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
