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Solaris Dutamas
Magenta @ Publika, Solaris Dutamas
Nov 2nd
The old B&W family photos hanging on one of the walls are a good indication that Magenta is indeed a family run restaurant. Its minimalist decor with highlights of magenta color is classy and inviting alright but unfortunately we felt most of the food we had fell short of expectations.
Familiar Western dishes dominate the menu which also contains a tiny selection of Asian favorites such as Thai fried rice. The owners seem to have soft spot for Hainanese food too, as Hainan style Chicken Rice and Chicken Chop are also available.
Mango Prawn Cocktail @ RM16. The sweet and succulent prawns are enjoyable but the mango bits are tasteless and do not add any real flavor.
Rant – Marmalade Cafe @ Publika
Oct 7th
I couldn’t care less about Marmalade Cafe‘s cute decor and cheerful ambience because the service is slow and inefficient despite being half full. Food is average at best and the staff is biased towards foreigners. Well, you know the ‘we came first but we got served last’ scenario. And if you see any function going on, my advice for you is to just turn around and walk away.
Moroccan Lamb Shank @ RM26 – looks promising, comes with generous portions and the meat is tender. Problem is, the sauce lacked of flavors while the tasteless rice is nothing but a stomach filler. And what do you know, it took them a ridiculous 40 minutes to serve this.
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.
Plan B @ Bangsar Village 1 & Journal By Plan B @ Publika
Jun 9th
If you are in Bangsar early in the morning you will notice there are two restaurants that are exceptionally busy compared to the rest. One of them is Antipodean Cafe along Jalan Telawi, while the other is Plan B inside Bangsar Village 1. It is not hard to understand why Plan B is so popular and always packed to the brim.
Besides having a unique and quirky decor (especially Journal by Plan B at Publika) that definitely helps in attracting customers, their Internet presence is very strong as well. Just try to Google for “Plan B” or any restaurant under The Big Group, you will see what I mean.
Plan B’s menu is described as modern Aussie-meets-New York-deli, which features a wide selection of hearty breakfasts, salads, sandwiches, pasta and a variety of cakes and pastries. If you are here in the morning before 11am, do note that only a handful of items are available – mostly breakfast stuff.
The Breakfast Platter @ RM26 – a standard affair that comes with two eggs of any style on toast, grilled turkey bacon, hash brown, smoked chicken sausage, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms and roasted tomatoes.
And of course the set includes a glass of fresh orange juice and a choice of coffee or tea as well.
