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Will too many Chefs spoil this block? We headed to Plaza Damansara to find out, seeking snacks at The Humble Chef & a full-blown dinner at Chef Diary.
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Most might know The Humble Chef from its van that parks at night in Pusat Bandar Damansara & dishes out RM5 pasta. This year, it opened a cafe in Bukit Damansara, where customers can eat in a partially air-conditioned setting adorned with local artwork.
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Lamb-stuffed omelet. Hot & fresh, with an eggy-cheesy texture that's both fluffy & milky. Sure, the lamb's a little too gamy, evocative of mutton, but for RM2.50, we can't complain.
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Lamb-filled pita bread (RM4.50). Why try this even if you're ordering the omelet? One reason: The Humble Chef's own zingy mustard sauce, which really complements the minced meat.
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Spaghetti is sold in a myriad of preparations: pesto, aglio olio, carbonara & bolognese, with choices of chicken, beef, lamb & meatballs. The chicken pesto is flavorful in a blended herb sauce; could nitpick that the meat comes in sparse slivers, but it's still only RM5.
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The crowds head here fast & furious, causing some items run out before the night is over. The Humble Chef opens for lunch & dinner starting 7:30pm, but by the time we arrived at 9pm, it was out of beef & noodles (Mee Kondo & Fried Laksa). Thankfully, service is speedy & smiley.
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Next up, revisiting Chef Diary, which has maintained high standards & survived 30 months now.
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Tapas are a treat here; arranged to look like butterflies, this duck pate with black truffles & smoked paprika is worth admiring. The pate might have hailed from a can, but for RM18++, it's far from a rip-off.
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Air-dried beef, drizzled with truffle oil & stuffed with piquillo peppers & Manchego cheese. A delicious combo with complicated flavors & textures _ meaty, savory, oily, earthy, peppery, chewy-crumbly & nutty. Something to savor slowly & silently.
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More truffles, in piping-hot potato croquettes, crisp on the outside & creamy-soft within.
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Air-dried tuna with avocado, mascarpone & pomegranate dressing. Another textural triumph, reminiscent of recipes that Millesime's Max Chin might whip up.
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Boquerones with vine-ripened tomatoes in brown butter & white balsamic sauce. Can't say the unusual mix of crisp anchovies with such tangy accompaniments was an unadulterated success, but it was an intriguing interplay of ingredients.
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Oxtail braised in Madeira wine. You can taste the liquor _ reason enough to recommend this.
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For main courses, Chef Diary's should-try is the Spanish Carbonara, featuring fettuccine with duck pancetta (similar to Chinese siew yoke in both appearance & flavor), Manchego cheese & egg yolk. Forget those salmonella poisoning fears & dig deep into this richly sumptuous dish.
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We can't thoroughly endorse the beef paella though; while it came with muscularly hearty chunks of meat to justify its RM70 price tag, the rice lacked any scent of saffron.
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Complimentary dessert: flourless chocolate cake, warm & moist, accompanied by whole figs.
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Sangria is available, a refreshing, thirst-quenching version with lots of chopped fruits.
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Marques de Caceros Crianza, a Spanish red that's perfect for partnering with the food. And as we finished the wine, we reached our happy conclusion: as far as Plaza Damansara is concerned, two Chefs are better than one!
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The Humble Chef & Chef Diary,
Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.