Changkat Bukit Bintang is an enclave all-too familiar to KL city-dwellers, tourists and food afficionados alike.
Though more commonly recognized and famed as an upbeat bar street where nightlife sees no daylight, Changkat has also carved a name for its exquisite dining outlets and fine choices of international cuisines.
Just last week, I was invited to experience one of the establishments fringing Changkat Bukit Bintang.
To enjoy the evening even further, I brought Konzy along as my date. 
Where did we dine?
It was none other than at The Steakhouse KL, another premium dining outlet
established by expatriate restauranteur, Mr. Werner Kuhn.
Upon arriving, we were ushered to a table that was reserved specially for us.
It was nice to be seated right in the middle of the restaurant! 
When we sat down, the waiter opened a bottle of mineral water and poured it into our glasses, before gently placing a napkin onto our laps very courteously.
Soon after, we were given a menu for our perusal.
He soon returned with a basket of The Steakhouse KL’s own complimentary house bread and butter.
It was very soft, fluffy with a light, herb aftertaste. 
Lovely, but I would have prefered it to be served warm!
After scrutinizing the menu, we let our stomachs and tastebuds lead the way to our selections.
For now, it’s time for a visual tour of The Steakhouse KL’s cosy interior.
The dining lounge area boasted a very rustic atmosphere enhanced by soft, sombre luminaires.
The arches were reminiscent of a traditional European tavern.
Dimly lit, a chandelier hung from above and wall lighting which resembled street lamps flanked each column.
It also had a fair share of traditional bare brick-walls, exposed beams as well as ornaments of
classic, whiskey pin-ups and dark walnut wood surfaces complemented by a similar dark, leather upholstery.
The al-fresco dining area utilized wooden wicker chairs and bare tables for a more casual, outdoor feel.
We got back to our seats after a brief exploration of the interior.
Our meals arrived before we knew it; leaving no room for us to be kept waiting.
Let’s begin with our choice of starters and soups! 
Scottish Smoked Salmon
This starter came as four strips of neatly rolled-up smoked salmon, served with a side of salad.
I did ponder upon the absence of the cream cheese, as do most Scottish Smoked Salmon dishes. But nevermind that, as the strips of salmon were deliciously thick and fresh with a mild oceanic aftertaste.
This dish also gets extra points for its presentation – rolling it up to resemble a flower bud with a caper bud placed right down the middle. Nice touch!
Garnished with chopped parsley and horseradish cream, they double as a dip for an otherwise plain bite of smoked salmon.
Baked Portobello Mushroom
When this dish arrived, I was astonished by how it looked!
Of all the portobello mushrooms I’ve had in all my years of food tasting, food reviewing and dining out in general, they’ve all been very predictable; served as the usual 4 – 5 pieces of tiny, bite-sized portobello mushrooms.
This one, on the other hand, was presented as one, enormous portobello mushroom!
This plus-sized Portobello mushroom was topped with spinach and seafood.
The generous amount of lush spinach was sandwiched in between a mix of fresh seafood cooked au gratin. It was cheesy and filled with shrimps, scallops and squid rings.
One bite had me going for more… and more. Each mouthful spelled warm bites of very thick, juicy mushroom with its naturally rich taste and a smooth, creamy texture.
Florida Crab Cake
This dish came as four oval balls served with a saucer of tropical tartar sauce.
Caution! It is served very hot. Best to let it sit and cool for a short while before consumption.
After letting it cool down a little, we enjoyed that tiny piece of delight.
It was crispy on the outside, yet soft and meaty inside! Crab meat is such love
As tasty as this one was, I wouldn’t consider it an actual cake/pastry though, as its make up had little to no similarity to that of a usual cake. Its texture – dusted with crumbs and slightly crunchy to the bite – was more to a resemblance of breaded, deep-fried crab patties/balls.
It’s main composition were, apt to its name, shredded Florida crab meat and bits of vegetable and herbs.
Ready for the next one?
Escargot
As a dish known for its acquired taste and indulgence, these baked snails with garlic herb butter was a sure winner in my books.
