Friday 13 May 2016

Ampersand@Uptown Damansara Again! (Closed)


I have been to dinner at Ampersand 4 times already. That's the problem with me. When I like a restaurant, I will be stuck there. I won't want to go anywhere else. This prompted my partner to remark in jest that Hokano and Epicuro got no business. Those two were my previous favorite haunts.

Last Friday when I told my partner that I wanted ribs (again), he readily agreed to take me to Ampersand (again). Maybe he realized that it puts me in a good mood hee..hee....

It was our 4th visit and we had the BBQ Ribs and Devil Wings. The dinner was excellent. I did not take any pictures but I'll show you what we had on our 2nd and 3rd visit.

On visit number 2, my partner wanted something different. No ribs for him. I suggested the I'm Not Ramen which is spaghetti in a miso pork broth. It came in a small claypot topped with a sous vide egg. Can't go wrong with pork noodles, right?


It was a small portion, suitable for small eaters who tag along with the voracious rib eaters. It was definitely not enough for my partner. I tried a bit of the broth and I thought it was not too bad. My partner wasn't thrilled and wished that he had ordered ribs instead. Pulak....

Fortunately I ordered our favorite Spaghetti Aglio Olio. This time kar liew with two slices of bacon and mixed mushrooms. 


I shared this with my partner. It was already awesome kosong the last time and with bacon and mushrooms, it was superb.

For wings, I opted for the Sinful Wings. The menu description said spice marinated/Nestum/pork lard and housemate (sic) chili sauce.


I'm afraid this didn't stand out because it was bland. Even the chili sauce was bland. I suspect the kitchen forgot to add salt to the batter/sauce. And where is the pork lard? I'm sure if done right, these wings would have been awesome.


To improve the flavor hah..hah...I dipped it into budu sauce. Budu sauce???


The budu sauce came with my Sambal Ribs. Being a Terengganu girl, I am no stranger to budu. It was very salty as expected and saved the chicken wings. 

Now, the Sambal Ribs. I'm afraid the sambal was too mild for me. It lacked the pungency and punch of a good sambal, at least the sambal that I am accustomed to. But when dipped in the budu sauce, it sort of works. I mean anyone from Terengganu (or Kelantan) will tell you that everything tastes good with budu.

The small serving of kerabu was very salty and I guess it went well with the very mild sambal

So that was my 2nd visit to Ampersand, albeit one that fell short in terms of flavors (save for the pasta). But that didn't stop me from a 3rd visit.

Notice we had 6 wings this time? 4 is definitely not enough.

We had the CCB Wings, wings marinated with belacan. Now, this one totally rocks. Very pungent and very tasty. My partner loved it too. 

This time my partner stuck to ribs, BBQ again as the others are too radical for him.


I took a small piece and it was delicious. This BBQ sauce is milder and lighter than the ones I have tasted elsewhere and it was good. 

Being the more adventurous one, I picked the Miso GCJ Ribs, ribs marinated with miso and gojuchang. It came with a side of kimchi and apple chutney (that's what it says on the menu).


I tasted ginger in the miso gojuchang glaze. It was salty and pungent and I thought it was alright.


The kimchi was decent I guess, me not being a kimchi fan. As for the apple chutney, it was very soft and tastewise, it did not leave an impression.


As usual, we ordered a portion of Spaghetti Aglio Olio to share. It tasted a bit different, smoky, like something was burnt. But still, we polished off the whole lot.

This time, I also ordered the Balsamic Slaw, out of curiosity.


It was a big portion of shredded white and purple cabbage. In the menu, there was mention of goji and red dates but I did not see any. The salad was very tart eaten on its own but it paired well with the ribs.

I initially planned on desserts but at the end of the meal, I was quite stuffed. Dessert would have to wait for another day.

There is one more rib I have yet to try, the Fennel Ribs. As for wings, I have another to cover - Sriracha Buttermilk Wings. Who knows there will be visit number 5 this Friday? Oh! That's this evening hee..hee..

So far, I think the wings outshine the ribs. Ironically, the most outstanding among the ribs for me is the BBQ Ribs, the most conventional of the lot. 


29 comments:

  1. Hey PH, in no time, you would have try out the whole menu! Yes, let us know which ones are the tops, chicken wings I can savour them anytime but not spaghetti or pasta... I like the way they serve the ribs on the wooden board.. kind of special!

