Vintry, Wine Bar and Restaurant, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur

When you enter the restaurant, on your left there are high tables with high chairs, a very bar like concept and on your right are rows of wine bottles segregated by country. The wine cellar-like ambience and the cozy lighting only added to the charm of this place.

We started the meal with a bottle of wine, which we chose from their wide selection. We decided on their Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva 2007, a Sangiovese from Tuscany Italy (RM277).

Kav: Loved this wine, it was of medium body and had a bit of a smokey, fruity flavour to it.

Mien: Good wine…. not too heavy!

Shiv: I’ve always wanted to try a Sangiovese, and this was my first experience. Absolutely loved it! Light and made for a perfect starter wine to a meaty meal.

For starters we had Sautéed Mushrooms, which were sautéed button mushrooms with garlic and basil (RM16).

Kav: The mushroom and garlic pair was earthy and packed a punch. The sweetness of the Basil complimented the dish perfectly. Loves!!!

Mien: THE BEST DISH OF THE NIGHT…. just enough garlic… and the touch of the basil… amazing…

Shiv: Wow! Really good. They were super generous with the garlic, which I loved, and the mushrooms were flavoured really well.

Gaj: Probably the best dish of the night! The garlic complemented the mushroom really well.

We also had the Vintry Roast Pork, which is their signature dish roasted and crackled with their traditional home-made recipe (RM 8/100g).

* We requested for condiments of chilly sauce and mustard.

Kav: Liked this. The crispy edging and the fattiness of the succulent pork was delish. However, I have tasted better roast pork.

Shiv: It’s hard to get roast pork wrong, and this place didn’t, thankfully. Liked it a lot, and was left wanting for more.

Gaj: The roasted pork was fair, was NOT jumping for joy, which is my usual reaction to roasted pork.

Since we were having a whole load of pork-y goodness, we decided to order a vegetarian pasta to cleanse our palates. We ordered a Spaghetti Aglio Oglio, pan-fried with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, basil, pine nuts and chili flakes (RM20).

*This dish was chosen from the Ribs by Vintry menu.

Kav: The garlic-y flavour with the earthy pine nuts was really good. It was a very minimalistic pasta with simplistic flavours.

Mien: They actually ordered this cause of me :-P... hmm not flavoured well.. bland!!! Loved the pine nuts... but could have done with a bit more garlic and chilli flakes.

Shiv: Was not flavoured well at all, and there was a pool of olive oil at the bottom of the bowl when we were done (sickening!). Would not order this again.

Gaj:  I did not enjoy this pasta, was too bland and the pasta was not al dente.

Our next order was a full on pork dish. Braised Pork Ribs, braised in their red wine herb sauce, served with rosemary baked potatoes and grilled asparagus (RM49).

*This dish was chosen from the Ribs by Vintry menu.

Kav: OMG, the best ever dish of the night!!!!! It was a burst of flavours in my mouth. Sweet, savoury, and sour flavours which complimented the pork brilliantly. The gravy was so good that I use it to eat the fries and also put some on the burgers. Yummylicious!!!!

Shiv: What a dish! A must try for all you pork-lovers out there (you know who you are). The sauce was perfection, and the ribs were succulent and flavoured really well. The ribs were meaty, and they managed to retain the juices somehow. Sheer brilliance!

Gaj: Amaze-balls! The sauce complemented the dish very well, must be the red wine =). The pork ribs were cooked to perfection!

Our love for scallops prevailed and we decided to order their Sautéed Scallops pan-fried with roasted capsicums and bread crumbs (RM39).

*This dish was chosen from the Ribs by Vintry menu.

Kav: The scallops were stale and not juicy. It lacked flavour. Disappointed!!!

Mien: STALE… STALE… RUBBERY… STALE… YUCKS!!!

Shiv: Un-fresh! Un-flavoured! Unsatisfactory!

Gaj: NASTY! The scallops were not fresh!

We almost named our blog Banging Bangers, so what can we say, we love ourselves some good ol’ sausages. Thus, our next order of business was Three Musketeers, a platter of pork sausages on a bed of mashed potatoes and sautéed cabbage (RM39).

Kav: This was probably one of the worst gourmet sausages I have tried. Three out of the four sausages were sweet. Only the white sausage was nice, it had an herb like savoury taste to it.

Shiv: Ok, seriously, it takes little to impress me with gourmet sausages, but for a porky place, Vintry serves absolutely crap sausages! The skin lacked the ‘snap’, and the filling was so bland. And honestly, who makes sweet mashed potato?!

Gaj:  Totally unimpressed by their sausages. The sauce was sweet, yuck! The cabbage tasted like sauerkraut. Not a big fan!

Next up we tried their Piri-Piri Pork Burger, which was a minced pork patty with grilled aubergine and tomato salsa, topped with almond picada (RM25).

