Hartamas Eats

“Adventure is worthwhile.”- Aesop
Discovered a new place in the Solaris Mont Kiara area.
It’s actually comprises of a fusion of European and also Asian flavours and ingredients! There were a lot well thought out dishes which shows the care and passion given by the chef to curate the menu and it’s dishes..

Tried out the Pulled Burrata & tomatoes (RM29) as the starter and the portions here are of a reasonable size for 1 person to savour and enjoy! The burrata was fresh, silky and creamy with a touch of acidity from the sweet cherry tomatoes and also slight bitterness from the olive oil! This dish goes well with a dry and high acid white wine like a glass of Gavi or Pinot Grigio from Italy

When the weather gets extremely hot for you, you will be craving for something hearty yet easy to digest! Well that ideal food for those kind of days is a bowl of well made Pho! Pho has becoming a popular food that not only give you a comforting feel but it is also quite healthy! In KL there isn’t much great bowl of Pho in reasonable prices but thank god for the food gods for presenting us the Super Saigon Pho Cafe which first open their doors to our hearts and tummy in TTDI but it soon became a huge sensation that it sprouts in selective locations even to Ampang. We visited to their Hartamas location which also offers an alfresco dining! The menu is quite straightforward yet helpful and the prices are justifiable for the portion.. The one I had was Medium Rare Sliced Beef & Beef Tendon (RM18.90) which has a huge portion of its beef broth and it was really flavourful. The beef was well cooked with the texture that can chew with ease alongside the beef tendon that was rather generous! They also feature the steps on how to enjoy that bowl of Pho! Overall, a great & hearty meal for those who want to watch their weight!

It’s my first time encountering an Indian restaurant that centers its universe of flavours and spices to a single protein which is the Pork! Well we Chinese immensely adores our Pork which is evident in our cuisine but it was a rarity to find an Indian restaurant that serves Pork.. The entire restaurant was heavily adorned with the worship of the lovely animal with piglets made from clay or even plush toys (wonder where is piglet?)..Heard about it’s raving admiration for its Tandoori Pork Ribs that is the highlight of their menu! Well we also ordered the Garlic butter naan, cheese naan and butter naan alongside the butter pork and the pork Briyani.. Overall the hero was the pork ribs as the meat was well seasoned and cooked to perfection as the meat was really easily removed from its bones and it has that melt in your mouth texture with that slight char taste to it! The rest of the dishes we had was a massive let down as there wasn’t much Spices dancing in our palates and it was really bland.. The portion was on the small side..

In the Sri Hartamas housing compound lies a row of shoplots that are food centric which encompasses a selection of Japanese, Chinese & western cuisine! In this row of shops, there was a place called Butaya Izakaya which on the outside looks really small & simple with wooden roofs and walls covered with written planks that are dishes offered.. it was really the most authentic place that you can find in KL area which also not to forget that their menu is really affordable and authentic! So the one dish that attracts us is the Natto (RM9) which was an affordable risk to try out such a famous yet unique fermented delicacy.. Well it doesn’t take long to find out what it taste like as it arrived immediately to our table! And the first bite of this fermented delicacy was a surprising one as it wasn’t that overpowering like most people describe it to be as it was really mild for us alongside with an incredible balance of umami,creamy and sticky texture! It goes amazingly well on its own or together with the raw lady fingers or even better is to have it with Gohan ( rice)!

Not many cafes do offer a great and tantalizing options of fresh, healthy and also attractive dishes that is not only got the looks but also the taste as well! The tray cafe which is located the same area as the famous Rubberduck that is mainly popular for its fancy homemade cakes or pastry goods . If you’re not in tune with a colorful bowl of fruits;why not drop by to the quaint cafe of Tray and have a view of its colorful, widespread and relatively affordable food ranging from breakfast to lunch! Did I mention that you can have a burger or even a pizza? Yup they also have pizza that they crafted the flavour combination itself.. I came to try out their citrus salad (RM26) which includes a smoked salmon or chicken which I chose the former. The plate itself is really colorful and also it was true to its name and was filled with citrus slices, bold citrus dressing and it was sprinkles with pomegranate jewels that bring pop to the whole salad! In terms of taste it, this salad is really refreshing and it wasn’t boring as it has layers of texture and acidity that made it exciting in every mouthful!

A refreshed take on the new Epicureo Mercado which is still own by Tinto just they have revamped it from a single floor restaurant to also include a market feels with not one but 2 large fridges filled with fresh meat hosting various cuts and also from a few countries & also that special array of sausages, artisan cheeses and luscious caviar! You can opt to purchase it and bring it home or just enjoy the perks of their kitchen facilities of an additional fee of Rm20 and you can just instruct the chefs on what is your ultimate pairing! Not to forget, you can complete that lovely meal with a fantastic wines ranging from the refreshing Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre or even a sweet and luscious Alsace Riesling! The pulpa is one of the latest addition on their revamp menu.. There isn’t price available yet but the chef allow us to have a sample of it and I could tell that it is such an amazing bowl of tender octopus that is well marinated with herbs and spices that is cooked with a white wine sauce alongside a kick of heat from the dried chili! This is quite a palate opening dish to share!

