aly's wonderland

Exotic Restaurant & Bar, Desa Sri Hartamas

I received a phonecall about a week ago. It was a voice I had not heard in awhile.

“Hello..” he whispered, deep and throaty. “Yes,” I replied, my heart pounding a hundred beats a minute.

“It’s me. Let’s do dinner. Thursday. Exotic. Book it through theQguides.”

Before I had a chance to respond, he hung up.

It was my favourite little rascal, Frat Mustard, the voice of theQguides.com. I turned on my laptop immediately, logged on to the website and with ease, made my booking in under a minute.

Thursday night rolled around, and what a night it was. The heavens had decided to unleash its full force on the Klang Valley, and torrential rain and winds toppled trees and destroyed roofs. By 7pm, the rain had slowed down to a light drizzle, and the air was cool and refreshing.

If I wasn’t looking for it, I probably would have driven past it. On the corner facing Finnegan’s in Hartamas Square was a simple yet welcoming sign that said ‘Exotic”, Restaurant and Bar. To be honest with you, when I first heard Frat say ‘Exotic’, I pictured swarms of lap dancers, beers galore and, well, a seedy establishment. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Except for the beers galore. That you can have.

Jess Lew, manager and part owner of Exotic, was our hostess for the evening. Initially, we were seated inside, at a table by the glass doors.

Frat arrived shortly after and made an executive decision to move outside.

“Outside?” I asked. I didn’t even notice and outside, yet there it was, slightly set back from the main road.

It was quite spacious, with lush greenery and rich red table cloths. There were some ‘exotic’ pieces of art of Cambodian and Vietnamese origin, and large fans that spun a wind that blew a chill.

On a hot evening, the fans would have been perfect to cool me down but that evening, I had to request for them to be turned off, which the management happily obliged. Soon we were joined by Lil’ Fat Monkey, Ciki and Fatboybakes.

We tasted some of Exotic’s more popular drinks.

Jackfruit Milkshake (RM8.00)

1000 Seed Drink (RM5.00)

Salted Lime Juice (RM5.00)

Tamarind Juice (RM5.00)

Nice and toasty, with our mugs of Carlsberg in hand at Happy Hour prices, and armed with cameras (some bigger than others) we were ready to fully be exotically satisfied.

Exotic Combination Platter (RM22.00) – Fresh Prawn Roll, Vietnamese Spring Roll (Prawn), Thai Fish Cake, Thai Treasure Bag, Mango Salad.

What a great way to start the meal. An assortment of ‘exotic’ delicacies from the different countries.

Jess explained to us that we were to wrap the Prawn Roll in a salad leaf, and add the giant mint leaves and basil if we please. Dipped in the sweet chilli sauce, from first to last bite it was scrumptious .

The Thai Treasure Bag was crunchy, and just the right size to pop in your mouth.

I am a big lover of Thai Fish cakes, and these were fragrant and bouncy, with so much flavour, especially good when soaked in sweet chilli sauce.

The Vietnamese Spring Roll was bursting with noodles,vegetable and prawn.

The Mango Salad was to be eaten on a ‘keropok’, and had a delightful crunch and tang to it. Sweet, sour, with a lovely freshness about it.

Vietnamese Crispy Crepe (RM16.00)

The initial reaction to our second dish was that it was a very large pancake, folded in half. We soon discovered that it was indeed a crepe, made from yellow bean. Delicate, light with a slight powdery texture on the tongue, it was stuffed to the brim with beansprouts, yellow beans and poached prawns.

I loved it. I had three triangles, but I don’t think anyone noticed because they were too busy taking pictures…

Dips In Vinegar Broth :   Beef (RM28.00)  Seafood (RM32.00)

Now this was something unusual. Apparently a traditional Vietnamese dish, similar to steamboat or ‘Lok-Lok’, but served with a vinegar broth. I loved it, it tasted like a mild and sweet Tom Yam.

A lovely member of staff demonstrated how we should put the raw seafood and meat into the broth for a few seconds.

While they cooked, lightly dip the rice flour pancakes in a bowl of warm water (tip: literally flash dip them, don’t soak them like I did. They will get too sticky and soggy to roll).

Lay the pancake out on a plate, fill with accompanying vegetables, and scoop out the cooked meats. Fold the narrow sides inwards, then roll from one long side to the other.

Voila! A perfect springroll. Well, not quite when I did it, as Fatboybakes so rightly pointed out in his review , my rolls looked like “condoms stuffed with elephants”.  Yes, I graciously bowed out and let Monkey skillfully show us how it was done.

The end result was a charming mix of textures, from soft and squidgy on the outside to crunchy and meaty on the inside.

Grilled Beef Around In Lemongrass Stick (RM20.00)

The meat on this was well marinated, soaked in herbs and spices. Juicy and tender, the meat fell off the stick of lemongrass easily.

I found myself, along with a few others, sucking on the lemongrass after.

Cambodian Grilled Squid (RM17.00)

This was a favourite among all of us. The squid was grilled to perfection, with subtle spice and  a hint of sweetness.

Frat liked it so much we had to stop him from rolling around in it…

Cambodian Stew Fish in Young Coconut (RM18.00)

I’m not a big fan of fish in general, and the catfish in this curry did nothing for me. I did, however, really enjoy the curry itself. A thick and creamy gravy that tickles your nostrils, and complemented our next dish perfectly.

Fried Rice in Young Coconut (RM18.00)

Fragrant fried rice stuffed back in to a coconut and baked. Luscious, especially when eaten together with the scooped out flesh of the young coconut.

Suitably sated with savoury food, we were more than ready to round off the meal with some sweets.

Deep Fried Banana in Caramel Sauce

Oh! So wonderful! Beware though, this dessert is not for the faint toothed. Incredibly sweet bananas deep fried in a light, crispy batter, and drenched in sticky caramel sauce.

Tapioca Cake with Coconut Milk

The initial consensus upon first glance was that this were bitesize mango puddings. Upon tasting them, it was determined that they were indeed tapioca puddings. A pleasant taste, if you like tapioca, and more dense than a mango pudding.

Water Chestnut with Coconut Milk

Refreshing and cooling, with crunchy pink water chestnuts and slivers of aromatic jackfruit.

Ciki and Monkey made their exits shortly after we finished dessert, while Frat, Fatboybakes and I enjoyed a pleasant chat in the cool evening air.

Before we knew it, it was almost midnight! That’s what happens when you’re having fun, and digesting a good meal.

It really was a good meal, much better than I had expected. And the outdoor setting made it an all the more pleasant experience. I recommend Exotic for (excuse the pun) its ‘exotic food’ and agreeable ambience. I look forward to going back, and I will be, next week. Hey, it was so good, I decided to feature it in Red FM’s Big Red Food Review. Look out for that, coming soon to a radio station near you…

A big thank you to Jess Liew, all at Exotic, and theQguides.com for a memorable evening.

CONTACT:

Exotic Restaurant & Bar

No. 2, Jalan 24/70A,

Desa Sri Hartamas, KL

T: 03 2300 1196

Opening Hours: 11.30am to 3pm, 6pm till late

This restaurant is bookable at theQguides.com. Book, Eat, Be Rewarded.