Urban Spoon Bistro @ Sri Hartamas

On the 2nd day of New Year, I was invited by Sean & Chef Tawfeeq Seow whom are the owners of Urban Spoon Bistro in Sri Hartamas, situated at the building right opposite the Hartamas Shopping Centre. It's quite a new place and I was surprised that I didn't know about the existence of Plaza Damas 3 which already house a few restaurants since its opening a few months ago.

My sister, Yiling and I were invited and so we thought it would be a good idea to go together. At the very same day, there was a birthday party going on at their bistro located on the 1st floor which caters to private functions. Everyone was so busy but despite that, we still have very good service from the staff.

Apple Mojito, Watermelon Margharita, Soho La, Lychee Gimlet

(RM25/glass)

What's a better way to start the year off with some cocktails? I personally like the Soho La which has interesting layers of colours and also a play of textures. Their Mojito was a little off tune that day and thus I prefer the watermelon-based cocktails for a fresh afternoon.

The restaurant has a cosy yet upmarket style with the blend of colours by matching the gloomy colours with bright strips of turquoise. I like the classy bar and the naked brick wall. However, seating wise may be a bit tight and not too spacious.

The chef asked us what we would like to try and as usual, I told him that I'll leave the menu in his safe hands. We started off with a Soft Shell Crab Tempura (RM18). This salad is an interesting twist to the normal soft shell crab salad because they used a thai style sauce on it. There's apple papaya som tam and also garlic dressing. It's really a good start to the meal with the sourish and refreshing taste.

Next, we had a Roast Beef Salad (RM18) which consists of french beans, shallots, lemongrass, chilli, eggplant with lime and fish sauce dressing. This also reminds me of a thai style appetiser but the main ingredient which was the roast beef was just a good compliment to the salad. You can taste the juicy beef slices which is aged and hand-sliced. It's really a good piece of meat! Now imagine all those taste interwovened into one dish. Yummy!

We are into really serious spicy business here with the next dish presented to us in the form of fried breaded Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese (RM18). I was skeptical at first to try it as I am not a big fan of spicy food but in the end I did convince myself to try one. At the first bite, it was sweet and you can taste the cheese but towards the end, you can feel the spiciness creeping into your tongue. Well, it's not too spicy and if I can take it, anyone can too!

Carrot and orange bisque (RM14)

This soup is made with orange, carrot with seafood ceviche and braised leeks. It's interesting to see an orange goes into making this soup. It's creamy, but lucky it's not starchy. You have to really consume this while it's still warm. The tangy taste is very subtle but the more distinct taste comes from the seafood and leek.

We're finally moving into mains after at least and hour and a half there. Things were moving a bit slow that afternoon and I guess it might be the party that's going on upstairs. We heard that the Emperor Tang Duck Confit (RM38) is a must try. The presentation is really impressive with a use of roasted baby potatoes, french beans, soy and calamansi reduction. While the duck did have a crispy skin, I felt that the meat was a bit dry. The sauce was a combination of sweet and savoury but somehow I felt that there's something missing with this dish.

Yaki fillet of cod (RM55)

I personally like the cod with sauteed tomato, oyster mushroom, seasonal vegetables, wasabi mayo, anise-mirin glaze, bonito flakes. The fish was fresh and you can see the flakes of the fish beautifully lined. The bonito flakes is certainly a very odd ingredient to the dish but it does pair very well because you get this roasted umami taste to it.

Perhaps one of the best mains we had that day which everyone enjoyed was the Cajun Wagyu Beef Burger (RM38). It is served with home-made spicy tomato chutney, cheese and a fried egg. The minced beef patty was good because the meat has retained it's juiciness and fats through the grilling process and the egg yolks oozes out as you cut into the burger.

After almost 2 hours there, we were still not finished. Coming up, we had 3 desserts. We had a Zesty crepe with vanilla ice cream which is not in the menu yet, Black pepper tamarind macerated strawberry & peach (RM14) with chardonnay au gratin & watermelon-basil slashy and a Chocolate cherry fondant (RM18) with vanilla ice cream and alcoholic option if you prefer. All the desserts were very good particularly with the chocolate dish that comes with preserved cherries and oozing chocolate that make you dance.

We weren't quite done here until the fat lady sings coffee were served. We had a cuppa and a good conversation with Chef Tawfeeq Seow whom has a bevy of experience from his previous stint at some of the 5 star hotels in KL. Although fusion is the word best describe this restaurant, it's certainly not one of those that serve half-past-six fusion food. For the price you pay for, I must say this is a good deal.

An obligatory picture of satisfied patrons and the chef.


Urban Spoon Bistro
Plaza Damas 3,
Jalan Sri Hartamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-6201 2108
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Business hours: Mon - Sun 11:am - 11:00pm