Souliquid Restaurant & Bar @ Puchong

Soul-food Goodness with Live Soul-jazz Music

From German to Mediterranean, there’s much sumptuousness going on in Souliquid! A hidden gem of restaurant cum bar, Souliquid is tucked away in Puchong Financial Corporate Centre (PFCC). Despite there is no signboard, fans know how to track down this place for some awesome good bites and beer!

The restaurant cum bar may not be as big as some others but is well designed with much comfort in terms of space and interior outlook. At the end of the room is where the bar and there is even a stage for live music.

The evenings at Soulquid are filled with much live music from bands belting out classic Chinese jazz and oldies. As one unwinds at minimalist ambiance filled with dark table settings among velvet-covered violet sofas set in dim lightings, one can tuck into Souliquid’s European food menu and a solid beverage list.

We kicked off with Chilli Chilli Bang Bang (RM18), a comfort classic of spiced and meaty Bolognaise sauce with melted cheese and crispy triangles of fried tortilla chips. Sufficiently tasty, the presentation of the appetizer is also very pleasing on the eye as well as the palate.

A Tapas classic, the Gambas Al Pilpil (RM28) may not look super enticing but the flavours and aroma was spot on. Garlicky with a little heat and aromatic from plenty of rosemary infused into the olive oil, the prawns and oil go wonderfully well with the toast.

Large prawns wrapped with bacon and fried summed up Brochette (RM38). Needless to say, the dish was polished off within minutes of it arriving on the table. Bacon and prawn is quite the match made in heaven and bacon does make everything taste better!

Souiliquid Meat Balls (RM20) was pretty much decent with moist and plump meatballs on a bed of lightly chunky tomato sauce. It’s familiar in taste with the tangy and moreish spiced tomato sauce and meatball but pale in comparison to the earlier appetizers.

The Shrimp Pizza (RM35) had all the markings of a yummy pizza. Medium thick pizza base, there’s plenty of toppings like prawns, bacon and cheese to make any pizza lover a happy camper…

Perhaps the surprising dish in the menu is the Nyonya Pasta (RM28). A fusion twist, this one is well studded with large mussels and generous shredded lettuce. The luscious kaffir leaf aroma in the sauce heightened the dish among the rich spices. Creamy, piquantly spicy and lightly tangy, the Nyonya inspired sauce made the dish unique and delectable.

Moving on to meat haven, the Chicken Cordon Bleu (RM33) scored brownie points for its generous portion of juicy chicken filled with ham and lots of oozing cheese. The juiciness of the chicken is very commendable, and the sides of roasted vegetables and sauce completed the dish well.

Grilled Lamb Rack (RM58) looked beautifully ravishing with light pink of doneness at sight. Cooked well, the French-trimmed lamb racks were tender and succulent. A lightly fruity sauce with some mustardy zing compliments the meat and roasted vegetables well.

The Guinness Braised Lamb Shank (RM48) is drool-worthy with a large lamb shank, beautifully glazed in a lusciously dark and rich Guinness sauce, on a bed of mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Fork tender, the lamb shank was well-braised, enough to be deliciously flavourful from the wonderful moreish sauce. The sides were the classic perfect accompaniments to that lamb.

Swine lovers will swoon at sight of the Pork Lover Platter (RM148). A smorgasbord of porky fare, this sharing platter has crispy roast pork knuckle along with sublime housemade crispy strips of luncheon meat, three sausages of smoked Hungarian, Nuernberger and Baconwurst, roasted potato, crispy golden potato spirals, corn on the cob, sauerkraut, garden salad and sauce.

Talked about mouthful, this platter is surely enough to feed three ravenous meat foodies and can even stretch to four or five small eaters.

The Roast Pork Knuckle was sublime comfort food. Crispy and crunchy pork skin, moist and tender meat with fatty bits pretty much is soul food to many, especially in times of much needed comfort and satisfaction. Hand me my beer please…

A very commendable house made Luncheon Meat batons to the chef! Salty and moreish addictiveness that pulls one to keep going back for more.

