Tap Room @ Bamboo Hills (Again)

Believe it or not, this was our third visit to Tap Room @ Bamboo Hills in 6 months! :O  Well, we love the vibes and ambience here, and the food and drinks, of course...and we always end up having a good time here! ;)

Let's see, our first visit to Tap Room was just for snacks, desserts, coffees and beers as we already had a lavish premium beef lunch at Kampai Yakiniku before that.  For our second visit, we had a proper meal there, specifically their pizzas at Pizza Duo, together with some nice starters from Tap Room.

This round we tried a few more different appetisers from their tapas menu starting with the Grilled Eggplant @ RM24.80 featuring roasted eggplant with golden baby shrimps, lemon aioli and sriracha sauce.

The lightly battered baby shrimps were nice and crispy eaten with the mildly sweet and earthy roasted eggplant pieces with a bit of crunch and freshness provided by the baby pink turnips and edible micro herbs. It was a delightful enough starter to start. ^_~

Next was this dish of Roasted Cauliflower @ RM24.80 which consists of a whole roasted cauliflower with coconut flakes and served with either pomodoro sauce or a creamy sambal terasi.  What you see here is the pomodoro sauce which is typically a tomato-based sauce (though we also requested for the creamy, slightly spicy sambal terasi later).

I was inspired to order this dish when I saw it on the menu coz I've always liked fried cauliflower at Indian restaurants + I was reminded of a cauliflower dish I similarly enjoyed at a (now-closed) restaurant.  This preparation is slightly different (of course)...the roasted (and softened) whole cauliflower had a sweet glaze over it almost like brown sugar (or gula melaka) and the toasted coconut flakes offered yet another layer of sweetness to it.

Just like our previous visit, we ordered a third dish to share, the Ultimate Cheese Sandwich @ RM66.80 thinking to indulge again in the awesome pizzas we had so enjoyed on our last visit.  But that derailed our intention dead in its track! :O  Why, you ask?  I thought I was ordering a third starter...and it was clearly not when it arrived.  We were clearly not expecting such a humongous sandwich! O_o  It certainly did not look anything like the portion size of the one in the menu.

Not only was the bread huge, they were thick as well (at least an inch thick), the ultimate cheese sandwich was filled with smoked duck, mushrooms, baby spinach, caramelised onions, cheddar, mozzarella and truffle oil.  It was served with a side of garlic+honey+soy shoestring fries and a salad of baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and red turnip.  Not that the sandwich wasn't good but we were so full (there were 4 slices and we each had one) we couldn't eat anything else let alone our initial plan of coming here to eat the pizzas we enjoyed so much on our last visit.

We were so stuffed we couldn't even eat dessert, so what do we do...we ordered more drinks (so this turned out to be more of a drinking session than an eating session)! :D  There were beers (India Pale Ale @ RM28, Pale Ale @ RM23 & Happy Lager @ RM23), 3 glasses of cocktails for RM85, coffees of Iced Caffe Latte @ RM16 and a cold pressed juice of Heart Health (Beetroot/Apple/Carrot/Ginger/Lemon) @ RM18.  There was no better day to enjoy beers at a 68% discount than on the eve of the National Day holidays when we were there! ^.^

My Personal Opinion

This third visit to Tap Room was a visit where we not only ate the least things (only 3 dishes) but also ate the least inspiring dishes.  Not that they weren't any good...they were still decent just less impressive compared with what we had on our earlier two visits.

Their menu has so much variety that not every dish we pick will be outstanding.  We got ourselves stuffed silly in the process...and maybe a little disappointed coz our original intention of coming here to partake in the pizzas we so enjoyed the last time was not met.  But no regrets, we can only get to know how much we like a dish after trying, right?  In the end, we enjoyed our drinking session...and our get-together chit chat session as always. ^_~

Tap Room

Unit P10-01 & P10-02 Bamboo Hills

Taman Bukit Bambu

Off Lebuhraya Duta-Ulu Kelang (DUKE)

51200 Kuala Lumpur

Pizza Duo @ Bamboo Hills

Co-existing and sharing the same space with Tap Room (along with PaperKite beer and cocktail bar Tap Tap) is Pizza Duo @ Bamboo Hills.  We enjoyed the ambience, experience and food at Tap Room very much during our first visit and vowed to return to try the pizzas.

Moreover, a friend of mine was interested to return at night to feel the ambience after seeing the beautiful and serene surroundings when we were here for lunch before (it was indeed pretty as a picture as night fell). The atmosphere seems even more lively at night.  Luckily we made prior reservations as the place was brimming with waiting patrons.

