vkeong loves good food, travel and photography!
Steaks
Ril’s Steakhouse @ The Warehouse, Jalan Tun H S Lee
Apr 3rd
Based on my two visits to Ril’s Steakhouse, my conclusion is that the food coming out of Ril’s kitchen is just consistently inconsistent. And no, I am not going to sink any more money into this place when there are better alternatives in town. It almost feels like you are taking a gamble just to eat here, it might be good or bad – you will never know.
Anyway, we actually had this meal at The Warehouse even before our visit to their Bangsar branch. Remember when I said I seem to have bad luck with steaks? Well my Wagyu Rib-Eye @ RM168 is overcooked no where close to medium rare (and at Bangsar branch as well) while my wife’s Rib-Eye was perfect. Couldn’t they at least get the more expensive meat done right?
I would have been more forgiving if Ril’s is a normal Western food restaurant, but the fact is that they are a premium restaurant specializing in steaks and their main starts at RM76 the cheapest! And let’s not forget again they advertise themselves as the best steak restaurant in KL too. So it is just simply disappointing to be served dry and chewy meat amidst all the hype and expectation.
Ril’s Steakhouse @ Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar
Jan 16th
For a restaurant that claims to serve ‘the best Steak in KL‘ I expect Ril’s to the very least, be able to prepare my meat properly according to my specified doneness. I don’t know why but the steaks I have had recently all have been less than satisfying due to overcooking. And the fact that they always get it right for my dining partner but not for mine only makes things even more frustrating.
Complimentary buns baked in house, fresh and fluffy. Nice and all but honestly I think just some normal salted butter would do – maybe even better than the fancy ones they provide.
Just for the record I have been to Ril’s Steakhouse at The Warehouse and this post is about their newly opened branch in Bangsar. Since we already tried their grass fed and prime Wagyu in our last visit we decided to give the others a try. I had the Australian Angus Rib Eye (grain fed 300g, RM152) while SL had the Sticky Beef Short Rib @ RM72. Because the latter does not look very appealing I am not going to show it but it was delicious alright – the meat was so tender it falls off the bone literally.
Proof that my steak was overcooked, this was nowhere near medium rare. Thinking back, I regretted not sending it back to have it replaced.
Restaurant Cava Spanish & Mediterranean Cuisine @ The Bangkung Row, Bangsar
Dec 27th
Last year I took SL to Opus – an Italian restaurant at The Bangkung Row to celebrate her birthday. This year, as much as I tempted to bring her to the same restaurant again (because the food is just really good) we decided to try out Cava instead. It is a Spanish and Mediterranean restaurant just a few doors away from Opus. If you did not know, both Cava and Opus belong to the same management company and they have a few more restaurants under their belt too namely Leonardo and Moxie.
Some complimentary bread and fried potatoes served with salad dressing while waiting.
Spanish Seafood Soup @ RM25 – the broth is very similar with Opus’ Famous Shellfish Surprise but we preferred the latter’s version a lot more. Somehow the clams did not taste very fresh that day and it spoiled the overall taste. Even the Garlic Clams @ RM16 had the same problem. Not a very good start if you ask me, at that point I was already wondering if we should have just stuck to Opus.
Angus House Japanese Charcoal Steak @ Publika
Jul 30th
Angus House Japanese Charcoal Steak‘s latest restaurant opened at Publika not long ago and it is already drawing a crowd of customers, which is quite an opposite scene compared to their old location at Pavilion. Maybe that explains the reason for them to relocate their business.
Speaking of Publika, it has had its fair share of bad publicity recently due to a robbery incident involving a lady that gone viral on Facebook. Just so we are clear, I am not posting this to promote Publika (even though I have written quite a number of Publika restaurants in the past) Be extra careful where ever you are, avoid walking alone and always have a friend accompany you always – especially if you are a lady.
Now that being said, I am not going to elaborate much about this visit because everything was great from start to end – both food and service wise. And even though the prices are on the steep side, I felt it was worth paying for and we left as satisfied customers. Needless to say the steaks are cooked perfectly, good enough for me to overlook the sauce which I think did not marry well with the meat.
I like the fact that they offer a set menu here. It does cost a little more than having the steaks a la carte but you do get to enjoy a full course consisting of appetiser, soup, salad and dessert. Usually the other items that come in a set are quite crappy but they were surprisingly good especially the dessert.
Also, do note that the prices shown for the food we had are based on the set menu. My Black Angus Tenderloin @ RM157. This is a 300gm steak, which is also the largest piece available for the cut. Tender and juicy as expected from a tenderloin, satisfying to the last bite. The only thing I disagreed was the sauce that I mentioned earlier.