Sausages, all three types, are yummy and nicely grilled with a smoky heat of sweetness from Hungarian, cheesy from Nuernberger and pleasurable bacon-makes-the-world-better in Baconwurst!

Fear not if your dining party is not big enough to take on the Pork Lover Platter, instead go for the Garlic Herbed Roast Pork Knuckle (RM79). Equally satisfying in all swine aspect, the pork knuckle is just as pleasing as the earlier platter.

For a savory ending, the Cheese Platter Set (RM199) with Marqués de Càrceres works out to be a good deal. A lovely selection of cheeses and cold cuts might even be a good starter. From hard cheeses of aged Cheddar to soft Brie and Blue cheese, these certainly goes well with the salty Salami and Ham with the Spanish red wine that tasted of dark plums and cherries with a lingering spicy finish.

Souliquid has got the potential to make your evenings better. Comfort soul food to solid list of drinks and live music, it’s pretty much a hangout place that warrants plenty of visits for good times and lots of satisfying moments!

         

SOULIQUID RESTAURANT & BAR

Lot 1, Ground Floor, PFCC Tower 3

Jalan Puteri 1/2, Bandar Puteri Puchong

Selangor, Malaysia

Tel: 603-8066 8883

Business Hours:

Daily: 12 Noon to 1.00am

Night live music

Sunday to Thursday: 9.00pm to 11.30pm

Friday-Saturday: 9.30pm to midnight

Website: www.souliquid.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/souljazzbar/

D’Empire @ Pavlion Kuala Lumpur

Fine European Cuisine

D’Empire may sound familiar to some and that’s because it was previously located in Solaris Mont Kiara. The fine dining European restaurant is now located in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on Level 6 amidst all the other fine eateries.

At a glance, one may be intimidated to dine at D’Empire as the restaurant is gorgeously decorated elegantly. Flanked by high ceiling, the restaurant is spacious and set with plush royal blue banquette, dark wood furniture with soft golden lights. Even the restaurant name and logo symbolizes grandeur.

The interior is indeed elegant and beautiful. Besides the main dining area, there is also a classy private dining room which seats 10 pax comfortably.

D’Empire serves modern fine European cuisine. Helmed by Chef Dallan Tan, the menu is filled with an assortment of dishes from starters, salad, soup to main course, pizza, pasta and more. With more than a decade of experience in the industry, Chef Dallan specializes in French and Italian cuisine. For an establishment that is so regal looking, the prices on the menu seemed very fair and affordable.

D’Empire serves a nice list of mocktails and since we had to work the next day, we decided to go for these instead of our usual giggle juice. We had Fruit Punch, Mussolini, Tropical Breeze and Virgin Colada (RM13.90). Pretty much decent mocktails and pretty at sight too…

First dish was a starter of Stuff Escargots Bourguignon (RM26.90 – ½ dozen). Whenever I savor this dish, I always can’t help but to reminisce of the Julia Robert scene where she swings her escargot over to the next table. Back to the dish, the escargots are divine. Cooked till tender and well stuffed with garlicky herb butter, the escargot was delicious in every bite. That garlicky butter sauce was superb, so much so we wished for more bread to soak that up.

Even the dish of Smoked Salmon Salad (RM29.90) looked so enticing. Luscious slices of smoked salmon draped over a pile of crisp hydroponic greens with beetroot, apple, walnut and served with balsamic vinaigrette makes a generous portion on its own.

A dish that seemed so simple and yet is one of the hardest dish to perfect it is risotto. Since I enjoy risotto a lot, I really wanted to try the version here. We opted for the Mushroom Risotto (RM32.90) and was presented with a plate of aromatic and creamy risotto. The robust and earthy flavors of assorted mushrooms are well infused into the al-dente risotto. Love the toothsome bite of the rice and the generous shavings of parmesan cheese over the dish.

The Olio-Bacon (RM26.90) also deserves a raving. The pasta cooked to al dente, was well seasoned with lots of garlicky and spiciness from bird eye chilies and a generous helpings of beef bacon. Expect lots of flavors and aroma from this dish. It’s a simple dish executed with finesse.

