Epicuro, Damansara Uptown: A Delicious Pig Out Affair!

Serving Up Good Food, Coffee and Comfort!

When an engineer decided to chase his culinary dreams, he roped in some of his friends and Epicuro was born. Located in the bustling square of Damansara Uptown, same row as Ambank but further down, Epicuro has been serving up a list of porky dishes aim to please the fans of the swine. Epicuro set its goal as the place devoted to the pursuit of good food, coffee and comfort as stated in their Facebook. True enough, they are what they said to be. Few of us had an evening there and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously with really good food and much comfort.

Walking into the café, Epicuro’s interior was designed by one of the owners himself. Using bold and bright yellow, black and white with a mix of wood, Epicuro exuded a modern contemporary café perfect for a hangout with comfort. Besides the usual tables and chairs, there is a sofa and also some lounge chairs for more comfort seating. Walls are black with fun painted décor. The design is minimal but stands out contemporary.

With our orders in, we quenched out thirst with Raspberry Blackcurrant Smoothie, Iced Jasmine Lime, Iced Raspberry Tea and Mango Smoothie. The smoothies are so yummy here. Others fared decent. They also have excellent coffee here for those needed their caffeine fix.

Soup of the day changes and so we had a Pumpkin Soup (RM12.90) that evening. Silky smooth and savory notes, the pumpkin soup rendered more towards bisque as it was thick and delicious. I like how the sweetness of the pumpkin is controlled as there is only a very slight hint of sweetness with more savory flavors.

We like how Epicuro jazzed up their Caesar Salad. We had the Caesar Salad with added Bacon & Poached Egg (RM17.90) and let me say how awesome it looked like when the platter arrived. Bacon, lots of it, can only mean that this salad is going to be awesome. Wait, that not all… there is a soft poached egg in the middle of the salad waiting to coat each lettuce leave with egg sinfulness.

We fought hard over this salad, or at least I did. I can only blame it on the luscious bacon and sinful poached egg…

Walnut & Almond Salad (RM14.90) is pretty yummy too. Lots of crisp lettuce paired with glazed walnut and almond is dressed in a lightly sweet red wine viniagrette. I like how the salad is covered in lots of grated cheese.

While abroad, I always have a soft spot for pulled pork. I use to find an excuse to go to the jazz festival at east coast New York simply for a taste of pulled pork sandwiches. There would be few stalls of homemade pulled pork sandwiches there to accompany the bands playing jazz in the open concert in the park. Strands of soft pork are simply sauced up and carelessly cramped into buns. Once you sink your teeth into the pulled pork, it’s like a haven of flavors in a bun.

I was pretty happy to find that Epicuro has Pulled Pork Sandwich with added Sunny Side Up Egg (RM16.90). Sinking my teeth into the Pulled Pork Sandwich with soft egg yolk porn brings back so many memories right away. Laced in a sweet rich caramelized bbq sauce, the soft pulled pork is oozing with deliciousness. The sandwich even has coleslaw to add creaminess and comes with a side of salad. They don’t skimp on the pulled pork so that’s added bonus points. I have mentioned earlier in other posts that I can’t stand sandwiches with meagre ingredients. What a yummy sandwich!

If you are on a diet, the Spaghetti Carbonara (RM18.90) would not be advisable but if you are really a true blue foodie, then I highly recommend this dish. Executed with near perfection, the carbonara has bits of bacon and a soft poached egg. Simply mix the soft egg into the pasta and you get strands of al dente pasta laced in a silky creamy sauce. The egg really made the pasta smoother and added more rich flavors to it. Calories aside, this dish is perfect for times when you just needed some luscious comfort flavors.

I love their Pork Ragu Marinara (RM18.90) so much so that I had to order this again when I went back to Epicuro. It’s nothing exciting or new but it’s a darn good plate of marinara. The minced pork is soft and well braised in the marinara which has the perfect balance of savory, sweet and sour notes. Chunky soft vegetables and herbs are also a welcome and made the dish hearty and wholesome.

This plate deserves a double reiteration … it’s a Darn Good Plate of Marinara!!

