Martha's Kitchen @ Desa Sri Hartamas

Martha's Kitchen @ Desa Sri Hartamas has been a well-known staple for authentic Spanish cuisine here in KL for a good many years.  After all, they received the RFS (Restaurants from Spain) certification from their Spanish government for both their outlets in Desa Sri Hartamas as well as LaLaport in Bukit Bintang.

The place has garnered good reviews on Google and TripAdvisor.  Seeing that my blogger friends had visited this place many times (check them out here, here, here and here.....and also here), it's quite obvious they enjoyed the food.  So, when the opportunity arised, I finally gave it go just to see how the food stacks up to the other Spanish restaurants that I've tried. 

We got there at dinner time and was surprised to find the place in full swing (even on a weekday night).  First thing I noticed was that the place was rather noisy.  It had little to no noise reduction, so probably not the best option if you're looking for a quiet conversation for date nights.  Then again it might be seeing that you'll have to sit very close to your date to have a proper conversation...lol.

Even with terrible accoustics (not something I expected from a restaurant of this calibre), the place seems popular for eating and drinking with friends and buddies for a fun night out.  The din does get better as the evening wore on when the crowd dwindled down and dispersed.  The interior is comfortable and spacious with both indoor and outdoor seating...and an open kitchen concept.  I especially loved the twinkling ceiling lights.

When we talk about European cuisine, Spanish food ranks among my top favourites...and that of one of my friends too (after we were introduced to the cuisine when we tried it for the first time together).  Tapas is probably the most well-known of Spanish cuisine...and they're made up of small plates of food (hot or cold) that can be shared or combined to make a full meal.  We started with the Boquerones en Vinagre @ RM27 made up of Spanish anchovies marinated in vinegar, garlic, parsley (or chives) and extra virgin olive oil served with green olives and some crusty bread.

This is a dish I'm always tempted to order (when I see it on the menu) since I enjoy fresh, unadulterated flavours (and my friend enjoys them too after being introduced to it).  These fresh, raw, cured, anchovy fillets are tender, juicy and delicate in flavour.

But I detected a spicy (not chilli-spicy) aftertaste when I took a bite of this one.  I thought it was ginger initially (but then ginger is not a Spanish thing) before realising it was the pungency of the raw garlic.  The over harshness of the garlic did ruin the taste of the delicate vinegar-cured fresh anchovies somewhat for me as the taste of the garlic was overpowering.  The one I had at Mercat with roasted red peppers and aioli tasted a lot better.

Our next appetiser was the Champinones con Jamon Iberico @ RM26 which is a tapa of pan-fried mushrooms with garlic and jamon iberico served with more bread to mop up the tasty garlic and iberico-infused olive oil.

The large button mushrooms were cooked whole and they were simply juicy...and they look cute as a button too (pun intended...lol).  The chopped up bits of jamon iberico and fried garlic added further savouriness and fragrance to the mushrooms.  Absolutely delicious. ^o^

A popular and must-have tapa among many is the Spicy Patatas Bravas @ RM19 made up of fried potato chunks served with a creamy aioli and their signature spicy tomato sauce (don't worry, it's anything but spicy).

I remembered the one we had at Mercat where the potatoes (and egg) were served as a side dish to the Iberico ribs we had and that one solicitied a "mmmmm" from my friend coz it was the intensity of the potato flavour that wowed us.  The one here turned out ordinary tasting as I didn't get that intense potato flavour I expected, so the price tag didn't seem worth it for a few chunks of potatoes. >_<

I spotted the Iberico Pork Cheeks (or Carrilleras de Cerdo) @ RM39 listed under tapas in the menu and just had to order it as I've this thing for cheeks (beef or pork) stewed in red wine sauce.  I can still remember a sensational one I had at the now defunct Press Room Bistro but that one was beef cheeks.

This one is pork cheeks and if it's Iberico pork, even better.  No fault in the cooking of the pork cheeks until immaculately fork tender...and it was served with mashed potatoes.  However, it ended up to be quite a heavy tapa (it's good enough as a main dish) as the ratio of potatoes to pork cheeks (2 pcs) was a bit too much (+ the potato mash wasn't particularly smooth either).  Perhaps if there were some vegetables (like juicy tomatoes, lightly tart pearl onions, carrots or even some micro greens) to freshen up the plate, it would had been more successful, in my opinion.

The red wine sauce reminded me of something similar I had with the Bouef Burginon at Yeast Bistronomy but that's where the comparison ends.  That red wine reduction sauce left me wanting as the one in Yeast tasted so much better.  Presentation wise, it wasn't much to look at.  Surely for a dish that price, they can put in a little bit more effort to make it look not so dull. >_<

Well, if one is in a Spanish restaurant, paella is a must, right?  So, we ordered the Paella Valenciana @ RM37 and the first thing to note is that it's served on a plate...and not a traditional paella pan.