The escargots came in a hot plate and were presented still in their shells.
Caution: hot!
I loved its charred and smoky flavor, enhanced by the sharpness of the cheese and the piquancy of the herbs.
I know making snails edible require lots of work. Toxins have to be purged, shells are to be cleaned thoroughly
The Steakhouse KL did a marvellous job! Thumbs up. On to the soups! We ordered all three soups as I wanted to compare and contrast them.
Potato and Seafood Soup
I was slightly dissapointed with this one. Not only did the presentation required a lot of room for improvement, the consistency of the soup was relatively diluted and a tad too powdery.
However, in the taste department, this soup scored extremely well! It was fresh, light and mild.
It had an adequate taste of potatos and it was filled with a liberal serving of shrimps, squids and scallops. Almost every spoonful had at least 1-2 seafood treasures in it.
Wild Mushroom Soup
This warm bowl was served with a dash of olive oil and chives.
It lacked the boldness I was expecting in a wild mushroom soup. The courseness and deep, ground-earthy wild mushroom aroma just wasn’t there and it also felt slightly watered-down.
Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t tasteless and neither was it bad.
It just wasn’t as good as other Wild Mushroom Soups – mostly due to the lack in texture and intensity of flavour
With all due respect, I certainly have had better ones.
But I do recommend that you sprinkle some ground black pepper as accompaniment. It worked magic
French Onion Soup
This soup, I swear, is unlike, I repeat: UNLIKE the French Onion soups I’ve ever tasted in my life!
Nevermind French Onions, it is unlike ANY OTHER soup. It doesn’t even look like soup, but pot pie sans its crust.
This was the first French Onion soup I’ve had that stuck close to its 18th century French roots, as it was traditionally topped with baked cheese and croutons. This “soup”, baked with two different types of Swiss cheese – gruyere and emmental cheese – was thick, decadent and extremely flavourful.
Some may find it too cheesy, too thick and chunky. I may not disagree, but then again,
I’m certainly not going to slam the merits of its fine originality and the uniqueness of the soup in itself!
This bowl contained explosive flavours of sweet and tangy french onion, tantalizing each and everyone of your tastebuds the moment you indulge in so much as a mere spoonful.
Mining through it was like a treasure hunt, for I found caramlized onions aplenty hidden at the bottom and as you can see, this soup was laden with croutons as well.
This soup was undeniably filling too, and those tasty croutons soaked in the flavours of this soup? No crouton was left untouched
Mains: Grilled Black Cod Fish
It was well-presented, with good colour combination and, despite the flowing juices, boasted a clean arrangement.
The black cod was grilled and lightly charred around its sides and skin.
The fish was very tender and warm inside, bordering it was a yummy, crispy skin.
It was served with sides of baby spuds, mushrooms, baby tomatos, chili flakes (underneath) and garnished with parsley. The creamy wasabi pesto sauce gave this fillet of perfection an extra zest too!
Cooked to the most accurate time and temperature,
the flesh of this black cod was tender and gently came apart section by section.
Now… for the gastronomic star of The Steakhouse KL! Prepare to salivate and yearn for…
24oz./750gm T-Bone Steak – cooked medium rare
For all of their Chilled Australian Grain Fed beef, the steaks are served with a side of grilled vegetables, a choice of sauce and a choice of potato.
Sauces: black pepper, red wine, mushroom, BBQ or Béarnaise sauce.
Potatoes: french fries, mashed potato or sauteed potato.
When asked for our preference, we opted for the latter for both choices.
The steak was divine! It was huge slab of Australian T-bone; very tender and juicy, still pinkish towards the middle and almost bloody right in the centre – the perfect embodiment of a medium rare steak.
It was firm on the outer surface, with its sides well-browned and the top and bottom part of the steak charred to crisp, dark brown.
As if all I said wasn’t impressive enough, I’d like to up the ante.
The steaks at The Steakhouse KL are all charcoal grilled on the open fire!
