Ben's has launched its second branch, replacing the long-entrenched California Pizza Kitchen at one of KLCC's most strategic spots, with a splendid park view.
This isn't a cookie-cutter cafe; it shares the same menu with Ben's original outlet at Pavilion, but manages to look different enough to feel like a unique restaurant in its own right.
Earlier entries on Ben's @ Pavilion: February 25 & March 1.
Our salad days are back, thanks to Ben's long list of veggie-laden creations. You say this soft-shell crab with green papaya & lime dressing isn't a REAL salad? No matter: we'd be hard-pressed to find crunchier, tastier soft-shell crab elsewhere in KL.
Balsamic chicken salad with chopped avocado, semi-dried tomatoes & buttered almonds. The meat wowed us a fascinating sweet-savory flavor, reminiscent of char siew.
Crab salad. Creamy, fresh-tasting crab flesh, bundled up with ebiko & raw leaves. Salads aren't usually the first thing we order for dinner, but Ben's is helping us break that rusty rule.
Asian-style duck confit salad, with pomelo, cucumber, lychee & pineapples. A tropical treat: tender meat, mixed with the tangiest, juiciest fruit imaginable.
Chocolate truffle torte dusted with cocoa. Gooey goodness, divinely decadent.
Strawberry shortcake. Is berry-licious a legitimate word? Well, it should be.
Chateau Beauregard Ducasse (Bordeaux).
Bol's Peach & Creme de Cassis. Delicious dessert liquor.
Ginger tea & cappuccino for the teetotalers.
Ben's,
Suria KLCC.
the deco looks very fine to me. the salads are quite creative especially the one with the pomelo. Looking good!
ReplyDeleteI thought the pizza kitchen revamped their menu or something. It's quite surprising how after the revamp, it disappeared!
ReplyDeleteFinally a plc to eat in KLCC! I absolutely adore salads, esp good ones!
ReplyDeleteyour post is duplicated at http://food.bonology.com/2011/04/ben-klcc.html-take action.
ReplyDeleteOMG a restaurant after my own heart.
ReplyDeleteeiling: yep, and it seems super-spacious too! even if there's a large lunch crowd, i think they have room for at least a hundred customers...
ReplyDeletemichelle: oh, cpk moved to fahrenheit 88 late last year! the end of an era =)
tng: oooh yeah, i've managed to try 80 percent of ben's salads so far, and i like them all! fresh and packed with ingredients :D
foodbin: yikes. but it looks like that website uses entries from a variety of blogs...
lemongrass: and it's good for your heart too! (well, as long as you stick to the salads and not the nasi lemak here) :D
din know they hv opened, otherwise could hv check this out last weekend
ReplyDeletebabe_kl: yep, they opened on friday, but they still seemed kinda quiet over the weekend, despite the crowds from the pc fair...
ReplyDeleteSean!! You're making me really, really hungry la. I'm lusting after the soft shell crab salad now. ~_~
ReplyDeleteYep...been there last Fri...
ReplyDeleteHad their Ben's Cheeseburger and Mango Longan Trifle desert...with Chai Masala Tea...lovely...:)
bangsar-babe: me too! i'm gonna try to have soft-shell crab for dinner tonite :D
ReplyDeleteulric: ooh, i haven't tried the cheeseburger yet. hope it's thick and juicy and beefy! :D
OMG I LOVE anything with Soft shell crab! Especially those crispy ones! You're killing me Sean... argh.. KLCC is so far away from me :( And that strawberry dessert is really tempting, even though I'm not even a strawberry fan :P
ReplyDeleteiamthewitch: heheh, i'm counting my blessings that my office is just a 5-minute drive from klcc. the soft-shell crab salad is also available at ben's at pavilion if that helps =)
ReplyDeleteYep...it's quite beefy n juicy...
ReplyDeleteU might wanna try their Fisherman's Catch burger...it's also very nice...
And I love their Soft Shell Crab salad...but I think Pavilion does it better than KLCC's...:)
ulric: both sound good! i'm also planning to try some of their asian and rice dishes next time :D
ReplyDeleteYeah! Ayam Percik here I come...:D
ReplyDeleteUlric: I'm aiming for the curry laksa =)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I ate there tonight. Delicious. I had the grilled vegetable salad and Chicken Pesto and he had Ben's house salad and Fish & Chips.
ReplyDeleteOur salads were big enough to be the whole meal!
note: we had some issues with the waitress (she took our drink order then left and never came back to take the food order so I had to flag someone else down and then they brought me the wrong food) but I put that down to it being early days and it was soon all straightened out and the food was so good that all that was soon forgotten.
Peggy: glad you both enjoyed your meal! I agree, the salads are the best part of Ben's menu, and their portions are well worth the price =) but yeah, inattentive staff is a problem at some of this company's outlets (though they're pretty friendly, at least) :D
ReplyDeleteWe went there for lunch today, I remembered reading good reviews on yr blog so we thought we'd give it a try. Was impressed with the food, nice view of the park, but it was a bit too noisy during lunchtime.
ReplyDeletebaby sumo: thanks for letting me know! hmmm, that actually seems like a problem at many of their outlets. the noise from everyone's conversations just bounce off the walls and forces everyone to raise their voices to talk to each other. hmmmmm...
ReplyDeleteThe desserts are yummy, the food is just okay and I would have definitely gone back for another visit but the service is just so bad!
ReplyDeleteWe waited over an hour for our food today, and after asking several different waiters to check on our food, one finally came back to inform us that they had lost our order. The thing is, there were five of us, and two had gotten their food but the other three were just waiting.
What the hell, right?
I think the straw that broke the camels back was when the waiter (after taking our order ONE MORE TIME) brought the wrong dish out.
I'm writing it off to it being a new establishment, however, for three different waiters as well as the assistant manager to get things wrong is just a bit much.
nabs: yikes. i agree, it sounds like a horrible experience. hopefully they'll notice these customer complaints about the service and take strong action on it...
ReplyDeleteWhat's the price range like? Is it affordable? :)
ReplyDeleterockstone: yep, should be able to have a good meal here below RM30 =)
ReplyDelete