WIP won Outlet of the Year at the HAPA-GAB Excellence Awards 2012, an initiative that recognizes the best of the best in the Malaysian F&B industry. rif and I enjoyed a beer with food pairing experience at WIP, hosted by Fanny of SOULed OUT and Henry of G2 PR.
I’m no stranger to WIP. It’s my regular happy hour place with friends as it is just a stone’s throw away from where I live. The food is decent, but their classic mojito is one of the best in town thus far. My cold pint of Guinness was a lovely complement to the spicy dishes we ordered. Especially the mutton varuval. WIP (and also SOULed OUT) serves pretty good Northern Indian food, and mutton varuval makes a good example. The mutton was cooked till tender with chilies and assorted spices.
Chicken Chimichanga (RM22) – a deep fried tortilla with chicken and cheese – is a crowd favourite. It was a good way to start the meal. Espedata is a Portuguese meat skewer that is a feature in WIP. We had the beef (RM92) and seafood (RM78) version, which I didn’t care much about. Despite its medium doneness, the sirloin was rather tough and the seafood wasn’t particularly exciting.
The Braised Lamb Shank (RM44) fared better. Larger than a turkey drumstick, the lamb was tender, deeply flavoured and falling off the bone. You get a choice of naan or biryani rice. I opted for the former. Not for the faint hearted or those with butter tongues.
I was steered away from my regular chicken cordon bleu and carbonara this time around. The Coastal Aglio Olio (RM38) was my favourite dish that night. Spaghetti tossed in olive oil, garlic and chili flakes, with tiger prawns, scallops, squid, clams and fish – wicked pair with Kilkenney. Looked simple, but packed a punch. Hopefully, the pasta will be this good when I visit them during happy hour this coming week.
I never order anything other than Sake San at WIP, and was a bit skeptical about the Mushroom and Spinach Pizza (RM31). This was actually better than the Sake San. Love the combination of creamed spinach, mushroom and mozzarella here.
Desserts were the churros (RM14), pavlova (RM20) and banana & peach butterscotch (RM17). I liked the pavlova best. The tart fresh fruits complemented the meringue well, and they used cream cheese instead of fresh cream. Nice twist. The churros was just alright for me. I found the banana & peach butterscotch too sweet for my liking – if I eat this daily, I’ll be on the fast track to diabetes. Lol
Overall, I was quite happy with the food that night. And most of them paired well with Guinness and Kilkenny. I only hope the food consistency can be maintained, as the outlet gets pretty busy after 6pm.
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Ambiance: 6.5/10
Price: 6/10
Food: 6.5/10 (pork free)
Verdict: Still one of my favourite places to hang out in Bangsar. And if you’re lucky, you’ll find one or two eye candy when you’re there. I did. ;)
WIP
Lot G111, Ground Floor,
Bangsar Shopping Centre
Tel: 03-2094 1789
Website
By the way, the SOULed Out Group will be organising their yearly ritual of fun parties this year end. Check out the flyers below!
7atenine
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SOULed OUT Ampang
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SOULed OUT Hartamas
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WIP
3 comments
Is the sauce for the lamb shank spicy, to suit the naan/rice?
Yeah, it’s spicy. Quite good. :)
Sounds good, but here I can buy a shank double that size for only €3!