I were to take the overall dining experience into account, it's even lower.

I hope they iron out their issues soon now that they've been in operation for 4 months but there were still rookie mistakes made from the beginning to the end...from overall service to food ordering to kitchen mistakes to errors in billing.  I think they need a good second commander-in-chief to keep everything in check and working like a well-oiled machine (more so if the owners are not there to oversee their baby, the co-owner actually left after his dinner which doesn't quite scream passion to me).  For now, I'm sorry to say it's a "no" (from me and my friends) to the place being worthy of a second visit...and that rarely happens with my choices...haiz! :'(

The Rustic Grill

72G Jalan SS21/62

Damansara Utama

47400 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Tel: 017-659 8248

Two Chefs Lab @ Bandar Mahkota Cheras

I've been to Two Chefs Lab @ Bandar Mahkota Cheras before (many years ago) and remembered my experience to be a positive one.  I did want to return but somehow conveniently forgot about them (coz there were loads of other places I wanted to try) until now.

Seeing that they've withstood the test of time (and is still around almost 10 years later) is proof itself that the food is still good...and since my friends and I have been having mostly western-type meals in our makan gatherings of late, we thought we'd have Japanese for a change.

The very first thing I wanted to order was this Hamaguri Niniku @ RM18 because I remembered it so well from the last time I had it.  The price went up by only RM2 (from 9 years ago) which is highly commendable.

Nothing has changed except for the plating coz they obviously couldn't plate it the same way (because of the uneven no. of clams) now that you get 7 instead of 8...lol!  But you get the same great taste of grilled hamaguri (clams) topped in a rich, creamy, lightly salty niniku (garlic) sauce that tasted much like a torched mentai sauce with added garlic flavour (made more garlicky by the sprinkling of garlic chips on top).

The conveniently opened clams took up the entire space of the clam shells, so I'd say they were rather huge and thick.  So good that I could devour a few more plates of these! ^.^

Next was this Hamachi Carpaccio @ RM25 of yellowtail (or Japanese amberjack) sashimi known for its clean, subtle taste which makes it ideal for raw preparations in the form of sushi or sashimi.

The super fresh fish slices were served with a housemade yuzu truffle shoyu and lightly garnished with tobiko and finely chopped spring onions.  The hamachi has a delicate, buttery, tender texture with a mild, slightly sweet flavour.  Another wonderful dish.

Another carpaccio dish that I ordered was this Kuro Buta (Black Pork) Carpaccio @ RM19 featuring torched sliced pork with homemade chilli vinegar sauce.  The black pork (I believe) implies Iberico pork slices.

Lightly seared, thinly sliced, the Iberico pork slices were served with slivers of white onions, topped with a sprinkling of togarashi (a Japanese chilli blend) and sesame seeds as well as a garnish of ito togarashi (thin red threads from dried chilli peppers), the pork slices were nicely tender with a mild hint of spice.

Tuna Tataki @ RM19 was our next dish showcasing sashimi-grade tuna that's usually eaten raw or rare (lightly seared on the outside) served with a condiment of onion shoyu (finely chopped spring onions & onions) on top.

Here the slices were quickly seared on just one side and you just need to dip this in ponzu (if offered) or a little soy in this case (and wasabi if you like, I don't!) offering a fresh, light and slighly savoury bite.

We finished our starter dishes for sharing with a Japanese staple of Kani Cawanmushi @ RM16 featuring a silky smooth steamed egg custard with a topping of crab meat (kani).  I believe fresh crab meat was used instead of those imitation crab (coz those would have strips of red visually), so this tasted loads better.

What I found amusing was that this cawanmushi was actually served in a cawan (lol)....a typical coffee cup we drink coffee from......and not the usual Japanese tea cup.  Other choices of cawanmushi include ikura (salmon roe) and foie gras (duck liver).

Now...onto our mains for sharing, starting with the TCL Chirashi Don @ RM57, probably one of their signature dishes (since it carries their TCL name), which is typically a rice don topped with a variety of the chef's sashimi selection.

It highlighted a bowl full of fresh ingredients of salmon, tuna, white tuna, amaebi (sweet prawn), and octopus together with unagi (done shirayaki style which is grilled eel without the sweet sauce glaze) and tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette) and finished with a topping of ikura (salmon roe).  Everything was absolutely delicious and fresh! ^o^

This was followed by the Hamburg Don @ RM36 with a housemade beef patty on a bed of rice served with an onsen tamago and garnished with some slices of vinegared daikon (Japanese white radish) and chopped spring onions.

Cut open the egg and let it drool lusciously into the rice...and into your mouth! ;)  The beef patty was tender and flavourful (with a bit of beefy taste but in a good way) and the overflowing egg yolk provided that extra silky smoothness to the patty and rice.

Our final main dish for sharing was the Signature Cold Pasta @ RM42, something I don't often see on menus and something I've not had before (although I've had chilled soba dipped in a cold broth before and enjoying it).

