Eat Drink KL: February 2023

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Smokehouse BBQ & Grill, Subang Jaya

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Welcoming BBQ enthusiasts to a snug corner of USJ Heights, Subang Jaya's Smokehouse BBQ & Grill is a binge-worthy barbecue joint that joyously champions the all-American tradition of smoked meat.

Launched in October 2022, Smokehouse showcases an alfresco setting with long picnic tables as well as breezy indoor dining, buoyed by ample free parking in an airy neighbourhood. 

Smokehouse's tagline, 'Come together over meat.' beckons guests to fellowship over good food, specifically the soulfulness of an expertly crafted barbecue. 

With warm service to ensure fuss-free dining with family and friends, Smokehouse opens from 3pm to midnight, serving over 60 items, comprising salads, pastas, burgers, desserts, mocktails and beers for a late afternoon meal or snack. At 5pm, the barbecue mains and combo plates are available for families seeking heartier meaty meals.

Smokehouse has created a garden-like atmosphere with trees and shrubs of the citronella varieties to ensure comfortable, mosquito-free dining. Indoors, music is played at reasonable levels to encourage easy conversations and laughter over food. Nevertheless, on Saturdays, a live band encourages diners to join in simple line dancing - anyone can be a guest singer!

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The chefs at Smokehouse incorporate the four styles of American traditional spice rubs and smoking techniques but use local aromatic hardwoods to retain a Malaysian influence in the flavours.

Each item on the menu including accompaniments and sauces is made in-house using only fresh ingredients. Most mains come with sides that diners can pick from a selection of seven. 

Check out the smokers and grill, situated next to the alfresco area. The aroma of the ribs, pork belly and smoked lamb will fire up the appetite. 

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One of Smokehouse's famed dishes is Three Little Pigs (RM130), a hog-adoring combo featuring a half-rack of smoked pork ribs, succulent pulled pork and melt-in-the-mouth glazed pork belly, served with choice of two sides. 

This is the ideal sharing platter for two or three persons. The house-made barbecue and brown gravies are provided for patrons who crave extra sauce, though the smoky meat is enjoyable enough to eat on its own. 

The ribs have undergone a session of being sous-vided, coated generously in a house spice rub mix before being smoked for long hours. They are then fired up on the grill, resulting in sticky-glazed, gnaw-worthy meat with a lip-smacking, full-bodied chew. 

The pulled pork is smoked for at least 18 hours to allow the collagen to break down and tenderise the meat so that it is mouthwateringly moist and can be shredded with just a fork. 

The pork belly with its alternate layers of fat and meat has a rich, robust caramelisation that practically melts at first bite.

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Smokehouse is also known for its beer batter fried food. A favourite snack is the Fried Shrimps (RM20), eight beer-battered large shrimps served with a garlic cream sauce dip. These plump, crave-worthy crustaceans come in spicy or non-spicy versions.

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Not to be missed too are the Barbecue Chicken Wings (RM16 for six pieces), a popular pairing choice with beer. Spice-rubbed and smoked for two hours, the wings are glazed lightly with barbecue sauce on the grill before serving to lend an attractive burnished char.

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Another Smokehouse recommendation is the Grilled Perch (RM30). A sizable fillet of the imported perch fillet is pan-seared for a crisp surface but moist meat within. It comes with a choice of two sides and an addictive garlic cream sauce. 

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Remember to leave room for house-made desserts. 

The Beer Batter Fried Bananas (RM18) are a standout: Smokehouse’s elevated take on Malaysia's popular goreng pisang features two large bananas coated in beer batter, deep-fried and scrumptiously served with a scoop of vanilla gelato, chocolate drizzles and almond sprinkles. The perfect finish to a pleasurably carnivorous feast. 

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Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including beer, cocktails, brewed coffee and tea, mocktails and sodas, are available to cater for the entire family, including children. 

Sarawakian rice wine (tuak) and coconut palm wine (toddy) are harnessed to create imaginative concoctions. 

Margie Sarawak (RM25) is a Bornean take on the margarita, crafted with tuak, yuzu and lime. Served in a chilled salt-laced margarita glass, this is a scintillating surprise once we realise it's tuak, instead of the typical tequila-filled potion.

Coco Passion (RM25) is another alluring innovation, akin to an alcoholic Slurpee, made with frozen toddy and passionfruit juice. A delicious tropical duet that's a punchy thirst-quencher to combat the hot weather. 

Smokehouse BBQ & Grill
12, Jalan USJ Heights 1/1C, Taman USJ Avenue, USJ Heights, 47610 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 3pm to 12am. 
Tel: 03-8081-0911 or 019-376-7112

Monday, February 27, 2023

Mision by Burgertory: Puchong's paradise for fresh grilled meat, playful pastas, mighty burgers & more

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For the past six months, patrons have entered Puchong's Mision by Burgertory with a purpose: To sink their teeth into succulent, freshly grilled pork, from coveted cuts like Spanish iberico abanico to crowd-pleasers like chunky, plump sausages, plus playful pastas and princely pork burgers, coupled with cool craft beers and kombucha.

