Cosy retreat

Chicken skewers in Shish Taouk come with pita bread, fries, salad of lettuce, tomato and onion as well as garlic sauce.

AS I pore over the menu at The Enclave, I hear an elderly couple at the next table “complaining”. The woman is telling the waiter: “Your portions so big we cannot finish. Sayang-lah (a shame), cos it’s very nice.”

The waiter tactfully offers to tapau (pack) the leftover fried rice so she can take it away. Hmm. that’s a change. These days, it is more common to hear customers complain of portions getting smaller.

The months-old neighbourhood cafe in a quiet corner of Bangsar, away from the densely commercial zone, is a breath of fresh air. There are tall tables with bar stools as well as regular dining tables and an al fresco smoking area in front. Photographs of old Kuala Lumpur on the red brick walls give it an understated charm. These are a huge draw as customers never fail to be amazed at how much the city has changed.

Owner Vignesh Nagenthram (“Just call me Vic”) tells me how a couple walked in one evening for dinner and after they looked at a picture of MAS air stewardesses from the early years, the woman excitedly said: “Hey, that’s me. there in the picture!”

THE MENU

The cafe offers freshly brewed coffee and western dishes with a few local choices and two Arabian dishes. For light eaters, there are sandwiches, burgers and Caesar Salad. The Chilli Dog (RM21), grilled chicken/beef sausage in a hot dog bun, is served with chilli con carne.

The Enclave Chicken (or beef) Burger (RM24/26) is a hearty slab of boneless chicken meat topped with caramelised onion, tomato, lettuce, gherkin, sliced cheddar and egg. Served with French fries and a dip.

The Cream Of Mushroom Soup (RM18) is filling and satisfying, comfort food on rainy days. Prepared with cream, chicken broth, onions and pepper, this has a sprinkle of croutons and chopped parsley.

Pasta (from RM17) servings are big. Pick from Aglio Olio, Marinara and Bolognese. Our Chicken Carbonara (beef brisket also available) is a heaped serving of spaghetti tossed with a smooth, creamy egg yolk

Three succulent grilled lamb loin chops.

sauce. There’s mushroom, strips of chicken and topped with a blanket of shaved parmesan.

MEATY MAINS

We order Chicken Chop (RM22) and Lamb Chop (RM35). The former is grilled deboned chicken leg on a bed of mashed potato with a drizzle of mushroom sauce and sauteed vegetables on the side. The mash has great texture as the potato is not too finely mashed.

The Lamb Chop is for meat lovers. Three slabs of meaty grilled loin chops are served with black pepper sauce and mint sauce on the side. Mashed potato and sauteed vegetables complete the dish.

ASIAN SENSATIONS

Vic says the Asian selections are popular. He is particularly proud of the best-seller, Spicy Mutton Fried Rice and Salad (RM20), which uses deboned South Indian mutton varuval that his mother cooks at home. It’s served with salad and vegetable crackers. I like that it’s not too salty; one can add salt if preferred. This Mutton Varuval (RM20) is also served with plain white rice, salad and vegetable crackers, just like Thai Pad Ped Chicken (RM19), a Thai-inspired dish of sliced deboned chicken so mildly pedas that children will love it too.

From the Arabian menu, we pick the healthy Shish Taouk (RM22), with three skewers of well marinated chunks of chicken which we stuff into pita bread with chopped lettuce, tomato, onion and add a drizzle of garlic sauce.

VALUE SET LUNCH

The Enclave serves a daily set lunch (RM15) comprising one dish and iced lemon tea. The choices are Caesar Salad, Mushroom Soup, Grilled Chicken Chop with mash/ fries, Fish & Chips, Chicken Nasi Lemak, Chicken Nasi Goreng Kampung, Pasta or Sandwiches (Egg or Monte Cristo) and Fries.

The Chicken Nasi Lemak (RM18) has a crispy, crunchy deepfried deboned chicken thigh served with coconut milk-scented rice, peanuts, ikan bilis, fried egg and sambal on the side. I like that the sambal is not sugary sweet but instead, has the right blend of spices. Enclave Chicken

Burger with grilled boneless chicken topped with caramelised

onion, tomato, lettuce, gherkin, sliced cheddar

and egg.