"What any burger lover could want..."
The décor is your typical laidback pub without the dark grimy feel. This is the kind of joint where anyone can feel comfortable...pretty much a place for every Tom, Dick, and Harry! Servers are friendly and attentive and the menu has a good selection of pub grub. Porky dishes are popular here so I made sure to try a few of them out along with their specialties.
We started out with the six pigs in a blanket; mini sausages wrapped in crispy bacon. This is perfect as a snack to go with drinks and the zingy spicy mustard will clear your sinuses. The cheeseburger here is exactly as you would expect a cheeseburger to be…juicy and full of flavour…extremely satisfying for a burger lover like me! If you’re more of a steak sandwich kind of person I also highly recommend theirs, as the meat is cooked medium so there’s still a slight pink to it ensuring that it is juicy. Mmm…perfect for that meat craving.
A popular dish here is their pork knuckle. It’s not actually on their menu so you just have to know that they do serve it. I’m not usually a pork knuckle fan as I find many variations to be a bit dry and stale tasting…but this was extremely moist and tender and the crackling had a nice crunch. My friend who generally doesn’t like pork actually had seconds and then thirds. Do keep in mind that this was AFTER the sausages, burger and steak sandwich. So yes…it really was that good.
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"A delicate blend of sweet and sour "
It didn’t occur to me that Albion in the famed Changkat Bukit Bintang is named after the island in Great Britain. This place serves up the gastronomic splendour of Blighty in a stylish and refined ambience. Proprietor James Grierson who hails from Liverpool but spent 30 years in London says he is lucky to find a conducive place. “After years of working in Soho we thought of setting up business in KL. I’m glad we found this area,” says James.
I should be more specific...the restaurant is located on the street adjacent to Changkat Bukit Bintang but still gets a good crowd in for their good English fare. If you frequent Changkat Bukit Bintang or have been for the past year or so you will notice that a few well known restaurants are not there anymore and newbies have entered the area.
The menu at Albion is simple and understated with a well-balanced variety of starters, mains and desserts. Chef Colin explains that his inspiration comes from developing recipes over the years while in London. “We have some French, Italian and Spanish influences in our menu. At the same time you will notice the essential British fare included as well such as Fish and Chips, Steak and Guinness Pudding and others.”
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"A heaped plate of roast meats and Yorkshire pud!"
Having studied in York in the twilight of my teen years, I discovered that I have a soft spot for Yorkshire pudding. In York they sometimes serve it giant-sized, about the size of your plate with sides curling over to contain the ridiculous amount of gravy poured inside. It's like a Yorkshire pud bowl with gravy soup. The crusty exterior is crisp yet tough enough to hold liquid while the inside is soft, doughy and because traditionally its supposed to soak up meat drippings, always has a hint of beefiness. It was delicious and decadent. So for me a Sunday roast is never, ever complete without Yorkshire pudding. To my delight they make the puds fat and large here at Chinoz, just by the roast counter so you can take as many of the little beauties as you desire.
Chinoz serves its Sunday roast buffet style and let me tell you this, it's very, very good. I always loved Chinoz's buffets. I used to go to its Ramadhan buffets which was good value with just the right amount of choices. Everything was usually good. Now, they have a breakfast buffet too with free-flow continental breads and cereal plus a hot egg dish and something local. I like the fact that Chinoz manages to bring the mass appeal of all-you-can-eat into a more refined surrounding and on top of that... Do It Well. The Sunday Roast buffet starts off with soup, it was chicken chowder last Sunday and was delicious. I can imagine how good a clam chowder here would be.
Then there's a nice array of appetizers like sashimi, some sushi rolls and tasty salads like eggplant in oil, salmon gravalax, green bean, mozzarella basil and so forth. Even their humous is good with soft pitta. You can eat well just at the appetizer table. However since we are here for the Sunday roast, contain yourself and attack the meat.
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"Think of thick doorstep chips soggy with salt and vinegar"
How magnificent can a fish and chips place calling themselves ‘Magnificent’ be? Well, at this place, it can be pretty magnificent… expensive... but magnificent. For the KL expat-Brit missing his traditional stodge and fry-up, the MFCB is certainly the place for them.