Though I usually prefer my steaks medium well to well done (not quite the fan of blue, raw cuts and anything close to it), this steak got my date whirring with culinary delight.
Still, I had a quarter of it and loved it nonetheless!
Steak doneness relies heavily on temperature and precise timing and only a good, experienced griller can
execute a steak with the desired level of doneness, without having to poke through the middle to check.
.
Poured Béarnaise sauce all over it. I would suggest against this!
Lightly dipping each chunk into it was fine, but to pour the entire thing? 
The buttery emulsion killed it for us as it masked the aroma and flavour of the steak.
When we were finally done with our mains, I was feeling a tad full from all that eating.
Took a short walk around the restaurant to “rest” my stomach, which was hard at work this entire time.
Jessicat standing amidst the dining lounge.
Just lounging at the corner! Perfect place for some tête-à-tête and after-dinner cuddles, or in stark contrast,
even a large but intimate gathering with loved ones on the comfortable, plush leather seats.
They say it’s good to save the best for last. And that’s probably why dessert is put at the end of a course!
We’ve come to the part where all sweet tooths would rejoice in unison and that extra spacious dessert compartment in your stomach would be best be utilized right about now.
Andreas Special – A Dream in Chocolate
This fantastic dessert comes in an excellent combination of tastes and sweetness.
It consisted of white chocolate ice cream, milky chocolate mousse, chocolate syrup, banana in passion fruit, and pear in red wine.
Carefully arranged layer by layer and presented in a glass, Andreas Special tasts just as good as it looks.
For the non-adventurous, I implore you to try their homemade chocolate ice-cream. It’s the bomb!
Classic Italian Tiramisu
Its presentation intrigued me. Not only did it not come presented still in glassware, as do most tiramisus I’ve had, this one came neither in a cube form but in a shape of sphere.
This piquant coffee-flavoured dessert came garnished with strawberries and drizzled with mango sauce, and tasted molto buono! The Italians would be proud
Baked Cheesecake
This cheesecake had a nutty biscuit base that tasted like, to my best guess, either walnuts or pecans.
The texture was soft, fluffy not too rich and had just the right amount of crumbliness. On one side, was decorated with strawberries while the other was decorated with blueberries and ice-cream.
I was overjoyed that this cheesecake wasn’t cloyingly sweet nor did it melt in my mouth too quickly.
I like to savour a good cheesecake and this one undeniably, falls into that category
That’s a wrap!
Flanked by Restaurant Manager, Henry and F&B Manager, Chris.
With them around, you can be sure you’ll be getting the most of an impeccable service. They are also approachable, friendly, and had been very open and receptive to my suggestions and constructive criticism.
Oh and before I forget, don’t take my words too harshly or seriously, as I can be quite the nitty-gritty, food critic and perfectionist when it comes to documenting my culinary experiences.
Last but not least, is the man himself behind the famed chain of prestigious restaurants.
Mr. Werner Kuhn and I. Thank you, for having me at your premises that wonderful evening!
Your best bet for a swanky, yet intimate dining session over premium food and whiskey or wine.
I had a brilliant dining experience at The Steakhouse KL that Tuesday night.
Shall be back to try their Deluxe Chilled Seafood Mountain, BBQ Short Ribs, Shanks and
Roulades some time soon, as I was not able to stomach anymore that night! 
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For more information on The Steakhouse KL or to make your reservations/book a table, you can:
Visit their outlet at this address: 48 Changkat Bukit Bintang 52000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Call them at this contact number: +603-2143 2268
Opening hours: 4pm – 3pm (everyday)
Log on to their official website at: www.SteakhouseKL.com
LIKE them on Facebook at: facebook.com/TheSteakhouseKL
Dogs are really a man's best friend.
'
*dagger stares* I gave in, eventually.
Right now,
Jessicat
Hi! Welcome to TheJessicat.com - an urban lifestyle blog established since 2005, written from the perspective of a Malaysian blogger. Discover the latest and all that the city has to offer! Do bear with her occasional rants & musings though. Happy reading! ❤
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