Dining Out @ Amuleto by Crystal Jade, Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur

I can't wait to get my hands on that slurpilicious soup

Like I mentioned earlier this week, food selections last weekend seemed to be pretty dissapointing. I reckon it was all bad karma as almost everything we tried was just mediocre or plain terrible. However, at the end of the weekend, I did get to sample D'lish's new menu offerings. Didn't snap any pictures at all but that was definitely the most satisfying meal. I love the new salads - the roast cauliflower salad is my favourite and the Vietnamese pho beef noodles is also great comfort food for the soul.

dissapointing spaghetti alio oglio

We were looking for a new place to try and found this place along Mid Valley Megamall's row of restaurants that face the Boulevard area. Next to Seed Cafe, this is the Western attempt by Crystal Jade, the Singapore restaurant renowned for their Chinese offerings especially xiu loong paus, roast pork, roast duck and dim sum.


ok-lah cheesy baked rice

Although they claim to serve "casual chic dining", the food here is a mish mash of current trends i.e. the Hong Kong cafe style food aka char chan teng food, chocolate fountain, chocolate fondue, tapas items and etc. However, instead of the noisy casual experience you get in the chan teng cafes, dining at Amuleto is peaceful and more pleasant with their red sofas and flower decorated glass topped tables.

We started pretty well with the Quartet of soups(RM12) - mushroom, pumpkin, French onion and broccoli. Served in small glasses with straws, you get to taste all their different varieties with this one order. Our overall favourite was the thick and creamy mushroom soup, followed by the robust tasting French onion soup. Although it is an interesting concept to use a straw to drink your soup, on practical terms, it does not work well since it is hot soup you're slurping down, which can singe your tongue, if you're slurp too fast. Even though the soups were tasty, I didn't like how they left quite a bit of fibre in the soup like stray bits of bay leaves.

The menu has steaks, tapas items (which looked good for a quick bite), fried rice (with olive oil), pastas, rostis and chan teng staples like cheesy baked rice. As we didn't want a heavy meal, we opted for light meals like pasta and cheesy baked rice to share. My seafood spaghetti alio oglio (RM16) was mediocre - I didn't like the overcooked texture of my spaghetti, definitely not al dente. When it was served hot to me, the taste of the olive oil with the seafood was not bad but it got cold quite quickly and turned out pretty blah at the end. Splashie Boy's cheese baked rice with sliced beef (RM19) was ok-lah. Nothing much to shout about and just good as a tummy filler.

Somehow, I don't think I will be rushing to return to dine here for a long while. Not sure whether I ordered the wrong items but I just didn't think their menu items will make them stand out amid the sea of Hong Kong chan tengs which are found all over the place. Prices may make them exceptional as they are offering the chocolate fountain and the salad bar for RM16, hence you won't need to patronise the hotels. The only one thing I really liked of this place was the deep red colours they used on their walls and the chairs. They also have an outside area with televisions, which got a few customers who wanted to drink in peace while they watched the Thomas Cup final.

Amuleto
Lot G (E)-015
Mid Valley Megamall
Kuala Lumpur

Tel : 03 - 2287 4128.

(Pork free. Open till 1am on Friday, Saturday and eve of public holidays.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Tagged with: Mid Valley + Soup

Other reviews:

• Yumi's Place