Pizza Duo specialises in Neapolitan pizzas, an authentic Italian pizza originating from Naples, known for its thin, soft crust with simple toppings cooked under high heat in a wood-fired oven.  That impressive-looking oven is apparently called a Stefano Ferrara oven...and apparently it's also currently the largest Stefano Ferrara oven in Malaysia.

And, for this visit, we came specifically for that! ;)  But, before we get to the pizzas, let's start with a couple of starters and bites...beginning with something that's part of their signature menu, the Chilli Lava Crab @ RM48.80 which unquestionably did not disappoint.  It knocked it out of the park! ^.^

Featuring crab meat in a spicy chili/sweet & sour crab sauce, this dish is distinctively Malaysian, a highly sought-after dish in Chinese seafood restaurants, except this one you don't have to get your hands messy and dirty to get at the crab meat.  It's already done for you...what better way to eat crab than to have all the meat picked out for you, right?  I would say yessss to that! ;D

The crab meat was super fresh and the sauce well balanced with a spicy kick.  Served with golden mantou and crispy youtiao which were the perfect vehicles to soak up all that awesome sauce.  We used it (and wished we had more) to mop up every single last drop of that rich, flavourful sauce.  We couldn't get enough...it was beyond what I expected (and my friends loved it too).

Up next was a dish we did not get to sample on our last visit here, the Grilled Padron Peppers @ RM25.80 as it wasn't available then.  Padron peppers, a Spanish tapas staple, are typically mild and slightly sweet although occasionally you'll get one that packs a spicy punch.  The unpredictable spice level of each pepper adds that element of surprise and fun to eating them (no wonder I got one that was really spicy)! >_<

Blistered and charred to perfection and tossed in shrimp floss, they're best eaten dipped in the accompanying creamy shrimp paste sauce that tasted somewhat like a spicy Thousand Island sauce.  This was something different that we tried...and it was another winning dish.

We remember liking the simple, refreshing take on this dish the last time we were here, so we just had to order the Watermelon Meze @ RM13.80 again with chuka wakame and crushed peanuts tossed in Thai dressing.

Now, onto the main event, the very reason we made this return trip for...especially after seeing their impressive wood-fired oven that's touted to produce the best-tasting pizzas due to the high temperatures and unique flavour imparted by the wood which produces a smoky, rich flavour that's hard to replicate in other types of ovens.

We started with one of its most popular pizzas, a speciality of theirs, the Shroomami Pizza @ RM72 (which also happens to be the most expensive pizza on their menu) with Parmigiana fondue, truffle salsa, fior di latte (fresh cheese), portobellini mushrooms, ricotta and truffle oil.  Hands-down, this has to go down as the best pizza I've eaten thus far.  Being a non-fan of cheese (as many of my readers already know)...but this one I super enjoyed.  Apparently I enjoy cheese if it's good Italian cheese like Parmigiana Regianno (especially), Fior di Latte and Riccota...hehe! ^_~

The intense heat and flames cooks the pizza quickly (like maybe in just 90 secs depending on the pizza's thickness and oven temperature).  And because the pizza cooks so quickly, the crust is still moist with a slightly chewy interior...and not dry, hardened or overly crispy like many others that I've eaten before.  I used to leave the crust behind for those that fell short but this one...I wanted more! ^o^

Just look at the super puffed up and perfectly charred crust with its super light and airy texture and its umami filling of portobellini mushrooms and truffle...so, so good!  I once heard a Top Chef contestant say "that puffed up, charred crust can only be achieved if you use a wood-fired oven" (and he's right, of course).  

After tasting our first pizza, we immediately ordered a second.  This time we placed an order for a simple, classic Pizza Margherita 2.0 @ RM44 filled with San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte, parmigiano reggiano, semi-dried cherry tomatoes and basil oil.  You can't go wrong with the classics! ;)

Again, the slightly charred, soft, thin crust gives it a distinct smoky flavour that makes it absolutely out of this world.  A good pizza doesn't need to go overboard with all its many toppings...just a good crust and simple, fresh, high-quality ingredients for Neapolitan perfection!

After stuffing ourselves silly with two awesome pizzas, we still had room for dessert...and we kicked off with the Molten PB Choco @ RM26.80 which featured a chocolate and peanut butter lava cake served with vanilla ice cream, granola, fresh strawberries and blueberries.

