Red Lobster @ The Intermark

This American chain of restaurants is well known for bringing some of the highest quality, freshest seafood to their restaurants in many countries.  

With a pledge to bring the sea to our table and a tagline that says "we sea food differently", we should be in for a treat.

 

Ever since they arrived at our shores in late Sept (the first to open in South East Asia), I've been wanting to try Red Lobster @ The Intermark.  But, I've heard and seen many negative reviews of this place.  It's been close to 2 months now since they opened and, hopefully, they've ironed out their opening hiccups.

 

I have read that there were queues and (sometimes) the waiting period could be as long as 1 hour, but nothing of that sort happened when we were there on a Saturday evening.  In fact, I was taken aback by the sheer no. of wait staff that 'greeted' us at the entrance.

 

Once we were seated and placed our orders, we were served with their supposedly famous crumbly-cheesy-buttery-fresh-off-the-oven Cheddar Bay Biscuits.  I would say, taste wise, it's somewhere between a muffin (or scone) and a biscuit.  The interior had a crumbly cake-like texture while the exterior had a crunchy biscuit-like texture.  There was just a hint of savouriness (from the cheese) but maybe not as buttery as some would have liked.  I don't know why this biscuit didn't quite catch on here.....and I'm usually not that into biscuits or cookies...but this I liked (surprisingly)!
 

I ordered the Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimps @ RM22.90 (for 6 pcs) as our starter (for sharing).  These comprised of fairly large shrimps that are coated in their signature batter and then tossed in coconut flakes and fried till golden brown.  The shrimps were fresh and crunchy, and the coconut coating lent a sweet aroma and taste to the shrimps.

It was served with a piña colada sauce (as a dipping) which had the combined taste of coconut cream and pineapple juice.  [#Tip: It's similar to a cocktail by the same name except without the rum :D]  It had sweetness (from the coconut cream) and was slightly tangy (from the pineapple juice) but I think the fried shrimps didn't need any sauce, it was good just on its own.  We enjoyed this starter very much.

The choice for our first main was the Grilled Salmon @ RM42.90 served with baked potato and roasted vegetables.

The salmon had a nice grilled flavour but the portion of fish was on the thin side, so it was a bit overcooked to what we would normally prefer.

 

The sides of a baked potato was ok but the roasted vegetables (made up of carrots, red bell pepper, squash, cucumber and onions) were a bit bland (not roasted enough).

 

And then, of course, you can't come to the Red Lobster and not order their lobsters, right?  You'd notice that their live lobsters on their menu are based on seasonal prices.  An enquiry revealed that the Maine Lobsters were selling at RM27/100g while the Rock Lobsters (from Malaysia) cost RM45/100g and those from Australia were retailing at RM56/100g.  [#Tip: From the few times that I've eaten live lobsters, I know that a decent sized lobster should weigh at least 800g (anything smaller wouldn't be worth eating).]  Wow, wow, wow...at these current prices, it would translate to about RM216 for the cheapest lobster...they're definitely not cheap!! :'(  Those rock lobsters would set you back at least RM350.  They're certainly way off my budget...even the cheapest ones!!  The ones I've eaten before cost me about RM150 (then) and, sadly, that's the max I would pay for one.  Well, if I can't afford one, I might as well get a pic of those darn lobsters!! :D

So, with live lobsters out of the question, I had to decide between a grilled maine lobster tail, skewered shrimps and wild-caught sea scallops (with rice pilaf) @ RM99.90 or Grilled Sirloin & Maine Lobster Tail @ RM109.90 which is a centre-cut sirloin with peppercorn seasoning and a grilled maine lobster tail.  I went for the latter.

 

The sirloin was decent, both in cut and taste.  Although I prefer my steak doneness to be medium rare, I asked for it to be cooked to medium as I didn't know how good their steaks were (since they're not a full fledged steakhouse).  A look at the pink centre and you know it's cooked right as requested.

 

The lobster tail was seasoned right and cooked well (with some nice grill marks).  Some of the negative reviews I've seen on this ranged from scrawny to burnt to over salted...well, nothing like that happened to us.  Although the lobster tail may be on the smaller side, we have to be realistic based on the price we paid.  At RM109.90, I feel the portion size is acceptable + we also get a pc of steak.

Let me show you the lobster meat...up close and personal!! :=)  Is that delicious-looking or what??

 

It was served with (reasonable tasting) mashed potatoes and the same roasted vegetables (as the previous dish).

As the Cheddar Bay Biscuits are complimentary, feel free to ask for additional helpings if you like...and since I do 'like', I asked for just an additional one but they gave me another 2 (which came piping hot this time...even better!).  So, I ate 3 all-in as it wouldn't be nice not to finish it since I asked for more (I had to summon all my strength to down the last one).

Our drinks were:

 

Lipton Iced Tea @ RM8.90

Fresh Watermelon @ RM9.90

 

Although I wished I could have eaten the live lobsters, on hindsight, I was glad I didn't.  Reason: The table next to ours ordered a live lobster and when it arrived, I saw that it was presented whole (ie. the entire lobster was intact).  I'm not sure if that was steamed or roasted (the 2 styles of cooking choice here).  That meant the server had to crack open the lobster for you (at table side) and I saw him handling it for like 10 mins (with gloves on, of course).  He had to detach the head from the tail, cut the tail open, crack the pincers and scoop out all the flesh.  That is not how I would want to eat my lobster, let alone let someone 'man' handle it for me (even with gloves).  I would have preferred if it was cut open in half to get some nice sear marks and smoky flavour on it, and served immediately (while still reasonably hot).  Plus, after paying so much for it, I think I need to 'suck the hell out' of that lobster head and shell (sorry, it's a Chinese thing)...no, no, don't take it away....or at least let me see if there's any remote possibility that there may still be some flesh left in there!! :D :D :D

My Personal Opinion

 

My dining experience turned out rather well at Red Lobster, with no complaints on the service, now that they've gotten their opening jitters out of the way.  Overall, the food is decent (with room for improvement) but wasn't as bad as some of the negative comments out there and certainly didn't deserve the kind of 'bashing' it received.

 

Prices here tip the higher end of the scale but I think it's reasonable when you can get a lobster tail + some other stuff at around RM100.
 

If I do revisit, I'm definitely sticking to the 'crustacean' route...and more Coconut Shrimps and Cheddar Bay Biscuits, please!

Red Lobster Restaurant

Lot G-17 Intermark Mall

The Intermark

348 Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2181 4855