WIP Takes the Cake on The Outlet of the Year Award!
Tis the Season for the Holidays, where friends and family, colleagues and business acquaintances, love ones and foodies gather to celebrate the season of much happy gatherings and eating escapades! In welcoming the nearest holiday season of Christmas, everyone is just busy buzzing for presents, gatherings and food preparation for the big day, so why not ease the journey by letting others settle the food for you?
Recently, Guinness Anchor Berhad (GAB) set out on a quest to find the top outlets in Malaysia which offer the best in quality, service, entertainment and ambience through the inaugural HAPA-GAB Excellence Awards 2012. Out of 69 outlets from the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor that participated in the awards program, these 4 outlets on this list have proven themselves to be the best of the best.
WIP, Bangsar Shopping Center - Outlet of the Year Award for 2012 followed by SOULed Out at Sri Hartamas as Gold Winner, Service Excellence. The Beer Factory took home the Gold Winner, Best Entertainment Outlet and Chin’s Stylish Chinese Cuisine in Penang walked aways with Gold Winner, Best Product Quality and Gold Winner, Most Innovative Guest Experience.
Crowned the Outlet of the Year at the inaugural HAPA-GAB Excellence Awards 2012, WIP is a the ultimate Christmas holiday destination for anyone who wants to celebrate Christmas in a coastal resort setting without having to travel out of the city. Located in the heart of Bangsar Shopping Centre, WIP is no secret to many for serving great hearty dishes of Western, Asian and Northern Indian cuisine coupled with gorgeous mojitos and an eclectic contemporary ambience tinted with Mother Nature. Read my first experience here.
We were treated to a kaleidoscope of WIP signatures paired with GAB’s black gold Guinness Foreign Extra and Strongbow that night. From appetizers to snacks and main course, we also had desserts to sweeten up the evening.
It’s without a doubt that mojitos are their best-sellers at WIP, so we had to start off the night with some creative mojitos! Strawberry and Coconut Mojito was fruity and tangy with cubes of Nata de coco while Cucumber Mojito was refreshing and delicious! There are plenty of creative mojito concoctions so make sure to savor one…
Cocktails are never enough to get through the evening! We paid tribute to liquid black gold Guinness stout, Guinness Foreign Extra served warm and icy sensation Strongbow, my favorite apple cider beer!
Mutton Varuval
Be spiced up with a spicy boneless mutton curry bursting with chili and spices. Cooked till fork-tender, the pieces of mutton are perfect with pieces of hot Naan and beer! I kept going back for more…
Mushroom and Spinach Pizza
Pizzas are always a crowd favorite at WIP. The version here features nice medium thin crusty pizza dough topped with oodles of fillings. This vegetarian version may be simple in filling but flavors are deliciously packed with earthy smoky mushrooms partnering nicely with the soft wilted creamy spinach. Hot melted Mozzarella cheesy goodness with a light tomato sauce sealed the deal.
Chicken Chimichanga
While others kept thinking of the carbohydrate in this giant Mexican Chimichanga, I dived straight into it with much happiness. Flour tortilla stuffed with chicken, cheese & pepper is flaky and delicious. Topped a little spicy salsa sauce and savor it piping hot to enjoy maximum flavors!
Kakiage
Taking its inspiration from Japanese snacks, Kakiage is a simple and delicious concoction of tempura battered shredded vegetables served with sambal mayonnaise. Its thoroughly crispy and light!
Portobello Mushroom with Chili Butter
Appearance can be deceiving for a dish like this. These ordinary looking grilled mushrooms packed quite a punch in flavors. Bite into a burst of earthy juiciness as the Portobello mushrooms are utterly smoky and sweet with a lovely buttery taste. Four caps can be a nice small meal on its own with a light salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
The Espetada Collection
It’s a conspiracy! The Beef, Lamb, Chicken and Seafood gathered together for a conspiracy to entice our taste buds…
Enjoy sumptuously marinated traditional Portuguese meat and seafood charbroiled to smoky goodness. Served with sides of grilled vegetables and potato wedges, the meats and seafood are paired with several sauces like Black Pepper, Mushroom, Garlic, Whole Grain Mustard, White Peppercorn and Barbeque.
