The Brew House @ SS2 PJ

If you're on a budget, then this place, The Brew House @ SS2 PJ, should probably be on your radar for its very affordable and reasonably-priced food with hefty portions.

They say it's pretty similar to Uncle Don's (also in the same SS2 area) but I haven't been to Uncle Don's, so I wouldn't know.  The extensive menu covers everything from snacks to soups & salads, Asian-style rice & noodle dishes, curries, Thai-inspired dishes, western mains, pizza & pastas.

We chose the Salted Egg Fish Skin with Pork Floss @ RM10.80 from the snacks menu and, when it arrived, we were taken aback with just how generous the portion size was.

The savoury salted egg sauce-coated fish skin was crispy perfection on earth, made even more delicious with the equally generous sprinkling of pork floss.  They were very addictive and would definitely make a good beer snack.  It ended up to be the best thing we ate that night...so, so good! ^o^

The snacks list was especially long....rightly so since this is also a place known for frozen beers and beer drinking.  Other options include the usual favourites of fried chicken skin, fries, moo ping, pigs in blanket, salt & pepper calamari, crispy pork bacon, nachos, pork gyoza, pork char siew and more.

We also had the Mushroom & Bacon Soup @ RM10.80, a creamy and intensely flavoured mushroom soup made with sauteed mushrooms, topped with porcini oil and bacon bits, and served with a grilled garlic-infused buttered bread that's soft, not hard like most baguettes.

Our chosen main was actually an item from the snacks menu, the Porky Platter @ RM25.80, a snack item that was clearly meant as a sharing platter.  The platter comprised of sticky pork ribs, roast pork and pork sliders, one with luncheon meat and the other with braised pork.

The sticky ribs were ok-tasting but they weren't the best cut of ribs, if you know what I mean (it's not those that have a single long bone, there are some short and soft bones).

The roast pork wasn't quite the roast pork we know but more like deep-fried pork.  It had crunchy (not utterly crispy) skin with a slightly porky smell which I didn't like.  I don't know why but I always seem to taste this overly porky smell when roast pork is done in western-style cafes.

The pork sliders were nothing special, one was just with luncheon meat between a soft bun that you can't fault while the other was with braised pork.

I went with a chef recommended dish of Brew House Signature Pork Steak (250g) @ RM19.80 with mayo-laden, coarsely shredded cabbage slaw (though the menu said apple slaw), grilled peach and potato puree served with creamy peppercorn sauce.

The pork steaks (two pieces) were sufficiently tender, just not tender enough.  But then again, what pork steak will be super tender....my quest continues to find that elusive tender pork chop.

I did like the accompanying peppercorn sauce (much like the usual black pepper, just not as hot as some I've had).  Without it, the pork steak would be on the dry side and not-so-nice to eat (that's why I asked for more sauce).

I happened to glance over to the two ladies (sitting next to our table) and they shared the Hainanese Chicken (or Pork) Chop (RM13.80) that looked thickly coated, over-fried and dry in a very tomatoey-coloured sauce (hmmm, not something I would order after seeing it).

Knowing that we'd be feasting on a porky-loaded meal, we made sure we chose drinks that were zesty, like this Ice Honey Lemon @ RM8.80 and Fresh Orange Juice @ RM10.80, to freshen our palates.

My Personal Opinion

The main dishes I tried didn't quite endear me with their taste possibly because it was just too much meat (for me) in one sitting.  The draw factor for its popularity is certainly its low prices (with most mains costing below RM20) and big portions.  If you're ok with the unimaginative and simple taste of localised western food (and some processed food forming part of the ingredients), then you'd probably be ok with the food here.

I think the place is more suitable for buddies on a budget to hang out and chill, drinking copious amounts of cold beer with one hand and eating beer snacks with the other.

The crispy and utterly moreish salted egg fish skin with pork floss alone is enough to warrant a trip here (or return trips) for just that...perhaps with a couple of cold beers as accompaniment.

The Brew House
No 27-G Jalan SS2/75
47300 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 03-7865 6815