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| Ante Kitchen and Bar |
Ante Kitchen & Bar, Porky Brunch Menu
Words by Brooke Keel
Photos by The Yum List (Monica Tindall)
It’s late morning, and you’ve got a hankering for pork, you say? Don’t fret, just make your way to Ante Kitchen & Bar at Solaris Dutamas, right next door to Publika. KL might not be the first place that comes to mind when fantasizing about satisfying a craving for a pork steak, but since its opening in 2012, Ante has made itself the exception to the rule - they enthusiastically seek to make their kitchen the place to enjoy just this type of fare. And this they have done splendidly.
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| Ante Kitchen and Bar |
The Yum List had the opportunity to test Ante’s all new brunch menu, which is available every day from late morning to late afternoon, 11am-4pm. Concentrating on pork dishes, the menu offers variations of classic breakfast fare along with sausage and steak variations in an array of options. Ante’s pork is locally sourced, as are various other key ingredients, such as the mushrooms infused throughout various dishes. Ingredients are of high quality and as fresh as possible, hand chosen and carefully prepared. Executive chef Jason has designed a fantastic set of offerings to satisfy this particular desire, and the menu is just short of a dozen delicious and wholly satisfying brunch options.
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| Latte - Ante Kitchen and Bar Makes an Excellent Cup of Coffee |
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| Moet and Chandon - A Bit of Bubbly - A Fine Way to Start Brunch Don't You Think? |
We began with the presentation of a most inventive version eggs Benedict, with a Deep Fried Soft Poached Egg. Golden and lightly crispy, then perched on slices of bacon with onions, the egg is delicate and lightly breaded, resting on a soft english muffin over a bed of greens. This dish was a definite favorite, so much so that we had to have a second try. Ante’s Croque Madame too more than passed muster with its wine infused cheese in milk toast with bacon and egg.
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| Deep Fried Soft Poached Egg |
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| Croque Madame |
Another surprising favorite was the only pork-free offering on the brunch menu, the Gnocchi Napoli. These house crafted russet potato dumplings were amazingly light and refreshing - gnocchi can easily be overly dense and overpowered by strong sauces, but these were aptly described as cloud-like in form but not flavour. A delightful side to accompany the main event.
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| Gnocchi Napoli |
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| Rosti with Sausages and Bacon |
If there were to be a main event, its name might be either the Chargrilled Pork Steak or the Pork Diane. These two dishes found themselves hearty favorites among our tasters, and they are wholly recommended for those with a generous appetite. The Chargrilled Steak is a choice cut from the shoulder, accompanied by horseradish berry cream sauce and sliced apples. The Pork Diane, based on a classic french recipe, is a seared pork loin paired with wine and mushroom roux, and accompanied by a green pea mash with roasted potatoes.
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| Chargrilled Pork Steak |
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| Pork Diane |
Finally, recognition must be given to both the English Big Breakfast, a classic selection of eggs, sausage and bacon with mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans and milk toast, and the Baked Eggs in Cocotte, a blend of eggs baked with spiced tomato and chorizo sausage with Parmesan, served with baguette slices. Both of these dishes are perfectly savory and offer an innovative interpretation of tried-and-true brunch classics.
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| Baked Eggs |
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| English Big Breakfast |
A careful selection of wines are selected every few months, which we had the good luck to try in pairing with our brunch tasting. If one is a wine lover, or simply enjoys a glass here and there, there are choices to perfectly accompany each dish. Ante is also known for their coffee/espresso bar, and they employ excellently trained baristas in order to serve the perfect blend. Enjoy a coffee with dessert of Apple Crumble, Bread & Butter Pudding, Affogato with Salted Caramel and Almonds or one of the various rotational desserts offered in the case (we had a lovely pavlova this time around).
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| Good Wine Selection |
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| Bread & Butter Pudding |
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| Pavlova |
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| Apple Crumble |
If you are looking for something different - or something specific (pork, to be exact) - for either a satisfying brunch or a classic dinner, we certainly recommend making your way to Ante Kitchen & Bar. Send our regards to Chef Jason and be ready for a casually warm atmosphere and hearty flavorsome cuisine - Enjoy!
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| Pork Belly Sandwich |
Reasons to visit: delicious porky brunch menu; pork steaks; gnocchi; baked eggs; croque madame; great coffee; good wine menu offering a number of drops not regularly seen on wine lists in KL.
Ante Kitchen & Bar
A2 – G1 – 09 Solaris Dutamas 1
Jalan Dutamas 1
50480 Kuala Lumpur
(Attached to Publika Mall)
Malaysia
+6 03 6206 3364
Open 11am – Midnight (2am Friday and Saturday)