Dining Out @ Blackboard, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur

kicking off with tapas

A quick one for today - my meal with friends last Friday. A relatively new place in Desa Sri Hartamas, the Blackboard has no fixed menu; you order from the handwritten dishes on a big blackboard. Items are based on whatever is fresh from the Pudu market and run by an French Canadian chef. However old favourites are usually found on the blackboard like the chicken liver parfait and tortilla. We kicked off with tapas items first. Chicken liver parfait (RM9.50) was a little misleading - I expected a tall glass of a mix but got pate. Luckily the chicken liver pate was smooth and nice. However, we felt it lacked much kick aka a little brandy would have been better. Marinated sardines (RM10.50) was not bad and the potato tortilla (RM9.50) was nothing fantastic either. What we really liked was the grilled chicken hearts (RM9.50) as they were tender and a little on the spicy side. To drink, we had Californian Robert Mondavi Rose 2007 that was light, fresh and very pretty to look at.


main meals to share

We fared better with our mains, that we all shared. All-time favourite was the glazed mirin salmon served with an assortment of fresh mushrooms (RM32.50). Everything was light tasting, not overpowering and very fresh. Next favourite was the braised lamb loin with a tamarind sauce and couscous (RM32.50). While we didn't like the couscous (the water they added was too strong tasting, probably unfiltered), the lamb chunks were tender (but not overly) and the tamarind sauce was delicious. The braised beef loin with potatoes (RM29.50) was pretty good too even though I felt some chunks were a little lean. If you went for the fatty bits, it was delectable as they melted in the mouth. Least favourite was the roast chicken leg (RM26.50) as we didn't quite like the sauce. However the mashed pumpkin with the chicken was yummy stuff.

The ambience of the place is a little stark - two seperate areas with the bar in front and the restaurant at the back. The bar is all black with a live band while the restaurant is all white walls and mirrors with black tableclothed tables. People seem to be packed in the bar area while the restaurant was relatively full of people. Our only complaint was the air conditioning is not enough for the space as it was quite stuffy and hot within. For bigger pictures, see the Flickr set.

Blackboard
No. 60, Jln 27/70A
Desa Sri Hartamas
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 017- 7353 0953

(Pork free. Restaurant used to be where Lanna Thai restaurant and Strudels used to be. Same row as Char Siew Bistro and Celicakes.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: Blackboard + Desa Sri Hartamas

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