Fellow fans of pork belly, rejoice: Ampersand is taking our favourite cut of the hog & carving out three distinctive new recipes that make mouthwatering use of 350-gramme portions of German-bred pork. Our favourite might be Rebellion by Ray (RM36+) - achingly tender sous-vide belly, both fatty & fleshy, with potentially sufficient meat for two to share, tastily complemented by three sauces of traffic-light hues (a spicy red capsicum sauce, yellow pineapple mango chutney, & green chimichurri), each richly textured & memorably flavoursome, balanced further with salad leaves, flash-fried cherry tomatoes & crunchy capers.
Also lusciously lust-worthy: The American by The Butcher (RM36+), with honey bourbon brined belly that's beautifully partnered with a crispy-creamy giant potato croquette, grain mustard & apple salad - each enjoyably executed component could stand easily on its own; put together, the ensemble succeeds in creating sweet, satisfying, sumptuous synergy.
The final member of the trio: X-Rated by The Magician (RM36+), tailored for Asian palates, comprising belly glazed in an unmistakable char siew sauce, coupled confidently with tofu puree & peanut butter mustard. We're crossing our fingers that these fun three dishes will receive a warm reception, encouraging the team here to come up with more belly concoctions.
There's also one delicious new dessert to spotlight: Greeny Green (RM18+), a triumphantly snapshot-worthy trilogy of matcha treats - a molten green tea tart (notably, a molten tart instead of the typical cake); vanilla ice cream dusted with green tea powder; & moist, hot slices of green tea fudge cake laced with red beans & cranberries; plated with honey tofu cream sauce.
The pork belly dishes are currently available for dinner only, bolstering Ampersand's existing repertoire of Spanish pork ribs & chicken wings, both of which also welcome debuting entries - crispy ribs marinated with fermented bean curd & served with good old-fashioned mashed potatoes (RM35), alongside Thai/Vietnamese-inflected wings with hints of lemongrass & pennywort (RM16 for four pieces, RM21 for six pieces), made for merry munching. Thanks to Ampersand for having us back.
Ampersand by Culinary Rebels
19M, First Floor, Jalan SS 21/37, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Mon-Tues, Thurs-Fri, 11am-3pm, 5pm-11pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-3pm, 5pm-11pm. Tel: 03-7732-9711
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