The scent of Yuletide is making its presence felt. It is time to prepare for that beautiful family dinner for Chrismas. There is one restaurant that literally ups the ante as one of the promising ones in Kuala Lumpur for the festival that will warm not only the tummy but also the soul. Situated in Publika, Ante is a restaurant that prides its expertise on pork steaks which have proven its finesse in the meat through my delighted face that evening.
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| Ante Pork Steak Restaurant and Bar at Publika |
Ante has garnered a few accolades under its belt by being nominated as Best Place for Meats in 2014 and winner of Time Out KL Food Awards in 2015. They also made it to The Yum List's best restaurant lists in 2014 and 2015, Hungrygowhere's five best places to eat in Publika and Say's Top 9 Must Try Pork dishes in the Klang Valley.
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| Fairy lights to welcome Christmas |
Ante has always ensured that their menu is always revised and revamped yearly after extensive research and development to seal customer satisfaction.
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| A cosy interior for beautiful evening |
The cosy atmosphere of the restaurant is already an appeal. Soft fairy lights give a warm and angelic ambience to incubate the festive appetite making it appropriate for gatherings and romantic dates alike.
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| A good choice for gatherings, celebration or even for a simple date for two |
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| The bar counter |
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Red and white wines from RM23.00 per glass and RM109 per bottle
Happy hour price from RM18.00 per glass and RM87.00 per bottle |
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| Ready to eat with couzie! |
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| From left, cream of pumpkin soup and cream of mushroom soup RM15.00 each |
The end-of-year rain made soup a favourable order. The the golden
pumpkin soup is a bowl of sweet and savoury warmth that you can start with. It's creamyness gives it a smooth blend and will leave you lip smacking. The
mushroom soup is no less likeable with chunks of mushroom for some fun bites.
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House Smoked Bacon RM19.00
Three sliced thick pork belly bacon and seeded mustard |
The
House Smoked Bacon comes in a set of 8mm thick triplets made from scratch at Ante. It is manicured, brined and air dried before smoking it. It is seared to give a slight crust and served with seeded mustard.
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Miso Pork Belly RM19.00
Slow cooked belly, miso glaze, herbed crust |
The
Miso Pork Belly was everybody's darling that evening. The perfectly layered cubes of pork is slow-cooked for 12 hours to seal the meat with its own juices. Each layer of fat compliments the tender meat, bringing out the brilliant aroma of the pork. Cleverly married with miso glaze and herbed crust, this dish is a wonder with every bite.
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Tasting platter R46.00
Clockwise from top left- french butter, sourdough bread, olive oil infused rock melon with housemade ricotta cheese, duck breast cubes, Jamon Iberico ham and Spanish cured ham |
If you need a dish for communal eating while sipping on the latest gossips with your friends alongside some wine, the
Tasting Platter may be something that you would like. Cold cuts feature imported Jamon Iberico, Spanish ham and cubes of smoked duck breast with a side of extra virgin olive oil infused rock melon and housemade ricotta. The duck breast is commendable as the skin is crispy to perfection atop tender and juicy cubes of duck meat.
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Crispy trotter RM29.00 (only available at Ante Publika)
Crispy fried port trotter skin, mixed lollo lettuce, young papaya and mango julienne, pecans, pomegranate, french vinaigrette |
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Garden duck RM27.00
Duck breast slices, baby romaine, grilled watermelon, cherry tomatoes, pecans, orange brandy dressing |
Ante makes sure that their
salads are also carefully composed with fresh lettuce and baby romaine tossed with creative ingredients like grilled watermellon, young papaya and mango, pecan and promegranate seeds. The experience could be more sensational if there were more bits of crispy trotter and duck meat that is already well matched with their refreshing orange brandy and french vinaigrette dressing.
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Pork Striploin Diane with mushroom cream sauce RM42.00
Tender lean meat with strip of charred fat, cooked Diane style on mushroom brandy sauce |
The super stars of the restaurants finaly arrived on our tables. Ante's signature dishes comprise of four generous cuts, each with its own unique sauce and accompaniments. All cuts are handpicked and manicured before cooking. All steaks are temperature checked for doneness before serving. You can tell the intricacy of preparation in the kitchen when there is not much room for complain.
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Pork Striploin with black pepper sauce RM38.00
Tender lean meat with a strip of charred fat, served with caramelized onions, fries, frisee and oak lettuce |
Pork Striploin is a lean piece of meat with a strip of fat that is bound to appease people who are fat conscious. The mushroom brandy sauce makes a creamily yummy slather on each bite while the black pepper sauce is loyally pleasant.
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Pork Ribeye RM52.00
Cap of marbled dark meat with tender eye of loin and buttery charred fat on the bone. Served with truffle butter sauce roasted Russet potatoes and frisee and oak leaf lettuce |
The
Pork Ribeye is chargrilled to create a block of meat that is laudable for its juiciness. The highlight of this dish is the truffle butter sauce that is so divinely concocted to affiliate with the meat.
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Pork Shoulder RM52.00
Well marbled cut of dark meat on the bone served with garlic rosemary sauce, mashed potato, frisee and oak lettuce |
My personal favourite would be the well-marbled
Pork Shoulder that is toothsomely seasoned to the core. Dark and gamy meat always finds a way to satisfy me. The tenderness of the meat left me speechless and represents the kind of quality cooking that customers will return for. The flavour is augmented by the smooth garlic rosemary sauce.
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Char Siu Curry Cream RM33.00
Char siu pork slices, eggplant ragout, shimeiji mushrooms, curry and chives |
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Carbonara RM30.00
Bacon, button mushrooms, parmesan, parsley, eggyolk |
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Garlic Olio RM26.00
Fried garlic, bacon, mushrooms, wine, bacon, parsley |
Ante also invests attention in their pastas. The classic
Carbonara and
Garlic Olio are sprinked with bacon bits that will please the palate. A recommended number is the
Char Siu Curry Cream. The sauce is infused with the fragrance of curry with the right amount of creaminess. The thoroughly seasoned
char siew (cantonese sytled bbq pork) will reconfirm that the choice is right.
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Apple Crumble RM18.00
Baked green apples, vanilla ice cream and cinnamon |
Although Ante is into meats, their desserts are worth the visit too. The
Apple Crumble reminds you of bliss with its buttery pastry that goes well with vanilla ice-cream and salted caramel syrup. Not too sweet, the hot and cold sensation will mirthfully tease your senses.
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Valrhona Chocolate Delice RM21.00
66% dark chocolate, cocoa soil, Earl Grey Tea Cream, fresh strawberries and blueberries and almond flakes |
Let the
Valrhona Choclate melt in your mouth while you swirl the goodness of dark chocolate with your tongue.
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Creme Brulee RM21.00
Smooth vanilla custard, torched golden caramel |
For those who likes diary, the
Creme Brulee is dreamily milky witha touch of torched caramel crisp at the top to begin with.
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| You can tell our satisfaction through our smug faces |
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| Ante just ignited my Christmas mood |
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Ante @ Publika (also available in One Utama)
A2-G1-09, Solaris Dutamas 1,
Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Operating hours:
Sunday - Thursday 11 am – 10.30 pm
Friday - Saturday 11 am – 11.30 pm