The chocolate and peanut butter lava cake did live up to its name....the molten chocolate centre, with its intense chocolate flavour, flowed out when cut into (sorry, forgot to take a photo of the gooey, flowing lava). This is certainly a delight for chocolate lovers.

Our second plated dessert was something similar to the Orange Souffle Waffle we had on our earlier visit. Since we enjoyed it the last time round, we ordered the Lemon Souffle Waffle @ RM19.80 this time.

The only difference was that it was served with earl grey (instead of vanilla) ice cream and a lemon (instead of orange) reduction.  I particularly liked the intense lemon-flavoured reduction with the souffle and waffle.

Finally, to wash all that good food down, you need good beer...and we ordered the PaperKite Flight @ RM58 featuring 4 types of (mini-sized) craft beer...Pale Ale, Copper Ale, Oatmeal Stout and IPA for sharing.

I also had a Iced Caffe Latte @ RM16.  A friend also had a cocktail, Day & Night (Sake/Peach/Yuzu/Lemon) @ RM30.

My Personal Opinion

If you're a lover of pizza or haven't had a good one thus far, make sure you have a go at this one...made with the finest ingredients like fior di latte, San Marzano tomatoes and Italian flour, it's no wonder that this was by far the best tasting pizza experience I've had in a long while.  I've a new found love of pizza (and cheese) if it's this good...and the Shroomami comes highly recommended as your first choice.  Just the mere thought of it at the time of writing makes me yearn for it with such great desire! ;)

Not only that but the fact that Pizza Duo shares a space with Tap Room makes eating here a double joy as you can cross order from both fabulous menus.  So far Tap Room's starters and light bites have not disappointed one bit and this visit's choices of Chili Lava Crab and Grilled Padron Peppers added two more to that fantastic list.

Tap Room's menu is rather extensive and together with Pizza Duo's many other pizza options as well, there are still lots more to try here...and we look forward eagerly to yet another visit. ^.^

Pizza Duo @ Tap Room

Lot P10 Bamboo Hills

Taman Bukit Bambu

Off Lebuhraya Duta-Ulu Kelang (DUKE)

51200 Kuala Lumpur

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

Unit P10-01 & P10-02 Bamboo Hills

Taman Bukit Bambu

Off Lebuhraya Duta-Ulu Kelang (DUKE)

51200 Kuala Lumpur

Kampai Yakiniku @ Bamboo Hills

It was a long awaited meet-up with my friends on a recent Public Holiday (the four of us have not met up for a makan outing in 2 years). >.<  We actually planned to go somewhere else but ended up here at Kampai Yakiniku @ Bamboo Hills as the other place happens to be closed.

Kampai Yakiniku is probably now best known as the place to offer the most affordable, halal-certified, premium Japanese A5 Wagyu Buffet from RM199 - RM299+ per pax, the latter offers unlimited refills (for 120 minutes) of 7 kinds of wagyu cuts freshly imported from Tokushima, Japan besides seafood, rice dishes, appetisers, beef offal, beef tongue, beef sashimi, vegetables, small bites and hot soup.

But we're not here for the buffet as we intend to hit a second spot after our lunch.  As for the ambience, it's a Japanese themed open air concept yakiniku restaurant.  The open air space is covered but open-walled, so we didn't feel warm even on a hot afternoon (I reckon it'll be even cooler if you're dining here at night).

Each table is equipped with its own grill for some fun-filled cooking on our own (that's what yakiniku or BBQ is all about).  But here, you don't have the option of the servers grilling the food for you (which was a bit of a surprise to me) but they're always on hand to help or show you how best to cook each item if needed.

I took charge of the ordering but if you're not well-versed with the different cuts of beef, it's best to just order their pre-arranged platters like this beautifully presented platter of 5 Kinds of Meat (250g+) @ RM309 that's suitable for 2-4 pax (which even one person can devour on his/her own to be really honest).  There's also 3 Kinds of Meat (150g+ for 1-2 pax) @ RM149 and 7 Kinds of Meat (350g+ for 3-5 pax) @ RM429 platters to choose from.