This dish of cold truffled angel hair pasta, topped with crab meat, uni (sea urchin) and caviar, was sitting on a bed of shoyu concoction.  The pasta tossed in the shoyu gave it a savoury flavour and it was delightfully chilled, something different that I enjoyed. ^_^

For drinks, we had Green Tea Latte (Cold) @ RM12 and fresh juices of Guava Soursop @ RM11 and Orange Pineapple Mango also @ RM11.

My Personal Opinion

My return visit resulted in the same good dining experience I had almost 10 years ago...my only regret was that it took me so long to return.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything I had here but the standouts from this visit were (still) the grilled garlic clams (that never failed to impress), the impeccable freshness of the chirashi don and the unique signature cold pasta.

If you happen to live in the area (like one of my makan buddies), this neighbourhood gem of a Japanese restaurant should be on your must-visit list.  Haiz, if only it was nearer to me (or in my neighbourhood), you'll see me there regularly! ^_~

Two Chefs Lab

23-G Jalan Temenggong 27/9

Seksyen 9 Bandar Mahkota Cheras

43200 Cheras

Selangor

Tel: 03-9011 9910

Making My Own Sourdough Sandwiches

For those who have followed my blog long enough, they'd know how much I love bread.  It's one carb (my one weakness) I find extremely difficult to give up...and so, I shall not!

Well, according to my blogger friend (phonghongbakes), there are better/healthier breads (like wholemeal bread and, specifically, sourdough)...and not-so-good/less healthy breads (like white bread).  Well, I'm no doctor or nutrionist but if it's good enough for phonghongbakes, it's good enough for me...lol! ^_*

There's this neighbourhood cafe, CoffeeLicious, I visit regularly to get my bread fix...specifically sourdough. And well, they sell sourdough too...and that was what I bought after breakfast one morning (one whole loaf at RM15 which I thought was a very decent price).  I asked them to slice up the loaf for me...and as you can see, there are 8 slices...but the slicing (by hand) was poorly done (very uneven, some parts thick and thin within the same slice).  The other drawback with buying a whole loaf is there'll be wastage of the not-so-good parts...both ends of the sourdough as it's mainly crust and can be very chewy and too hard to eat/bite into.

So, when life gives you sourdough, you make western-style breakfasts, of course...starting with a Scrambled Eggs & Bacon Sourdough Open Sandwich.  Everything starts with bacon...hehe....3 rashers of fragrant, crispy goodness! ^o^  Sorry, my scrambled eggs seemed a little overdone (that always happen when it's homemade) but it's alright since I prefer it slightly overdone at home coz I don't know how fresh my eggs (from the supermarket) are.

So good when having it with a cup of iced coffee...unfortunately it's not a coffee from a cafe but my favourite brand of made-at-home instant white coffee.

I also made a Bacon & Omelette Sourdough Sandwich for lunch one day with layers of bacon, omelette and sliced cucumber on buttered and lightly toasted sourdough slices.  Two thick, huge slices of sourdough make for a very filling lunch.

Sometimes I would just simply have my toasted Sourdough with Butter & Jam accompanied by two soft-boiled eggs...a super quick breakfast to whip up but a super satisfying one to eat.  Simple but good! ;)

Besides sourdough, my other go-to for a healthier bread option is the wholemeal bread from GBB Bakery (RM4.80 for 6 slices).  I actually prefer to buy these smaller loaves from bakeries as it takes a shorter time for me to finish them (since I'm the only one eating), so I can always have fresh bread.

This is my homemade Big Breakfast with sausages, bacon, fried egg, mushrooms and baked beans served with wholemeal toast and butter.  This wholemeal toast is studded with some chopped walnuts...nice! ^o^

Judging from the portion size, this was definitely not for breakfast.  Only the name is Big Breakfast...but I like to make them for lunch and dinner too.  I can eat this breakfast dish anytime of the day coz I love it so much!

Sometimes when I'm a little bit more hardworking, I'd make French Toast and eat them with bacon, sausages, mushrooms and baked beans.  Again, I ate this for dinner...so good! ^.^

For breakfast, it'd be a simpler (and smaller portion) with just French Toast & Bacon.  Can anyone tire of eating bacon?  Well, certainly not me! :D

I was even naughtier here...I had some leftover luncheon meat (another thing besides bacon that one does not get tired of eating...lol) and made a Wholemeal Sandwich with Bacon, Luncheon Meat & Omelette.

I bought these gourmet ham from Aeon and they tasted pretty good when I made French Toast with Ham & Omelette.  If you're lazy to go through the trouble of cooking bacon in your pan or air fryer, ham is a more convenient protein for your sandwiches as they're loads easier to fry than bacon.

Since I can't give up bread (just like phonghongbakes), the only viable solution is to, at least, choose a better bread in sourdough or wholemeal.  Don't force yourself to stay away from something that makes you happy (I'm not going to anymore)...and bread (and coffee) makes me happy. ^o^

There were days when I thought I felt depressed when I had to refrain from bread (and coffee)...and I find myself much more contented now when I don't restrict myself.  Of course, anything we eat...we must eat in moderation.  We all should eat things that make us happy coz we live only once..and we might as well enjoy our one life when we can...live well, life is short! ^_~