You will be forgiven if you think The Gallery houses art pieces – many people think that too. Well, you aren’t half wrong as there ARE paintings inside this premise and they are for sale. But the core business of The Gallery is actually food. It’s a family-owned and family-run restaurant in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) Kuala Lumpur.
Located in a quiet intermediate lot, it’s rather easy to pass by and not realise you have passed by a restaurant serving delicate, mostly French-styled dishes. The kitchen is helmed by siblings-in-law: Chef Mohd Shaufi and Chef Natasha (Mohd Shaufi is married to Natasha’s lovely sister, Nabila). While the 2 chefs run the kitchen, the front-of-shop is managed by Nabila and her mother Latifah. Both Chef Mohd Shaufi and Chef Natasha are Culinary Arts graduates from UiTM and both have had stints in Westin KL and Marina Bay Sands, Singapore before making The Gallery their culinary playground.
Chef Natasha & Chef Mohd Shaufi
We started off with some Crostini (RM15) – slices of toasted bread topped with sweet pumpkin mash, roasted cherry tomatoes and roasted bell pepper tuna. The toppings were all fresh basic ingredients, nothing pretentious and they all went so well with the bread!
Next came some Arancine (RM18) and Grilled Prawn Skewers (RM18) to further boost our appetites. The Prawn Bisque was good too, with sweet briny umami flavours.
The Classic Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad (RM25) was well worth the money paid as thick slices of smoked salmon were served, with generous shakes of parmesan. And, oh…that runny egg was good too.
Pan Seared Scallops (RM48) with risotto – this is a match made in heaven. Honestly, the creamy parmesan sauce of the still-al-dente risotto coupled with the bouncy sweet scallops crowned with sweet leek tendrils all add up to almost-perfection on a plate.
The TG Lord Burger at RM32 may seem a bit pricey but then you get a whopper of a burger! There’s a thick piece of sirloin stuffed with mozzarella & parmesan cheese, vegetables, onion marmalade, wild mushrooms sauce and meat sauce all stacked in between a burger bun! Definitely a bigass burger that would delight burger fans no end.
I liked the 2 pasta dishes we had: Linguine De Pepperonata (RM25) and Farfalle alla Ragu di Manzo (RM28) with stewed beef rump, tomato culis, shaved parmesan cheese. The linguine had clear sweet flavours from the roasted capers and vegetables tossed together with virgin olive oil. It’s wholesome pasta cooked in a simple rustic way.
The farfalle, on the other hand, were cooked with heavier flavours coming from the beef stew. It’s also wholesome, in a very homely robust way – comfort food at its best.
Pan Seared Duck Breast (RM42) was a good rendition of a typical fowl given a nice twist by resting the smokey slices on a crispy potato pancake. More aroma was had in the form of garlic crisps scattered on top and mixed greens by the side with the whole ensemble drizzled with garlic and orange thyme sauce.
The chefs at The Gallery love citrus-based sauces and orange butter sauce was paired with their Pan Seared Black Cod (RM69) with roasted baby potatoes, asparagus and cherry tomatoes. I have no complaint on this as I agree that citrussy notes are excellent with fish.
Meat dishes are the chefs’ forte here. From the Grilled Rack of Lamb (RM55) to the Roasted Spring Chicken (RM38) to Grilled Black Angus Ribeye (RM95), every dish was executed with care and precision. The lamb was done beautifully pink on the inside, its tenderness and tastiness uncompromised.
The 250g Ribeye was like a piece of art when sliced – the marbling a pleasing vision to the eyes and upon tasting, the texture and juiciness fulfilling every requirement of a marvelous piece of steak.
Roasted Spring Chicken with basil mashed potato, saute’ed vegetables and orange thyme sauce
Grilled Black Angus Ribeye 250g with mashed sweet potato, saute’ed mixed mushrooms, arugula, vin cotto sauce
We liked all 3 desserts we tried: Baked Alaska (RM26), Chocolate Vault (RM26) and Orange Madeleines (RM15). I could see that much thought had been put into the execution of these sweets.
The Baked Alaska was rather unique. It was an ensemble of coconut cake covered with Italian meringue and then flambe’ed. It’s served with a bright green pandan paste, coconut crumbs and strawberries for some contrasting aesthetics. I’m not partial to the pandan paste, the dessert can do without it, actually.
The Chocolate Vault was very elegantly plated with a touch of gold on the dome. You get to dig into layers of decadent chocolate brownie, velvety mousse and a dark chocolate coating. The richness from the premium quality chocolate was perked up by the orange slices, orange coulis and crushed nuts by the side.
The madeleines were the best. They were freshly baked upon order, hence the 30-minute wait for these. But they are definitely worth the wait, I tell you. The delicately orange-perfumed French petite cakes were soft and fluffy inside with a nice crust on the outside. All they needed were a light dusting of icing sugar and each one of them were popped immediately into our mouths with great relish. This is a must-order at The Gallery.
Haagen Daz Ice Cream (RM12 per scoop)
The Gallery is certainly a restaurant to watch out for. Although located in a rather quiet and inconspicuous lot, the quality of the food speaks beyond its nondescript location. The casually elegant setting is also perfect as a venue for a good meal with friends and family.
THE GALLERY
165 Jalan Aminuddin Baki
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-7732-2005
Business Hours:
Tuesday-Sunday: 12:00pm-3:00pm
Friday: 4:00pm-8:30pm
Closed on Monday