Gastro Sentral,
Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur,
2 Jalan Stesen Sentral,
Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2263 7434
Business hours: (Daily) 11.00am to midnight.
WHEN dining in a hotel, price and the variety of food are usually the debate among friends when it comes to considering which fancy place to go to.
More often than not, the service charge and tax can take up a significant part of the bill if a group of friends or family tries out a posh restaurant.
Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur executive chef Antoine Rodriguez said many people prefer to dine at fast-food restaurants and stalls as the food is cheaper, even if it involves having to endure the blistering heat.
“It is not a nice feeling when you see the price on the menu and then when you get the bill, the price is probably another RM10 extra after tax,” he said.
This gave Rodriguez an idea to produce the same variety of food at Gastro Sentral but to list nett prices on the menu — to prevent a ‘shock’ at the end of a meal.
“This means customers pay exactly what is stated on the menu,” he said, adding that the concept in the casual dining restaurant had caught many by surprise.
The menu at the contemporary joint contains an array of dishes that diners can relate to.
Savoury start: Spiced OxtailSoup served with a thick slicedof bread.
The outlet opens its doors an hour before noon, but Rodriguez said it was never too late to serve breakfast.
“If you wake up late with a hangover and don’t mind eating breakfast while others have lunch, then come to us, we will feed you well,” said the chirpy Frenchman.
The breakfast here comprises Fried Egg and Bacon, Homemade Granola, French Toast, Truffle Scrambled Egg and Pumpkin and Polenta Bread.
If that does not work for you, dive into the Black Angus Sirloin Steak served with sunny side up, baked beans on toasted ciabatta bread and homemade potato hash with roasted bell pepper.
From 5pm onwards, the outlet’s tapas menu is available. There are 11 dishes to choose from.
We tried the Asian Spiced Lamb Meatballs, Sautéed Mushroom with Garlic, Cod Croquettes, Garlicky Shrimp with Olive Oil, Smoked Salmon and Avocado Cream Cornet but my favourite were the Homemade Nachos served in a bag with a classic Tzaitziki dip.
Instead of trying to look for a seat during lunch in the busy KL Sentral area, make a trip to Gastro Sentral, which caters to everything from the Western delights to hawker favourites.
Unique: Gastro Sentral’s Prawn Satay ismarinated with the same spices used inthe chicken and beef version.
Some of its mid-day and dinner favourites are the Gnocchetti Sardi tossed with ‘Appu Ramu’ butter chicken, 22-hour Braised Wagyu Cheek, Uncle Chai’s Famous Curry Mee, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Burger@Sentral, Spiced Oxtail Soup, Caesar Salad served with either chicken, skirt steak or lobster and Big Ben’s Bangers and Mash.
On weekends, give their new Seafood Rules menu a try but be prepared for the huge platters.
At the review, we shared a platter for four which came with 12 fresh oysters, 12 boiled tiger prawns, four boiled halved Sabah spiny lobster, eight Pacific jumbo clams and four whole flower crab.
It is served with four dressings — Spicy Bloody Mary Pimiento Aioli, Salsa Verde, Shallot Vinaigrette and Sweet Thai Coriander Chilli.
The list continues with a bowl of mussels in lemongrass and Thai basil broth, Italian Fristo Misto di Mare and the Fried Kung Po Squid with dried Chilli and Cashew Nuts.
For RM440, the seafood platter also comes with two jugs of Carlsberg draught and free-flow of shoestring fries.
The platter is also available in two other sizes priced at RM220 for two persons and RM660 for six persons.
If you still have room for dessert, try their Pink Peppercorn Pavlova served with strawberries, chantilly and basil syrup or the Apple Crumble served with rich vanilla ice-cream and cinnamon sauce.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
