Albion @ Berangan

Albion is now fully up and running; the place is still quiet on weekdays, making it perfect for a peaceful, intimate dinner. And yep, the menu finally has prices on it: the starters and desserts generally cost below RM20, while the mains are between RM20-RM40.

Fish cakes with baby spinach & strawberry salad. Crisp and piping-hot.

Pork & prawn kofta with herb salad. Rather mild-tasting and ordinary.

Potato-wrapped pompano with asparagus, sweet corn and lemon butter sauce. A terrific fish, really moist and flavourful.

Quinoa & asparagus. Fewer guilt-inducing carbs compared to risotto, but (nearly) as tasty.

Slow-roasted pork belly with root veggies and apple. Tasted surprisingly healthy (but still reasonably succulent) for a pork belly dish.

Lemon tart and fruit compote. Had that lovely "freshly baked" aroma.

Espresso panna cotta. Silky smooth and bouncy.

Last Rites and Peanut Butter Martini. Really, really good cocktails.

House-pouring Chardonnay.

Albion,
Jalan Berangan (beside Bar Italia).

Offering "modern British cuisine," Albion provides a calm refuge from the bustle of Changkat Bukit Bintang. The service is wonderful, the setting is beautiful, while the food and booze are plentiful (just don't look for roast beef with Yorkshire pudding on the menu for now).

Kick off the meal with warm bread in what kinda looks like a dim sum basket. We lapped up the thick, fresh-tasting sun-dried tomato dip.

Spinach & ricotta dumplings. Not bad, though this does seem more Italian than British.

Chorizo a la plancha. Heaped with generously sliced, nicely salted pork sausages; a snack that we would gladly have eaten all evening.

Duck confit with braised red cabbage & panfried potatoes. Frankly, the duck was a disaster. Utterly overcooked to the brink of being burnt. Thankfully, the cabbage and potatoes were quite tasty, redeeming what would otherwise be a dry, nearly inedible dish.

Pan-fried grey mullet with roasted Mediterranean veggies. A moist, wonderfully flaky fish.

Ballotine of chicken with champ and baby French beans. Tender and well-prepared.

werner's @Chankat

In 1990 the Werner's founded Werner's Pizza Barn; a restaurant that served pizza and daily lunches. A few years later, we moved to a new location and the Werner's Steakhouse was born.Today, more than 18 years later, we still strive to bring you the mouth watering steak that you've come to enjoy. Also offering "home-town" favorites like Chicken Fried Steak, fresh Seafood, Salads, Italian & Mexican cuisine, there's always something to satisfy everyone's appetite here at Werner's .

Mojito and Flying Kangaroo (white rum, vodka, galliano, pineapple, orange, coconut cream, sweet cream, pineapple slice and cherry). The cocktail menu hasn't changed ... so far.

Werner's signature pizza, topped with marinated tuna sashimi and arugula on tomato sauce, mozzarella, 20-year-old aceto balsamico and truffle oil. Another unique combination of flavours. The tuna was fresh and the truffle oil seemed to be very generously drizzled.

Vincisgrassi, a baked lasagne with veal and sweetbread. We had to order this, since it's so rare to find sweetbread (the thymus and pancreas glands of cows) in KL outlets. The ingredients made for an unusual-tasting lasagne, though offal-haters might find it stinky.

Duck liver with borlotti puree seemed like the most interesting appetiser. Texturally, it was very pleasing, with the liver blending well with the creamy bean puree. But taste-wise, it was underwhelming. Maybe they should have used goose liver instead.

smoked salmon…

steak…

Werner’s On Changkat…

Werner’s On Changkat…

Sutraa @ Chankat

Changkat's newest outlet is now also the only Indian restaurant on this street.


Minced veggie kebabs mixed with mango ketchup. Not exactly what we had expected, but I liked this. It could have been more flavourful, but the soft, baby-food texture was a treat.




Kofta stuffed with plums and almonds in tomato gravy. Supposedly a dish that's served at every wedding in rural India. Yeah, I can kinda imagine this in a buffet spread. The kofta tasted ordinary and forgettable, but the thick, sweet-sour gravy was the saving grace.



Murg Tikka Kandahari, the house speciality. Boneless chicken cubes steeped in cumin with cream, cheddar, garlic & coriander, glazed in the tandoor. Not as impressive as we had hoped. The meat could have been fresher.




Bharvan Kulcha (bread stuffed with potato & spices). Went well with the food.

Twice As Nice (vodka, midori, blue syrup, pineapple juice) and Sutraa Glass (a mysterious cocktail with secret ingredients).

