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/

Hoopla Lounge @ Desa Sri Hartamas

Wine & Dine on Porky Goodness!

Wine lovers will be pleased to know that there is a newbie in town for affordable wine and dine. Hoopla Lounge, located in the popular hangout area of Desa Sri Hartamas, is the sister restaurant of ChapterOne Bar + Bistro.

I can think of plenty of reasons why Hoopla is going to be a popular hotspot to come. Located in a strategic location, Hoopla offers all its diners free valet parking. Yes, just hand your keys to the valet and head on upstairs to the lounge. Parking in that area can be a tough feat but with free valet offered by Hoopla, hanging out at the lounge is now made easier.

The moment one walks into Hoopla, you know that you’re in for a good time. The décor is dim and yet posh. Dark décor are brought to life with bold and colorful art pieces on the wall. A beautiful bar, a wine cellar, high back lounge chairs and low tables, spaciousness that offers privacy, these are definite reasons to visit Hoopla too.

Hoopla prides on offering a solid list of wines and currently have over 100 wines on their list. More wines are already in plan to be added to the current list, added owner Ernest C. An ardent wine lover himself, he believes that wines should be affordable so everyone can enjoy them. That evening, we enjoyed St Martin Reserve Merlot and Chardonnay from France. Though I am normally a white lover, I really enjoyed the red Merlot. The medium-bodied red has a refreshing acidity with smooth tannins.

One cannot certainly survive on wine alone! Here’s another delicious reason and a porky one indeed. Hoopla shares the menu with ChapterOne and there’s plenty of tempting dishes from local favorites to international dishes to keep everyone pretty happy indeed.

There’s plenty of snacks to go with wine or beer and one must-have bar snack is Hoopla’s Chicken Wings (RM22). Glorious crispy wings and drumettes well-marinated in Asian inspired flavors are so good, we happily dig in with our fingers. Served alongside house made chili sauce, the chicken wings are deliciously addictive as the moreish and salty flavor hit all the right spot together with the spicy kick-ass chili sauce.

Another house specialty is a simple one but goes great with wines. Lady Fingers (RM6) are lightly parboiled and dressed in Mentsuyu, garlic oil and sesame oil. Clean and delicate flavors coupled with the unique lady fingers texture makes a light appetizer to go with wines.

The next few dishes comes from the Connor’s special menu. First up, a Cracklin’ Chicken Karaage (RM38). Homing in on classic Japanese crispy fried chicken, this version has chicken marinated in Connor’s stout, fried crispy and drizzled with a creamy sweet and spicy sauce. Another great and delicious bar food and this dish comes with a glass of Connor’s stout.

Mains are next and from the same Connor’s menu, the Conner’s BBQ Chicken Thigh (RM40) was a crowd pleaser. A whole chicken Maryland roasted and basted with an unctuous sweet and sticky Connor’s infused BBQ sauce has such comforting flavors that one can savor often. It has such a down-to-earth flavor that makes the chook a treat to enjoy. Served with roasted potato wedges and another spicy and tangy chili sauce, we hope this dish stays on the regular menu. This dish also comes with a glass of Connor’s stout.

Porky goodness is up next and the Connor’s Rib Slab (RM85) wowed our crowd. The pork ribs are given a 48-hours marinade of Connor’s stout porter. Then it’s slow roasted till tender with on-going basting to create a sublime sticky and sweet BBQ glaze. The glaze caramelized and gave the ribs a luscious sheen of deliciousness with crisp edges. The ribs are so tender and moist. We enjoyed how the ribs still has a good bite too. Guess what? The porky ribs comes with 2 glasses of Connor’s stout porter in case one thinks that it’s not Connor’s enough!

The evening got even better when the Crispy Pork Knuckle (RM77) was placed in front of us. This mega platter of a gargantuan pork knuckle served with sausages, potato, crunchy veggies and three sauces had everyone flashing their cameras in paying homage to the hog simply because it looked amazing.