Conchiglie in Spinach Cream (19.90) sounds pretty unique. When the plate was served, all I could zero in was the bacon. Look at that amount of bacon… it’s enough to make me drool. Shell shaped pasta is smothered in a spinach cream sauce and topped with bacon, sunflower seeds and cheese. The dish is also quite rich and creamy so best bet is to eat this hot and fast.

Epicuro’s Lamb Shank (RM39.90) is much raved by my other foodies with me that night. We find that the lamb shank braised in its own jus and jazzed up with vegetables and herbs a much welcome dish. Usually lamb shanks are braised in thick tomato or wine sauce to give the lamb a stronger flavor but we were really pleased with this version.  The lamb is tender enough and the flavors are lighter and tasty, complimenting the lamb really well. We could taste the lamb minus the gamey smell and a lot of earthy herb flavors. The sauce is light and very flavorful, make the dish easy to enjoy.

This version allows me to enjoy it more. For once I could finish this by myself as normally, other richer ones would be too much for my own consumption. Another worthy mentioned is the cauliflower puree beneath the lamb shank. It’s the most luscious and smoothest cauliflower puree I have ever had, not to mention so flavorful. Using a technique named the Maillard reaction, the cauliflower puree is divine and tasted like a rich thick cream puree. I scraped the plate clean for the puree and the sauce…

The gang also agreed that the Pork Chop (RM28.90) is very good. Two large pieces of pork chops brined and cooked is smothered in a cream mushroom sauce. The boned-on pork chops are tender, moist and flavorful on its own. The sauce is also delicious with lots of bits of mushrooms for earthiness. This one comes with side salad and potato salad. I enjoyed this very much.

By now, I am already convinced that Epicuro certainly knows how to serve up comfort food. The dishes I have tried so far are well executed with touches of homemade flavors injected with modern techniques. Chicken Cacciatore (RM24.90) is another dish that reinforced what comfort food is all about. Boned-in chicken Maryland cooked in a hearty hunter style tomato stewed with lots of onions, bell pepper, mushrooms and olives. Lightly tangy with rich and robust flavors from all the vegetables, the cacciatore has a rustic home cook taste.

Pork Loin Linguine (RM18.90) is linguine served over a very creamy leek sauce with tender slices of pork loin. It is the only dish that I find more cloyingly rich and very creamy. The flavors have a subtle hint of leeks and herbs. Order only if you love rich and creamy…

I like classics and the fact that its pork meatballs, I am pretty much sold on Spaghetti with Meatballs (RM18.90). We got lovely flavorful meatballs served with a creamy tomato sauce on pasta. Pasta cooked to al dente, light creamy sauce and flavorful pork meatballs makes a great combination!

Though Epicuro don’t have much dessert the night we were there, I’d say we are still pretty happy with the two desserts we had. Brownies with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream (RM13.90) and Tiramisu (RM13.90) are both made in-house. Brownies were decent but what wowed us was the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream. Dulce de Leche is slow cooked milk till it reaches a caramelized stage that turns the milk utterly luscious. Here, the chef has cleverly added some salt to bring out the flavors of the milk even more. Needless to say, we fought again for the ice cream.

Tiramisu is another bomb of flavors. Going the alchohol route, the version here is heavily laced with liqueur and soaked with intense espresso. Each spoonful is heavenly…

I really enjoy the hearty dishes at Epicuro. Its simple food made well and the price is very decent. Last weekend, I took my whole family back to Epicuro and they all loved it. We ordered 4 orders of the Pulled Pork Sandwich simply because they loved it so much. I had the Pork Ragu Marinara again and enjoyed it tremendously. We also ordered some of the pasta dishes, Pork Chop, their Big Breakfast set and lots of Tiramisu. Epicuro even has Sous Vide Eggs as a special. My family said they can’t wait to go back again for the hearty fare at Epicuro!

EPICURO

20, Jalan SS21/35,

Damansara Utama

47400 Petaling Jaya

Tel: +603 7733 3110

Facebook: www.facebook.com/epicuro.my

 *More Photos Available in my Facebook: Chasing Food Dreams