Mezze @ Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara

Ask me what Mediterranean food is and to be honest with you, i really don't know how to answer you.

However, ask me to wikipedia it and you would probably also never realise Mediterranean food actually covers food from so many countries:

Europe - Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey
Asia: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine
Africa - Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco

Literally flavours from everywhere.

Where can one get a taste of that in Malaysia? Probably plenty of places or next to nil but i do know that Mezze, the latest restaurant to open at the rows of Jalan Kasah would fit the bill.

Serving modern mediterranean cuisine in a casual bistro environment, this should turn out to be quite a gem, suitable for a casual date or a gathering among friends.


We started out with some drinks; cocktails, beer and wine. The highlight i must say is the house red wine, a Heartland Stickleback Red at RM75 a bottle. Value for money and very palatable unlike most house wines which are rather hard to swallow.

Starters

Mezze flat bread & dips - Harissa and Walnut and Feta (RM 9.50). Home made dips that vary day to day and warm bread starts the meal.

Zucchini Fritters (RM 11.50) - Zucchini, fetta and fresh herb fritters on a bed of confit cherry tomatoes and wild rocket. Brilliant dish for a vegetarian as it is filling but if you don't fancy something too goey, skip this.

Duck & Chicken Spring Rolls (RM13.50) - Spring roll of pulled confit duck, shredded chicken, feta and mushoom with a green chilli jam. Looks rather familiar but the packed contents shows that you can cook an asian item rather differently and still make it taste good. Paired with a brilliant sauce.

Lamb Cutlet (RM28) - Chargrilled coriander mint and honey soaked cutlets. Despite big eyes around the table, i have no problems with this rather hearty portion as a starter.

Duck Liver Pate (RM13.50) - A smooth pate with Pedro Ximenez, mixed herb salad, fennel marmalade. I am sold, a must order.

Pancetta & Prawn Tempura (RM15.50) - Pancetta wrapped prawn in tempura batter with wasabi aioli. Richard Brewer, the head chef has his likes for asian flavours as he pairs wasabi and fries his prawns tempura style yet uses pancetta, a very european delicacy.

Mains

Rib Eye Steak (RM 65) - Black angus rib eye, sauteed potatoes, asparagus and sweet shallot with a sherry beef reduction. Well executed and i would probably order this again, if i come back.

Braised Beef Shank Pappardelle (RM32.50) - ragout of braised shank with fresh fat ribbon pasta. Usually a rich sauce is required for this kinda of pasta and the ragout delivers. Maybe if the shank was shredded even finer, every spoonful of pasta would get accompanied by the tender flesh.

Lamb Pilaf Pie (RM23) - lamb cooked gently with aromatic spices layered with basmatic rice, baked under a crust and a side of raita. Fluffy rice and the spices is what i would identify as mediterranean.

Ballotine of Lamb (RM42) - boneless babyjoint of leg marinated in tagine spices and wrapped around fresh soft herbs, preserved lemon, olives and artichokes, chargrilled and served on a bed of tunisian cous cous. Another favourite among the table, succulent lamb with a whole load of flavour going on in the dish.

Guisado Alicante (RM28) - saffron broth of calamari, mussels and fish, choriso sausage and chilli. Brilliant for a raining night, comforting food at its best.

Steamed Mussels (RM22.50) - steamed with tamarind, lemon grass, ginger, chilli and honey. More asian than mediterranean but still the chef pulls it off well. However, the main is best shared among a few rather than eat a whole bowl of mussels as your primary dish.

Barbequed Spatchcock Chicken (RM28) - grilled spring chicken, potatoes and a burnt aubergine salsa. The whole dish again bursts with flavour with a whole load of roasted shallots. The use of spring chicken versus chicken breasts is a plus point.

Chilli Shrimp Spaghetti (RM29.50) - pasta of shrimp, fennel, tomato and shallot. Loads of fresh prawns makes this dish a rather safe and familiar one for both the diner and the chef.

Overall, the food were all well executed with a variety of flavours that teases the palate. A pity the camera died upon me when desserts were served. Highlights from dessert include an off the menu cake that had toffee, caramel and nuts served with vanilla ice cream and the homemade brownie.

Thank you Jek from the Qguides.com for the invite and Perin Petrus and Richard for being the gracious hosts.

Address and contact details:

No. 132, Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: 03-20950122

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5 stars. Truly enjoyed the concept and the food. If only, there can be more carpark along Jalan Kasah.

PS: Looking back at the pictures, i dare say my mojo is back!