Kav: The patty was very ordinary and the salsa was not well flavored. The chips were dry and not crispy.

Shiv: The pork burger here was so disappointing. The patty lacked juiciness and the only thing that made this palatable was the fact that we used the red wine herb sauce from the braised pork ribs dish to ‘re-season’ the burger.

Gaj: Again, unimpressive! The patty was just not up to par! The mediocre salsa and aubergine did nothing for me or the burger.

We also tried another burger which was their Blue Cheese Pork Burger with piquant Blue cheese sauce, topped with fried pork bacon (RM26).

Kav: I love blue cheese, however the blue cheese sauce was just cloying and I felt like I was eating a blob of cheese!!! Dislike!!!

Shiv: The cheese over-whelmed the lackluster patty – not because it was too pungent, but because the lack of meatiness of the pork failed to cut through the strong cheese.

Gaj:  I usually don’t mind blue cheese, but this was a tad much for me. The sauce was disgusting and the fried pork bacon did not save the day.

The last dish we ordered was their Cereal Chicken, crispy chicken slices topped with crunchy cereal, curry leaves and cili padi (RM18).

Kav: This tasted like a sad excuse for Chinese style butter prawns except that in this case it was chicken. POOR!!!

Mien: NESTUM chicken more like… Just plain sweet and bad!!!

Shiv: Wow – what an epic failure! I could hardly taste the chicken as there was way too much cereal, and the whole thing ended up tasting floury.

Gaj: I was looking forward to this dish as I love cereal chicken, but it was so disappointing.

By the time it came to desserts, we were already stuffed silly. However, we decided to go for two desserts.

The first one was an Affogatto, a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a rich coffee espresso with whipped cream and cocoa powder (RM12).

Kav: Delish!!! The ice cream was good and the coffee was divine, and both flavours were perfectly balanced.

Mien: The best dessert of the night! Good coffee and ice cream result in a good Affogatto!

Shiv: Can’t go wrong with Illy (yes, I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record!). This was surprisingly one of the best affogatto’s I’ve tried, and I liked the fact that they brought the espresso shot separately – so  it was still hot when we poured it in. Perfection!

Gaj: Very very good! The coffee was amazing and the ice cream was of good quality.

For the second dessert we tried their Tiramisu, a blend of Italian lady finger biscuits soaked with Mascarpone cheese, liqueur and coffee (RM15).

Kav: At first when I had this, it felt like I was eating a whole load of cream. Then we asked them for a shot of espresso to be added into the dessert. I liked it after the additional shot.

Mien: NOT TIRAMISU… more like cheese cake, without the base… honestly all freaking mascarpone cheese… and NO SPONGE BISCUITS!!! NOT TIRAMISU… SO ANGRY THINKING ABOUT HOW PEOPLE MAKE TIRAMISU WITHOUT THE BASIC TIRAMISU INGREDIENTS!! ANGERRRIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!

Shiv: Agreed that Tiramisu shouldn’t be called so unless it has all the necessary elements! Thank god we had that extra shot – made it taste actually good. (Otherwise, Mien might have had a coronary!)

Gaj: After the shot of espresso, this became more edible! Not bad – but request for a shot of coffee!

Verdict: WOK OFF

PRICE: Expensive. (Total = RM586.96 for 11 dishes & 1 wine bottle – 4pax)

AMBIENCE: Chilled out, cozy, wine cellar-like ambience which is perfect for a get together with buddies.

SERVICE: Could be better (waiters/waitresses were sparse and some were unfriendly).

FOOD: Below average – certainly did not warrant the hefty bill. However, their wine selection was good.

VINTRY DAMANSARA

130, JALAN KASAH,
MEDAN DAMANSARA,
50490 KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Tel: +603 2094 8262

Email: sales@vintry.com.my

Website: http://www.vintry.com.my

Opening Hours:

Mon-Sat: 12.00pm till late. Kitchen closes from 3.00pm till 6.00pm.

Closed on Sundays and on certain public holidays.

Hao Kee Seafood Restaurant, Kuala Lukut, P.D.

You know how it feels when life gets monotonous, boring and tiresome, and it’s time for a vacation? Those were the sentiments of Kav and Shiv in the beginning of July. 

Thus, plans were made, bags were packed, and they were headed for Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan with their parents (Guest #1 and Guest #2).

The obvious thing to do was to try one of the seafood restaurants, and we spent a good hour scouting for one. Our search ended at Hao Kee Seafood Restaurant in Kuala Lukut, Lukut.

The restaurant was situated in a very obscure location, on the way to one of the Kuala Lukut jetties, thus freshness GUARANTEED!

*The adjoining temple added a unique touch to the restaurant.

