Simply Mel’s, Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur

As it was a cold, rainy Friday evening, we decided to try some Malacca Portuguese cuisine at Simply Mel’s, Bangsar South. As it was touted to be really good, we thought what better way to spend a chilly night than by sampling some warm spicy food!

The ambience of the place was pleasant and cozy, with a bar towards the rear of the restaurant and a lounge with sofas to chill at the entrance.

Kav had Nasi Goreng Kampong style, served with belachan fried chicken, pineapple onion salad and fried egg. Kav requested for the pineapple onion salad to be replaced with kangkung belachan. (RM14.90)

Kav: I love nasi goreng kampong and have tried quite a number. This one was really bland. The saving grace was the fried chicken, as it was cooked well and therefore tender with all its juices intact. The kangkung belachan, also another one of my favourites, was average.

Gaj: I thought this dish was alright, felt like it could have used more belachan to make it spicier and give it more ‘oomph’.   A side serving of chili padi would have made it better.

Shiv: The chicken was spiced well before frying, but otherwise, this dish lacked flavour. The ikan bilis which is usually the highlight of nasi goreng kampong was scarce, if any at all. Would not order this again.

Mien: The fried rice was bland on its own. However, with the combination of the fried chicken, it was good. The kangkung belachan was alright.

Shiv had Mel’s Nasi Lemak Serai Chicken, coconut rice with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf chicken with ikan bilis, egg, cucumber, kangkung belachan and ‘tambrinhyu sambal’. (RM14.90)

Kav: The sambal could have been more savoury and spicy. Loved the chicken as it was done just right – a little sour and savoury mix. Overall, a mediocre dish.

Gaj: The chicken was tender and the serai sauce was good. Again, I felt like the accompanying sambal could have been spicier. But then again, I enjoy my food a tad spicier than most.

Shiv: Loved the tomyami-ness of the chicken! However, the special ‘tambrinhyu sambal’ was sweet, which I really disliked! Sadly, a below average rendition of this classic Malaysian favourite.

Mien: The best thing amongst all the dishes we ordered. The chicken was good.

Mien had Saucy Spinach Noodles, wok-fried flat yellow mee with big prawn, crabmeat, chicken, fishcake, egg and beansprouts. (RM16.90)

Kav: Simply blah!!!! There was just nothing to lift this dish.

Gaj: I felt this dish was bland generally. Perhaps for those who enjoy less spicy dishes.

Shiv: Painfully plain and totally tasteless! Even some sambal belachan on the side could not prevent this not-so-humble bowl of noodles from delivering the culinary coup de grâce of the night for me.

Mien: Bland… alright….

We also had a side order of Mel’s sa Pesce Assa, a.k.a. Mel’s baked fish, a choice of seabass or stingray smothered in aromatic lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf sauce, wrapped in banana leaf and baked (seasonal price/100gms). We chose the stingray.

Kav: The gravy was again, not savoury and a little bland, and to make matters worse, the fish was stale and dry!!! Unacceptable!!! SIMPLY BAD!!!

Gaj: The stingray was not fresh, it was tough and did not fall of the bone as it should have. The sauce was not spicy enough to compensate for the lacklustre fish. Epic fail!

Shiv: I’ve tried better baked fish at hawker stalls, so it’s a shame that a place as reputable as this got it so wrong. Stale, dried-out and sweet baked fish is not the way to attract hungry humans, Mel!

Mien: Distasteful! Fish… stale… BAD!

We decided to share 3 desserts, the first being Sago Biji Gula Melaka, sago pearls in salted coconut milk with palm sugar. (RM6.90)

*Mel’s boasts of using the best quality gula Melaka, slow cooking it in pandan leaf with no added sugar.

Kav: The sago itself was really chewy and starchy. As such, I felt like I was eating two separate ingredients because it didn’t mix well.

Gaj: I did not enjoy this dish as the sago pearls were too clumped up. It was difficult to eat as some bites were too clumpy and others less so.

Shiv: This is one of my ultimate favourites of the local dessert variety, and Mel’s managed to botch it up, yet again! Separating the glutinous sago proved to be a Herculean effort, and as a result, the dessert just didn't come together. Maybe next time I'll carry one of those hand-held blender thingies with me... ;)

Mien: Sago was so starchy and tasted vile. Did not go well with the coconut milk and gula Melaka.

The second dessert we had was Durian Santan, chilled fresh durian in Mel’s flavoured coconut milk. (RM18.90)

*Warning: Not for those who DON'T think durians are the food of the gods!

Kav: Loved this dessert. The Durians used were of good quality and they were bittersweet, just the way I like it. The combination of santan and durian was NUTS!!! My one problem with this dish is that there was too much salt. Nevertheless, it was SIMPLY AMAZING!!!

Gaj: AMAZE-BALLS! The durian was creamy and yummy, just melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The coconut milk was a tad too salty, but the durian was too yummy for me to care too much about the saltiness of the coconut milk. Will definitely order it again!!!

Shiv: This was obviously the silver lining of an otherwise dismal dining experience at Mel’s. The durian was of the good variety, and there was an ample serving of it. The salty santan was the only drawback of this otherwise sublime dish.

Mien: Alright… I found it tooooooooooooo salty...

The ice cream lovers, Kav and Mien namely, had to have an ice cream before we left. So, we shared a cup of Last Polka Brown Butter and Almond ice cream. (RM9.20)

Kav: Dislike the chemical taste of the almond.

Gaj: Not a big fan as the almond had a chemical taste to it.

Shiv: Definitely not one of the better Last Polka flavours. Almond desserts somehow always end up tasting just a little chemical-ly, so I won’t fault the ladies behind Last Polka. I recommend trying the Salted Gula Melaka (RM7.20) flavour instead – it is divine!

Mien: Hmmm… questionable!

Verdict: WOK OFF!

PRICE: Reasonable.

AMBIENCE: Comfortable, suitable for family outings or a place to chill after work. Alfresco dining is available here. (Smokers can jump up and down in excitement now!)

SERVICE: Good. Food arrived promptly and the waiters were polite. The friendly owner, Mel, who has admirable PR skills, came around to talk to the patrons after dinner.

FOOD: A tad disappointing, but we may go back for the desserts.

SIMPLY MEL’S

UNIT 1-1A, 1^st FLOOR, THE SPHERE,

AVENUE 1, BANGSAR SOUTH,
NO. 8, JALAN KERINCHI
59200 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 2241 4525

Email: inquiries@simplymels.com

Website: http://www.simplymels.com/

Opening Hours:

10am to 10pm, daily

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