  

The 5 Kinds of Meat features cuts of Kainomi (flap meat from the belly of a cow), Katasankaku (shoulder clod, an economical cut from the shoulder of a cow), Tomasankaku (tri-tip, a triangular cut of beef from the bottom of the sirloin), Misuji (oyster blade, a rare cut of meat from the shoulder blade of a cow) and Ribeye or Rib Cap (the eye of the ribeye).  You get 3 pcs of each type of meat, so if you do the math, each piece you put into your mouth is like RM20! O_o  What can I say, wagyu is expensive...even more so if it's Japanese wagyu! ^_~

As these are premium cuts of beef, they take literally seconds to cook.  They give you a small piece of beef fat (you can ask for more) to smear on the grill before grilling begins.  The first one was flipped too soon (or the grill was not hot enough), so it barely had any grill marks (amateurs at grilling...haha) while another was left too long on the grill and was slightly overcooked (that's what happens when you're busy chatting and not concentrating on the cooking...lol).  But because of the superb quality of the meat, even if you overcook them, they still possess that superior tenderness.

Overall, every single cut was amazingly tender, juicy, flavourful with rich and complex umami flavours.  They literally melt in your mouth because of the intense marbling but if you were to ask me which was my favourite cut, I would have to honestly say I can't really differentiate them apart as all were great. Differentiating each cut of meat is like asking me to recognise all the different types of fish which I can't...lol!

Besides the wagyu meat platter, I couldn't resist an extra order of Beef Tongue (salted thin slice) @ RM40 (and there were 5 pcs) as it's absolutely one of my favourite cuts.

Again, impressively tender and flavourful but perhaps just a teeny-weeny bit chewier than the earlier cuts if I have to make a direct comparison.  Nevertheless, still extremely enjoyable.

With our meat sensation taken care of, the next order would obviously be a Seafood Platter @ RM118 for more variety.  This was even more elegantly presented...on a bed of ice in a boat-shaped platter with emitting dry ice for a bit of wow factor. 

The seafood platter was made up of large prawns (5 pcs), (huge) scallops on the shell (2 pcs), salmon fillet (2 good-sized pcs), one whole squid and 2 sticks of (smaller) scallops.

The body of the prawns were slit lengthwise, so we could prop them up to ensure the insides were cooked. They were minimally seasoned with salt and black pepper (I added a bit more) and they were super fresh with a nicely charred flavour from the grilling.

The huge scallops (with finely julienned leek underneath) were cooked on their shell with a little knob of butter that melted into the soy to make a lovely sauce for the scallops...absolutely yums! ;)  The salmon fillets were cooked well yielding an immensely fresh and soft texture with a slightly crispy skin and a charred, smoky flavour.  Another winner!

There's also a Veggie Platter @ RM69 that you can order (we didn't) to round off your meal if you need greens (but who needs vegetables when you have premium meat and seafood...kekeke!).  Plus, we already have a mini veggie platter (lol) that came with the meat (as decoration)...waste not, want not!  And no, I didn't grill the carrot rose (it would have been too hard to cook through) or the leek flower (so thin it'll just disintegrate) but I did throw the mushroom and capsicum onto the grill.  But if you do order the actual veggie platter, you'll get vegetables of eggplant, carrots, corn, onions, asparagus and bell peppers, including potatoes and mushrooms.

I did get an additional order of Sweet Onions @ RM8 simply because I love onions which tend to sweeten when grilled.  The noob me put the onions to grill still skewered before the server came to save the day to remove the onion from the skewer and picked the layers of the onion apart so that they can grill properly.

You can help yourselves to all the condiments at the condiment station (and there were plenty to choose from).  I got a salt & black pepper mix, chopped garlic, yakiniku sauce, soy with spring onions, lemon juice (for the seafood)...and a final sauce (which my friend got).  If you ask me, the premium wagyu needed no sauce...they were good on their own but if you really needed one, I'd say the yakiniku sauce or a light dip into the soy or salt/pepper mix should suffice.  Green Tea (hot or cold) is at RM5 per pax (refillable).

My Personal Opinion

All the beef and seafood were utterly fresh with great flavours...we wouldn't expect anything less based on the price point.  I thought we'd still be hungry when we were done but we weren't.  Great for small eaters or those who want to sample premium wagyu beef (we know how expensive they can be) but if you're big eater, I'd suggest you go for the buffet to be fully satisfied.

For those on a budget but want to taste a variety of beef (or seafood), go for their 3, 5 or 7 kinds of meat and seafood platters (even the veggie platter) where you get to taste more types of meat, seafood or veggies in one sitting.

If you end up liking one particular cut more than the others, you can check their displayed names (or ask a server) and know what to order the next time you're here (and order an extra plate of that cut).  Would I like to come back?  Of course (who wouldn't)...but premium wagyu comes at a price! :'(

Kampai Yakiniku Bamboo Hills

Lot P3A Taman Bukit Bambu

Off Lebuhraya Duta-Ulu Kelang (DUKE)

51200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 010-525 2525