Juniper
Located along busy Jalan Raja Chulan, I have always admired the building which houses Pampas Steakhouse Old Malaya every time I passed by as it is so vintage. There aren’t that many buildings like this any more so well preserved after 100 years. On the evening of my birthday December 1st, after checking into Lyf, we took a leisurely stroll to Pampas Steakhouse which has quite an expansive outdoor area where customers can look up at KL Tower.
We were ushered into one of the sections of the restaurant. We could hear carollers in another section as we were being seated. Actually, all we heard was the 2nd half of a carol & then one of them came over to our table and asked for a donation. She said that it was for the Orang Asli. I am all for supporting Orang Asli but I think there is a time and place to ask for donations and this was neither. Besides, don’t they get paid by Pampas? My friend and I hesitated but the woman stood stock-still at our table while my friend rummaged in her bag for loose change. It felt like being in the neighbourhood kopitiam where random people ask for donations. I didn’t see her asking for donations from other diners. We didn’t hear any more carolling after my friend’s donation.
There’s a special menu for 2pax which works out to be cheaper than if we ordered starters, soup, main course and dessert from the regular menu. For RM339++, we would each get a Starter of Seared Sesame Tuna Loin, Soup Creamy Asparagus with Green Herbs, Main Course 3 choices of Buttered Ribeye with Red Wine Sauce, Herb-Roasted Cod Fish or Cauliflower Steak with Pickled Beetroot & for dessert, it is Pumpkin Mousse.
As my friend abstains from beef, there was only 1 option for Main Course, i.e. Herb-Roasted Cod Fish. The ambiance in this restaurant is very nice although I wished we could have heard more carolling. The service was impeccable, the waiter was really polite and experienced, one of the most professional waiters I have ever come across.
From the Starter, Seared Sesame Tuna Loin, we knew the food was going to be better than good as the Tuna didn’t even taste like the normal fishy Tuna. I don’t particularly like tuna but this was incredible as it was so soft & melted in the mouth, hardly any chewing required. Smothered in sesame which I love, this was truly the most sumptuous tuna,
The Creamy Asparagus Soup with Green Herbs was thick and yes, definitely creamy.
Our Main Course was the highlight of the set meal as we got a thick cut of cod and it tasted so good with the lemon yuzu sauce which gave it a tangy, slightly sour taste. Best Main Course I have had in a long, long time.
So I might have let on to our friendly waiter that we were celebrating my birthday but I really didn’t expect my dessert to be served with a flourish. 2 or 3 of the staff came to our table with my dessert singing “Happy Birthday”, it was such a wonderful surprise. I didn’t even have time to react by taking my phone to take a video or photos of the singing waiters. I wanted an encore so I could record the moment,
Dessert was served with white chocolate flakes and caramel pistachios. it was light and small. Honestly though, I would have preferred a small piece of cake as the mousse was just too insubstantial for me.
Overall, it was a great dining experience at Pampas where the service and food are superb. However, if I am there the next time, I’d just order a Starter or Soup and the Main Course from the regular menu. I would like to thank Pampas for the special presentation and delivery of the dessert on my milestone birthday.