The paella was served with (yes) a single prawn (albeit a very large one) and a single mussel with an aioli cream and a wedge of lemon.  There were some chunks of chicken, squid and smaller prawns in there too...maybe some cubes of Iberico ham or even pancetta).

I've to give credit to the single large single prawn as it was super fresh and sweet tasting.  However, I was a bit disappointed with the flavour of the paella rice in general.  It didn't have the aroma, smell nor taste of an intense seafood broth that I was looking for.  In fact, it tasted a bit underseasoned (maybe the chef had an off day) but, more importantly, I found the rice grains not moist enough and didn't appear to have absorbed the flavours of a seafood broth.  The lovely cream sauce that was served alongside the paella did help a little in providing some added moistness to the rice.

I thought the Squid Ink Paella @ RM37 served with the same single large prawn and cream was the better tasting of the two. ^.^

At least in this one, the seafood-infused broth comes through a bit more but the rice could still be a little more moist in my opinion.  I detected some smaller pieces of squid in the rice but don't think I tasted anything else in there (it was also difficult to see in the dark of the night + the squid ink was all black...lol).

I think I'm going to sound like a broken record now but, again, the Paella de Marisco (seafood paella) I had at Mercat tasted better and was far more enjoyable than these two we had here (my Spanish food-loving friend thought so too...I didn't have to ask her coz she didn't go mmmmm, not even once).  The key differences for me was that the rice of this one was less moist with a lesser crustacean undertone and not having it served in a traditional cast iron paella pan (although it was cooked in one based on the reviews I read) meant it lost out on the socarrat....and along with it, a bit of that authenticity! ;)

For dessert, we got a piece of....what else...but the Basque Burnt Cheesecake @ RM18 to share.  Would there have been any other conclusion? ;D

My friends love their cheesecakes and it was undoubtedly creamily cheesy but one commented it was too sweet.  I only had one small bite and the sweetness wasn't apparent to me.  So, the eating was left to my other friend.  In the end, this was the first burnt cheesecake that we left unfinished. >.<

A friend had the Red Sangria @ RM23.  The sangria here is very enjoyable, so much so you'd want a few more.  It's one that I can drink (and enjoy drinking) as I find the alcohol content of this red wine more subdued with more fruitiness and sweetness coming through.  The Passion Peach Iced Tea @ RM13 is as refreshing as it looks.

Another friend, who arrived much later, had a glass of red wine, the El Coto Red Rioja @ RM27.  It's always nice to see wine served in a glass imprinted with the restaurant's name.

I couldn't resist finishing my evening with a shot of coffee and got their Cafe con leche (single shot) @ RM13...basically latte-lah but with a more fancy-schmancy Spanish name.  I told my friends the latte art looked like a ram (or a misguided distortion that made it look like a ram)...they looked at me and laughed and thought I had too much to drink (maybe the barista had too much to drink)...lol!  What does it look like to you? ;D

Service was attentive, communicative and friendly as they're well staffed to take care of your needs.  For added service, the restaurant servers will even help you endorse/settle your parking ticket (RM5 for 3 hours or RM10 for more than 3 hours parking) if you park inside the hotel building (The Signature) itself.

My Personal Opinion

Even though some of the food fell a little short, it's still a wonderful place to chill, wine and dine with friends and family (if you can get pass the poor accoustics).  I say that because, if you've not dined at another Spanish restaurant that's better (like I did at Mercat Barcelona where I thought the food was better on many levels except for maybe the ambience), then this place should satisfy your expectations! :P  In fact, their paella is still worthy (and tasty enough) if you've not had a better paella.

Would I visit again?  I wouldn't mind...for a few tapas and drinks with friends...but will go for different tapas other than the ones we ordered (but the mushrooms with jamon iberico, my favourite dish of the night, certainly warrants a repeat order).  The menu at Martha's is more extensive compared to Mercat, so you have a lot more options to choose from (I see at least 30 different tapas listed).

What can I say...if I've not had a stellar experiece at Mercat before this, Martha's would certainly rank right up there among my favourite Spanish restaurants, but since I did, Mercat would be my pick until such time another one comes along to top that.  But Martha's is by all means still worth your consideration for pleasant Spanish food! ^_~

Martha's Kitchen

The Signature Hotel & Serviced Suites

Jalan Sri Hartamas 22

Desa Sri Hartamas

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-6411 0832