Thursday 11 August 2016

Date Night On A Cheat Night


Update : Ampersand has closed down.

When I work on Saturdays there is an incentive. Date night! That's simply because I am too tired to cook. I  used to come home at 3pm or 4pm and start baking. Then a little later I start dinner. Not anymore. I have no energy. Getting older I suppose.

I don't like to venture too far. KL? No way. Not even Medan Damansara or Bangsar. I am not going to sit in the car and jam all the way through with the happening crowd. Even though I am not driving.

I like to go somewhere nearby no matter how boring that sounds. And I always end up at a place that needs no introduction.

The menu has been revamped and the ribs now come with salad and mashed potatoes. Potatoes? Can you eat potatoes? That's carbs you know! Sure, sure. Saturday is my cheat day heh..heh..so I can eat anything I want.

As usual, the BBQ Ribs for my partner.


I decided to give the Cacao Ribs another go. The first time I had it, though I appreciated the unique flavor, I was none too keen to have it again. 


And you know what? It tasted really good this time. I would say it's an acquired taste and it has grown on me. In fact I had it again on another visit.


Those white bits on the ribs are popcorn. I just felt that there was way too little of it to make any impact. 


My carbs! Mashed potatoes. Lovely. It's chunky and buttery, just the way I like it.

And of course since it is cheat night, I must have more than just potatoes. So. A serving of pasta was in order.


The Shrooms Aglio Olio. The serving size is not as big as previously and one person can comfortably finish this if having the pasta on its own. No harm topping it with some fried chicken wings or pork belly to share.

And to add some freshness to our meaty meal, we ordered a side of salad.


That rounded up our evening beautifully. I noted that Ampersand is a lot livelier and busier than it used to be. I'm glad that more and more people are coming to enjoy the good food. That can only mean one thing, that this little place will stay in business unlike a few in this area that have called it a day.

28 comments:

  1. Rib and pasta night. Sound hearty but a nice way to end a hectic week.

    It is okay toindulge into something sinful. You deserve it after a long week of hard work.

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    1. It was good and I enjoyed the food and the evening :)

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  2. How long is your place to KL?

    I loves mashed potatoes, hehe..

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    1. If no jam, very fast can arrive. If jam, more than one hour sitting in the car haiz....

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  3. Cacao ribs? Wish they were a little bit more photogenic. I'd go for the regular, thank you.

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    1. Dark colored food are not photogenic and difficult to photograph :(

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  4. Yummy!

    Semua Nampak sedap. :)

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  5. I like the sound of date night...and cheat night...for you :) From the first pic, I could deduce that you're in your favourite place again. Good that the ribs now come with mashed potatoes and salad for a more complete meal. So, you like your mashed potatoes chunky, huh? I prefer smooth with some chunks for texture. As to this place staying in business, don't be too happy first coz I remember their previous place (Ecole P) under the same owner closed and was revamped to Ampersand. For your sake, I hope this one lasts! ;)

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    1. I understand your sentiment. I never had a chance to visit Ecole P and from what I see in food reviews, it was a rather whimsical place and this sort of trend tends to die off as customers get tired of the novelty.

      Well, fingers crossed for Ampersand. Today, I sadly noted that Salad Shack has been replaced by another outlet. They were in business for only slightly more than 6 months!

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    2. Guess people here don't like to pay high prices for salad. I know I don't because I will just eat salad at home since it is easy to prepare since I buy pre washed raw salad leaves from supermarkets.

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  6. In my opinion, the salad was totally unnecessary. Would be better if it was a brownie or cake instead. Just saying. XD

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    1. hah..hah... Ya hor, since there's already some salad that came with the ribs :)

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  7. I assume cacao nibs/ground had been used in the ribs. If I am not mistaken, the cacao nibs have been fermented, hence the acquired taste.

    Were the ribs melt in the mouth?

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    1. The ribs were tender with still some bite. I prefer firmer texture rather than melt in the mouth when it comes to meat.

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  8. I hope that they will serve the ribs for lunch during weekends because like I have said previously, I would like to taste the Cacao Ribs. Even more now that you like it.

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    1. For weekends, they have all day brunch and one of the items served has ribs. That would be the Monster Breakfast designed for 4 persons.

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    2. But that one is BBQ ribs, not the cacao one.

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    3. Thanks for this info. I will wait till they serve cacao ribs for lunch on weekends to try. BBQ ribs, don't think the BBQ sauce will be much different from the usual BBQ sauce so I don't need to try that.

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  9. yay! i haven't been back to ampersand for a few months now, but am really happy to hear they're livelier now, cos they deserve to be! i was talking to a restaurateur this week who acknowledged how the past three months have been tough on most businesses, but things are picking up again ahead of the end of year. as far as uptown is concerned, i wonder if starling mall will help business at the surrounding shop-houses or steal away business ...

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    1. My thoughts exactly - more business or less due to the mall. It could work both ways I guess. More business could come from the spillover effect. I fear that with the opening of the mall, traffic here will get even crazier than it already is!

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  10. Hi Phong Hong,
    I like Shrooms Aglio Olio & salad. Ampersand ..not sure if I've been there. Must ask my in-law to bring me there when I visit them the next time.

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    1. Hi Karen! They opened December 2015, so you may not have been here but make sure you do when you next visit :)

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  11. I have not been to Ampersand yet! What am I waiting for?

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    1. You are waiting for the dream-on invitation. LOL!

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  12. Looking at these photos make me so hungry...another 2 hours to dinner!

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