aly's wonderland

Christmas Shopping Day – Part Two

Dinner @ Twenty One Tables & Terrace, Bangsar Shopping Centre

Okay, so after an unfruitful day of trudging through the mad crowds at The Gardens and Mid Valley, we walked away almost empty handed with a few odds and ends and a new duvet set. I wanted a Christmas Tree, and we didn’t find one, not even at Metrojaya!

To cheer myself up, I told Lil’ Chef that we should check out BSC’s latest swanky new food hall, O Gourmet. Maybe we could find some presents there.

No such luck! At RM 18 for a packet of Dill, I found myself wondering what this Dill was made of – solid gold? Their selection of meats, wine, cheese, honey, jams and more is amazing, Fine produce indeed, but at fine prices. Instead, we bought a Christmas Tree and resigned from shopping for the day.

Hungry again, I recalled Frat Mustard mentioning to me that a new branch of Twenty One Kitchen & Bar (Changkat Bukit Bintang) had opened its doors somewhere above Alexis. Food with a view, we couldn’t complain, although finding it is a bit tricky.

Hidden away on the third floor, we found the elusive entrance to Twenty One Tables & Terrace.

It was big, much bigger that the Twenty One on Changkat, but similarly stylish boasting a water feature in the bar area. You’ve got your dining area as you enter, tables immaculately lined up (a little too close for my liking) with an open air chill out section overlooking bangsar. Floor to ceiling windows provide you with a view all round. You’ll also find a trendy unisex bathroom complete with a bathroom attendant offering cold towels, at your service.

Friendly staff decked out in festive Santa Hats seated us at a table of our choice.  It was about 730pm, it was a Sunday but already the place was filling up fast. A quick glance at the menu showed a smaller selection of dishes than the other outlet, but I’m guessing the menu will be expanded once initial teething problems are sorted out.

The menu was divided into: Sandwich Me (two sandwiches), Asta la Pasta (two pastas), Ground Grown Greens (two salads), Snacktastic (seven starter size dishes), Fill Me Up (six main courses) and Finish Me Off (three desserts). We noticed a lot of the dishes ended with ‘foam’ – beetroot foam, potato foam, all kinds of foam. Must be the Chef’s favourite technique of the moment. Quantity wise, it was limited, but quality wise, they did not compromise.

We ordered a bottle of wine from Chile,  Anakena Cabernet Savignon at RM 85,  and relaxed after a hard day to the soothing sounds of chill out music and snacked on tiny pieces of bread, served with olive oil and crushed nuts.

“When’s the real bread coming?” joked Lil’ Chef. Tasty, but hardly substantial.

Not long after, our starters arrived and I was ecstatic. I had to contain myself from jumping up and down in my seat. From the Snacktastic section, I had ordered the Charred Prawns with pumpkin puree and hot and sour prawn broth at RM 30.

My prawns looked FAT, JUICY, and FRESH. Perfectly cooked. The waiter doused the prawns with hot broth in front of us. The pumpkin puree was sweet and creamy, and mixed in with the broth to form a thicker soup. Luscious. By far the best dish of the evening.

We also ordered a salad; Twenty One’s Greens, asparagus, tender fennel, pearl barley jus with crisp & frozen parmesan at RM 22.

It was a nice mix of ingredients, cool and refreshing.

With only six dishes to choose from for mains, I decided to be adventurous and order fish. I never order fish because I don’t really like fish, apart from salmon, swordfish and butterfish. I spied a Salmon with Crisp Skin in Thai Style red curry broth, beet root wedges and foam at RM 38. There was that foam again.

I was pleasantly surprised that it was really good! The red curry broth was very spicy and could have been a little tastier, but apart from that, the ingredients really worked together. Crispy skin on the Salmon added texture, the deep red from the beetroot stained everything else and added an earthy flavour, while the wilted seaweed gave it a very Asian tang.

Lil’ Chef’s main course was the Wagyu Beef Cheek, glazed and slow roasted, confit of leek and shallot, aerated soubise (a white sauce in classical French cooking that is mildly onion-flavoured) foam. Yes, again with the foam. This dish was very rich, and the beef was like butter, dissolving on our tongues.

The portion is quite big, well worth the RM 68 that they charge. However, there is nothing in the dish that provides texture or crunch, so you can get a little overwhelmed after a few bites. Still, it was remarkably good, with a rich, meaty sauce set off by the creamy vegetable confit.

Suitably full, I carried on with the wine as he moved on to dessert. A Baked Dark Chocolate Ganache, with warm chocolate cream, lemon curd and chocolate soil at RM 22. Hmm… interesting. Lemon and chocolate.

I didn’t actually try it but I heard sighs of umm… and ahh…and yum… and, well, the plate was licked clean so I’m guessing it was good. Lil’ Chef gave dessert his stamp of approval.

The place was really bustling by the time we finished. Young, trendy professionals and funky artsy looking types blended into the deco, with a few expat ‘Bangsar locals’ dotted around as well. We enjoyed the view, and enjoyed the music, and definitely enjoyed the food. The final bill, including mineral water at RM 19, plus wine came up to RM 345, a bit pricey for a Sunday night dinner but you do get what you pay for.

I am looking  forward to a more extensive menu, and a chance to try their imaginative cocktails as well. Twenty One Tables & Terrace gets a thumbs up from me. And there’s even a glass lift to take you straight down to the ground floor.

Even after all that food, we still managed to put up our Christmas Tree!

Twenty One Tables and Terrace

T1, Level 3, Bangsar Shopping Centre,

285 Jln Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya,

59000 Kuala Lumpur

+6 03 2287 0021