“A memorable mix of East and West, in an arty sidewalk café space”.
That, in a nutshell, describes Melur & Thyme perfectly. Oh, may I also add that this arty sidewalk café is also very stylish and chic looking, which of course, is requisite in an upmarket mall like Suria KLCC. Its dark wooden panelled entrance with intricate floral-like lattice work flanks its logo: a bunch of herbal leaves, from what I gather. Stepping inside, one wall showcases a reflection of the restaurant’s space (inspired by hand-drawn sketches) at that spot but the unique thing about this is that the whole scene is crafted from wrought metal! Amazing!
The designer (the same American guy who did the Acme Bar & Coffee in Troika) has cleverly turned the rather awkward longish space in front into an interesting arrangement. The ceiling above the drinks counter repeats the same laser-cut motifs that cover the wall at the al fresco area, fronting the road.
California Grilled Seafood Salad
Paying tribute to traditional cooking processes while adding a modern flair, Melur & Thyme aims to bring East and West, Old and New together. The menu features a selection of local favourites and Western comfort food, fusing with some interesting tapas items. Tapas is the heart of Melur & Thyme’s unique dining style. The Melur section of their tapas features Asian favourites while Thyme encompasses Western comfort food.
Crispy Aromatic Duck
After starting off with their crisp and tasty California Grilled Seafood Salad (RM28), we had the Crispy Aromatic Duck (RM29), Duck Satay (RM11/RM19) and Lemongrass & Lime Leaf Quails (RM11/RM19) from the Tapas-Melur section.
The sliced crispy aromatic duck is served with garlic, green chillies, romaine lettuce leaves and roti jala! The idea is to wrap the duck slices in the roti jala, lettuce, flavour the bundle with the hoisin, sambal and orange plum sauces and not forgetting the garlic and chillies. A refreshing local twist to the Peking duck, this is a popular item to order, as seen from the other tables.
Lemongrass & Lime Leaf Quails
Did I mention that the owners of Melur & Thyme previously operated Ducks N Such in Sri Hartamas? Being experts with ducks, it’s no wonder that their Duck Satay is so good. Tender duck breast meat chunks, well infused with aromatic marinade and grilled perfectly over charcoal fire, it was hardly necessary to dip them into the accompanying peanut sauce, not that the sauce wasn’t good. It was very good, actually. The Duck Satay is definitely a must-order item, in my books.
Duck Satay – to die for!
Grilled Lamb Cutlets (RM25/RM34) from the Thyme Tapas section is another favourite. The grilled lamb with red pepper marmalade is topped with melted goat cheese. Despite its somewhat rich cheesy topping, the cutlets weren’t over-the-top and disappeared quite quickly.
Grilled Lamb Cutlets
On to the Mains… the Plancha Seafood Spaghetti (RM37), Crusted Baked Hake Fish (RM32), Sang Har Mein (RM39) and Beef Burger with Foie Gras (RM39) made their appearances. The creamy sauce in the Plancha Seafood Spaghetti was rather cloying after a few spoonfuls – it is one dish that has to be eaten on its own, without any other dishes because it fills you up completely! It’s tasty but really, way too rich for m even though I liked the pieces of fresh flower crab in it. If you like carbonara-style pasta, then this one will be a definite winner with you.
Plancha Seafood Spaghetti
I like the Crusted Baked Hake Fish for its simplicity. Nothing much to gripe about a piece of fresh fish fillet baked till the skin is crispy and then served with a mash and some boiled vegetables.
Crusted Baked Hake Fish
The Beef Burger had a decent slab of thick patty sandwiched between a multi-grain bun, adorned with fresh cucumber & tomato slices, salad by the side and a generous portion of potato chips. Now, if only that piece of foie gras had been a bit bigger, it would have appeased even the pickiest of burger lovers. I’m no burger “connoisseur” (although there have been quite a few claimants to this, lately), so I shall remain non-committal on this.
Beef Burger with Foie Gras
Chef Jasman Tajuddin did a great job on the Sang Har Mein. The noodles were crunchy, even though soaked in a thick gooey sauce redolent with sweet prawny goodness.
Sang Har Mein
We tried 3 desserts from the “Death by Chocolate” section: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake (RM10), Durian Chocolate Cake (RM10) and Chocolate Pecan Pie (RM15). The Chocolate Pecan Pie scored the highest points with us for it buttery crumbly pastry and crunchy pecans cocooned in a layer of chocolate. Added aroma also came from the strips of toasted coconut shavings sprinkled on top.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
Durian Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Melur & Thyme is a good addition to the somewhat-jaded dining scene in Suria KLCC. Although located in the less-visited part of the mall, it’s quite easy to locate it if you know where Ralph Lauren and the Harrods Café are – Melur & Thyme is just opposite them, near the Isetan wing.
Oh, they are open for breakfast from 8.00am until 11.00am and there’s quite a good Breakfast Menu available.
Chef Jasman Tajuddin
Melur & Thyme
G03H-I Ground Floor
Suria KLCC
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2181-8001
looks great! the food choices is quite unique as I was expecting more local stuff… gotta pay a visit soon… 🙂
Go visit soon 🙂
mmmm, really nice photo of that plate with the aromatic duck laid on top of the lettuce and the roti jala! 😀
Pretty unique presentation hoh?
You had me at quail.. mmmm yum yum!!
Hehe… yeah they were pretty yummy….and crunchy!
Yep I agreed with you on the somewhat jaded eating choices in KLCC. I never know where to go when I’m there – this looks like a lovely place that I can try out the next time. Duck satay and the desserts look fab! 🙂
You must try the duck satay!
We ordered three mains. Murtabak and Salmon were good. But the lamb cutlets was horrible. Very salty as though the lamb cutlet were marinated / soaked in salty water before being cooked