Perched on Bukit Ceylon, within the confines of Invito Hotel Suites is the city’s latest gastrolounge – Hubba Hubba! Owned by the same people behind Souled Out, WIP, Tujo, the concept here is hip and kinda quirky but generally done up tastefully.
I found myself there one fine evening and as I walked through the entrance, I was struck by the colourful wheels strung up over the reception. That immediately prepped me on what to expect for its interior: lots of colours everywhere from funky lights, exposed ceilings, half-cemented brick walls and a couple of vintage bicycles flung up the walls. The raw grungy vibes and indie house tunes will have you tapping your fingers on the table tops intentionally mismatched with the rest of the furniture.
Beers, cocktails, mocktails – have them all!
The menu here is interestingly named “Live to Eat” and it features dishes such as Karuma Prawns, Tom Yum Crabs, Lamb Shank Pie, Prawn Savoury Pancake, Jerk Out Chicken and many more. But before that, we started off with a couple of salads – Abriosa Salad and Prawn Crackers Salad. Of the two, I prefer the former. I like Pacific Clams, the poor man’s mini “abalones” and several of these were scattered on top a bunch of mixed greens, sliced oranges, perked up with some seaweed and drizzled with a delectable citrus miso dressing.
Abriosa Salad
Prawn Crackers Salad
If you’re in the mood the share, try the selection of Sticks & Skewers from the Robatayaki or grill. Our platter had skewers of sea bass, eringi mushrooms, chicken and tandoori lamb grilled to perfection and basted with a sweetish sauce. We fought over the last pieces of eringi and tandoori lamb. That’s not to say the chicken and fish were not good – it’s just that the eringi and lamb had more bite and flavours.
Karuma Prawns and Lamb Shank Pie were 2 dishes we’d order again. The aioli baked prawns were fresh and bouncy and were deliciously paired with crunchy asparagus.
Karuma Prawns
The pie was an attention-grabber: the long bone jutting out from the puffy pastry was a conversation piece. The fork tender lamb shank was perfectly braised with just the right nuances of herbs and red wine and the best thing was it’s piping hot! I think I love the pastry more though – it was really good: crispy, fluffy and buttery all at the same time.
Lamb Shank Pie
What appeared like 3 “rugged hills” were actually Prawn Savoury Pancakes. Pancakes standing vertically, they’re actually prawns packed with carrots, scallions and cabbage for that rugged facade. Crispy on the outside while the prawn inside remained moist and tasty, these savoury pancakes disappear quite quickly.
Prawn Savoury Pancakes
The Tom Yum Crabs need a bit more tomyum spices to give the dish more “oomph”. While the soft shell crabs were sweet and nicely fried, they were a tad bland.
Tom Yum Crabs
I like the Jerk Out Chicken as that piece of chicken thigh was marinated well with teriyaki sauce and pan-baked till the skin became slightly caramelised, oozing sweet and aromatic juices. The accompanying buttery mash was just perfect to mop up the delicious tender chicken.
Jerk Out Chicken
For those who cannot go without carbs, the Beef Noodles and Meatballs Marinara Pasta would be good choices. Nothing earth-shattering, these are good old comfort food (especially the beef noodles with the smooth sliced tenderloin) executed well and filled the tummies substantially.
Meatballs Pasta
A signature dessert here is the Bailey’s Chendol – this local favourite took on a whole new level with a shot of Bailey’s which went very well with the coconut milk and gula melaka. Give this a shot!
Remember to pour all the Bailey’s in!
Chocolate Wantans
Prices are decent:
Robatayaki from RM7-RM18
Soups & Salads from RM18-RM30
Starters from RM9-RM38
Mains from RM15-RM68
Desserts from RM13-RM23
Hubba Hubba
(Invito Hotel Suites)
No.1 Lorong Ceylon
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 017-7867611
Open daily: 7.00am till late
Those are cheese on the prawn? seems like a play from Jap’s version with mentai. 😀