aly's wonderland

Think Mezze, think a selection of finger food.

What Wiki Says:

In the Eastern Mediterranean is a selection of appetizers or small dishes often served with beverage, like anise-flavored liqueurs such as arak, ouzo, raki or different wines, similar to the tapas of Spain or finger food.

What Mezze Says:

…A meeting place where worries are checked at the door, and you are encouraged to kick back and graze on… sparkling flavours that have journeyed from the Mediterranean through Eastern Europe and Asia….

What I Say:

Yum yum…dip-dip, sip-sip… dunk-dunk…sip sip, share-share… dip-dip, sip sip, gossip-gossip…

More tastes to add to your waist. And you’ll find it on Jalan Kasah, in a quiet corner of Damansara.

The Story…

Housed in the same row of the longstanding Vintry and the familiar favourite La Risata,  Mezze is a newly opened ‘chic-yet-laid back’ hideaway for those who appreciate good food, good wine and a nice balance of ‘yes I’m out, but I’m also not, really…’

Braving the rain and the traffic, a friendly waited speedily took my dripping umbrella off my hands. I found myself immediately at ease. Subtle lighting, soft music, and raucous chatter blended in to make up a lively and cozy ambience.

It had been a long week, and as I sat down as a vision in a white chef’s uniform and blue apron appeared beside me. I blinked, and then blinked again. Was that Richard? Richard …..? He was a Chef?

Yes it was. I wasn’t seeing things. I had met Richard about a year back when he was a consultant for a group of restaurants that served a similar kind of cuisine. “What happened?” I asked him, not mincing my words. “Well,” he answered, “I wanted to get in the kitchen and get cooking.” Hmm… a lot of chefs seem to be heading in that direction these days. Ditching the paper-pushing route for back-to-basics oil and grease. “Okay then,” I said. “I’ll call you Chef Richard from now on!”

We had a warm welcome Perin Petrus, the Operations Director, who introduced her sister Shantini, the guru behind the scenes. With so much to talk about and so little time, it wasn’t long before a sous chef subtly tapped Chef Richard on the shoulder and gestured towards the kitchen. Yep, we were all having such a great time, we almost forgot about the food!

I like the look of the menu. Clean, bistro-like, and divided into categories that spoke to me in plain English.

THE MENU

Greedy(Big Dishes), Grazing (Small Dishes), Afternon Quickies (Lunch Specials), Indulge (Dessert) and Thirsty (Drinks).

Let’s start with the first four starters, or ‘Grazing’ as it’s called in the menu.

Get ready to get those fingers dirty… Arriving all at once, there was the usual scrounge to take photos, with plates being passed and swapped around the table.

Snap-Snap-Click-Click

Done, said Frat Mustard, who had the biggest piece of equipment at the table. I glanced down at my turquoise, mini wonder Ixus.. Hmm… Does size matter?

Maybe not, as was the case was with our starters. I would say they were the perfect size, or portion, to share between two or three people. Not too big, not too small, and 4 people would get a taste of everything.

GRAZING

Mezze Flat Brad & Dips – RM 9.50

Turkish Flat Bread with a choice of 2 dips

Simple, tasty, and a classic Mediterranean starter. Dips change daily, please ask your waiter for dips of the day.

Zucchini Fritters – RM 11.50

Zucchini, fetta and fresh herb fritters on a bed of confit cherry tomato and wild rocket

I like zucchini and I like fetta, but I wasn’t so keen on two ingredients with a ‘mushy’ texture combined together. The taste was great, but I felt it lacked crunch and stuck to the roof of my mouth a little.

More Grazing…

Pancetta & Prawn Tempura – RM 15.50

Pancetta wrapped prawn in tempura batter with wasabi aioli

Delicious – the batter was crispy and light, almost airy, with the salty pancetta adding a different dimension to the prawn.

Duck Liver Pate  RM 13.50

A smooth pate with Pedro Ximenez, mixed herb salad & fennel marmalade

What can I say? This was the favourite. So good, we ordered another round.

And even more grazing…

Duck & Chicken Springrolls RM 13.50

Spring roll of pulled confit duck, shredded chicken, feta & mushrooms with a green chilli jam

The highlight of this dish was the chilli jam, which was much needed to add spice to an otherwise common starter.

Lamb Cutlet – RM28

Chargrilled coriander mint and honey soaked cutlets

This starter was a little big for my liking, and I’m always the girl who says “Bring on the meat!” Apart from portion size, which was difficult to share, the lamb was nicely caramelized, sweet and savoury with an Asian twist.

