Fish and Chips @ London Town, Publika

As I was craving for some deep-fried stuff, we decided to head to London Town @ Solaris Dutamas for some good old British-style fish and chips right after work.

As London Town intends to bring a piece of Britain to KL, it is no surprise that their signature dish is none other than the London Town Fish & Chips (RM 24.90) - large breaded dory fillet and large chips with tartar sauce and mushy green peas.

The first thing that comes to my mind firstly was "Wow, such a big portion!" and then, it was "It looks and smell so good".  First impression has definitely scored a lot of points.

The deep-fried fish was fried with a nice golden-brown and it was very crispy on the outside - in fact, a little too crunchy until it was quite hard.  The first half was alright but after a while, my jaws started to ache and my attention has totally shifted from enjoying the fish to trying to scrap off the batter.

Otherwise, it would have been quite good as the fish was quite juicy although we felt that the freshness is somewhat lacking.

I love the tartar sauce as it was not overly creamy and fatty although I would prefer if they had put a bit more pickles into it.  Squeeze a bit of lemon juice into it and it is delicious.

Then there is the mushy green peas, a traditional accompaniment to fish and chips in England.  While I find it a bit drier and lumpy than expected, it was very nice and well-seasoned.  Wished they had been a bit more generous with it because it felt like only two tablespoons of it.

Overall, there are hits and misses with this dish.  The fish was slightly on the disappointing side, but the mushy green peas, tartar sauce and fries added a bit more points to it.  If you ask me, I don't think it is the best fish and chips you can get in town but it is still worthy to try it.

We also ordered Mushroom soup (RM 8.00) as starter.  The soup tasted a little bit like a straight-out-of-can soup but there were quite a lot of mushroom pieces in it.  Okay for me, but so-so for KS.

London Town, which is just right outside of Publika, is a small laid-back restaurant, with a large wall featuring one of London's iconic structure - the Big Ben alongside the Westminster Bridge.  Overall, it is quite a nice environment for some quiet meal.  Service was fantastic and serving is pretty fast.

London Town

D3-G3-1 Solaris Dutamas

No. 1, Jalan Dutamas 1

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Thai Dinner @ ala Thai, Solaris Dutamas

It's been a while since we had Thai cuisine and after walking around Publika @ Solaris Dutamas, we decided to give this Thai Restaurant, ala Thai, a try.

For starters, we had a bowl of clear tom yum soup, with oyster mushrooms.  I find the soup a bit too sour, but was not too bad.  Unlike the usual red tom yum soup, this is not very spicy.

For mains, KS ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice while I ordered the Phad Thai Noodle.  One thing worth mentioning  is that you are allowed to specify the level of spiciness you want - how thoughtful.

The Pineapple Fried rice was quite nice and fragrant with lots of chunky pineapples.  I like how they prepared this dish and used turmeric spices (kunyit) in moderation without overwhelming the flavours of the fried rice.

The Phad Thai Noodle is also delicious and not too oily.  I like how the dried shrimps adds a nice saltiness to the sweet noodles.  The only complain I have is that the strong fishy smell it came along, probably due to the dried shrimps not washed properly.  Otherwise, the Phad Thai would be close to perfect.

For desserts, we ordered the Thai Cendol and Pumpkin Custard.  Nothing special to shout about although I felt it was a little bit disappointing.

The restaurant is pretty warm and cosy.  I totally love the ambience, with its nice decorations.  On top of that, being on higher grounds, it was quite breezy if you dine outdoors.  Service is also very good and they waiters are very polite.

Ala Thai Restaurant,

D4-G2-9, Jalan Dutamas 1

Solaris Dutamas,

50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03- 6211 1855

Open:  11am - 11pm daily