Mulberry Restaurant and Bar, Jalan Ampang: A Charming Hidden Modern European Restaurant!

If Charlie Chaplin is still around, He would be darn Proud of Mulberry!

Every once in a while, I discovered places that left me truly satiated in my gastronomic world. I always believed that there are many beautiful restaurants, cafes and kopitiams to be discovered serving honest to goodness food but often these places needed to be uncovered. Mulberry Restaurant and Bar is one of them.

Revamped previously from my first visit, it had an allure of charm when it was The Speakeasy. After newly renovated and arising as a newborn, Mulberry Restaurant and Bar is now oozing with an eccentric charisma of restaurant cum bar back to the good old days. The newly refurbished Mulberry has gone the extra mile to go back to clean and slate designs, showing off certain chic and contemporary designs to the whole place. Various wall panels of bricks and cements are really a tribute to the era of old American times where movies were once black and white. Brushing up additional elements of that era, posters of the infamous Charlie Chaplin are seen around the restaurant while wood and leather furniture added more classic appeal.

The bar is simply gorgeous! Ingeniously decorated with minimal design, it’s the play on the lighting that attracts one’s attention. Rows after rows of colored liqueur and wine bottles are displayed to show off the whole bar. What impressed me was the long and spacious bar, allowing guests to hang out for some R&R moments at ease. There are private rooms available for some privacy dining else the whole restaurant is also spaciously designed for maximum comfort.

Another attractive wall with a huge backdrop of Mulberry brought forth a sense of rustic and back-to-basic appeal. I am truly charmed again with the new ambience at Mulberry!

Mulberry now serves up modern European and Classic Malaysian dishes to cater to its business crowd in that bustling business area. Serving Executive lunch sets during business hours, Mulberry takes a turn in the evening to more modern European dishes with a little mix of Malaysian favorites. With a capacity of 118 pax and a 12 pax private dining room, it is the perfect place for business or personal functions and dine-in. The brilliant team behind Mulberry also offers catering services. The menu is devised by Chef Rajesh and showcases very delectable selections of various classic from French to Italian and even Swedish.

The Boss Chicken Satay

Hitting high notes with our national favorite is satay! You get thick chunky pieces of well marinated and grilled to perfection chicken satay served with a chunky peanut sauce and side condiments. I adored how one can bite into an extremely juicy and succulent thigh meat so well flavored with a smoky edge.  An order of this is almost a meal itself for small eaters. While the sauce is good enough, the satay is just as awesome on its own!

Garlic Bread

Unusual like the classic, this one uses a base dough similar to a pizza dough. Thin and crisp, the flavors are a little bit on the saltier side but it is certainly great munchies to go with beers. Be prepared for a hit of garlic sensation for this one…

Four Cheese Pizza

It’s the fantastic four of cheeses…cheddar, Gouda, mozzarella and fresh buffalo mozzarella! Crusty and cheesy, it simply cannot get better than this amalgamation of cheeses. Salty cheddar and Gouda is balanced out with the stringy mozzarella while the fresh buffalo mozzarella is just sumptuously good. If I wasn’t saving tummy space, this is pure comfort food for my soul…

Scallop Foie Gras

Heading to more starters, we all were thoroughly impressed with this opulence starter. Brilliant pairing of fresh seared scallops with seared goose liver is one of my favorite that night. The oceanic sweetness and the smoky and creamy foie gras are balanced with pickled crunchy pumpkins and sweet tangy onion marmalade. It’s not only beautiful at sight but beautiful at taste!

Teriyaki Glazed Slipper Lobster

The twist to the teriyaki sauce on the lobster is lovely. Cooked till just right, the slipper lobster is juicy and firm while the addition of seared foie gras is always much welcome. The sweet syrupy notes are further enhanced with a spicy mango salsa and balsamic reduction. I certainly wouldn’t mind a reorder…

Country Style Gradvalax Home Smoked Salmon

This dish was just Perfect! In my book that is… smoked by the chef himself, the smoked salmon is amazingly beautiful in texture. Do not expect the salmon to be the same as store bought smoked salmon. Instead one gets melt-in-the-mouth creamy salmon that had just the perfect flavor. I adored the cured salmon with herbs as it really goes so delicately well with the dill potato relish, pickled onions, crème fraiche and caviar. One gets creamy, tangy, sweet and savory flavors with tiny globules of salty black caviar in this dish. Highly recommended by yours truly!!

Grilled Jumbo Prawns

If you are a prawn fanatic, you will enjoy this for its sweet and juicy prawn texture and flavors. Strangely paired with orange clove emulsion but it seemed to work. The citrus notes of the intense sauce jazzed up the prawns nicely while the red chicory sauerkraut added a refreshing texture to the crustacean. Kudos for the bright orange color roes for extra flavors…

Seared Salmon on Lobster

Diving into mains, we savored another lavish pairing of salmon with lobster. A large wedge of crisp seared salmon sat on lobster and broccoli in a creamy leek veloute. Noteworthy of the dish lies in the salmon that was cooked just right with crisp skin and soft just cooked center. Boosting up the dish in a unique way was the relish of cucumber and artichoke that provided a nice tangy note to the creamy leek veloute and salmon.

Duck Confit

Imagine the flavors of duck rendered in its own fats at slow temperature till unctuously gorgeous and melt-in-the-mouth tender. Preserved till it’s ordered, the duck is pan fried till it produces a crispy golden skin while the inside remains moist and so flavorful. What can I say but thumbs up for this well executed French classic served with mashed potato, potato curronne, wilted watercress and port wine sauce. Deliriously delicious!!

Spiced Brine Braised Lamb Shank

A gargantuan lamb shank braised till tender, this dish is served with carrot and pea risotto, preserved mushrooms and semi dried tomato gravy. Though the meat is flavorful, I personally felt it could do with a bit more braising for a softer texture. Other than that, the risotto with the gravy is so good that we polished off these happily.

Grilled Spring Chicken

Despite its plain looking colors, the spring chicken is moist and tender. A nice pair of breast and leg combination, the accompanying truffle mashed potato, glazed baby carrot, broccoli and cepe mushroom froth made this dish a good chicken dish with lots of warmth.  You definitely can’t go wrong with this chick!

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

I love how Mulberry makes a pairing of meat and seafood in their dishes. This utterly delectable piece of beef tenderloin is paired up with the opulent seared foie gras again. Going bold in flavors, chef Rajesh amped up the flavors by adding Camembert and Gorgonzola polenta as it sidekick. To soften and sweetened up the dish, poached pears are added and a cinnamon red wine reduction finished the dish. Despite the strong cheeses, the flavors are not overpowering. The tenderloin cooked to medium went beautifully with the sweet poached pears. A match made in heaven!

Check out Mulberry Sangria, a nice punched up wine and fruit combination!

Mulberry definitely has a lot of potential in the gourmet industry. It just needed to be known as the dishes here are truly sumptuous. One gets a really good portion and quality is top notch. Prices for main courses run from RM42 to RM65. If you are looking for a great restaurant to take your loved ones, brave the traffic and check out Mulberry Restaurant and Bar at Ming Annexe KL, Jalan Ampang. The evidence of its plus points is in the dishes and ambience!

*Stay tune for their Christmas Menu! 

MULBERRY RESTAURANT AND BAR

9, Ming Annexe,

Jalan Ampang, Lebuh Ampang,

59000 Kuala Lumpur

Phone: +603 2078 8830

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mulberrykl

Business hours: Mondays to Fridays 10am to 10pm