After trying the Grazing dishes, I ask Perin if their interpratation of Mezze was sharing dishes, rather than Mediterranean food. Both her and Chef Richard explain that this is NOT fusion cuisine, but rather, Mediterranean inspired cuisine with a local twist. “Familiar and comforting but also think-out-of-the box different. I find myself agreeing with them.

Let’s move on to us being Greedy. Oh yeah, time for the big dishes.

GREEDY

Try Mezze’s steaming seafood broths…

Steamed Mussels @ RM 22.50

Bowl of mussels steamed with tamarind, lemongrass, chilli and honey and served with toasted crusty bread.

Don’t share it. Eat it all by yourself and make sure you’re with people you know so you can scoop up the fragrant broth with each shell, and savour every taste. This reminded me of Belgium pub in Kensington, London. A little taste of home for the chef, and familiar condiments for us locals.

Guisado Alicante RM 28.00

Saffron Broth of calamari, mussels and fish, chorizo sausage and chilli

Feeling even more greedy?

Chilli Shrimp Spaghetti RM 29.50

Pasta of Chargrilled prawn, chilli, fennel, slow roasted tomato and shallot

The Spaghetti was cooked with bite. The prawn was fresh, meaty and nicely charred, complemented by the subtle flavour of fennel while not overpowered by the chilli.

Lamb Pilaf Pie RM 23.00

Lamb cooked gently with aromatic spices layered with basmati rice, baked under a flaky crust under a side of raita.

This was an extremely aromatic dish. Dig into the delicate and tasty crust to unleash a waft of spices. Inhale, allow to cool and enjoy. The raita added much needed moisture and bound the grains of rice together.

Time to start on  some meat…

Braised Beef Shank Parpadelle RM 32.50

Ragout of braised shank with fresh fat ribbon pasta

Barbequed Spatchcock Chicken RM 28.00

Marinated spring chicken butterflied grilled on bare flame, Provencal potatoes and a burnt aubergine salsa

And then its time to get serious.

Rib Eye Steak RM 65.00

Tasmanian grass fed Black Angus ribeye chargrilled to your liking, sautéed potatoes, asparagus and sweet shallot and your choice of a sherry beef reduction or sherry flavoured butter

Let the Tasmanian Devil in you out and savour in this perfectly cooked medium steak. Juicy, rich and moist. My favourite.

Ballotine of Lamb RM 42.00

Boneless baby joint of leg marinated in tagine spices and warapped around fresh soft herbs, preserved lemon, olives and artichokes, chargrilled and served on a bed of Tunisian cous cous.

Another dish that was very Mediterannean, with a tangy flavour. Tender pieces of lamb complemented by the light and grainy texture of the cous cous.

Is that all 8? I think so.

-  BREAK –

Chat-chat, sip-sip, “Wow, what is this wine we’re drinking?” Chef comes out again. Chat-chat, sip-sip.

Let’s just go on and Indulge in dessert.

I say this over and over again, I really never wake up and think “Hey, I’m really craving chocolate, or apple crumble”…(like my sister Cheryl does).  I’m really not a dessert person, especially not rich and heavy desserts.

That’s why I found the desserts at Mezze particularly enjoyable.

INDULGE

Mango Tart RM 11.00

Mango on a crispy puff pastry base with mint and pineapple granite

Panna Cotta RM 9.50

Vanilla bean Italian style custard with a frangelico and hazelnut syrup

Of course, if you prefer something heavier and more chocolatey, then go for… drumroll please…. the

Brownie – RM 19.50

A hot, dense Varholna chocolate slice with chocolate sauce and Haagen Daaz Vanilla Ice Cream.

Finish off with the…

Affogato – RM 15.50

A scoop of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso and coffee liquer.

One thing I did find bizarre was that  I asked for an Irish coffee afterwards, and was told it was unavailable. I scratched my head – espresso, whiskey and steamed milk – all those things are on the menu, so why wasn’t it available?

Aside from that, it was an overall fantastic meal. I will go back, and I will bring friends. I think from the moment I walked in and had my umbrella speedily attended to, it was clear that service was of the utmost importance. So was ambience, so was quality, and so was presentation. Taste, was a given.

Mezze is the kind of place I would say to my friends on a rainy night, “Hey, fancy grabbing a bite tonight? Yeah, let’s go to Mezze…”

Speaking of which, I must remember to pick up my umbrella… It’s just an excuse to go back. Not that I need one!

Mezze

(NON-HALAL)

No. 132, Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03-20950122

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