Tap Room @ Bamboo Hills

Bamboo Hills is a culinary haven and home to a unique dining concept within a green landscaped setting housing many restaurants in one place like Ginger, Locarasa, Potager, The Qing Banquet, Botanica+Co, Hanam BBQ, Nok Yung Thai, Tap Room, Pizza Duo and Kampai Yakiniku which we had the pleasure of visiting recently.

Most of the restaurants here give you a front-row seat (some better than others) to the beauty of its landscaping amidst serene and lush surroundings with a scenic bamboo garden and waterfalls at the centre of it all.

The lush greenery and water feature is a sight to behold as we took a little walk to take in all that charming surroundings (it was like a picture off a postcard!).  No wonder you see many people taking selfies and wefies at the many instagram-worthy spots here.  I can just imagine the surroundings being possibly even more attractive at night when the place is lighted up.

After our sumptuous and gratifying wagyu meal at Kampai Yakiniku, we proceeded to our next destination, the Tap Room @ Bamboo Hills to chill, chat...and chomp further!

There's alfresco dining if you so choose where you can dine amidst all the breathtaking scenery.  I can just imagine the ambience when night falls...but since it was midday, we chose to sit inside, safe from the heat.

As we've already had lunch, it was time for something light...coffees and desserts is a must...and a couple of snacks won't hurt either.  The first was this refreshing starter of Watermelon Meze @ RM13.80, the flavours of which caught me by surprise, not that it's bold or anything like that but just so delicate and light that it was a joy to eat.

It is a very simple dish of juicy watermelon cubes with some crunchy wakame and crushed peanuts tossed in an equally light Thai dressing.  If you're a light eater or want something truly refreshing after a heavy meal, this is perfect! ;)  All of us enjoyed this tremendously...a wonderful starter (on a hot afternoon), for sure, and certainly one we won't hesitate to order again.

Next was these Sole Fish Tacos @ RM29.80 featuring lightly battered and fried sole fish (locally sourced, the menu says from the shores of Kuala Terengganu) with guacamole, tomato salsa, purple slaw, tartar sauce and sriracha sauce.  Served with a wedge of lime, the tacos were finished with some micro greens and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper (or paprika).

A squeeze of lime over the top...and it's ready to eat!  As you can see from the photo, they were light-handed with the dressing of guacamole (mashed avocado) and tartar sauce which I really appreciated.  Good choice for a light meal or as a shared starter.

My third pick was supposed to be the charred, grilled chilli peppers but the server came back to inform us that it wasn't available that day, so I replaced that with SuperShrooms @ RM26.80 which were just deep-fried enoki and white button mushrooms served with two sauces, a spicy-sweet Thai chilli sauce and a creamy mushroom sauce.

Nothing to fault as the mushrooms had a light batter coating and were fried to crispy perfection.  A great snack with beer.  I especially liked the button mushrooms coz they were extra juicy to the bite.  Between the two sauces, I preferred the creamy mushroom over the common dip of sweet Thai chilli.

It's been a while since I had a "real" dessert...and sharing it with 3 friends is a good thing if you're trying to limit sugar intake coz that means you'll probably get only 2 bites (or 2 tsp)...lol!  I chose the Flourless Chocolate Cake @ RM26.80 (my friends are chocolate lovers) with raspberry ice cream, oreo crumbs, granola and a mixed berries compote finished with some fresh strawberries and blueberries on top.

The flourless chocolate cake was rich and fudgy with an intense chocolate flavour.  It was very good (even for a non-chocolate lover like me) as everything went so well together.  It was a symphony of textures and flavours with the bold, rich flavours of the chocolate together with the tanginess of the raspberry ice cream, lightly sweet + tart berries compote and granola offering a crunch! ^.^

The final dessert of Orange Souffle Waffle @ RM19.80 was served with vanilla ice cream and an orange reduction.  The souffle was high and mighty when it arrived (sorry it deflated a little by the time we got to it) and the texture light and airy.

I enjoyed the tanginess of the orange reduction with the nice, crisp waffles.  It also offered a good contrast to the sweetness of the vanilla ice cream.  All in all, it was still a very decent dessert, just that it didn't quite match the highs of the previous flourless chocolate cake which was flawless in execution and superb in taste.

Of course where there are desserts, there must be coffees...and two of us went with an Iced Caffe Latte @ RM16, one had a hot Cappuccino @ RM16 while another had a Detox drink @ RM18.

Was that all?...not quite!  You can't come to the Tap Room and not order a PaperKite, a local craft beer brand that's brewed in small batches and proudly made in Malaysia (which even won Gold at the 2023 Word Beer Awards).

So, we ordered two beers, one a Pale Ale @ RM23 and another Happy Lager also @ RM23.  Yes, craft beer is more expensive than regular, mass-produced beer but they also taste far superior (and my friends can attest to that)! ;)

My Personal Opinion

The menu at Tap Room is quite extensive from brunch offerings to pastas, burgers, sando, superbowls, soups, snacks and desserts, along with food that have Asian, Spanish and western influences, with even a section for carnivores.

We thoroughly enjoyed the few dishes we tried with the absolutely simple but refreshingly delightful watermelon meze being the highlight for me.  I thought their plated desserts were especially impressive (for a joint that isn't a dedicated cafe/bakery/dessert place).  Probably the most endearing are their affordable prices (there are a lot of choices priced around RM30)...and let's not forget the awesome view and ambience of the surroundings, more so if you're dining alfresco.

Just as you can't come to the Tap Room and not try one of their local craft beers...you also can't come to the Tap Room and not try one of their pizzas!  Reputedly good (they look absolutely gorgeous in photos)...but we were too stuffed already from the earlier lunch, so these pizzas will have to wait until we return.  This place is a wonderful choice for a get-together with friends as the food, desserts, coffees and beers (even the prices) were all above expectations.

Tap Room Bamboo Hills

Unit P10-01 & P10-02

Taman Bukit Bambu

Off Lebuhraya Duta-Ulu Kelang (DUKE)

51200 Kuala Lumpur