IR 1968 @ Lorong Nibong, KL

THE new place in town for upmarket Indonesian food......

This is another invited food review... so, you have been warned. As usual, here are my disclaimers:
1) I have not been paid to write this, but neither have I paid a cent for my meal,
2) I will still be as objective as possible re. the food/ restaurant, and
3) If I go back to the restaurant incognito and find that the food/service is horribly different from this experience, I will amend my ratings here...

Okie? :)

Anyway, this time, a bunch of us food bloggers were kindly welcomed by Miss Poesy Liang to the new 4 in 1** food "terrace" is located in a (renovated) old bungalow, just behind the famed Hock Choon supermarket, off Jalan Ampang:
(** 3 restaurants: Japanese - Fukuhara, Italian - Il Divo, Indochine - IR1968, and 1 cafe/poolside bar - Illy)
Just outside the Terrace at Hock Choon.....
That day, we were going to try out the Indonesian restaurant there, IR1968, located in the upper right corner of the building:
Up to IR1968.....
I really liked the decor of the restaurant - classy yet unpretentious with stark concrete floors and simple white walls contrasted against the striking Asian fixtures and wooden furnishings:
The interior.....
They also had a more casual balcony area outside - looks like a good place for drinks on a cool night after work:
Al fresco area.....
The handsome and multi-talented part owner/ chef/ waiter!*lol* of IR1968, Hudson Chang and his Malaysian (business) partner Debbie Goh explained that "IR" simply stands for Indonesian Restaurant and 1968 was the year when the original restaurant was first opened in Hong Kong:
Beautiful plates.....
(Apparently the Hong Kong branches is very famous amongst HK residents and serves gloriously delicious pork satays, which they don't have in KL because they decided to go Halal... *wail*)

They served us a quite a wide variety of their fusion Indonesian-Chinese*** specialties:
(*** Hudson says that the recipes are essentially Indonesian but because he/his family are Chinese and have lived in HK for so long, there have been some influences)

- Tahu Goreng Telur (RM 18++)
Healthy tofu.....
Simple preparation and tasted pretty good - cubes of tofu topped with fragrant fried egg and julienned vegatables mixed with a chunky peanut sauce.

- Semur Lidah (RM 32++)
The tongue.....
This was the highlight of the meal, for me (and almost everyone else, I think!).

Here's a closer look:
Glorious tongue.....
Although I am usually a bit squeamish about eating tongue, OMG - it was glorious! Melt in mouth tender and so tasty - a succulent product of being lovingly stewed for 8+ hours....
(Warning: The serving is not very big for the price loh.... *pout*)

Cod with Spicy Sauce (RM ? - new! not on the menu yet):
Cod.....
Nice but again, the serving is kinda small - a delicate cod, tender inside, crispy outside on top of a slightly thick sauce which tastes like a mild version of chili crab sauce.

Ayam Asam Kacang (RM 22++)
Crispy chicken.....
Another highlight of the meal - sounds so normal but the combination of crispy chicken+plum sauce+chunky ground peanuts tasted great.

Ikan Asam (RM 38++)
Big bowl of assam fish.....
Not bad - deep fried fish fillets in a fairly thick, spicy and sour sauce, a bit salty on its own but great with rice.
(Evil!)

Fried Kailan - 2 ways (RM ? - new! not on the menu yet)
Chinese style veg.....
Here the aforementioned Chinese influence is evident. While the preparation of the kai lan is fairly normal, it tasted quite nice - fresh, and not too oily.

Coconut Prawns (RM ? - new! not on the menu yet)
Prawns peeking out of the coconut, "Hello!".....
Nice - the prawns were big & fresh and the slightly creamy curry sauce was fragrant without being too spicy.
(I am afraid to guess how much it would cost though, when they do decide to add it to the menu)

Nasi Santan (RM 5++)
Sinful rice.....
A yummy complement to the meal (especially the curries) but WAH, it's so expensive!
(Interesting presentation though!)

Es Cendol (RM 12++)
Cendol.....

Pisang Goreng and Nenas Goreng with Es Krim (RM 12++ each)
Banana and Pineapple fritters.....
All the desserts were only OK....
(Not that they were bad, just ordinary, and kinda overpriced)

Ok. So the food is kinda expensive.
Still, I guess it's a good place to impress a date or to entertain business associates. Or if (roughly) 90 bucks a person for a meal is spare change to you, then you can just eat here every day. :)

Thanks for extending the invite, FBB! *waves*

So it's: Yummy Indonesian food (glorious tongue!), beautiful ambience BUT it's kinda expensive and the surrounding area (Jalan Ampang specifically) can be pretty jammed during peak hours....

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

IR 1968 @ Lorong Nibong, KL
Terrace at Hock Choon
1st Floor, 241-B, Lorong Nibong
Off Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur

Taste: 7
Ambience : 7
Service : 7
Price** : RM 75/++ per person
Parking: OK

Website: Click here

** Approximation - Per person, 3 course meal without drinks

Telephone No.: 017-883 2160 or 03-2141 3550
Opening Hours: 11am to late

NO PORK SERVED

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- Lots Of Cravings
- Books@Me
- Have Your Cake and Eat It Too
- PureGlutton

TAGS:Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Indonesian, Indochine, IR 1968,Indonesian Restaurant 1968, Terrace at Hock Choon, Lorong Nibong, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, KL