Barrelling through a sweeping selection of grub & booze at one of this year's popular new watering holes at Desa Sri Hartamas.
Pork's the primary pursuit at Bricks & Barrels, a beer garden that first emerged in Ipoh before expanding to KL; first-timers will likely enjoy the roast pork, available in both an English-inspired version of slow-cooked pork belly with sage & garlic (RM38) ...
... & a German-influenced preparation, also tender & meaty, with crunchy crackling & plenty of mashed potatoes & mustard.
The repertoire, more ambitious than many might expect, spans East & West; this reinterpretation of Hainanese pork chop (RM36 nett) comes pan-fried with peas & potatoes in a light tomato gravy, to be soaked up with herb-tinged basmati rice.
Egg can be ordered frittata-style, mixed with luncheon meat & topped with cream cheese (RM16 nett) ...
... or fried with oysters, capelin roe & cucumbers (RM20 nett) in an interesting rendition of Chinese 'oh chien' omelettes.
Ultimately, Bricks & Barrels is all about guilty pleasures; scarcely three or four salads feature on the menu, heavily outweighed by two dozen pastas & pizzas. We like the 'French Pizza,' a crispy-crust, garlicky-cheesy one with snails galore. RM42 nett.
The cocktail list is extensive too; it's easy to see green with the eye-catching Mojitos (RM28 nett; variations of ginger, cinnamon, lychee or passion fruit are offered) ...
... to Martinis that come in head-turning variations (from black forest to banana, chocolate to apple pie to espresso).
Our memory of what specifically we had is foggy now, the consequence of guzzling down too many sips of these.
Bricks & Barrels has a vibe that'll fit customers who want a hangout that's breezy, casual & easy-going. We hope it stays good.
Bricks & Barrels
76, Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur. Open in the evening, through late.
Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for July-September 2014, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter.
This eBook is available to read or download at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/2014C
Link expires Sept 30, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link.
Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits.
Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link:
Note to subscribers on Gmail: The newsletter will be in the Promotions folder of your inbox.
Sausages to sambal. Muffins to marshmallows. Peanut butter to mango chutney. Cornflake ice cream to honey aloe yogurt. Lavender-laced lemonades to lychee-&-guava juices.
Eat Drink KL: Small Businesses, Huge Flavours is the first eBook to help customers navigate the diversity of independent F&B entrepreneurs who bake & boil in their own kitchens, offering some of Malaysia's finest, most fascinating food products.
This resource will be continuously updated with new listings: www.eatdrinkkl.publ.com/businesses