Burnin' Pit @ Desa Sri Hartamas

It has been a while since I last met my makan buddies for dinner at Makoto...and we found ourselves in the same area again but at Burnin' Pit @ Desa Sri Hartamas this time.  I've been wanting to visit Burnin' Pit for some time since being attracted by photos of delicious-looking barbecued meats (as well as seeing my blogger friend enjoying meals there).

When I think of Burnin' Pit, for some reason, the Ring of Fire tune gets played in my head...lol! ;D

I fell into a burnin' pit ring of fire

I went down, down, down and the flames went higher

And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire, the ring of fire..........

Anyway.....Burnin' Pit is well-known for delivering good ol' Southern American barbecue meats cooked low and slow in a custom-built smoker (like those delicious-looking Texas barbecue we see on TV).

Our meal began with the Birria Tacos @ RM28 which is supposedly a Mexican crispy (red) taco stuffed with cheesy shredded beef.  It was served with a (birria taco) sauce which is a rich, savoury red broth (made with blended tomatoes, onions, garlic, dried Mexican chillies and spices).  Of course I wouldn't know if it was made with Mexican chillies (like ancho and guajillo) but they say it's not birria if you don't use Mexican dried chillies...haha!

Well, Mexican dried chillies or not, the sauce was absolutely delicious eaten with a spoonful or two over the filling of shredded beef.  The tacos were absolutely crispy as well making the experience a double dose of happiness.  I think I've only eaten non-crispy tacos thus far...and a crispy one definitely trumps a soft, pliable corn or flour tortilla! ^_~

I also ordered one other dish for sharing, the Philly Cheese Sandwich @ RM32 (or Philly Cheesesteak as it's commonly known) with pulled Angus beef shreds, sauteed red and green peppers, caramelised onions and cheddar cheese on a ciabatta served with a side of fries.

This was another good dish...and I was even ok with the cheddar cheese (which was white, not yellow). Worthy of mention was the side of skin-on fries which were extremely fluffy and crisp.  If I had known how good the fries were, I would have ordered an extra side of fries.

We could not order too many pre-main dishes as I know our main platter of The Austin @ RM368 would be massive...and I was really taken aback as to how substantial the platter was.  It got oohs and aahs when it was served...and I can certainly understand why...it was a showstopper! :O

It came with Smoked Lamb Ribs (750g), Smoked Angus Beef Brisket (400g), Quarter Smoked Chicken, Chicken Sausages (4 pcs) with sides of Mac & Cheese, Southern Slaw, Homemade Beans and Brioche Buns (I ordered an extra Brioche Bun @ RM3.50 since there were five of us).

Let's start with the good...and the best thing on the platter, the Smoked Angus Beef Brisket as it was so tender that the knife cut through it like butter and the slow-smoked brisket practically disintegrated in my mouth.  Even after each of us had a slice, there were still 2 large pieces left.  Only downside was you have to eat the beef brisket while it's still warm coz once it's cold, I could detect a hint of gaminess in the beef (which others might not experience) and though it was very negligible, it brought down the pleasantness of the brisket (for me).

The Quarter Smoked Chicken (we chose jerk seasoning coz peri-peri sounds so familiar like Nando's...lol) was tender, a little smoky and tasty enough though the meat was a little dry as we were unfortunate enough to get the wing section (and not the drumstick/thigh section) of the quarter.

The Chicken Sausages turned out surprisingly decent as I found myself enjoying them (not sure if they're housemade, most probably not).

The Smoked Lamb Ribs, which also happens to be the biggest portion on the platter, was the biggest disappointment.  Perhaps "disappointment" is too mild a word...it was a total disaster!  It looked way better than it tasted.  The lamb was so gamey (and there were also lots of fatty parts), it was inedible (I could smell the gaminess even before eating...and when I tried a small piece, no bigger than an inch, I wanted to spit it out).  The gamey taste and smell lingered in my mouth...it was really off-putting! >_<  Even the espresso rub we went with could not mask the gaminess of the lamb!  Even my friends who enjoy lamb found it gamey (and they couldn't stomach more than one bite), so it was practically left untouched...and uneaten.

As for the sides, I didn't care for their Homemade Beans and thought the Southern Slaw was a bit too limp (missing that fresh, crunchy factor) and wished it was served cold to give a bit more freshness that was so needed when you're eating a meat-heavy platter.  Luckily, there were some vinegared jalapenos to offer some respite.  I didn't have any Mac & Cheese as it's too heavy a side dish when you already have lots of meat.  I think they need to rethink their sides (of beans and mac & cheese) as I'd prefer to see something lighter and fresher to cut through the heaviness of the meats.

I ordered extra sides of Grilled Corn on the Cob with Coconut Milk @ RM9 (two portions) and they were well grilled and and tasty enough though I can't say I tasted much of the creamy coconut milk.

The other extra side was the Grilled Vegetables @ RM9 with grilled carrots, green & yellow zucchinis and red bell peppers.  These were smokey and good.