I kid you not, the Pizza Bandiera (RM28.90) is superb. New on the list, one may need to ask the wait staff for this because it is still not in the current menu yet. Taking the freshest and finest ingredients of roma tomatoes, parmesan cheese and arugula on a crispy toasty thin pizza base, the Pizza Bandiera had everyone at the table praising how delicious the pizza was. The roma tomates were so sweet, juicy and bursting with fruity tomato notes that worked so well with the salty sharp cheese and bitterness of the arugula.

Mains arrive and our first was the premium Australian Black Angus Ribeye (RM128.90). At sight, we like what we saw on the presentation. However, I prefer my steaks to be a thicker cut rather than a larger piece. Minimal comment as the flavor of the ribeye was tasty but it was not to medium doneness to what I usually like in my steak. Nevertheless, the steak was still decent and flavorful.

The next dish of Norwegian Salmon Trout (RM46.90) more than made up my gripe on the earlier dish. The Salmon Trout was sublime. Cooked to perfection, the trout literally melt-in-the-mouth. Creamy, soft and sweet, the trout was served with two sauces of a spicy coulis sauce and a creamy caper sauce with a side of greens and potatoes. A definite Must-Order at D’Empire…

We didn’t think that chicken would impress us so much but it did in the Chicken Whole Leg (RM29.90). The chicken was marinated, grilled and finished with a slow bake to produce this crispy skin chicken with a juicy and tender meat. Also served with two sauces of caper cream and demi glazed brown sauce with potatoes, we really enjoyed this dish so much. Chef Dallan concurred that this is one of their bestseller on the menu.

Our meal ended with a sharing of their dessert of Passion Fruit Cheese (RM17.90). A passion fruit cheese slice served with generous helpings of two large scoops of vanilla and strawberry ice creams with a fruity coulis was a lovely sweet and tangy dessert to end the experience at D’Empire.

D’EMPIRE ART OF CUISINE

Pavilion Shopping Mall

Lot 6.33 & 6.34 Level 6 Floor,

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2110 6196

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dempirepavilion/

Urban @ Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur

New European Menu from Chef Sharusmizal Salleh & Culinary Team

There are restaurants that leave an unforgettable and lasting impression in our dining scene and Urban Restaurant is one of them. Located in Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur, the modern and eclectic European restaurant has been serving fine dishes with very affordable pricing for a while.

The restaurant’s ambiance reflects a modern Aussie inspired dining venue that splashes with vibrant colors throughout the décor. There are sectioned areas for casual bar dining as well as main dining area and private section for private or special functions.

Urban is rather humble despite the exquisite fine dining menu it serves. For gourmands who have had a taste of Urban’s menu through the years, they will attest that Chef Sharusmizal Salleh and his award winning culinary team has served some of the finest European dishes in the city. The team of talented chefs have been making headlines in several international as well as local culinary competition through their intensive and creative training of producing European fine dining menu couple injected with local ingredients.

No longer a stranger to Urban, I have personally dined on their new menus several times over the years. Each menu showcases a unique gastronomical theme encompassing clever fusion of East meets West through local ingredients and flavors together with premium ingredients and French techniques. Back for another showcase of Chef Sharusmizal’s latest menu that focuses on fine European classic dishes, diners are in for another new journey of flavors.

The menu option is pretty simple. Opt for a la carte and the Appetizers are priced at RM55 nett each, Main Course RM95 nett each, Gourmet Specials RM165 nett each and Dessert RM45 nett each. If you choose the set meal, these are definitely value-for-money as a 3-Course Set Dinner is priced at RM150 nett and includes an Appetizer, a Main Course and a Dessert of your choice from the a la carte menu. The Gourmet Special Set Dinner is priced at RM210 nett for Amuse Bouche, Appetizer, Gourmet Special and Dessert. There is also a 7-Course Degustation Menu priced at RM250 nett.

