Chocolate Cats: The Smokehouse

Amidst the fun, chatter and loads of food, I was busy scribbling down notes for the food review. Stellar posted a picture of me on facebook looking ridiculously serious at the Tea Party. Lol!

Smokehouse Set A - RM12 per person
This consists of Scone, Apple Pie with a pot of Tea or Coffee.

We were served Boh Tea

Scone served with Clotted Cream, Strawberry Jam & Butter - I found the shape of the scone to be a bit different from most scones I have had. It had a crisp outer layer, light texture inside and a buttery flavour. The flavour was not as rich as I would have liked it to be. There was also a slight taste of baking soda. The homemade Devonshire Clotted Cream was too light in colour and texture. It was not heavy enough for clotted cream. The homemade strawberry jam however was rather nice and refreshing, a generous amount of fruit, a good balance of sweetness and a thick texture.

Apple Pie - Generous amount of apple filling. The pie crust was a bit too thin for my liking, it lacked bite. It could also do with a bit more cinnamon to balance out the sweet and sour taste of the apple filling.

Smokehouse Set B - RM18 per person

Consists of Scone, Apple Pie, Cake, Brownies, Sandwiches

Orange Butter Cake - A good amount of juice and zest went into it as I can taste and smell the orange. Not overpowering though. Would be great if it could be richer with a bit more butter.

Brownies - A cake-like textured brownie. Slightly on the dry side. I prefer my brownies chewy and moist.

Rarebit (Beef Bacon, Cheese On Toast) - RM12

The very basic of snacks. Beef Bacon on toast topped off with melted cheddar cheese. The melted cheese will leave you wanting more.

Crème Brûlée - RM8

A rich custard dessert topped with a layer of hard caramel.

What can I say, this was smooth, rich, with just the right amount of sweetness. I recommend trying this.

Chocolate Mousse - RM8

This is a dessert that needs to be perfected. It did not have that smooth texture required of a mousse and perhaps a bit more semisweet chocolate to the mix.

Beef Wellington - RM48
(One of Smokehouse's Specialty)

Beef tenderloin coated with chicken liver pâté and duxelles wrapped in puff pastry and then baked. Served with baked potato and vegetables. A generous helping of homemade mushroom sauce completes this dish.

Good sized portion. Wonderful 'just out of the oven' aroma. The beef so tender and juicy, with a burst of wonderful flavours filling your mouth with every bite. The puff pastry was light and slightly crisp on the outside. The baked potatos, vegetables and mushroom sauce complemented this dish well.

Bombe Alaska - RM28

An ice cream dessert with homemade shortbread base topped with mixed fruits and natta de cocoa covered with meringue. Flambéd with rum.

Departing from the traditional elements of a Bombe Alaska, the Smokehouse opted for a shortbread base instead of a sponge cake. I would describe this as unconventional. As rich as the shortbread is, it does not complement the ice cream and meringue all too well. This did not have the certain level of sweetness a dessert should have. I am also not too sure about the nata de coco in a Bombe Alaska. It was however a treat to watch the flambé process.

Overall Experience

The Smokehouse is a great place to hang out with friends, in this case have a tea party. The service was friendly and Dennis the Marketing Manager was very obliging in answering my queries. I will definitely be going back to try out some of their other dishes. They also show football matches on Saturdays. ;)

Where

The Smokehouse

67-G-1, Jalan Telawi 3,

Bangsar Baru,

59100, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-22881510

Saturday, 3/04/10 - Walking towards the Smokehouse on Jalan Telawi, Bangsar I noticed some wierd glances my way. Maybe my fedora looked too cool! Lol!

The last time I stepped into a Smokehouse restaurant was ages ago when I was so much younger either in Cameron Highlands or Fraser's Hill. Stepping into the one on Jalan Telawi, Bangsar, does not only bring back childhood memories but also memories from my student days in England meeting up with mates in the pub around the corner from the university.

The decor is quintessential English and it also exudes that warm English charm. A comfy sofa in front of the fire place (no fire going on, the Malaysia's too warm) greets guests as they enter the restaurant, the pefect place for Jean, Doroshi and I to wait for Miu to finish setting up the Tea Party upstairs (we had the whole floor to ourselves).

The floor design looks fantasy enough..

Cosy fire place

Hosted by Miu, the Tea Party was "Alice" inspired. Which meant that all who were invited had to pick a character and dress up like the character with their own individual flare. I seem to be dressing up or be in costume quite often lately. *grins* Miu - The Cheshire Cat, Wing - The Other Cheshire Cat, Reiko - White Queen, Stacy - Part Alice/Part Red Queen, Doroshi - Avant Garde Mad Hatter, Masurin - Lolita/Cute Alice, Stellar - Pretty/Marc Jacob Alice, Jean - Sexy Mad Hatter and Me - The Strange Mad aka as my strange-self.

Wonderland/Underland Characters

Sliding around embracing my strange-self..

There was a twist to this Tea Party though, it was also a food review for the Smokehouses' Tea Menu. So while chatting with wonderful company and enjoying the sumptuous spread laid before us we had to keep in mind that we also had to properly 'taste' the food.