This time, I received an invitation from a new place in Publika called 4Play Seafood & Co. How could I not invite friends when friends are allowed? The first person I thought of was my
We chose a dinner slot to be there. The traffic was not horrendous but it was slow-moving from where Li Xin and I were coming from. Thankfully, she was okay to drive me because well, you know, it is rather hard to drive with a fractured right foot. We met Alicia there, who had no problems finding the place. Yours truly here hardly goes to Publika so it was a bit of a challenge and it didn't help that they are partially hidden by a huge pillar. We found the place nonetheless so all good.
Chef Desmond came out of the kitchen to quickly exchange pleasantries and then we were promptly served by the friendly waitstaff. One good thing about reviews is that we needn't crack our heads on what to choose from the menu, as they would have a pre-planned menu for us.
We were started off with a plate of Wild Mushroom Soup (RM20), a plate of shiitake, oyster and white button mushrooms simmered in a rich cream broth and drizzled with truffle oil. We appreciated that they used real mushrooms and with the accompanying basket of garlic bread, we felt that we were off to a good start.
Thankfully, there was only one plate of Seafood Cioppino (RM26) and not three, unlike the mushroom one because otherwise, I think we'd have too much liquid in our tummies to fit in anything else. On the menu, the description of this dish was clams, prawns, squid and mussels slowly simmered in a herbed tomato broth. Ah, okay, so cioppino meant soup and when we looked up Wikipedia, it is actually an American-Italian fish stew originating from San Fran.
It definitely had all the described ingredients but while we thought it was well-presented, it was a little too salty to our liking. We wondered if this was meant to be eaten with bread, as on its own, it had a rather strong taste.
An adorable plate of Chilli Padi and Honey Chicken Wing (RM25) followed. We agreed that if we were to order a la carte, this would be one that would catch our attention on the menu. It simply was just deep-fried chicken wing dipped in a chilli padi and honey sauce. This was easily the star of the night. The chicken skin was crispy, it smelt fragrant and the sauce was addictive.
When the following three dishes were served, we noticed how generous they were with their portions. The following three were Golden Salted Egg Yolk dishes and we were served all three meat choices of chicken (RM25), prawn (RM28) and calamari (RM25).
They weren't too bad, plenty of flavour but we were not really able to taste the salted egg yolk. We could taste plenty of everything else, though and they were well-battered. Not bad, not bad.
Perhaps we were comparing the taste to more Chinese-style cooking, you know, where in Chinese restaurants you'd be able to taste the salted egg yolk to the extent of feeling your cholesterol levels spike.
I found the Creamy Spinach Stuffed Mushroom (RM22) interesting, as I have not had this combination before. However, if you are not a spinach or mushroom fan, this is not for you. Trying this made me wonder if it would work with cheese instead of cream, if I were to try making this at home.
Served in a black hotpot was the Clams (500g) in Creamy Butter Chilli and Curry Leaves flavour (RM30). We could imagine how tasty the gravy would be after being kept in the fridge overnight. Ooh, just imagine dipping bread into it... yums!
Another show-stealer was the claypot of Spicy Prawns (RM28), a serving of deep-fried tiger prawns served with their homemade sauce. The sauce was the secret to it being delicious - a little bit of sweet, sour, spicy and salty that made it really addictive.
Alicia's favourite was the Crab (500g) in Salted Egg Yolk flavour (RM75). Served piping hot, it lip-smacking good but she wondered why it did not have much meat. Again, comparing to Chinese restaurants where crabs have plenty of meat. I am not a crab person so I left this to her judgement.
One that is not for people who cannot take spiciness is the Mussels (500g) in Spicy Chilli (RM35) flavour. I enjoyed this but after a few shells, the spiciness really kicked in. Li Xin and Alicia didn't think it was too spicy, though, so I guess it was just me.
And how could we end a meal without dessert? Dessert is always the first thing I look at when I browse a menu. We all went, "Ooh..." when the waiter placed the plate of Choco Molten Lava Cake (RM21) on the table. Crossing our fingers for the chocolate to flow out like volcano lava, we were not disappointed. It was good on its own, we thought the caramel syrup on the side was not necessary.
We were so well-fed that we could barely move at the end of the meal! We had to pack some of the dishes to bring home, too. Look at the flatlay of what we had, and this was not even everything! A little scary for just three girls, eh? ;)
As we were walking out, one of their waitstaff informed me that if readers mention my blog, they would give a 10% discount. So do pay them a visit and when better than during the upcoming CNY break?
A big shoutout to the management and staff of 4Play for the plentiful meal and all the best!
4Play Seafood & Co.
A1-G2-07, Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: +603 6211 9908
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