From the appetizer menu, we feasted on plenty of land and sea treasures. We love how versatile the menu is and it even offers diners vegetarian option. Starting off the list is a lavish Foie Gras, pan seared and served with celeriac vanilla mousseline, glazed peach, yoghurt passion fruit crisp and truffle Sauce. Unctuously decadent with velvety texture, the foie gras melts-in-mouth heavenly. The truffle sauce compliments the liver well while the charred peach added a touch of fruity sweetness.

The Smoked Farm Quail was a masterpiece at sight. Stuffed Quail Roulade is paired with braised miso daikon, sour lychee and toasted brioche topped with quail egg benedict. Finished with truffle vinaigrette and Cabernet Sauvignon with raisins and infused lavender sauce, the dish is sublime in every bite. The quail is super tender and moist and the stuffing of mushrooms gave the quail an earthy note. The quail egg with its molten egg yolk added more luxurious note to the quail. This is one of our many favorite dishes that evening.

Oyster lovers will swoon at the Oyster Veloute. A dish of aphrodisiac molluscs, it was pure oyster heaven. French oyster velouté was gorgeously velvety with every spoonful evoking luscious briny flavor that will send your neurons into a delicious frenzy.

Served with a deep fried panko breadcrumb oyster, golden crispy egg mollet and crowned with caviar, it’s so good that I nearly wanted to tell the chef I needed more than just one fried oyster. Just for a bit of fun, a smoked Salmon Rillette sandwich was served on the side although I didn’t think it needed that.

Element of the Sea paid tribute to sea. The long platter of appetizers is worth an order as there are four hot and cold bites of seafood.

Starting with Hamachi Sashimi, fresh yellowtail topped with brunoised of vegetables proved that the simplest and freshest ingredients are just as good as it is. A squeeze of calamansi lime woke up the natural sweet and creamy flavor of the fish. Moving on to a twirl of cold Inaniwa Udon paired with tiny cubes of yuzu jelly and salty smoked Spanish black caviar had oodles of flavor. The chilled udon has such a good bite and contrasted so well with the crunch of the briny caviar.

Then there’s unique Saba Ballotine stuffed with Spanish piquillo peppers served with Ambarella fruit emulsion. The rich flavored fish is stuffed with sweet and soft peppers, lending just the right balance of savory with sweet. A fruity tartness of the emulsion lighten the richness of the fish. Ending with a crispy Relish King Crab bundle of seaweed enveloping a layer of bean curd with a filling of king crab. What a plate of flavors and textures!

The next dish of Diver Sea Scallop has a large plump hazelnut crusted scallop paired with butternut coulis, gazpacho saffron vegetable, salmon rillettes club sandwich and finished with fennel emulsion. Sounds complicated but they do worked well together in flavors. The scallop was cooked just right and I enjoyed the nutty crumbs contrasted with the scallop.

Another dish with scallop is the Arborio Rice. Reading off the menu, the dish has grilled squid, diver sea scallop, sauté Girolles mushrooms and black truffle. The risotto rice was certainly the highlight on the plate. Cooked to beautiful al dente, it was creamy, it was flavorful, it was just right. I actually considered the seafood and mushrooms as bonus on this plate as I would have been really happy just enjoying the risotto. Love the dish!

We moved to main course and the first on the line reads Milky Fish on the menu. Known as Bandeng or Bolu, the fish hails from Indonesia. Although milkfish is known to have a lot of bones, this one is bigger in size and has less bones.

The fillet is pan seared till crispy skin and has a firm creamy flesh. When savored with the sidekicks of heart of palm, cockles, prawn, Dubarry cream, ratatouille & turkey jus, the flavors are alive and delicious. From the smoky charred heart of palm to the succulent cockles, sweet and firm king prawn to the velvety Dubarry or cauliflower cream, piquant ratatouille and deep rich jus, the dish has all the elements of savory, sweet, tangy and umami notes.

Sous Vide Lamb Loin was next and the presentation was colorful and elegant. The lamb loin, having gone through the slow cooked method, was beautifully pink with a bright crust of Iranian pistachios. Tender and moist, the lamb didn’t have as much flavor as most lamb would have, maybe it’s because it’s very lean. The saving grace for the lamb was the tasty marjoram jus as well as the sides of Moroccan Bisteeya, vine yellow pearl Chevre tomato cherry tart.