We brought our own alcohol, and to our pleasant surprise, they did not charge a corkage fee.  We had the 2009 Hardys Merlot Varietal Range and a bottle of Tiger beer for daddy dearest.

Shiv: When it comes to wine, we are quite clueless, but nevertheless, it was light, slightly fruity, and a good way to whet our appetites.

Kav: I really liked this wine. Agree with Shiv that it was mildly fruity, and it went well with the food.

Our first dish to arrive at the table was Kangkung Belacan, or morning glory with shrimp paste (RM8 – small).

Shiv: This was soo good! The belacan was just pungent enough, and it coated the kangkung well. It also did not have small stones (due to inadequate washing) that you may sometimes find in other Chinese restaurants.

Kav: The one thing I love to order in a Chinese restaurant is kangkung belacan. This one was exquisite. The belacan was extremely savoury, just the way I like it. The kangkung was cooked to perfection, it was crunchy and yummy.

Guest #1: Excellent. Good blend of ingredients.

Guest #2: Agreed. Really delicious.

Next up was Sautéed Brinjal and Longbeans (RM10 – small).

Shiv: The sauce was like none other I have ever tasted. So garlic-y and the brinjal was cooked to perfect firmness, and the long beans was very crunchy. Off the hook!

Kav: Delicious. The brinjal and long beans combo was a hit. The gravy was thick and savoury. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Guest #1: Mouth-watering, and it reminded me of Nyonya cuisine.

Guest #2: Not a common combination, but nevertheless, it was very tasty.

Then came the Butter Prawns, and we ordered the shelled version (RM24 – small).

Shiv: As a self-declared butter prawn lover, this was a HUGE, I repeat, HUGE disappointment. The sauce was sweet (hate that in my savoury dishes), and lacked flavour. Credit must be given though to the freshness of the prawn, as it was seriously fresh – no complaints about that.

Kav: This was the only dish that I was disheartened with. From my previous experiences, I believe that there are two common preparations of butter prawns – a creamy base and a dry, flaky, floss-like preparation. Personally, I prefer the latter. However, the one we had was the former. It tasted like a modified thousand island sauce, and was too sweet. The only consolation was that the prawns were really fresh.

Guest #1: Mediocre, but prawns were fresh.

Guest #2: The preparation left much to be desired, although the freshness of the prawns compensated to a certain extent.

Chilly Crab was next on the list (RM45 per 1kg).

Shiv: The gravy was aplenty, and the crabs were ridiculously fresh. Best dish of the night. At 

the end of the meal, we ordered an extra serving of rice to polish off the balance gravy. #toogoodtobetrue.

Kav: Crabs! Crabs! Crabs! Loves! Loves! Loves! The crabs were simply scrumptious, and it was so fresh, and although it didn’t need any flavouring, the accompanying chilly gravy was just to die for.

Guest #1: Fresh, juicy and definitely calls for a revisit.

Guest #2: Being my all-time favourite food, it was craby-licious!

We then had Steamed Ikan Jenahak, or Golden Snapper Fish, in Ginger and Soy Sauce (RM50 per 1kg).

Shiv: The sauce was light and salty, and the ginger shreds went well with the fish. Good.

Kav: I suspect that they may have overcooked the fish as it was a little dry. Nevertheless, the gravy was very well-flavoured. The heat from the ginger, and the saltiness of the soy sauce perfectly complemented the fish.

Guest #1: As fresh as it gets. Taste-wise, excellent.

Guest #2: One of the better steamed fish preparations I have tasted in a while.

Our meal concluded with Claypot Pai Kuat, or pork ribs (RM12 – small).

Shiv: Ordered out of sheer greed, as I love myself some good pork ribs, and let me just say, it did not disappoint. The gravy had a herbal taste to it (imagine bak kut teh broth thickened with corn flour), and it was DIVINE!

Kav: For you pork lovers out there, this is a must have! The meat was so tender, and it just melted in my mouth. The gravy was viscous with just a hint of sweetness, and it carried the earthy flavour of the claypot.

Guest #1: The variety of ingredients complemented the pork, and added to its taste.

Guest #2: Despite being full, it brought back memories of comfort food, and was a very pleasing way to end our meal.

Verdict: WOK ON!

PRICE: Very reasonable. Our bill came up to RM164.90 (inclusive of 6 dishes and 5 small bowls of rice).

AMBIENCE: Very serene atmosphere, which can be credited to the adjoining temple and the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere.

SERVICE: Excellent. Small town hospitality at its best.

FOOD: Fresh, delicious food par none (with the exception of the butter prawns). Will most definitely come back for round two!

HAO KEE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT,

NO.19, KAMPUNG KUALA LUKUT,

LUKUT, 71010,

PORT DICKSON, NEGERI SEMBILAN

Tel: +6016 666 8811 / +6016 626 0321