The Dinner
"That's such a strange location for a restaurant famous for it's pork dishes....", I thought to myself... "It's on top of an Islamic Bank!"
Anyway, overall the location of the new Riblees is pretty convenient and easy to find. It's perched on top of the Al Rajhi Bank in the main Hartamas area
(And of course, when I don't say "free" I don't mean that it is easy to find parking there - it's usually very hard actually - but at least you don't have to pay for it)
(Need another landmark?: It's more or less right behind the Hartamas outlet of the tacky disco gym - True Fitness)
(** Update in 2010: Sorry this is no longer applicable. Parking ticket meter machine thingies have been installed since last year - it's not expensive but still, free is better, right?)
As for the interior, it is nice - comfortable and classy, without being too extravagant. You can choose between the romantic indoor area or the more relaxed outdoor balcony area:
(The lighting was a bit dim though so please forgive the bad photos)
There is a pretty extensive menu of Western dishes, mainly focusing on pork. After some deliberation, we started off the night with the Nachos, Honey Squid and Bacon Quesidillas:
Overall, the starters were just OK.
(Lenny had been raving about how the Nachos were nice so I suppose I was expecting a bit too much)
The prices were fair for the serving size and the taste was pretty good for the nachos and the quesidillas (although I was hard pressed to find any bacon in it) but I found the deep fried honey squid cloyingly sweet and a bit too sticky.
For the mains, we chose the Nori Pork Steak and Riblees' specialty - the Baby Back Ribs:
I was curious about this fusion pairing of Nori (Japanese seaweed), cheese and pork. It sounded interesting but I must say that when I tasted it, I was pretty let down. The texture of the pork was ok - not very tender but definately not dry either (medium tenderness) - but the combination of the cheese and the nori with the pork was too salty for my tastebuds.
The main thing though is that I detest being served what looks like the typical supermarket mixed frozen vegetables on the side - not just that I don't like how it tastes, but I think it shows a lack of care/ passion in the preparation the overall dish.
The Baby Back Ribs on the other hand, is a better choice.
The ribs are pretty big and comes served with a side of curly fries, corn on the cob as well as a teeny salad and barbeque sauce. As with the pork steak, the meat was fragrant but not as tender as I would have liked. I have to say though - it is really worth the price (RM29++) for the size and I wouldn't mind ordering it again the next time I get a craving for something meaty.
Oh, I forgot to take a photo of it but the Creamy Prawn Pasta at Riblees is delicious! - a generous serving of thick, fragrant carbonara pasta topped with several BIG prawns. It's a bit too much for one person to finish (you may get "jelak" about half way through) but I'm definately going to try my level best the next time I go back.
:)
As for dessert we chose the Chocolate Mudcake Ala Mode and the Hot Chocolate Sundae:
Nothing much to comment about these actually - they were nothing special... Just a simple way to cap off the night if you have to have dessert. If not, don't bother.
So it's: Simple, comfortable setting with friendly staff, good range of food (except desserts) and generous portions BUT only tastes OK and small selection of desserts and wine.
Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:
Riblee's @ Wisma CKL, Mont Kiara (on top of the Al Rahji Bank)
Taste: 6
Ambience : 6
Service : 6
Price** : RM 50/++ per person
Parking: Painful at peak hours
** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-6201 0180
Opening Hours: 12noon to 3pm, 5pm till late
NOT HALAL
OTHER REVIEWS:
- Chong's Loft
- Pasan Kia
- It's A Mei Leng's World
- chouB's corner ;)
- Serendipity In The Making
TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Hartamas, Mont Kiara, Riblee, Riblees, KL, Kuala Lumpur
Posts
Really?? I had the baby back ribs, and it was one of the worst I've had (I've tried Checkers, Rib Shop, Tony Roma's in Singapore). It was the dry type of ribs, not the American Tony Roma's type. You're right about the saltiness. There was not much taste on the ribs, just salty!
ReplyDeleteAnd we also ordered this fish dish soaked in some kind of vegetable soup. Nasty! The fish and soup tasted fishy and the vegetables (some kind of sprouts) were unchewable.
One of the worst meals ever..
My husband not islam but he doesnt eat pork, so I dont think I will go this restaurant. But thanks for reviews.
ReplyDeleteAh- the one I missed.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, will be out of town again this weekend - diving :)
-hugs-
it was kinda forgettable..had it a couple of times...the baby back ribs is dry and i think the menu states so.. the wildboar ribs is quite nice also.. and so was the black pepper 1..
ReplyDeleteBeen meaning to go there for quite some time, will have to try it out.
ReplyDeleteto dan:
ReplyDeleteWell, it's supposed to be the "dry style" of ribs though, right?
:)
Anyway, it sounds like you had a bad bad experience there!
(You poor thing... )
I suppose they really need to clean up their menu - some things are nice and some seem to be really bad.
to maria:
Thanks!
:)
Don't eat pork??
How come?
Anyway, there are some non-pork dishes there that are worth trying (like the prawn pasta) but not many choices.
to sneexe:
Yups...
Well, there'll be other times..
:)
And it wasn't really THAT great anyway so you didn't miss that much.
*hugs*
Hope to see you soon though!
to "joe" who is constantly craving:
Yeah... but the servings are pretty big so my carnivorous guy friends love the place.
:)
Oh well - it's still worth a try through, don't you think?
to shaolintiger:
I hope you'll have a good experience when you do go there to try the food - so far, it sounds like the general consensus is the food there's just not that great overall.
:)
Well, it's still worth a try I guess.
Oh never try this one before.
ReplyDeleteto tankiasu:
ReplyDeleteGo try the porky dishes there lah!
:)
The taste is not so great but the price is pretty reasonable so it's ok to try it out.