In the beginning, this was MunchHaus, a European bistro. Then two years ago, Chef Max Chin took over the kitchen and turned the place into Max @ Ihaus.
Now, the restaurant has moved in a completely new direction and become Babylon, trafficking in Middle Eastern & Mediterranean fare, with Iraqi cuisine being the highlight.
Both indoor and alfresco courtyard seating are currently available.
They're alive! Choose a fish (or two) from Babylon's aquarium for your meal.
We picked a 1.5-kg trout-like whopper for our supper ...
... served on a platter scarcely 30 minutes later.
Cooked Maskuf-style, the most popular Iraqi way of preparing fish. It's sliced open lengthwise, sprinkled with salt & smoked on an open fire until flaky.
Moist and meaty, but extremely bony. All in all, a fair bargain at RM50 per kg.
Another Iraqi specialty: Tashreeb Lamb, featuring lamb shank in tomato stew with flat bread. Hearty and rustic; supposedly a centuries-old recipe.
Last orders are at midnight, so keep Babylon in mind for late meals in the city.
Babylon,
Jalan Jati, Kuala Lumpur.
which part of kl is this, may i ask?
ReplyDeleteWent there for lunch last week and going back again this week :P Maybe I will be more adventurous and try the Arabic fares.
ReplyDeleteYou mean, no more Max Ihaus? That was abrupt!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long time since I was in that area cos the last time I was there it was still Max @Ihaus. Ah well, the food scene in KL changes faster than the traffic lights, as they say... :P
ReplyDeletemichelle: ahh, it's somewhere near jalan raja chulan and bukit bintang. maybe a five-minute drive from pavilion shopping mall...
ReplyDeletebaby sumo: ya, i'm tempted by some of the other items too (especially the lamb moussaka), but they sound rather heavy and filling! :D
min: yeah, i think after max left to start his place at solaris dutamas, there's been an ownership and management change at ihaus. here's wishing them luck! =)
lfb: omg, that's the stuff of nightmares: being stuck at a traffic light on jalan ampang and watching an entire restaurant sprout up before the light ever turns green! heheh :D
The stuff of nightmares? I'd imagined for a dedicated KL-centric foodie like you, it'd be a dream come true! :P
ReplyDeletelfb: not if it's kl's first durian-dedicated restaurant, serving durian-&-mushroom soup, durian sauce spaghetti & durian-marinated steaks :P
ReplyDeleteThat actually sounds like a durian-aster! :P
ReplyDeleteOMG - that fish looked pretty scary, LOL! Iraqi fare...so exotic!
ReplyDeleteLfb: And here I thought you'd call it a durian-anza! this thorny fruit is surely a duri dalam daging in my book :D
ReplyDeletePureglutton: ya, it'd be interesting to really investigate the differences among the cuisine of various middle eastern countries. surely Iraqi food and Iranian food must have SOME differences, heheh :D
Well, a durian-anza will be lots of the fragrant fruit in the raw, not processed until it's practically unrecognisable... :P
ReplyDeleteOh iraqi food? Sounds like I must be heading there soon..
ReplyDeleteoh wait, i did say the saem for russian food at S. Dutamas & til today my calendar doesnt look anywhere near being able to fit a russian dinner in :(
lfb: oh, u're such a durian-ista! or should it be durian-iva, heheh :D
ReplyDeletetng: ooh, the russian one is at solaris mont kiara, not dutamas! but ya, i know what you mean. too many places, too little time (and not enough stomach space, heheh) :D
Just went here for their set lunches...great value...
ReplyDeleteMy friend's Charcoal Grilled Tilapia was huge for a set lunch portion...
Highly recommended...am going back to try their lamb dishes and deserts :D
ulric: charcoal-grilled tilapia sounds like something pretty unique for lunch :D too bad my work prevents me from taking weekday lunches; otherwise u might bump into me here someday!
ReplyDeleteHahaha...will visit again for their lamb dishes and deserts...gotta take advantage of the 20% discount off their ala-carte menu while it lasts...lunch or dinner to be determined :D
ReplyDeleteulric: oh yeah, the food here seems quite reasonably priced, even without a discount. my meal was definitely less than RM100, and it could have easily fed three people =)
ReplyDelete