F Concept Dining by Buffalo Kitchens @ Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

pan seared tuna salad with miso mustard sauce

It's nice to stumble on surprises....kinda like discovering a forgotten Xmas present or a wad of cash you forgot you had stashed away for safekeeping. Last Saturday night, we both felt like kids discovering a hidden treasure as we spied the words "F" from afar as we walked towards Bangsar Village. To set the picture correctly, we were both arguing as usual on what to eat since both of us was tired from a road trip far far away (but that's another story)....he wanted his usual comfort food aka Country Farm Organics while I was batting for Mizu Bangsar since it served my all-time favourite Japanese food. "What's this?" we both chorus when we spied people and lights on top of Chawan....is that a new eatery, we both echo. Throwing wind to the caution, we pushed through the frosted glass doors and discovered wonderland....

vegetable terrine with porcini jelly


It had only started business on Friday night but the place was bursting with happy people and sizzling from the open cooking stations. Luckily tables were available and with a warning by the friendly waitress that the wait may be long since they just started out, we waited in anticipation. The menu is simple, just a few items penned on a piece of paper while the drinks list is handwritten in a book that looked like my old school notebook.



open kitchen concept akin like your home


Service is a little crazy but the wait staff are all friendly and helpful. It's a little noisy with the bar next to us (we could hear the clunking of their non stop juicer whirring away) but it's bearable. Instead I'll put it down to atmosphere - the warm sizzling sounds of the open cooking stations (that reminded me of being in a party or even my own home) and the happy chatter of people waiting for their food.


sesame steak with fennel salad


Expectations were marked down since new eateries often need some time to "warm up" as the people learn how to work with each other. I was rather impressed with what we were served. First, it was a simple amuse bouche of couscous with an olive. Nice tart appetizer to whet the tummy juices for our appetizers. The menu is a mix of Western with a touch of Japanese as the Edwin Yau from Changkat Bukit Bintang's Daikanyama has a hand in it too. 


duck soba

Splashie Boy insisted on the vegetable terrine with porcini jelly (RM18) and he loved the mix of vegetables encased in the jelly. I was hankering for Japanese hence my choices all had a Japanese slant like the pan seared tuna with miso mustard sauce (RM15). The sauce was a little weak but I enjoyed it with my fresh tuna, lettuce and enoki mushrooms.



eton mess


Our mains came quickly after that, my generously topped duck soba (RM25) and his sesame steak with a fennel salad (RM35). I enjoyed the sauce tossed with my soba noodles making each strand slurplicious while the duck was meaty and tender. Splashie Boy enjoyed his steak that was fork tender. So unlike another meat place in Solaris Mont Kiara that served us bloody steak (obviously someone forgot to rest it!).


dark chocolate espresso mousse


What I liked about this place was the portions are just nice as we had room for dessert. We ordered the recommended ones: the dessert of the day (RM10) which they told us had meringue and the dark chocolate espresso mousse. We had some mix up with our order but once it was spotted, they quickly addressed our complains. We didn't know what to expect with our dessert of the day but it tasted good since it wasn't too sweet with the tangy layer of fruits. Not much meringue taste though and later we found out it was an Eton Mess (i.e. crushed meringues with fruits). I also enjoyed the rich taste of the dark chocolate mousse (RM12) topped with fresh raspberries.


Overall it was an above expectations meal under the circumstances they had just opened their doors on Friday! We'll definitely be back for more. At the moment, they're only open for dinnertime but hopefully once things run smoothly, they hope to open for lunch. There'll be cooking classes held in the kitchen in the near future. As it is rather too new  and things will always be in the flux for sometime, expectations should always be low for this place until things run smoothly after some time.


F Concept Dining by Buffalo Kitchens
69-1, Jalan Telawi 3
Bangsar Baru
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03-22011710


(Pork Free. Closed on Mondays. Open for lunch and dinner. Place is on top of Chawan Kopitiam and faces Bangsar Village. Note that the kitchen uses induction cookers. Join their Facebook group for more information. More pictures can be found in the Flickr set.)

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.

Other review:


The Life of Brian