Full blast crispy, crunchy, salty and porky goodness, the pork knuckle had everyone going back for seconds. What makes this pork knuckle even more memorable was the sauces. There was a tangy brown sauce, a super spicy and sour sauce with herbs and a regular brown gravy. The pork knuckle richness was well-balanced up with all the sauces, especially the spicy one and makes it easy on the palate with that adrenalin and addictive heat from the sauce. Love the robust flavor of the sausages and the crunchy sticks of veggies does make the dish less sinful. Great platter for sharing and went so well with our red St Martin Reserve…

Despite all the meaty goodness, there was this amazing Pan Fried Seabass (RM31) too. The seabass was cooked so well, crispy skin with firm and moist flesh. The skin had lots of flavors from spices and the lightly pickled onion salad really gave a zesty zing to the fish. A squeeze of lemon added more flavors too. Served with creamy potato salad, I really adored the fish and would certainly order this again.

Hoopla also has a list of local favorites such as Char Kway Teow, Tomyam Meehoon, Hokkien Mee, Mee Goreng and more. We opted for their Hokkien Mee (RM19), a plate of lardy infused braised dark fat noodles fried with cabbage and pork. The noodles are decent and has a good oomph of that rich and aromatic flavors associated with Hokkien noodles. I heard from another diner that the Mee Goreng was even better. Looks like I need to head back there for the Mee Goreng.

The evening was certainly fun and fill with lots of laughter and food. And since everyone was in full merriment, we ended up also enjoying the only dessert available on the menu, Chocolate Brownies (RM15). Now the portion seen here is actually 3 portions as there were quite a few of us sharing it. A decadent dark and rich way to end the evening.

And there you have it, all the reasons to head on over to Hoopla! Affordable wines, scrumptious menu filled with porky goodness, beautiful lounge made for hanging out and free valet parking, it’s a lethal and irresistible venue to relax and unwind at the end of the day. Olé for Hoopla!

HOOPLA LOUNGE

First Floor, 72-1 Jalan 27/70A,

Desa Sri Hartamas,

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 036-2116484

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hooplalounge

Piggy Tail @ Bangsar Baru

Hogging the Limelight in Bangsar!

If you have not heard about Piggy Tail, you should, especially if you are a lover of porky dishes! The bistro and bar is located in the bustling area of Bangsar. Though the area is literally swarmed with lots of eateries, porcine lovers are rest-assured that Piggy Tail is worth a visit. Serving up a full swine-laden menu, the bistro has got some attractive and scrumptious dishes aim to please all porky fans out there.

The bistro has a casual and stylish laid-back ambiance. Using lots of natural wood with a mix of steel, it has the feel of the much seen industrial raw appeal theme here. Lots of tables with benches added a casual vibe as the bistro wants its diners to just enjoy their delicious porky fare as the highlight. There is a long bar in the bistro too, serving up lots of beers and cocktails to go with the menu. It’s a near-perfect combo of bar and porky fare!

The menu is filled with choices of piggy breakfast dishes, salad, soup, pasta, burgers, snacks, rice, main porky and non-porky dishes, set platters and desserts. The beverage list is just as long as the food menu with list of wines, beers, liquor, cocktails and other non-alcoholic beverages plus coffee and tea too.

Since it was a weekday we were there, we were pretty good and had Virgin Piggies or mocktails… from Piggy Surprise (RM18.00) to Virgin Pink Lady (RM15.00) and Mango Mock-O-Lada (RM15), these beverages were deliciously refreshing and fruity. 

My other half also had a Kirin Ichiban Beer (RM22.00 for half pint).