Mision is more than a family-friendly restaurant: It's a protein powerhouse where customers can choose from a variety of pork - as well as Japanese Miyazaki A5 beef, New Zealand lamb chops and Norwegian salmon - showcased in the chiller. 

If you purchase the meat to bring home, you'll enjoy a 15% discount off the reasonable prices. And if you have the meat expertly cooked in Mision's kitchen for dine-in here, no cooking fee is charged. Both ways, it's a win-win situation!

Fun fact: As its name indicates, Mision is a spin-off of Subang's long-enduring Burgertory pork burger specialist, broadening the brand's horizons beyond burgers, becoming a potent force in Puchong for meat-based Western fare.

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The centrepiece of Mision is its meat chiller, a bonanza of carnivorous pleasures.

Iberico is the star for the pork, spanning well-marinated choices of belly, ribs and rib fingers, charcuterie-style cold cuts and more. Beef isn't ignored, boasting top-tier Japanese Miyazaki A5 wagyu and Australian cuts, while lamb, chicken and salmon are all also available, covering all our protein requirements.

Everything is fabulously fresh - Mision even brings in its Norwegian salmon whole, filleting and slicing the fish in its own kitchen.

There's even Mision's own-cured bacon, bolstered by no fewer than 12 varieties of sausages, from German-inspired Thüringer Bratwurst and Lemon & Herb Sausages to Polish Sausages, Smoked Habanero Sausages, Apple Raisin Sausages, Bacon Cocktail Sausages and more. 

In the corner, the beer chiller beckons, tempting us with colourful craft beers from across the globe. Pop a cold one at the end of a long workday or to celebrate the weekend.

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If you're exploring Mision for the first time, the Iberico Abanico (RM49) is the indulgence to try. It's the iberico equivalent of a juicy, tasty beef steak, bursting with full-bodied tenderness, brimming with a delicious depth of pure premium flavour. 

Mision's experienced team knows how to treat its meat with respect - this marvellously marbled cut has a clean, natural intensity, so it needs no heavy marination. Grilled pristinely with sea salt, pepper and rosemary for the perfect char, it's served with the elegant simplicity of carrots, grain mustard, garlic chips, olives and brown sauce, free of distractions.

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Iberico ribs are the caveman's choice, enjoyable to tear off the bone, with a lightly caramelised sweetness that yields to moist flesh inside, subtly seasoned with a pleasant balance of paprika, onions, garlic and coriander seeds (RM73).


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Iberico rib fingers (RM36) are ideal for snacking and sharing, good for go with beer. Once you start, you might not be able to stop munching!

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For a popular everyday pick, Mision's Signature Shoulder Loin Pork Steak (RM31) is cheerfully casual and wallet-friendly, featuring locally farmed pork, hearty and soulful, conveying notes of black pepper, garlic and roasted onions.

Side dishes such as Mision's Healthy Salad, Sweet Corn Salad, Bacon Potato Salad, Cheese Fries and Truffle Chips can be added on to round out the meal.

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With so many sausages to select from, bratwurst buffs will be spoiled for choice here.

Mix and match to build your own sausage platter. Recommendations include the Spanish Iberico Sausage, German Sausage, the spicy Habanero Sausage, cheesy Emmentaler sausage, and the upliftingly fruity Apple Raisin Sausage. All convey their own special character, with robust flavours and rich textures. If you love sausages, make it your mission to visit Mision.

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Mision also serves pastas like the Avocado Bacon (RM29), a creative concoction of pappardelle tossed in a thick blend of luscious fresh avocado, cream and bacon, showered with savoury crispy bacon and cheddar - a unique speciality that avocado devotees will desire.

Prefer seafood for your pasta? The Prawn Aglio Olio (RM32) brings on a blissful bounty of tiger prawns over squid ink spaghetti with extra virgin olive oil and cherry tomatoes.

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True to its roots, Mision also serves a selection of Burgertory burgers, so that residents of Puchong, Bukit Jalil and Cheras have a physically closer venue for their fix of pork burgers. These include longtime stalwarts like the Burgertory Classic and Swine Bacon & Cheese, plus the beef-based Badass Cowboy and fried chicken sandwich called Chicken Drum Drum.

There's one Mision exclusive that Burgertory buffs should travel here for: The HamDog (RM34 with fries) is a monumental burger, heaped with cabbage slaw and cheddar cheese over Burgertory's signature pork patty, with a gorgeously grilled sausage to pair with the patty.

Mision and Burgertory have perfected the art of burgers - the 150-gram pork patty is lovingly cooked to order, taking 15 minutes to assemble, so it's certainly not commercialised fast food. Even the bun is meticulously crafted, fermented for 12 hours, resulting in firm, flavoursome bread that holds it own beautifully.

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If it's too early for beer, never fear: Mision's range of Summer Kombucha (RM11) sparkles with lively flavours and fragrances - seasonal beverages like the Strawberry Rose or the Guava offer a perky, wholesome counterpoint to the food. 

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Mision by Burgertory
13, Jalan Kenari 22, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.
Daily, 11am-10pm. Tel: 010-267-3193