The Brew House @ Pandan Indah

After a home-cooked Chinese New Year (CNY) reunion dinner on our own followed by more home-cooked dinners on Chor 1 and Chor 2 (the first and second day of CNY), I was tired of Chinese food already and was hankering for some western food.

There aren't many (good) choices when it comes to western food in my taman.  Most of them are what I term as localised western food and not very exciting.  Since I've eaten at their SS2 branch some years back, I decided to finally drop by the one in my neighbourhood, The Brew House @ Pandan Indah, for a meal in the first weekend of CNY.  Spanning 3 shoplots, I think they've been opened a good number of years here (I can't remember when exactly but certainly before the pandemic) though I've never visited until now.

To start, we shared the Mushroom & Bacon Soup @ RM13.80 which had only a few tiny bacon bits drizzled with a touch of truffle oil and served with a (not toasted) soft bun.  The soup had a well flavoured mushroom taste but just a wee bit on the watery side.  What was surprising was the inclusion of thin slices of almond to add crunch to the soup (I think some toasted croutons would had been a more successful choice).

My son had the Roast Pork Aglio Olio @ RM18.80.  The spaghetti was supposed to be tossed in garlic, dried chilli flakes, parsley and olive oil (as per the description in the menu) but we found some sliced fresh red chillies (additional to the chilli flakes) and Thai basil (substitute for parsley?) in the mix.

The chunks of roasted pork fared better in terms of taste with the meat adequately seasoned and the skin still lightly crispy.  On the whole, taste-wise, not something that'll leave an impression though.

I went with the Grilled Grain Fed Beef @ RM39.80 as I've not had steak for a while now.  It featured a 200g steak with crispy fries and sauteed vegetables of (probably frozen) corn and peas.

Seeing that this isn't a proper steakhouse per se, I was rather surprised to be asked how I'd like my steak done as I thought it'll be cooked to just one doneness (whichever that might be according to the chef).  So, I gladly said "medium rare" not realising what I'd be presented with later.

When the steak arrived, I was very happy with the size of it before realising just how thin the steak was.  At this thickness (or should I say, thinness), it doesn't make any sense (to me) to ask how I wanted the steak done.  I don't think it's achievable since it can easily overcook due to the thickness or (more precisely) lack of it.  Luckily, it wasn't as the meat was still pinkish in parts.  But the piece of steak was so thin it felt like it had been tenderised/pounded with a mallet....and, in this state, it would (of course) be none other than tender.  Just that it didn't have much of a bite to it being so thin.

The accompanying creamy peppercorn sauce served with the steak was what saved the dish.  That was the best tasting thing on the plate...better than the peppercorn sauce I had with the pork steak previously in SS2 (that one tasted more like a typical black pepper sauce).  This one had cream added to it as evidenced by the lighter-coloured brown sauce.  It was lightly creamy with just enough spicy heat from the peppercorns. Though RM40 might sound very reasonable for a piece of steak these days, I didn't think so because it was such a thin slice + I'd rather add on a bit more money for a proper/thicker piece of steak.

The fruits juices here are a bit pricey and they only have two options, orange or apple.  This Fresh Orange Juice cost RM14.80.

My Personal Opinion

The place and the food didn't endear me the first time round.....and it was the same the second time round! >_<  Though their big portions and reasonable prices (in some of their dishes) might draw the crowd in, I didn't think the steak was all that cheap (for such a thin piece).  It's not that the steak was bad, just that I can think of many other better options I can have with that RM40.

I still think the place is more suited for a chilling or drinking session with some good bar snacks to go along with it.  I went all the way to SS2 to try them out for the first time, you can't say I didn't give them a second chance (now that they're located near me), so I can now safely strike them off from my checklist of places to eat in my neighbourhood.

Having said that, it's not that their food is unpalatable (it has pretty decent reviews), so obviously some people do enjoy their food....I'm just not one of them.  I can think of many more likeable options I'd rather spend RM100 (for two) on! ;P

The Brew House

No 22 Jalan Pandan Indah 4/6

Pandan Indah

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-4288 3196