It’s a tough choice to choose a favorite when the lamb is robust and hits the meaty note while the chicken was flavorful and moist. Prawns, Squid and Cod Fish crowned the Espetada family with an unctuous note of smoky intense spice notes with a light heat. Sirloin was OMG good with pink tenderness, utter moistness and salty beef goodness!
Sang Har Mein
This is a signature WIP crowd favorite! Freshwater blue leg prawns are cooked in thick egg gravy to coat deep fried thin ‘Sang Mein’. The rich sweetness of the prawns is what makes this dish delectable and WIP has certainly whipped up a beautiful one. I adored the heavy egg gravy that coated the noodles into silky slurping goodness. Hints of soothing sweet prawn notes lavished the dish with great opulence. Definitely whipped into place beautifully!
Nasi Goreng Petai
Wait a minute… stinky bean fried rice? Yes… served in all its full aromatic glory with fried chicken, mixed fruit chutney and crispy keropok. Unexpectedly appealing in flavors at full speed, hits of wok heat, spicy flavors and aromatics are simply bold in presence. Lots of textures going on with the fluffy moist rice, meat and seafood, side salad and crispy textures from the crackers. Even if I am not a fan of Petai, I am definitely sold on this dish for its brazen flavors!
Branzino
This was the only dish that didn’t shine as much to my flavors. Despite its thick piece of barramundi being nicely cooked, the flavors were a bit light compared to other dishes. This dish is served with potatoes, vegetables and bisque sauce.
Roasted Caribbean Chicken
A whole chicken Maryland cut marinated with spices was nicely oven roasted and served with sides and garlic sauce. It’s a nice classic dish made well. The chick was laced with enough spices to exude comfort food. My only gripe is that the chicken could do with a bit more moistness but that is easily remedied with the side of roasted garlic sauce.
Chicken Makanwala
My soft spot for Northen Indian boils down to this dish. Chicken Makanwala echoed my favorite butter chicken where boneless pieces of chicken are drowned in creamy butter spiced gravy. The butter gravy is bashfully delicate and delicious. Garnering more flavors are its sidekicks of Chana Masala, Aloo Methi, crispy papadums, Naan or Briyani rice. It’s a hearty meal with intricate spice flavors.
Tropical Fruit Pavlova
Wow… is the best word to describe this dessert! Spectacular at sight and in taste, a light airy meringue is baked to perfection and filled with a luscious creamy coconut cream filling. Dressed with tropical colors of dragon fruit, mango, orange and passion fruit, a bite of this will send your senses to a heavenly oblivion of sweet, sour and fruity. It’s a dessert that you Do Not want to share. Do yourself a favor and order this heavenly dessert… it is simply a MUST!
Trio Crème Brulee
The threesome of Passion Fruit, Ginger and Vietnamese Chocolate crème brulees are for those who loved baked custard. Out of the three, my favorite is the passion fruit for its tangy sweet notes. Ginger has a light hint of the root while the chocolate is bittersweet with a deep raw cocoa flavor. It’s not too sweet and has a nice crusty caramelized sugar crust.
The Team responsible for this winning restaurant!
There are just so much more signatures available at WIP that awaits your palate. It is simply a one-of-its-kind restaurant that everything feels so comfortable, beautiful and delicious. Let’s not forget innovative cocktails, wines, champagnes, spirits, beers and KL’s widest range of Mojitos. This Outlet of the Year Award by HAPA-GAB Excellence Award 2012 is well deserved.
**More pictures at my Facebook @ChasingFoodDreams
WIP
Lot G111, Ground Floor,
Bangsar Shopping Centre,
285 Jalan Maarof,
Bukit Bandar Raya,
59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03 2094 1789 / 2789 (reservations)
Fax: 03 2094 3789
Email: ask@wip.com.my
Website: www.wip.com.my
Operational Hours
Mondays - Sundays: Noon till closing
Nice shot of the Espetada! It was too elusive for me that night, haha!
ReplyDeleteThks Chris! :D
DeleteCan't beat a bit of bubbly to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteoh yes! Bubblies are always much welcome... ;)
DeleteHmmm....Chocolate creme brulee not really enticing me, I still prefer the original flavor :P
ReplyDeleteoo.. I like the Passion Fruit brulee more but the Pavlova is just awesome!!
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