Two reviews in one entry: We start today's work at The Office in Menara Haw Par. There's no obvious reason for this restaurant to be called The Office, except that it's a memorable name. Too bad the food turned out to be forgettable.
Seafood snacks seem to be the highlight. Won't complain about these pan-fried scallops with aubergine & balsamic tomato salsa, since they were fairly plump & juicy.
Crab roll with cucumber. Should have skipped this; it tasted like it had been in the freezer for a long time & was barely thawed.
Grilled prawns with sweet pepper salsa. Competently prepared, but at a time when more & more restaurants labor to leave a lasting impression with their menus, this failed to supply any vibrant spark of flavors.
Salmon gravlax. Similar to what we'd find at four-star hotel buffet.
Pepper-crusted tuna. When we run out of things to say, it's best to say nothing at all.
Work or play? Probably play: Mojito & Midori Margarita.
All in all, if you're trapped in traffic near Shangri-La Hotel, The Office is not a terrible place to take shelter. It's better, somewhat, than being in a real office.
Next up: Instead of The Office, we prefer heading to House at GTower. When we last visited this outlet in August 2010, it was called Social @ KL. Fast-forward 14 months, its name has changed (after a legal dispute), but everything else remains the same.
House's menu offers something for everyone. Light eaters can have hickory-smoked chicken with asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado & passion fruit dressing. Seems like a healthy recipe.
But the real reason the after-work crowd flocks to House is the booze (as well as the live entertainment: enthusiastic sing-a-longs to Oasis' mid-1990s hits). This Leconfield Synergy Shiraz costs about RM26, House's cheapest red.
Maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me: Wafer Martini (frangelico, campari, banana liquor, pineapple juice) & Fresca (Russian standard vodka, lychee, lime, mint leaves, soda).
Earlier entry on Social @ KL: August 19, 2010.
The Office Tapas & Grill,
Menara Haw Par, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2031-1208
House @ GTower,
G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2164-4424
"When we run out of things to say, it's best to say nothing at all."
ReplyDeletelol at it...
Fui: heheh, what's the old saying. silence is golden =)
ReplyDeletewafer martini... why is it called that?
ReplyDeleteMichelle: hmmm, maybe cos it kinda tastes like a chocolate wafer bar ... A hazelnut-flavored wafer bar, in this case :D
ReplyDelete"There's no place like home, there's no place like home..."
ReplyDelete:P
Kenny: i hear ya, dorothy. now go put on your ruby slippers :D
ReplyDeleteDrove by Menara Haw Par the other day and was just thinking how this is one of those buildings in the city that needs to go in order for us to be taken seriously as a metropolis to be reckoned with. Guess it's sticking around for a bit more!
ReplyDeleteMin: heh, whenever i drive by menara haw par, i kinda feel sympathy for everyone who works there. gosh, i wonder if the building is even older than we are. i wonder if it's haunted :D
ReplyDelete"OK I'll be late tonight, will be at the Office! :P hehe!
ReplyDeleteIamthewitch: heheh, said the husband to the wife! and he's telling her the truth! :D
ReplyDeleteI was at The Office all day, then I had to pop in at House and now I'm finally home. :)
ReplyDeleteBaby Sumo: heh, very punny! now i think i should have visited The Apartment (KLCC/The Curve) and also added that to this post! :D
ReplyDeleteWhen we were invited to review House (before the name change) we couldn't believe they would get away with using the Social name as well! At least now that's changed. Try their satay pizza..it was quite nice when we had it.. lol
ReplyDeleteDropsofcontentment: heh, i'm not a big fan of the name 'house' though. it makes me think of the TV show :D satay pizza sounds tasty. and i bet it's better than pizza hut's version! =)
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame the food was not so good. It's looks great in the pictures.
ReplyDeleteThe Yum List: yeah, i think the kitchen does what it can with what it has, but they're probably just targeting casual diners only...
ReplyDeleteHaha The Apartment food isnt that great either. LOL.
ReplyDeleteBaby sumo: heh, I actually kinda liked them when they first started. But yeah, maybe it's true that all the places with gimmicky names don't concentrate enough on producing great food =)
ReplyDeletelooks like another pretty presentation but with no substance. I hope the price wasn't a killer.
ReplyDeleteeiling: yeah, it's basically the same food that can be found at too many other outlet. prices were not too painful. kinda decent for office executives :D
ReplyDeleteHmmm.. best stick to what you know sometimes eh? haha. The food at Hawpar looks scary...
ReplyDeleteCiki: yeah, this turned out to be an unprofitable expedition to Haw Par!
ReplyDeletewhen they first came out the food was...acceptable now its becoming bad, and lucky you dint order any desert if not...i not sure what will you rate it.
ReplyDeleteFrozeh: yikes, thanks for the info. wondering what caused the slide in quality. hope they fix it soon! =)
ReplyDelete