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    1. So far, I have tried mostly the dinner menu. Brunch only tried once and it was excellent. I still have not tried their weekday lunch because no time hah..hah...So far the wings I tried are all very good (except the one that got no salt hah..hah..). If you have a chance to come to PJ, try to drop by there for dinner. I guarantee you will love the chicken wings.

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  2. Wahsehhh, so many food pictures, all also I like one! I don't really fancy ribs, I prefer the chicken and pasta.. Entah, I always feel ribs hor, expensive and small portion.. Just like salmon.. Mahal, and small portion.. So, I don't go for ribs one.. I prefer burgers, steak, chicken.. Eh, the spaghetti got burnt smell, but you still finished it ahh? Means ok la, not very burnt la.. If me, I smell burnt punya smell, I sure ask to exchange.. I hate burnt smell leh..

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    1. The ribs here are good value for money. The half rack is quite big portion even for a big eater like me. If without chicken wings and pasta, I can wallop one whole rack hah..hah... But I want to eat the wings too because they are really very good.

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  3. Your "I'm Not Ramen" really looks like claypot noodles in our usual coffee shops...hehe! I think your spaghetti aglio olio you made the other day looks better than this one and the balsamic slaw, you can make too, no problem. So, you've eaten all the wings...except one and all the ribs...except one. So, after these two, you've already eaten all their menu? ;D

    I think one likes to go back to the same restaurant when one is "known" there, especially so when they recognise and greet you...kekeke...you feel extra special! :D I've got some of these kind of places myself but I still prefer/want to explore food elsewhere.

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    1. Yup, pretty much like claypot noodles, that's why I thought it was very suitable for my partner. I would say that I have eaten most of the dinner menu hah..hah...except for their Lotus Fries, Mozza's Ball (hee..hee..), Creamy Kim (can't imagine eating spaghetti with kimchi and cumin cream), Cold Mash and Japanese Sweet Potato.

      I do want to explore food at other places too but time and location is a factor. But we'll see :)

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  4. Yes, I was going to say that again. AGAIN!!! Oooo...air budu! I love that. I think I've seen it at the supermarkets here - will go look for it. The bottle my Terengganu friends gave me ran out already. The sambal ribs would be my pick for that local taste that I would very much prefer!

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    1. If you can't find budu, let me know. I can buy and pos laju to you. Serious.

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  5. If i were to eat that for lunch, it can last me for a day, think i can go without dinner, hehe...

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    1. hee..hee..it's a lot ya? Me got a lot of space in the stomach :D

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  6. Yummy lah. I want the chicken wings. Kimchi? Not a big fan of that.

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    1. The chicken wings are fantastic. Me too not a fan of kimchi hee..hee...

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  7. In a way, those Sinful Wings were really sinful, because they did not make you happy at all!

    Yeah, Epicuro no business lo!! I look back between your posts of these 2 places, I think I will like Epicuro more. :/

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    1. Well, I'll cut them some slack and try the Sinful Wings another day and hint hint wink wink to make sure they salt it! Epicuro has more items on their menu and they are well established. Need to give Ampersand more time to grow :)

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  8. I'm also like you.

    I tend to stick at places I like.

    Until I find a new one to like. Hihi

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    1. Ya hor? Sometimes trying new places can be risky.

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  9. Makes sense that when you like the food at one place that you keep going back there for more. I would like to try the Cacao ribs. Do they have that on the menu for lunch during weekends?

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    1. The ribs are only available during dinner time. You can go to their FB page and check out their menu. Do give a try if you happen to pass by this area.

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    2. Argghhh, too bad. I don't go out for dinner so no chance I can try this until they make the ribs available for lunch too.

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  10. I think the waiters can recognize you already,hehe ^__^

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  11. Love all the yummy food. I love wings and ribs. I love pasta too. Always safer to go back to the same place. He he!

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    1. That's my thinking too. I am not a risk taker!

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  12. I have not been to this place...looks delish ! must ask my gal to take me there one of these day :)

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    1. Yes, do that! You will love the chicken wings and the ribs too.

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  13. Walau Eh! Sudah makan 4 kali liao!!! I must go there this weekend la. I wonder if they give me discount when I show them this blog postings??

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    1. Go, go! No need discount lah because their prices are very reasonable. I love the food and I am sure you would too.

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