Since there were four of us that evening, we had a taste of their Mega Piggy Platter (RM268.00) together with some other dishes. The enormous platter is served on a large wooden board. Our eyes, well at least mine, sparkled at the sight of this gargantuan platter of heavenly dishes on this board. The Mega Piggy Platter has Piggy Signature Pork Knuckles, Pork Burger, Pork Franks, BBQ Pork Chops, BBQ Pork Ribs and BBQ Beef Ribs served with gravy, coleslaw and salad. Of course one can order all these separately but if you are going to go full-force with a group of buddies, this platter is right up your alley.

There are two kinds of ribs served at Piggy Tail. Both BBQ Short Pork Rib and BBQ Long Pork Rib are very scrumptious in flavours. Both are finger-licking awesome as well. While the BBQ Short Pork Rib has a fall-off-the-bone texture, the BBQ Long Pork Rib has a good bite in the well balanced lean and fat belly meat. The BBQ sauce is delish with its balance of tangy piquant sweet note that suited my palate really well.

The BBQ Pork Shoulder Steak is nicely tender too despite it being so lean and has a very tasty note. There were two Pork Franks with one being spicier than the order. These were nicely juicy and tasty too.

Our platter was a little different and we had their Signature Lamb Chops (RM45.00 a la carte) which we really enjoy too. The grilled marinated New Zealand lamb chops are smothered in a robust Mongolian sauce and was nicely chargrilled on the edges while tender and juicy on the inside.

The Piggy Pork Burger (RM28.00 a la carte) is a towering height of porky goodness. A generously bulky piece of pork patty is sandwiched with cheese, lettuce, tomato, bacon, fried onion rings and toasted sesame seed bun showed how every pork burger should be. The patty is has a good bouncy texture with a juicy note. I also really enjoyed the crispy well-battered onion rings. Go ahead and sink your teeth into this sizeable pork burger if you can…

The next dish of Signature Pork Knuckle (RM86.00) was indeed another beauty! Just check out how evenly golden and crispy the whole pork knuckle looked. Propped on mashed potato, the pork knuckle looked every inch poise and divine. Served on the side was a mug of gravy, coleslaw and salad.

The pork knuckle is one of the best pork knuckle I had so far. The even crispiness of the skin coupled with the tender and succulent dark meat was just damn delicious in every bite. The bits of gelatinous tendon and fat gave the dish a moreish sensation of indulgence. Must-order at Piggy Tail!

Premium Pork Aglio Olio (RM25.00) was our only carb dish and even this one had the hog. Grilled Sakura pork neck fillet is paired with a classic aglio olio spaghetti of chili flakes, garlic, olive oil and bacon. I was really loving the grilled pork neck filter because it was so tender and well-seasoned.

Piggy Tail uses Sakura Pork which is organic and has better flavour and textures!

Curiosity got the better of us and we also snacked on Piggy Pork Corn (RM16.00). Inspired from the popcorn chicken, this one was luxe up with Sakura pork chunks nicely seasoned and deep fried till golden brown. The meat and bits of tendon texture in the Pork Corn was a plus point factor that had us keep going back for more… it is a great snack with beer…

Dessert was our least expected dish of the night. Piggy Tail goes all out and serves up their Signature Truffle Ice Cream (RM18.00). As soon as the dessert was placed on our table, the intense earthy truffle aroma hit our senses like a ton of bricks… in a luscious way of course! What a treat… pairing the high-prized white truffle with ice cream certainly works for me in flavours and aromas. That’s not all, the dessert comes with chocolate sauce and crispy bacon bits… oo la la!!

Battling the area traffic and parking is worth it. Piggy Tail is a pure haven of porcine glory. The bistro has got all the markings of an awesome porky place to indulge in porky dishes. If this were to be my last meal on earth, I would be satisfied and happy. Whether one just wants to unwind the day or have a party with friends and family, one thing’s for sure, Piggy Tail is The Porky place to be seen, heard and yes… Eat!  

PIGGY TAIL

39 Jalan Telawi 3,

Bangsar Baru,

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Facebook: www.facebook.com/piggytailkl

Website: www.piggytail.webs.com

Business Hour: 11am to 1am

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