Update: This business has ceased its operations.
They say third time’s a charm (see here and here for previous visits). And charm it is during today’s visit to Middle Eastern Restaurant (مطعم الشرق الأوس) at Plaza Ivory. To put in simple words, the food here is nice and cheap. I just love to put these two adjectives in the same sentence!
As usual, chicken soup is served as appetizer on the house. The flavor of chicken stock is very strong, enough to open our appetites by at least an order of magnitude.
The Makloba Lamb (RM14.00) is a tomato rice dish served with grilled eggplants (brinjals), onion rings and several succulent chunks of delicious lamb. Typical in Middle Eastern cuisine, basmati (long-grain) rice is used. I find it nice to have this type of rice occasionally for a change. It is less starchy and feels “looser” than the local rice that we are accustomed to.
Speaking of the lamb, we really like the tenderness of the grilled lamb chunks. For one, I am sure that the meat cuts are of the right proportion of lean and fatty tissues. But you really need to give credit to the chef for grilling it to juicy perfection. The eggplants and onion rings add extra sweetness to this dish.
The Bagla Baldhan (RM8.00) is a naan flatbread dish topped with a fried egg and kidney beans. The egg and beans are alright, but we feel that the dish is too dry overall. I am not sure whether the bowl of mild curry is meant to be poured into the flatbread, but we did precisely this anyway. If I were in a foreign land, I will try to observe the local table manners first. When in Rome, do as the Romans do!
Moving on to the Doleymiyeh Chicken (RM12.00), this dish is a combination of turmeric-flavored rice and naan flatbread. I guess this is a suitable dish if you cannot decide what to eat. If you cannot choose one, why not get both?
What is not obvious here is the large piece of chicken leg (thigh and drumstick) initially hidden under the rice! I must say that the taste of this grilled chicken is simply heavenly. The flesh peels off gracefully from the bones, while the marinade permeates all layers of the meat. KFC should learn a thing or two about grilled chicken before attempting another fiasco!
Once again, we did not miss the opportunity to enjoy another round of refreshing Barbican (RM3.00) beverage. Eager to try something new, we ordered a raspberry-flavored and a peach-flavored ones. Both are genuine thirst quenchers.
The verdict from my previous visit is upheld: The food remains nice and cheap, and I still enjoy using these two adjectives. Once again, I am amazed with the large food portion here at ridiculously affordable price!