RANGERS Restaurant,
46 & 48, Ground Floor,
Jalan Temenggung 1/9,
Bandar Mahkota Cheras, Cheras
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-9019 0146 or 012-604 5028
Business hours: 12.30pm to 12.30am, daily.
Pork-free.
STEVEN Sim is one of those who miss the 1980s and often lament that food back then tasted better.
As such, he makes sure everyone who walks into his Rangers Restaurant in Bandar Mahkota Cheras can experience just that by putting attention into sourcing ingredients and preparing delicacies, despite its affordable price.
His passion for good food is infectious and is paying off too, with people in the surrounding neighbourhoods go to his restaurant for authentic and delicious Western delights.
Despite being located away from the city, Rangers’ array of dishes is comparable to that of swanky outlets in town.
Succulent delight:Wagyu Steak prepared to perfect tenderness.Its menu boasts over 100 dishes, including premium wagyu and corn-fed US beef as well as rare deep-sea tiger prawns.
Sim also brings in German beers to complete the dining experience, which he regularly assesses and enhances using knowledge he gathered through his annual food trips overseas.
A chef, who worked at several noted hotels and steakhouses in Kuala Lumpur since 1983, Sim wants the sauces and dippings served at Rangers to be homemade to ensure exclusivity.
“It is not easy to recreate the taste of the good old days. Many things are ready-made nowadays and they have no soul.
“The ingredients too, have to be of good quality and you need to find them one by one, you will not be able to get them all from the same supplier,” he said.
Sim liked to make dishes that were less common; this was exemplified by his version of Smoked Duck Breast that had been a perennial bestseller there.
Festive mood: Flavourful Turkey Drumstick for the festive season.Even without marinating, every bite of the oven-roast duck breast was flavourful, with the meat’s natural sweetness mixing perfectly with the sweet-tangy lemon sauce.
The texture was firm but moist, and blended well with a thin layer of fat attached to a nicely roasted, honeyed skin.
If you are in the mood for some luxury, a giant deep-sea tiger prawn or the Wagyu Steak can certainly satisfy the need, and the pleasant experience will be worth the money paid.
The prawns with sizes stretching up to 15cm has firm and fresh flesh.
Brought in by a friend in Terengganu, these prawns are a rare find and according to Sim, the best catch is only about 100 prawns a year.
The prawn was pan-seared with a pinch of salt to retain its original flavours.
Exclusive indulgence:The giant deep-sea tiger prawn is a treat for seafood lovers.The Wagyu Steak was a memorable experience. The crispy, smoky outer coat of the meat was the first round of pleasure, which was followed by the tenderness of the meat that oozed rich, aromatic juice.
“Our beef is air-flown chilled and sliced upon order to retain its moisture. I choose those with lower marbling so the dish is not too fat and cloying,” he said.
Similarly, the wagyu beef was seared with only a sprinkling of salt.
Other options were to serve it with a red wine sauce or savour it as steak tartare.
“Apart from these, we also cater to special request such as Australian lobster and foie gras but advance booking is required,” he said.
Sim also takes pride in the restaurant’s chicken sausage made the German way.
The sausages are firm and spiced up with a dash of black pepper and they pair well with Rangers’ range of German premium beers.
For Christmas, Rangers has whipped up a special set of turkey drumstick with soup and dessert for RM68.80.
The roast turkey drumstick that tantalised with tender meat was a lovely change.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.