Located amid the bustling and colourful eateries along Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang, the MFCB offers fast, friendly service in a relaxed pub style environment. A cleaner and more cosmopolitan version of the British ‘Greasyspoon’ , the MFCB dishes up hearty portions of crunchy battered fresh fish – (choices include Dory, Barramundi, Cod and Salmon) complete with doorstep-thick chips. It even comes with a paper wrap lining to give it a more authentic look.
For added authenticity, you need to generously drizzle some vinegar and salt all over the fish and chips and wait a little until the chips at the bottom gets a bit soggy. Have them with the crunchy fish batter. Folks, do not confuse breadcrumbs for batter. Real fish and chips use batter. That's what makes it crunchy and British. Breadcrumbs just makes it Malaysian…. Anyway, cod or snapper is our favourite selection for fish. They do serve salmon but we don’t know whether this is a great fish for fish and chips because salmon is best cooked over low heat. We heard that a chef elsewhere actually cooked salmon at 39 degrees celcius and it worked. Theoretically then, does this means that you can have an bad fever and cook salmon on your belly? Well, the mind wonders…
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"A hangover cure or just plain greedy? "
There was a time when you could only find good pork sausages in certain high-end supermarkets. When Jarrod & Rawlins (a made-in-Malaysia brand) entered our market, they sold not only sausages and other meats in their deli counter, but also prepared cooked meals using the same raw ingredients. For a small charge of RM10, one can select from a wide range of sausages, bacon, pork chops and other meats and request them to cook and serve the meal in their restaurant. The dish is also served with either french fries, mashed potatoes or salad on the side.
Making a decision wasn’t easy but I eventually settled for two varieties – chorizo and dynamite. The chorizo is a pork sausage with a reddish tint that is derived from paprika. I have always liked this sausage as it suits my Asian palate which is a preference for a slightly spicier version as compared to the mellower English Oxford or German sausages. The aptly named dynamite got my attention quite easily, and upon inquiring, I was told that it included bird’s eye chilli (cili padi), hence its name. If you are game to try the dynamite, be warned. Unlike its more sophisticated (but extremely distant) cousin, the wasabi (Japanese horseradish paste), the heat from the bird’s eye chilli lingers on the tongue long after you have swallowed the last bit of sausage. Despite that, masochist or not, the dynamite is a delicious alternative. Also available are lamb & cranberry sausages, pork & herb sausages and pork basic bangers. If you don’t care much for sausages, you can opt for cuts which include lamb chops, pork chops and steaks at prices ranging from RM3.50 to RM11.80 per 100grams.
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"Tasty chicken pie with crunch worthy pastry"
Somewhere in Bangsar, you can actually escape the hectic jungle and have a quiet evening or two with clients, family or loved ones over some afternoon tea. Come dinnertime, the fireplace will definitely set the mood going for a good plate of Sirloin Steak and perhaps a rack of lamb topped up with some creme brule for dessert. Ambience and decor is as British as one can get in Kuala Lumpur.
The rack of lamb is simply wonderful. A good blend of English herbs and spices were used in marinating the rack. The British are known for their unhurried schedules hence the marinade has plenty of time to seep deep into the rack and once baked, blends in perfect harmony with the rack. Cutting up the individual racks was effortless due to the tender meat and skillful preparation. Finishing up the whole plate was equally delightful and even more effortless.
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"Scones in the rose garden dear?"
Where better to savour a good plate of Sirloin Steak with Yorkshire Pudding than The Smokehouse, Cameron Highlands? The cool climate of Cameron Highlands is perfect for evening tea and scones in the flower gardens. Come dinnertime, the fireplace will definitely set the mood going for a good plate of Sirloin Steak and perhaps a rack of lamb topped up with some creme brule for desserts. That's what we are having today at The Smokehose.
If you are looking for escapism into something somewhat British for a quick while, this place will not disappoint you. Overlooking the golf course, this quiet, tudor house is very ideal for some rest and relaxation. As the restaurant joins with the hotel living room cum lobby together with Victorian chairs and 'all things British', ambience here is simply wonderful day or night. I was perfectly happy sitting down sipping my lime juice absorbing the ambience when dinner came. I was in for a surprise.....
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