If you enjoy steak, opt for the Grain Fed Rib Eye, cooked to your liking. Mine was medium and you can definitely see how succulent the rib eye was. A very tasty cut as it has a good ratio or lean and fats, the steak is served with potato bacon terrine, roasted baby parsnip and Charon sauce. Love the steak but the Charon sauce was mediocre for me as it was a bernaise sauce with added tomato paste. I personally think the steak alone was already delicious.

Who would have thought that the Sakura Chicken Ballotine would be so scrumptious! The Sakura chicken roulade is stuffed with prawn mousse and seaweed before it’s slowly cooked. The roulade is amazingly moist and tender with a good flavor. When eaten with the earthy sautéed Chanterelle mushrooms and morel olive thyme jus, the chicken tasted even better.

The next two dishes are mains but from the Gourmet Special Menu simply because of the premium ingredients. The first is Herb Crusted Cod, a fish much beloved by many. The looks of the fish already told me the dish is going to be great. The apple green herb crumb on the fish really enhanced the sweetness of the cod. The cod itself was lush, creamy and wondrously gorgeous in flavor and texture. Coupled with the butter poached tiger prawn, caviar and mashed Idaho potato, the dish is really a rock star of the sea. The finishing touches of asparagus and tomato buerre blanc sauce sealed the deal.

The last main from the Gourmet Special Menu is also one of the best dishes of the evening, the Roasted Venison Loin. Venison is such a lean meat and yet, this one is beautifully tender and moreish. The red current jus is gorgeous and robust in deep rich fruitiness, enhancing the venison so well. The venison is also served with braised red cabbage, pumpkin puree, citrusy orange segments and raspberry as well as red currants. A must-order!

Desserts are up next. Choosing one is quite hard as there is a good selection of desserts too. The Manjari 75% Semi Freddo is simply marvelous and truly worthy of every calorie it carries. I have never experience such utterly ravishing dark chocolatey semi freddo like this before. The explosion of chilling sensation on the palate is simply divine. The bittersweet dark chocolate is further enchanted by caramel popcorn ice cream and crunchy popcorns. Must order for all chocolate and non-chocolate lovers!!

White Chocolate Cremeux has a luscious and sweet thick pudding piled with wild berry salad and passion fruit sauce, and served with crispy yoghurt and beet foam. As white chocolate tends to be on the sweeter side, I am enjoying the sharp citrusy tang of the berries and passion fruit on this cremeux.

The Citron Meringue looked rather minimalist. The highlight of the dessert turned out to be the sublime tangy yuzu sorbet with a beautiful citrusy aroma. It is served with some textures of meringue, citrus confit and candied orange skin. Fresh and light ending for a dessert.

Though the Harum Manis Cheese Cake was a solid and delicious cheesecake, the flavor didn’t live up to the earlier trio of fabulous desserts. Nothing to fault but just a light and lovely cheesecake served with a bouquet of berries and sugar tuile.

Urban is great if you want to take a loved one for a romantic celebration or anyone you want to impress. The restaurant is such a hidden gem and for a fine dining experience, the set dinner menu is very affordably priced. Chef Sharusmizal and team has always been a creative them and their menu changes constantly to showcase different seasonal produce and creative inspirations of the culinary world.

3-Course Set Dinner    RM150 nett (Appetizer, Main Course, Dessert)

Gourmet Set Dinner     RM210 nett (Amuse Bouche, Appetizer, Gourmet Special Main Course, Dessert)

7-Course Degustation  RM250 nett (Chef’s Special Menu)

To know more information about this promo, call 03 2141 9988 ext. 3691.

URBAN

Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur City Centre

Lobby Level, East Wing

73 Jalan Raja Chulan

50200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2141-9988

Website: www.hotelistana.com.my

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HotelIstanaKualaLumpurCityCentre

Business Hours:

Mondays-Fridays

Lunch 12:00noon to 2:30pm

Dinner 6:30pm to 10:30pm

On Saturdays, Urban is open for dinner only

Closed on Sundays and public holidays