Let me ask you a question. What would you do if you heard that the food at a particular restaurant wasn’t so good (either due to quality, or value for money)?
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Avoid it like you would avoid your mother-in-law; or
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For those without a mother-in-law, avoid it like you would avoid your ex-boyfriend (the one who used to pick his nose in public while snorting it out at the same time); or
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Say heck care, I’ll risk being roasted like a squealing pig in hell. Bring it on baby!
Well, I had a precise moment a couple of days ago when Bald Eagle proposed that we go to The Apartment Downtown (the latest Gen Z on the KLCC block) for lunch. With only his word to take (plus the spunky Paprika’s, but that woman went for the soft launch when everything was la-di-da-oh-so-beautiful-dahlink-but-stay-away-from-them-pavlovas), I hesitated. In view of all the negative reviews I had heard about The Apartment at The Curve, I must admit I was a little apprehensive to spend my hard earned ringgit on a potentially unpleasant lunch.
But just as how George W. Bush said “I think the American people – I hope the American – I don’t think, let me – I hope the American people trust me”, similarly, Bald Eagle was inspired by the same genius when he convinced me to “trust him”. That, plus I vaguely remember some vow I made to him several years back.
The Apartment Downtown does not resemble the one at The Curve. This one occupies a large expanse of space – like Giant compared to TMC. I loved the furnishings – muted, a little renaissance but yet modern in feeling, interspersed with comfortable sofas and warm lighting. It’s the kind of place I wouldn’t mind chilling out at with a bunch of good friends.
The menu is actually on a clipboard with several pages of food -enough to confuse the heck outta you. He chose the green chicken curry (RM17.90) consisting of cubed chicken breast pieces cooked in a thick curry broth with toasted chopped cashew nuts. I liked the consistency of this curry. It had a rough, grainy texture and was thick enough to hold onto the slices of ciabatta bread provided on the side. The colour was a little too green though, but like they say, don’t judge a book by its cover.
My stuffed squid (RM18.90) was interesting. Thankfully, they got the cooking down to a pat as the squid had a nice bite to it. Cut open, it revealed a crumbly filling made of parmesan cheese, shallots, mint and parsley. But mostly parmesan. The fragrance was released the moment I cut into it. I would have preferred that the ingredients held together better, as I had crumbs all over the table (it’s amazing how them crumbs can fly so far), but as far as flavour was concerned, I liked the chunky tomato sauce that was drizzled over the squid and how it took away the monotony of taste in that dish.
I chose a side dish of mashed potatoes (RM5.90) which was pretty errrr…..potato-ey. Which is a good thing. I would have preferred a teensy bit more butter in it, though. But to each his own.
The peanut butter and kaya crepe (RM9.90) was splendid. The crepe was basically slathered with peanut butter before being rolled up with dollops of thick gooey kaya thrown on top. Lovely. Sadly, there were only four pieces, a very small portion for two great fans of peanut butter and kaya.
The verdict? Sometimes, you just gotta trust your man.
The Apartment Downtown
Lot G48 & 139, Ground & First Floor,
Suria KLCC, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.
For reservations, call: 03-2166 2257
Interior at The Apartment Downtown
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Green chicken curry
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Ciabatta bread served with green chicken curry
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Stuffed squid
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Stuffed squid revealed
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Mashed potato
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Peanut butter and kaya pancake