As we knew we would be adjourning for drinks later, we asked for water to be served...only to find out that it's chargeable! :O  Oh well, the 3 bottles of Spritzer distilled water cost RM9 (RM3 a bottle).  There were two bottles of BBQ sauce available on the table for those who need extra sauce.

We ended up at Cellar Eighteen again...and had the same bottle of red wine that we enjoyed so much the previous time.  It was a wonderful end to our otherwise heavy makan session.

Before I end, I feel I need to make a comment about the service.  The service was actually alright right up to near closing time (and that's 10 pm on weekends and 12 am on weekdays)...rather weird, if you ask me, to stay open longer on weekdays than weekends!!  Anyway, I was surprised when I was presented with the bill (coz I didn't ask for it) when I came back from the washroom (this was around 9.30 pm).  I guess they were getting ready to close...but still it wasn't the right thing to do (in my opinion) coz it came out like we were gestured to leave.  We ended up staying another 20 mins or so past 10 pm coz one of my friends was having an "episode" in the washroom (there was one other table still occupied then).  Lo and behold, past 10 pm, they started stacking chairs on the vacated tables and mopping the floor! O_o  I felt very uncomfortable (it was like they were "chasing" us away) that we decided to wait outside for our friend.  Although I'm aware that it's also not right to stay past their closing time, sometimes when you're having a good time, you can lose track of time but (in this case) we were waiting on our friend.  This reminded me (for comparison) of my wonderful experience at Meat Feds when we stayed beyond their closing hours but was greeted with "no problem, it's fine" when I apologised for overstaying...this is what excellent service is all about! ;)

My Personal Opinion

So, does Burnin' Pit warrant a return visit?  Maybe...though it's a YES to their Birria Tacos (especially), Philly cheese sandwich, fries and maybe the beef brisket.

It's a definite NO...to The Austin platter (or The Kansas which also includes the lamb ribs) as the gamey lamb, unfortunately, was not a hunk, a hunk of burning love (like Elvis Presley was in his older days...lol).  In fact, it was so gamey (that you can smell it a mile away) and inedible (that even lamb lovers couldn't stomach)...and the platter comes with a whopping 750g of it! >_<

In the end, even without partaking in the lamb, we were too stuffed, so clearly the platter was too much for our party-of-five to handle (Did I order too much?  Not, right?).  I thought if phonghongbakes's party-of-three (who incidentally also had a much more positive experience than us) can devour the platter, it shouldn't be a problem for the five of us.  But I guess I was wrong (now I'm really in awe at how much food they can handle especially when one of them is an 80+ year old lady).  For us, there were leftovers of everything (all the lamb ribs, of course + beef brisket and even smoked chicken), corn, grilled vegetables, mac & cheese, slaw and beans)...but no regrets ordering the first two dishes for sharing though since they turned out to be the better things we ate that night. ^_~

Burnin' Pit

No 24 Jalan 24/70A

Desa Sri Hartamas

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 013-399 3920

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

Don Dwae Ji Sam Gyeob Sal @ Sri Petaling

With a name like Don Dwae Ji Sam Gyeob Sal @ Sri Petaling (that one can hardly pronounce), it sounds like an authentic Korean BBQ already (I'm assuming it is since it's run by Koreans).

Although I really enjoy eating any type of BBQ (be it western, Japanese or Korean), I don't enjoy the heat associated with a BBQ experience.  That's because when we have Korean BBQ, most of us would choose a BBQ over hot coals to gas or electric for a better charred flavour imparted by charcoal.  The intense heat from the coals can really get to me even when the place is air-conditioned.

So, for once, we decided to try a Korean BBQ that uses an electric grill pan hoping for a more comfortable dining experience (without a free sauna...kekeke!).  Moreover, 3 things attracted us....the words "unlimited" and "refillable" (on their signboard) and the "attractive price" of RM29.90+ per pax (drinks not included).  We had Iced Korean Green Tea @ RM1.50 each (other choices include other flavoured teas, orange juice, soft drink, Korean beers and liquors like soju & rice wine).

Not long after we were seated (be early at dinner time if you want to secure a table immediately as there's usually a long queue during weekends), the banchan arrived.  I certainly wasn't expecting a variety of 10 types of banchan.  The quantity of each banchan given is based on the number of pax (it was just the two of us for dinner this time).  It may seem little here but know they're all refillable (refills are done by the servers).

Stir-Fried Potatoes (soft & tasty)

Seasoned Cucumber (well seasoned & crunchy)

Peanuts with Sweet Sauce (this was good, fresh, fragrant & sweetish...my son's favourite)

Soft Tofu with Korean Soy Sauce (very refreshing, nice tasting soy)

Stir-Fried Sausage (this is the same sausage in the meat platter except this one is coated in sauce)

Stir-Fried Green (or Long) Beans

Seasoned Radish (nice crunchy bite)

Korean-Style Hard-Boiled Egg (I've always enjoyed soy-marinated eggs)

Pickled Radish (this was excellent...not tart, not sweet, just very juicy and so thinly sliced...my favourite)

And, of course, Homemade Kimchi (ah, I finally found a palatable kimchi!)

