A couple of weeks ago, Queen Elizabeth became the UK's second longest serving monarch - a staggering 59 years and 95 days. That's longer than the average life expectancy of some countries! In belated celebration, we're re-visiting Albion KL - Time Out KL's Best Independent Restaurant for 2010! You know. Cos it's British. And Malaysia's a commonwealth country. Or something like that.
Anyways we'd previously written about Albion a couple of months ago, so we'll just skip to the important stuff this time - the food!
We start off with Soft Shell Crabs with Caper & Anchovy Butter Sauce (MYR21.00) which, unfortunately, are disappointingly ordinary in every way.
The Crab Cakes are slightly better, but are a bit soggy and miles away from top-notch crab cakes such as those at Prime.
Third appetizer's a charm though, as the Seared King Scallops with Pumpkin Purée, Roasted Cauliflower (MYR21.00) is good. Nicely seared and fresh, and go remarkably well with the pumpkin and cauliflower.
For mains, we had a decidedly sub-par Salmon Pie with Asparagus. Bland and mushy, both the salmon and the crust need a lot more seasoning to suit our Malaysian taste buds.
Our Traditional Fish Pie, by comparison, was pretty decent, with a nice creamy sauce filled with chunks of fish.
Finally, the Pan-fried Duck Breast with Potato Rosti, Spiced Peaches (MYR32.00) seemed to be the table favorite - for some strange reason I didn't try it though, so I can't really say for sure how good it was.
After the somewhat lackluster appetizers and main courses, we are pleasantly surprised by the desserts. The Apple Crumble with Fresh Custard was a huge serving of warm apples and crust in a delicious custard, but my favorite was the Sticky Toffee & Date Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream - definitely not to be missed if you find yourself eating here (MYR18.00 for each dessert).
Dig in! And happy birthday to the birthday girl!
Overall I found this dinner overall disappointing, considering the restaurant's Time Out KL award and high ranking on TripAdvisor. The appetizers and main courses were below par, and the night was only saved by the desserts that were to die for.
Albion
31, Jalan Berangan,
Changkat Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur
oooo, looks like they've revamped their menu actually! i don't remember ever seeing most of these dishes. i usually love fish pies (and i can't remember the last time i had a good one!), so i'd probably pick that first! :D
ReplyDeleteIs the food really that disapointing? Always wanted to check out this place.
ReplyDeleteSticky Toffee & Date Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream
ReplyDeleteI love it so much too!
@asknomster: Well, it's all a matter of expectations. You don't go to a hawker store expecting gourmet stuff :) Albion food isn't bad, it's actually a pretty decent restaurant. But cos timeout gave it a "best restaurant" award, I was expecting *more* than just "decent."
ReplyDelete