the apartment

Almost everyone talked about "the apartment" a few months back. An interesting concept, I must say. But the feedback on the food was not very encouraging, though. To confirm this, I paid this eatery a visit last Saturday afternoon, before another self-indulging session of karaoke at Red Box.

Together with Jason and Kim, we had lunch in the "bathroom" of "the apartment". The setting was really modern and smart. The cool sounds of the likes of Jamie Cullum filled the air. Great ambiance for those weekend catching-ups. The chairs left much to be desired though, as they were basically school chairs painted white. I certainly would not buy them for my apartment.

Settings aside, a glance at the clipboard menu revealed a wide range of starters, mains and desserts (mostly western and fusion fares). Quite impressive actually, judging from the descriptions of the dishes. Taste wise?

I ordered the Chicken In A Bag (RM18.90) without hesitation as it was one of the more well-known dishes offered here. A lazy man dish, I called it as it was basically chicken breast and vegetables cooked in cream. In a bag, of course. Despite the unfriendly comment, the dish turned out quite well, I must say. Once the aluminum foil bag was cut (done by the helpful waiter), steam unravelled. Though looked unorganised, a sip of the gravy revealed a rich tasting cream, decorated with whole grain mustard. A more generous amount of mustard would have been appreciated as the richness of the cream can be overwhelming at times. The vegetables, which included julienned leeks, cannelioni beans and new potato pieces added distinctive texture and flavour to the dish. I enjoyed the leek the most as it was not too pungent nor chewy. A very English dish (to me, at least). Bread for dipping the cream sauce would have been wonderful too.

Jason had Andrew's Pasta (RM14.90). A rather simple dish with linguine and pesto tossed together and mixed with sauteed new potatoes and asparagus. Despite the al dente linguine, Jason was rather displeased with the blandness of the pesto sauce. And I don't know who Andrew was.

Kim's Baked Fish (RM19.90) looked simple. Baked dory topped with cherry tomatoes with gratin of mozzarella and parmesan with saute new potatoes was how the menu described this dish. The taste was simple as well. The dory tasted fresh but the ensemble did not excite tastebuds. The sides of potatoes and arugula were, well, just sides.

We also ordered lemonade (RM6.50) and earl grey tea (RM6.50). No desserts for us though, as we didn't want to stuff ourselves before the karaoke session.

Serving of food was quite slow (more than the supposedly 15 minutes length) but the waiters/waitresses and their supervisors were quite friendly and attentive. By the way, this eatery is currently promoting their new weekend breakfast menu.

Perhaps expectations were too high. Perhaps only simplistic dishes are cooked in real apartments. Or perhaps the food was just rather plain in taste.

the apartment
Lot 72, 73 & 74
152 Ground Floor
Western Courtyard
The Curve.
Tel: +603-7727 8330