To be frank, I have never heard of this mall called Space U8 in Shah Alam. Well, not until I went to check out this restaurant called Plates and Bottles which is housed inside this mall.
Just a bit of info on Space U8: It is the first Eco Mall in Malaysia, located in Bukit Jelutong. This huge mall is built on a hybrid concept of dual frontage featuring shop offices on the outer frontage and an inner façade for retail outlets. The central courtyard in the mall is humongous, perfect for large public events. The eco-friendliness of the mall is reflected in the solar powered panels on the roof which are capable of generating enough electricity to be channeled back to the grid.
Back to Plates and Bottles – what an eye-catching name! Well, there’s a simple explanation behind the name. The establishment is divided into 2 sections:
Plates Oriental Cuisine
This is the restaurant part of the place where the hot dishes, both oriental and western, are served.
Bottles by Voie Dire
On the other end is the bar & lounging area where patrons can chill out with a good selection of beers and liquors. Voie Dire is another similar outlet at The Strand, Kota Damansara.
Plates & Bottles prides itself as the only air-conditioned restaurant serving pork in Shah Alam. We had a chance to check out their signature dishes from both the Plates and Bottles menus. To start off dinner, we had their Mushroom Soup (RM7.90) and Mashed Potatoes (RM6.90). The soup is made fresh by blending fresh mushrooms with cream resulting in a very fragrant soup. The mashed potatoes was also made from scratch – they do not believe in serving food from the cans here. I like how fresh wholesome food is their focus with no compromise by using any canned options.
From the oriental menu, we had Drunken Prawns in Claypot (RM16.90), Sesame Chicken (RM11.90), Homemade Tofu (RM9.90), 4 Heavenly Kings (RM9.90), Pork Belly with Salted Fish (RM10.90), Curry Pork (RM10.90) and Fried Beehoon with Braised Pork Belly (RM7.90).
Drunken Prawns in Claypot
Sesame Chicken
Homemade Tofu
I’m surprised (in a nice way) at the very reasonable pricing of the dishes served here. The portions served per dish are good for 2-3 people. The dishes mentioned are all comfort food items which are available at most Chinese restaurants, wholesome dishes that go well with mountains of rice, simply because of their robust tasty flavours. The prawns were of decent size, fresh and succulent and we slurped up every drop of the delicious herbal soup with strong nuances of Chinese wine and ginger. The other dishes cannot be faulted – they were all executed well.
4 Heavenly Kings
Pork Belly with Salted Fish
Pork Curry
Beehoon with Braised Pork Belly
From the Bottles menu, we tried some of their Western-style dishes too. The mains we had were Spaghetti Pesto with Grilled Chicken (RM15.90), Spaghetti Carbonara with Meatballs (RM15.90), Pork Burger (RM15.90) and Pork Chop (RM16.90). Again, portions were generous and value-for-money.
I found the spaghetti to be a bit overcooked as I prefer my pasta al dente. Other than this, tastes and choice of ingredients were good. The porkballs served with the carbonara were well-flavoured and had a bouncy texture – they were so popular that we had to order extra portions! A whole piece of deboned grilled chicken thigh was served with the pasta – portions that would satisfy even a big-eater, I dare say.
The Pork Chop was a bit on the tough side… it would have been better if it’s lifted off the heat a few minutes earlier. The pork pattie in the burger was thick and juicy… sandwiched between slices of tomatoes, cucumber and cheese, this makes a complete meal by itself. Oh I like the little glass of sweetcorn served as a side too!
Check out their beverage offerings – they do serve a decent list of cocktails and healthy concoctions like:
Sweet Sunrise, Tornado Twist (RM9 each)
Berry Banana Yoghurt (RM19)
Banana Mango (RM15)
Shirley Temple, Virgin Mary, Long Walk on the Beach (RM12 each)
Set Lunches are available daily at only RM11.90 (a Mains + Drink + Dessert).
Plates and Bottles
Space U8 Eco Mall
6 Persiaran Pasak Bumi
Taman Bkt Jelutong
Section U8
40150 Shah Alam
Opens every day from 10.30am-
10.00pm