VIN’S,
No. 6, Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 1,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-7725 9053
Business hours: 4.00pm to 2.00am, daily.
REVISITING Vin’s in Taman Tun Dr Ismail brought back memories of the simple Smoked Salmon Bruschetta I had here over a year ago, rousing up an appetite to delight in some of its other dishes, bragged about by customers.
I speak of friends namely Allan Fiddler, a customer who has become a fixture in this neighbourhood restaurant and bar, and can rattle off the best of the best from the menu.
Cajoled by friends to stop over once again, it was time to accept an invitation from director Navin Karu to get up close and personal with what Vin’s had to offer.
It was a pleasant Wednesday night with quite a few tables occupied by families and the happy hour bunch.
Personal recipe: A happy Navin with his rendition of Spicy Lamb Bolognaise.We took our place at the deeper end of the restaurant with Fiddler in sight at the bar.
The combination of rustic walls and nyatoh wood lends the restaurant its warm and cosy glow, dressed up further with custom made chairs and travertine table tops for that touch of elegance.
With the well-mannered Navin at the table, I learnt of his exposure to food as he spent his growing years abroad with his family, trying out cuisines of the world in places he had lived.
Born in Germany and lived there for six years, Navin then spent five years in London before returning to Malaysia for his O-Levels at Gardens International School, Hartamas before pursuing his tertiary studies.
The former Shell I.T. International procurement specialist is a self-confessed food addict, who enjoys cooking pasta and I quickly asked if he would cook me his personal favourite, which he willingly obliged.
While chatting with Navin, 26, we lavished our taste buds with Vin’s Chicken Nachos (RM26.90) which was a pretty plate of nachos tightly wrapped in a web of sour cream strings.
The flavourful nachos, seasoned with Cajun spice was artfully topped with lettuce, cheese and shredded chicken, homemade sour cream and perk-me-up jalapeno.
These baked nachos are topped with freshly made toothsome salsa that packs a punch, giving the dish its delightful tang and refreshing appeal.
Sinful: For dessert, there’s Treacle Cake Pudding with lip smacking vanilla custard.Navin remembered I had tried the Smoked Salmon Bruschetta (RM21) on my last visit and placed an order for it again, adding Brandy Prawn (RM18.50) and Sauteed Mushroom (RM16.90) on toast for us to relish.
I enjoyed the tapas flavours so much, that several days later, I dragged my girlfriends along for a taste of the trio because it was simply unforgettable.
From the appetisers, we tried the Chicken Tikka Masala (RM18), a serving of chunky chicken cubes, seared and cooked in masala sauce with focaccia for diners to lap up the rich flavours.
There are not many soup options here, so it is between Seafood Chowder (RM14.90) or Wild Mushroom Soup (RM12.90) which arrived in a rather large soup plate that emphasised the plate more than the soup.
Noteworthy: Baked Black Cod Teriyaki served with side salad and aglio olio gets thumbs up.But we soon forgot about the plate when the serious stuff rolled out of the kitchen.
It was love at first taste when I savoured the Baked Cod Teriyaki (RM52).
The soft, supple flesh of the cod literally melts in the mouth with the robust flavour of teriyaki, a nice combination with side salad and fettuccine aglio olio.
With our meal, we indulged in a deep violet red Undurraga Sibaris Reserva Especial Merlot from Chile’s Maipo Valley, aged in oak casks to deliver a perfectly blended old character red with fruit flavours.
The wine sat well with the serving of Black Angus (RM54) — air flown US grain fed ribeye steak served with potato salad, accompanied by salad and rich gravy.
While we were enjoying the sumptuous mains, Navin stole off to cook his rendition of Spicy Lamb Bolognaise (RM26.90).
This fusion lamb dish, flavoured with fresh herbs and wild mushrooms arrived a while later, interestingly plated up with a generous amount of spicy lamb bolognaise scooped over flavourful aglio olio.
The aromatic and rich lamb bolognaise, Navin explained is slow cooked for a long period with tomato paste, parsley, onions, garlic, chilli, lamb, cayenne pepper and black pepper as some of its ingredients.
The pizzas here are a real treat as well with thin crust favourites to munch on like salmon, seafood (RM29), beef bacon (RM28), Mogul Masala Pizza (RM28), Skipjack Tuna (RM27), Classic Margarita (RM25) and Pizza Fungi (RM27).
“We can tailor make our portions in the menu according to what the customer wants as we make half portions and charge accordingly,” Navin said when I commented that the portions were quite large.
Regular customers also get a dig out of the restaurant’s Lamb Fried Rice, Mee Mamak, Lamb Masala and Mutton Varuvel which are some of the local flavours on the menu.
Too stuffed after the lengthy affair of food, we had a taste of Vin’s Homemade Tiramisu (RM17.50) and Treacle Cake Pudding (RM15) which we felt would be much lighter than the Elusive Chocolate Truffle Cake (RM16.90) and Classic Cheese Cake (RM17.50).
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
