Vin's Restaurant & Bar @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL

I submitted this to The Star but it never got published... so waste not! I really like this restaurant :) ....

My friends and I are always on the lookout for new restaurants to try, so when I heard about Vin's in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, we headed over there for dinner.

It's located in the Datuk Sulaiman area of TTDI (near the TTDI mosque), just a stone's throw away from the main TTDI shophouse area. From the outside, it looks pretty low key with its muted, earthy color scheme but it is the first fancy looking restaurant on that block of shops, so don't worry - it's pretty hard to miss:
Just outside Vin's....
I liked that it was comfortable, fairly quiet and relatively smoke free inside, despite being somewhat of a pub/bar setting. I suppose this would be entirely reliant on who happens to be dining at the same time as you though.
(On the night that I was there, it was mostly families and yuppies)
Comfortable ambience inside....
There's a fairly extensive menu of Western food ranging from pub fare (eg. bangers and mash, fish & chips) to Italian (eg. pizza, pastas) and some Asian dishes.
(It seems like almost every Western restaurant in Malaysia just HAS to have Italian on the menu, doesn't it?)

We started off the night with a few appetizers to share:
- Mushroom Soup (RM 12.90++):
Creamy mushroom soup....
Nothing to really fault about this classic soup - the texture was a medium creaminess, and flavourful enough without being too salty.

- Chicken Nachos (RM 26.90++):
Ay caramba....
This mix of crunchy nachos and juicy sliced chicken breast slathered with a tomato salsa, melted cheese, chili, sour cream and lettuce, was a crowd pleaser that night and disappeared in mere moments.
(If there's only one thing bad about this though, is that I found the serving a bit small for that price)

- Mushroom Bruschetta (6 pieces) (RM 16.90++):
Mushrooms atop bread - delicious....
This is such a simple dish, found in many restaurants, but Vin's executed it well - The chunky slice of bread was crisp and not starchy (yay!), topped with a mix of sliced mushrooms, garlic, spices and cheese that was tasty without being too salty.

As for the mains:
- We tried both the Beef Burger (RM 25++) and the Grilled Chicken Burger (RM 22++):
Chunky beef patty....
Tasty chicken burger....
Both came served with some yummy chunky french fries, and I liked that both patties tasted freshly made and were fairly juicy. Out of the 2, I preferred the chicken burger, as it came with a generous slice of half melted cheese. :)

- Spicy Tuna Pizza (RM 27++):
Crunchy thin crust pizza....
What a nice surprise - the pizza base was perfectly crunchy and not starchy. There was also an adequate amount of juicy toppings (spicy tuna, capsicum, onions and cheese), making it a nice meal. Of course, those that dislike fishy flavours had better stay away from this dish - It is topped with tuna, after all. :)

- Pasta Carbonara (RM 25.90++)
Decadent pasta....
I was feeling naughty and chose to have the sinful pasta carbonara that night. :)

OMG. It was luxuriously creamy, with the pasta done just right (al dente). I would warn against trying to finish this all on your own though, because as delicious as it is, it is also really filling.

- Mee Mamak (RM 18++):
More carbs....
If you, for some reason, feel like having something Asian here instead, you can opt for the Mee Mamak which they claim is one of their specialties. Overall, it tasted pretty nice and comes in a really big serving but I found it a bit too spicy for my tastebuds and without the extra oomph of smokey wok hei (wok fried fragrance).

- Chocolate Lava (RM 16.90++):
Chocolatey dessert....
Despite eating so much already, we decided to share a dessert, or more like, I insisted we did, as I love desserts!. The moist chocolate fondant, nicely gooey in the middle, balanced well with the vanilla ice cream and was a nice way to end the night.

What a night! :)
I almost had to roll myself back to the car but definitely had a good time stuffing my face and catching up with my friends in this comfortable restaurant.
(I've been back a couple more times after that, and even organised a company department dinner there - gotta say wow! They are really consistent in quality!)

So it's: Friendly service, comfortable ambience, good range of Western and Asian dishes BUT nothing bad really, just that some of the pricing seems to be on the high side......

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Vin's Restaurant & Bar @ TTDI, KL

No. 6, Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 1,
Taman Tun Dr.Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur

Taste: 7
Ambience : 7
Service : 7
Price** : RM 50++ per person
Parking: OK

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks

Telephone No.: 03-7725 9053‎
Opening Hours: 4pm - 2am everyday (Lunch or other times by special booking only)

NO PORK SERVED

MAP:

View Larger Map

OTHER REVIEWS:
- joshuaongys.com
- careless little hamster
- the yum list
- ewinee.com
- The Ruthless Eater

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Vin's Restaurant & Bar, Western, TTDI, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL, Kuala Lumpur