The Talk is an establishment that has been in Bangsar for a very very long time. Though widely known for being a watering hole, it does serve a wide spread of Japanese dishes.
Having not had Japanese food in a long time, we decided to give this old girl a try.
Ocha – Japanese Green Tea (RM12 per refillable pot)
Dish #1: Agedashi Tofu (RM8)
Deep fried bean curd with light sauce.
Kav: Not great. Didn’t have much of the skin layer I love.
Gaj: The dish was just alright. I felt like the quantity of sauce provided was not enough for the tofu.
Shiv: A far cry from being memorable. The sauce was mediocre in flavour and the tofu skin was lacking the crispy texture that is typically desired in this dish.
Dish #2: Assortment of Makis:
Unagi Maki (RM16 for 4 pieces)
Reverse Salmon Avocado Maki (RM12 for 4 pieces)
Reverse Soft Shell Crab Maki (RM16 for 4 pieces)
*We ordered three individual maki dishes and NOT an assortment, however when it was served, they were served in two platters of 5 pieces each. The waiter did not explain which maki was served in which platter and to be honest, we did not quite know what we were eating.
As there were only a total of 10 pieces, while it clearly stated 4 pieces each in the menu, we summoned the waiter and chef, who eventually gave us another serving of the reverse soft shell crab maki.
Kav: Did not realise that they were different makis until it was too late. I believe the soft shell crab had a stale-oil taste to it. I liked the unagi maki the best although it was not great.
Gaj: To be quite honest, I could not clearly identify between the three makis served. The one that stood out was the unagi maki. I could not taste much salmon in the reverse salmon avocado maki and the soft shell crab was a tad rancid.
Shiv: The unagi maki was quite delicious – the eel flesh was bouncy and very flavourful. But, unfortunately, the rest was a waste of time. The salmon-avocado filling could not support the maki as it was way too heavy on the starch, and the soft shell crab maki was horribly rancid. This was a real disaster, in terms of both service and taste!
Dish #3: Hand Rolls
Each of us had a different hand roll each:
Kav – Crab Roll, crispy fried soft shell crab, fish roe, cucumber and mayo (RM9).
Kav: Was a tad rancid… BAD!!!
Gaj – Salmon Skin Roll, salmon/salmon skin, fish roe, cucumber, mayo, avocado and salad (RM6).
Gaj: The hand roll was alright, not the best that I have had. The salmon was lacking in taste and flavour.
Shiv – Unagi Kyuri Roll, BBQ eel and cucumber (RM9).
Shiv: This place knows how to prepare and serve eel, as most dishes containing eel were pleasant. Loved my unagi temaki, as the eel was so fresh, succulent and ample.
Dish #4: Teppanyaki Cod Fish (RM33)
Pan-fried fillet of cod with garlic/teriyaki sauce. (We opted for the former)
Kav: The best dish we had. The cod was flaky and fresh…’twas just yummy. Although the sauce was too sweet, it had good flavour and went well with the fish.
Gaj: This dish was probably the saving grace of the night! The cod was fresh and the sauce was perfect! Very very good!
Shiv: Despite the garlic sauce being sweet, the preparation was simply genius, as the marriage of cod and garlic was sublime. Also, they served us a very generous portion of fish, considering the price we paid for it. Good bargain!
Dish #5: Salmon Sashimi (RM28 for 6 pieces)
Kav: The worst ever!!! Tasteless, stale and just cut too thick!!!
Gaj: The sashimi was not fresh and slices were too thick. Very disappointing!
Shiv: This dish was yet another testimony to the lack of thought given to food preparation at The Talk. Either the chef had despicable knife skills, or he/she couldn’t really be bothered to pay any attention to detail. The ‘slabs’ of salmon served could have been forgiven if they were fresh at least, but sadly, no luck there either.
Dish #6: Garlic Fried Rice (RM8)
Kav: WOW!!! I am a tough critique when it comes to fried rice, as I absolutely adore it. I must say this one was just too good. The pungent garlic flavour and the wok hei just made for a crazy good flavour!!! Could return here just for this dish!!!
Gaj: The fried rice was done well, the garlic flavour was very pronounced and it was tasty!
Shiv: Who knew that a humble bowl of fried rice could be done so well. Kudos to this place for getting the savoury flavour absolutely on the money! The taste of the egg chunks, along with the wok hei of the fried rice was seriously delicious. Many a Chinese restaurant could learn a thing or two on how to prepare this dish from The Talk. #HighlyRecommended
Verdict: WOK OFF!
PRICE: Expensive – RM182.10 for a pot of refillable green tea and 10 food items (3pax).
AMBIENCE: Modern and clean – a karaoke lounge, shisha bar and liquor bar adorn the place for adventurous souls who long to belt it out or those who just want an after work place to chill.
SERVICE: Bad – waiters did not understand our orders/requests and they did not know the differences between the various food items in the menu. They were also not prompt, despite the fact that the restaurant wasn’t busy.
FOOD: Bad - unauthentic and mostly unsavoury Japanese food. The salmon was not fresh (cardinal error!) and most dishes were sub-par in terms of taste. Not worth the price paid!
THE TALK RESTAURANT AND BAR
22, JALAN TELAWI 3
BANGSAR BARU
59100, KUALA LUMPUR
TEL: 03 -2284 3242
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