Stoked With Bertha

Ever since I was Stoked at the Cape Mentelle event, HERE, some months ago, I have been yearning to return, for vision of the duck pate and foie gras encroute haunted me, triggering the saliva glands in anticipation like Pavlov's dog....So when Yin How, proprietor and long time restaurateur  in the KL F&B scene invited us to sample the menu of Stoked, I was ...well, stoked with anticipation.

Located on the same row as his other outlet, Vintry, Stoked aims to be the neighbourhood good value for money good quality fine dining place, without the airs of a fine dining place.  The centrepiece is the Bertha, a wood and coal flamed oven which Yin How described before as a heavy woman with a big heart.  Carted all the way back from the UK, the Bertha is central to a lot of the dishes, directly or indirectly.

To begin, an amuse bouche of chicken...which honestly, wasn't particularly remarkable, and tasted well, like chicken.   But well, there's no point peaking at the amuse bouche stage.

The next dish was immediately a star, a gorgeous medley of baby octopus, chilled tomato puree avocado and caviar, and tasted as stunning as it looked.  Paired with the floral St Clair Family Estate Malborough Sauvignon Blance, it was a perfect way to eat octopus,  the marine flavours, with the tomato puree (almost like a gazpacho),   RM38

Pretty in Pink, I have to reluctantly admit.

What a glorious sight.  Pan seared foie gras with winter melon,... Goodness, I feel like heading there right now and having a slice of this.

Melt in the mouth, seared to perfection.  The slight tang of the jus with the wintermelon, soaked in by that creamy organ, washed down with the St Clair SB, esctasy to say the least.  And I am not just saying it.  RM56.  Too often we've seen foie gras cooked to death and beyond, which is such a pity.

Another stunning simple, yet totally elegant and beautiful dish, that tasted so good.  Beetroot must have only taken off in recent years, when I was growing up, I didn't even think it was available locally, and we only ever ate the canned ones, which are sourish,  Fresh beetroot, so simply grilled, with ricotta, blood orange (hmm, since this is seasonal, I wonder if the dish is too).  Anyway, a most refreshing take on an otherwise pedestrian tuber that is used as an analogy for too much drinking.  MY, YOU'RE AS RED AS A BEETROOT!  I love the earthy flavours of beetroot, and done this way, it really accentuates the taste.  RM28

Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Capsicum Relish - Simple and tasty.  RM25

To accompany our mains, the manager, Daniel, brought out the first of the reds, a lovely Cote Du Rhone, E Guigal, I think it was a 2011.  A medium bodied red, very easy to drink, and rounded tannins make it glide down.

The first of the mains was this grilled FLOUNDER from our very own shores, of  Hutan Melintang.  Yin How believes in using fresh local produce where available, and where quality is of a certain standard.  The flesh of this flounder is firm, and flavourful, and not at all "fishy".  Although not officially on the menu yet, the pricing would be around RM70.

Be still my floundering heart...

The unexpected star of the night, this wonderfowl dish, a guinea fowl,also reared in some farm in Semenyih,.  Okay, at first look, we thought, oh, a small chicken,...but WOW, this was some hot chick!!!! Seriously good, moist tender flesh,

A yam seng with the lovely Fontodi Chianti Classico 2011 was in order....

Strong tannined full bodied wine that paired perfectly with the strong meats that followed...

Sides of Roasted Japanese Potato,

This masterpiece of meat is a Spanish Chulleton, weighing about 1.2kg.... impressive by any standard.  Juxtaposed against the other smaller cousin...

USDA Prime Rib Eye which was around 600g, looked like a hobbit cow in relation to the Spanish bull.  However, as far as taste went, it was unanimously agreed that the USDA rib eye won hands down.  The Spanish cut was a BIT well done in certain areas, but even so, the overall rib eye was tenderer and well, melted in the mouth.

Bits of the Spanish Chulleton ...hmmm, maybe the problem was that the lean bits were just too lean... hahaha, and me being a fat fan... was partial to the rib eye.

Ah, memories of that glorious meat melting in my mouth...

Cabbage With Parmigiano Reggiano, which not everyone liked, but I did, as the sharpess helped cut through the richness of the meat.

The desserts, oh my, salty caramel sticky date pudding, Seriously, for me to rave about dessert, ...

I loved this filo banana tart, with banana sauce and vanilla ice cream, ...fluffy filo wrapped around riped sweet bananas...RM

Okay, didn't care much for this, Sea Coconut Tortellini in Yuzu Sorbet...though the concept was certainly novel.  Desserts are all priced at RM25.

And petite fours to end the night...SUBLIME.

So many more items to check out at Stoked, note that we had no porcine dishes, so am definitely targetting to return for that.

Stoked Restaurant
120-122 Jalan Kasah
Medan Damansara
Tel:03- 20948262