[12.9.2012] Lunch at Serai

Hey guys.. have you ever had a moment when you try a new restaurant and just ddnt expect much from the word of mouth but was just surprised by the whole experience and taste of it all? This just happened to me during lunch today!

Anyhow, my friend Shikin has been tweeting and instagramming this restaurant called Serai (means Lemongrass in English) and from the exterior it looks nice and since my colleagues were busy today with last minute clarifications from clients meant I had to have lunch alone. So I messaged  Shikin and asked her how the restaurant was since it just opened last week and she's been there twice and also how the service was since I was trying it out during lunch and dont want to be late back to the office. She said that the service was more than ok and the food was good, so I asked her to join me for lunch.
 
So what's on the menu you ask? Well mainly its wholesome traditional Malaysian food. I managed to take a pic of the menu just to help you guys get some understanding of the menu and prices.

They have a selection of their Specialties, Noodles or Rice and also some western food. Also take note of their desert selection which is wonderful. I didnt get a chance to take a picture of the desert menu but it had pictures of some of the most wonderful foods i've seen.

So after looking at the menu, and the waiter came by asking what I would like to order.. I simply couldnt decide.. My stomach had a bigger control of the mind at that moment. So I asked the waiter there what he recommended. He said try out the Nasi Kerabu or anything on the Specialties menu if this is my first time. (Note their waiters are very kind and pleasant! It was sooo easy to order and get service for water refills and pay bills).

The Specialties include the Malaysian favourite Nasi Lemak ( a rice cooked with coconut milk and spicy sambal and usually served hot with some chicken, or beef or some other sort of condiments), they also have Nasi Kerabu which originates from the east coast of the Malaysian Peninsula. This is a unique dish and I initially thought i'd order the Nasi Lemak, but the waiter insisted that I try the Nasi Kerabu. So how does the Nasi Kerabu look like?

 Ta'da! The above pic is of the Nasi Kerabu. (To explain for friends who have never seen or tried this going clockwise from the top : Gravy (Nice to use in small bits over the rice, adds enough punch to it), ulam-ulam and solok lada (mainly the chopped up veggies and a green chili stuffed with some coconut) then keropok (made out of fish that is mixed with flour and dried before being fried), then you have the ayam percik which is chicken marinated and barbecued and smothered with special sauce very yummy and I am very pleased with the portion!),  next the red stuff is the sambal made out of chilies which is a bit hot even for my liking, but it cuts the bursts of flavours in your mouth quite nicely, lastly its the salted egg on a small bed of some coconut fried in some special flavouring which just works wonderfully with the whole mix.

So now you must be wondering how to eat this thing, well traditionally its eaten by your hand and you mix all of it together which creates some sort of crunchy, veggy, meaty and pleasant tastes in your mouth. But since today it was lunch and I was heading back to the office, I decided to use the cutlery which still tastes good. I must say the portion was quite big and nice enough to accommodate a big guy like me! The tastes are really wonderful and the gravy and the ayam percik just completes the flavour nicely. 

So after the main dish, we decided to have dessert as Shikin told me that the Pavlova here was awesome and it truly was...  The pieces was just soft enough and not too brittle and went well with the cream and strawberries. However i wasnt too happy about the grapes as it was too simple for this and kind of seemed too springy and out of the whole mood where the pavlova was going. 

 One complaint if any about this place is that the drinks arrived kinda well into my meal and also the plain water. Though i wasnt really complaining. I had the Serai Ice Lemon Tea i think and its an interesting drink. The lemon came in a form of a ice sorbet and melted slowly into the drink and kept it cool. It was truly a refreshing drink.


So all in all i really like this place.. The service and attention by the waiters was just superb and the decor and ambience was really pleasant and spacious and roomy to have a wonderful get together, lunch with colleagues or just lunch with the bosses.

The price is a bit more on the high-ish side for typical Malaysian food but the food, the service made it worth it and I guess it does not mean it will be a regular lunch place but i'm sure i'll be back.

When we were there it poured cats and dogs and delayed our trip back to the office. But the front facade of the restaurant was purely glass and tinted and air conditioned so it looks very wonderful and nice. Check the pic below and you can also see how bad the rain was pouring.

I dont know the proper address of this restaurant but its on the ground floor of the Life Centre which is on Jalan Sultan Ismail opposite the KFC building.


Review:
Ambience/Decor 5/5
Service and attention 5/5
Food and Taste 5/5
Price 4.5/5
Probability of frequent returns 4.5/5 (price a bit high for my liking to go too often).