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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Citrus Café and Restaurant, Bangsar Village 2, Kuala Lumpur

Having covered a number of eateries at Bangsar Village 1 and 2, we decided to try one that we’ve not covered previously, and made our way to Citrus Café and Restaurant located on the second floor of Bangsar Village 2 (a few doors away from Starbucks). 

The ambience of Citrus is one that is eclectic, modern, and fresh, and the waiters are pleasant and very informative (more on that later).

We started our meal by placing an order of  Citrus Nasi Goreng Kampung served with chicken or beef rendang, fried egg, keropok and sambal belacan (RM14.90). As all four of us don’t eat beef, we opted for the chicken instead.

Gaj: The rendang and sambal belacan were really tasty, but the rice itself was not well-flavoured.

Kav: Dislike the nasi goreng. However, the rendang was delicious and the sambal was to die for. The fish keropok was one of the better ones I’ve tried in recent times.

Mien: The rice was too mushy and not flavoured well. However the rendang helped the dish by leaps and bounds, as it was not too coconut-y and there was a ‘kick’ to it.

Shiv: OMG!!! The sambal belacan was savoury perfection, and the rendang chicken was very fresh and pleasantly pungent. Not overly impressed by the rice though, as it was overcooked and bland.

After much discussion, we decided to try one of their pizza’s, but couldn’t quite decide between the Medley of Mushroom Pizza (RM19.90) and Salmon Pizza with Smoked Salmon, Asparagus, Capers and Red Onions (RM23.90). Fortunately, our waiter came to the rescue and informed us that we could split the pizza into 2 parts - half and half, which we gladly opted for (RM23.90).

Gaj: The mushroom pizza was sweet. Dislike. The salmon one on the other hand was mediocre.

Kav: Salmon pizza was ok, but it tasted like something I could have prepared at home. The mushroom pizza was not savoury enough, and the chicken was too dried out. Didn’t like it.

Mien: Preferred the mushroom pizza to the salmon one, as I liked the flavour from the mushrooms. The salmon, although fresh, did not wow me as it was very plain.

Shiv: The cheese-ladened salmon pizza was pleasantly flavoured (although they could have been more generous with the capers). Was not overly impressed with the mushroom medley, as it was slightly sweet.

Being pasta-lovers, we obviously had to try one of Citrus’s many pasta options, and as such, decided to go with their Tiger Prawn Linguini Special, pasta with tiger prawns and eggplant (RM25.90).

Gaj: The pasta had a creamy flavour to it - wasn’t the best pasta I’ve tried, though the freshness of the prawns must be credited for. Tasted almost like an Indian pasta.

Kav: The pasta sauce used was too heavy, and the dish tasted starchy. Did not like the Asian influence in the pasta. Will not order it again.

Mien: Not a fan, as it had a creaminess to it. However, there was something interesting about it – must have been the Asian flavouring.

Shiv: Initially I thought it was mediocre, but as I went on eating it, the flavours of the dish really came through, and it was uniquely delicious. I suspect the thoroughly cooked eggplant had something to do with the creaminess of the dish, which I had no issue with. Polished this one off the plate.

As usual, our bottomless pits were still yearning for more food, and we thought of sampling their cheesy nachos with olives, cherry tomatoes, etc, but again, our kind waiter advised us against it, as the nachos are supposedly not the most popular dish at Citrus.  

Instead, he suggested that we try the Lamb Biryani, which is aromatic rice cooked with lamb chunks and spices and served with papadum and daalca (RM23.90). 

 *All four heads nod in unison, in agreement to his suggestion*

Gaj: AMAZEBALLS! The rice was very delicious. Daalca was mediocre, and the lamb, although flavoured well, could have been cooked longer.

Kav: The rice was fragrant and the spices made the biryani yummy. True to the authentic Pakistani biryani, as one of the chefs at Citrus is of Pakistan origin. However, the lamb was tough, tsk tsk.

Mien: Love the accompanying raita (yogurt salad) as it was sour and flavoured well. The rice was tasty and spiced adequately. I was satisfied with the lamb as it didn’t taste gamey.

Shiv: Best dish of the night. The rice was truly aromatic and well-flavoured, and the accompanying yogurt condiment was fresh. The lamb however could have been more tender (they should learn tenderisation techniques from Middle-Eastern chefs!)

Verdict: WOK ON!

 

PRICE: Reasonable (RM97.45 for four dishes).

AMBIENCE: Contemporary and fresh.

SERVICE: Excellent, the waiters were polite, informative and honest.

FOOD: Highly recommend the Asian dishes (but be prepared to drink copious amounts of water, post meal).

CITRUS CAFÉ AND RESTAURANT

2F25A, SECOND FLOOR

BANGSAR VILLAGE 2

NO 1, JALAN TELAWI 1,

BANGSAR BARU

59100 KUALA LUMPUR

Tel: +603 2287 9560

Opening Hours:

10AM – 10PM daily