An interesting Japanese place which is located in the heart of the Korean BBQ populated district of Solaris Mont Kiara.. I was quite surprised to come across this place in between the rows of shops which is located just opposite of Villa Ju bakery.. From the exterior, it looks rather plain with a huge sign mentioning it's name but the moment we stepped into the eatery; it just felt like you're being transported into the land of the rising sun with the service staff being dressed in the traditional costumes that makes you feel like wanting to wear their kimono! After the famous style of loud cheering and welcome greeting by the friendly people, we were then ushered into the table which just strikes me into sitting on the furniture of wooden palates.. The menu of it is quite interesting yet direct as it was filled with pictures, prices and names of it in English and not to forget that they have a small menu which features their specials! For this small menu; it's advisable to get the recommendation or translation of it if you're exactly familiar with the Japanese name of ingredients! Well after much studying of their menu, we ordered quite a sumptuous array of dishes from the grilled oyster, grilled butter squid and the main attraction is their chicken sashimi!!! It was actually the main reason that we came to try out as it's a quite unique dish not to be found anywhere in kl yet.. There are a few version of eating the chicken sashimi but we've chosen the chicken sashimi with ponzu dressing.. At first was rather skeptical about it, because chicken was never considered to be a protein to be prepared in the sashimi style but we are being open to it and adventurous about food.. The presentation of it is really simple yet beautiful to look at.. In terms of taste wise; it just surprised is in so many levels as the perspective of the usual smell and taste of the chicken wasn't there but it taste quite close to eating a salmon sashimi and it wasn't chewy as the ponzu dressing brought out the citrusy element of it that made it rather refreshing and pleasant to eat on its own with some chopped ginger.. It's really good that we have cleaned up that bowl first! A must try dish in Ittan Izakaya

Buenos Dias! Desa Sri Hartamas district is a well known place to get all the naughty foods which you would rarely find for the devilish being in use and it's a little district which is heavily populated with Korean & Japanese eateries with a touch of local as well.. So in this naughty district we were surprised to find a little Spanish restaurant which has a comprehensive menu that would make anyone crave for Spanish food any day! The menu itself is exceptionally well made which features a few superstars of the Spanish cuisine like the paella and the iberico ham.. The atmosphere of this place is really quaint yet relaxing with the comforting Spanish music playing in the background would set it an excellent place for the enjoyment of good Spanish food and wine and you get to see them cutting the iberico ham right at the counter.. Not to forget they have a wine cellar which is houses quite an array of wines from the French whites to the Spanish reds and not to forget the Sherries.. The amazing thing is the wines are reasonably priced and you're allowed to bring your own wine with a corkage fee of RM50.. Yeah! More reasons to drink wine here.. We had the pleasure in trying out the Salchechon Y Queso (RM65) which literally translates to the platter of various cuts of Salami and cheeses which ranges from the milky and mild to the aged cheese that could rival the English Blue Stilton! This platter comes in 2 sizes which is the Big (RM65) & Small (RM35) and if there's a party of 4, it's advisable to go with the big platter.. Enjoying every slice of salami of it as they have also a wild boar salami which is rather unique in kl but it just taste fantastic with the Beronia Reserva 2011, Rioja wine we had.. The wine matched perfectly with the cheeses and the salami as it is quite full bodied, has som spices which reminds you of cinnamon, a hint of black pepper and liquorice and the back of it you could get the sweet caramel taste with a side note of vanilla that would reminds you of the Spanish cream Catalan! Great food, great service and an ideal place to wine and dine in a quiet and relax space with friends or family.

It's a joint venture into the world of magical scoops of ice cream.. This little ice cream bar which happens to be the sister company of the ever so famous yet local The inside scoop! No wonder the non alcoholic options struck a similar cord to the trained eyes but this wicked little ice cream bar has something naughty up their sleeves which is the Asahi sorbet, XO cranberry, whiskey cream, Whiskey coffee and chocolate cognac ice cream.. We are spoilt for choices when it comes to this sinful treats! After much deliberation and tastings from their selection, we decided to go a double scoop of whiskey cream and XO cranberry! Loving every spoonful of this sinful dessert which is really creamy and the whiskey is made with the 18 year old singleton which gives it a subtle yet smooth caramel & coconut taste that's from the American barrel ageing whereas the XO presence was quite strong but it wasn't till it knock you out but rather enjoyable to eat as the cranberries are cut quite chunky and was generously soaked in the XO.. Really a place to be sinful

Well it's actually an established name which first sprung open in Kota damansara 4 years ago and with the success of it, they have mushroomed themselves from the mother ship to open in the land which is like the mini Tokyo or Seoul in Malaysia! This outlet however is run for 1 year and it has been running ever since locally with a strong Japanese influence.. The menu here are rather compact with just the options of meat to choose from but if you're just dining for 2, the meat platter is an excellent choice.. For the price of RM86.90, you are being spoilt with the meat of pork, lamb and chicken with the additional of sides; not to forget the Japanese version of kimchi called kimuchi and with some rice and clear seaweed soup.. The portion of the meat however is just perfect for 2 person as it's quite filling and you can request the Help of the friendly staff there to grill it for you (that's what we did)! The service there is fast and really polite. A fantastic place to have for a quiet lunch get together but bare in mind it's a small place and it may get hot and slightly smoky but worth the enjoyment of the end result! They do have other meat sets and premium wagyu or Kobe if you're in the mood to splurge & not forgetting that they do serve alcoholic drinks from Sapporo beer, wines and sake!