Sutraa, Changkat Bukit Bintang. Tel: 2144-7788

lavaca @ Chankat

La Vaca



La Vaca is "cow" in spanish terms. This is a new joint in the-already-restaurant-crowded Changkat Bukit Bintang but having a steak house there afterall is not such a bad idea.
I was here dining on the 1st day that Mr. Werner opens its door to his new addition of restaurants in Changkat Bukit Bintang. This is his fourth shop after El Cerdo, El Cerdito Tapas, Werner (a pizza place and lounge) and now this. And I thought I was fast but no, Sean had already blogged about it here a day after that, being always ahead of me in the KL dining scene. Oh well, I'll just blog about it a month later then (always a procrastinator).


The Interior


Much can be said about the interior because it's simple yet warm. That night itself, we happened to dine beside the interior designers of this place and we really complimented them on the good job. The clever use of wall papers of bricks and stones makes the place a rustic charm and yet easy to maintain for the owner. I love the window. Don't you think it's pretty?



The Menu


Besides the steak dishes like Australian Grain Fed Sirloin, Tenderloin, US Rib Eye and Wagyu Rump Steak (Prices range from RM68 to RM108), there's also dishes for the non-steak eaters like NZ Lamb Chop (RM58), Fish & Seafood (Prices from RM55 - RM78) and sausages (RM26). The starters are adequate with choices such as salads (RM28), Spanish air dried beef with rock melon (RM 38), Pan Fried Beef Bone Marrow (RM28) and soups to choose from.



Bread & Garlic Butter

Florida Crab Cake

Not many places does crab cake and thus we needed to assess the quality of the crab cakes here. La Vaca passed the test and the crab cakes here are truly recommended and they are served together with the tropical tartar sauce.

Australian Grain Fed Tenderloin Center Cut Fillet

This is definitely a hearty meal. It doesn't look much for 7oz of meat but it is certainly filling. The steak was done medium rare and I must say it was very well seared because the steak is tender and moist. The mushroom sauce that goes with it was done beautifully with generous servings of big mushroom slices.Dinners without drinks are never complete. France might have its champagne, Australia has its sparkling wines, Italy has its prosecco, Spain its Cava and now we are having the German sekt. It's not sex but sekt. Sekt is the German term for sparkling wine. That night we had a bottle of Henkell Trocken. It was on promotion for RM158++ a bottle and RM28++ a glass. Actually it tastes just like any sparkling wine, light and crisp with fruity aromas.Their wine list is extensive because it's the same as the wine list from Werner's or El Cerdo. If you're unsure, you can always ask for the help of Mr. Werner's best sommeliers, Max and Kah Men. They can recommend something to go with your food and they are really professional. Thus, we listened to their recommendation and ordered a bottle of MC 2005 Marques de Caceres from Rioja which is the best wine producing region of Spain.

Yes, the prices are steep just like El Cerdo's but it's nice to spoil ourselves once in a while since I can't afford dining here everyday anyways. They also serve fresh oysters which you can see from the oyster tanks the minute you walk in. So, do give it a try and let me know what you think about Mr. Werner and his steak afterall he's got a reputation on porcine cuisine.

Pinchos @ Chankat

Click here for previous entry on Pinchos (February 10).
When Pinchos first opened early this year, we wondered whether it would hit big or fold up within 12 months. The outcome is clear now: it's a palpable hit!


Jamon Iberico De Bellota. The highest grade of Iberico ham, produced from acorn-eating free-range pigs that roam Spain's oak forests. Rich-tasting, smooth and fatty.



Pinchos de Queso Fundido (gratinated Spanish cheese with piquillo peppers and anchovies). A melt-in-the-mouth, savoury pleasure.



Grilled prawns wrapped with Serrano ham. Land and sea come together in perfect harmony.


Dates and almonds wrapped with pan-fried bacon. A three-layered treat that provides a terrific mix of tastes and textures; the first sensation is that of the succulent, salty bacon, followed by the soft, sweet date, and finally, the nutty, crunchy almond.


Rabbit & seafood paella. A hearty portion that's meant for two but could easily feed four. Bursting with prawns, mussels, squid and rabbit meat.



Valencia Smile (cava, peach brandy, orange) & Pinchos Cava (cava, poncho caballero).






Pinchos,
Changkat Bukit Bintang.
Tel: 2145-8482


Frontera sauvignon blanc and frontera cabernet Merlot.





Oven-baked mushrooms with thyme and garlic. The herb brought out the best in what could have been a rather boring platter.



Catalan pizza with roasted eggplant, capsicum and anchovies (a refreshing change from Italian pizza). Behind it is the grilled chicory with crispy bacon (more of an acquired taste).


Spanish chorizo sausages with mushrooms and potatoes. Pure comfort food.



The new kid on Changkat Bukit Bintang's very busy block. It's anyone's guess whether this will hit big or fold up within a year. The place is still quiet for now, but its Spanish tapas exceeded our expectations. Better than La Bodega's.