There were also side dishes given.

Kimchi Pancake (this I didn't like)

Vegetable Basket of Green Coral (or Lettuce), Onions, Garlic & Green Chillies

Then came the meats.  You basically get 3 types of non-marinated meats of Pork Belly (sam gyeob sal), Pork Shoulder Loin (mok sal) and Sausages (so sae ji) and 2 types of marinated meats.

Marinated Pork (yang nyeom dwae ji go gi)

Spicy Marinated Chicken (dak gal bi)

For the non-marinated meats, you cook them on the cast iron grill.  Note that the meats come frozen, so it takes a bit more time to cook them.

As they defrost and cook, water seeps out from the meats, so make sure you scrape away the water (and discard it into the openings you find on the grill pan), otherwise your meats will boil/steam and you won't get a nice charring.

After we realised that, the meats achieved a better charring.  The pork shoulder loin is lean, so expect it to be a little on the dry side and chewy.  The pork belly (as usual) turned out the best (coz fat is flavour!) with a fragrant, smoky, charred finish and taste.  The so sae ji (so cute lah this pronunciation by Koreans) taste like any commercialised hotdogs.

And don't forget to grill the condiments of onions, garlic and chillies too.  The onions were especially good after grilling...soft, charred and sweet....and the addition of grilled garlic and chillies further perked up the taste of the grilled meats.

As for the marinated meats, you're supposed to put them on a piece of waxed, non-stick brown paper provided on a section of the grill pan.  This is to ensure that the marinade doesn't stick on the pan and blacken the whole grill pan.

When I first saw this method of cooking, I thought the marinated pork won't achieve the desired grilled marks seeing that they weren't in direct contact with the grill/heat but I was sadly mistaken.  As you can see from the photo, the grill marks were evidently achievable.

The same applied to the spicy marinated chicken.  They were well marinated and tasty but note that they use chicken breast.  I suppose breast meat is much easier to prep without the arduous task of removing the bones if other parts of the chicken were used.

This All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ also comes with unlimited ramyeon (Korean spicy instant noodles).  I really enjoyed this piping hot noodles and, not to worry, it isn't spicy.  I could see that this was a favourite with the patrons as many tables ordered refills (even a couple next to us ordered a second helping).  We were tempted too but didn't want to stuff ourselves with the noodles.

Of all the meats, we enjoyed the pork belly the most.  It tasted extremely good especially when wrapped in lettuce with a slice of pickled radish with the lettuce providing the freshness and the radish the juiciness.  I'm actually not fond of wrapping stuff in lettuce (like how some would eat sang choy bow, jiu hu char and arrowhead with pork belly in red fermented beancurd paste) and I've never eaten Korean BBQ this way (though I see it commonly done by most patrons).  I was already feeling full towards the end and there was still some meat left, so I finally experimented eating it this way and found it to be really good.  I think the extremely juicy pickled radish was the reason why I loved it as it took away the meatiness of the pork belly. It was so refreshing it opened up my appetite and I found myself able to eat a bit more than my usual quota!

Unlike other Korean BBQs, there's only one dip offered here...a bean paste chilli-type dip to go with your meats.  I don't really like nor need any dip unless it's my favourite sesame oil + salt dip.

The pickled radish was so good I thought they should bottle it and sell....and indeed they do (RM10 a bottle) along with their peanuts with sweet sauce (RM13) for those who can't get enough of these.  I think their homemade kimchi and seasoned cucumber are also for sale.  I was very tempted to get a bottle of pickled radish to take home but decided against it in the end since anything pickled means there'd be sugar to balance out the tartness.

Dining time is limited to 2 hours which is more than sufficient for a fulfilling meal.  You won't believe it when I tell you that we could probably be the only diners who didn't ask for any refills of anything! :O  When the price charged is so reasonable, we don't need to stuff ourselves silly just to get our money's worth...and that allows us to eat in moderation which is good! ^_~

My Personal Opinion

This is one Korean BBQ we know we'll be returning to for its decent taste, super reasonable price (when other places easily cost twice as much) and pretty comfortable dining experience.

Of course, because of the lower price point of around RM30 per person, the meat choices are limited and the quality isn't the greatest but judge it based on what they offer for that price and I believe it's excellent value for money with unlimited refills of everything from delicious ramyeon to pretty decent meats to 10 types of tasty banchan (but no to the kimchi pancake).  I don't think one can ask for anything more for that price! ^_~

On the way home, we were already making plans for our next visit.....and I already know what I want to focus on (or refilled...there'll be second helpings for sure when my husband comes along!)...the pork belly, pickled radish, ramyeon, vegetable basket (more lettuce for wraps and grill more onions, garlic & chillies) and some of the other banchan too (tofu, hard-boiled eggs and sugar-coated peanuts). ^o^

Don Dwae Ji Sam Gyeob Sal

No 91 77 Jalan Radin Tengah

Bandar Baru Sri Petaling

57000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-9056 2573