Datenite at The Rustic Grill, Damansara Utama

It was the eve of my birthday and my partner and I decided to celebrate early.

I suggested that we visit The Rustic Grill, Damansara Utama.

Wah...so romantic, got candlelight! My partner, ever the auditor, picked up the "candle" and announced "This is battery operated!" LOL!

We were early, arriving at around 6.00pm.

This is the buffet counter with the tapas menu written on the blackboard overhead. The main meals come with buffet and free flow tapas.

When our table was set, I was rather amused by the cute tiny kapak (axe). Of course it is not an axe, but rather a knife that looked like a tiny chopper.

Nah! Hambik ko! (sorry no equivalent in English)

My partner told me to stop playing with the axe knife.

Ice Lemon Tea to share.

We placed our order for our mains - Seared Salmon Fillet for him and Beef Tenderloin for her. Then I requested for one each of the tapas for the evening.

1. Sauteed French Bean.

It may look ordinary but it was actually very nice. 

2. Deep Fried Baby Crab

Crunchy and salty. Makes for a good snack.

3. Grilled Eryngii Mushrooms

We loved this!

4. Grilled Eggplant

This was also very nice.

5. Chicken Piccata

This Chicken Piccata was delicious. Highly recommended.

6. Grilled Red Head Squid (in) Balsamic (vinegar)

I'm afraid my partner and I did not like this.

7. Duck Breast Pasta

This was the star tapas for us. Delicious! Also highly recommended.

Now for the mains.

My partner's Seared Salmon Fillet. No complaints from him so I assume this is good.

My Beef Tenderloin.

Cooked to medium rare. Both mains were served with sauce on the side. I loved the sauce that came with the tenderloin.

Now let's take a look at the buffet.

The three covered bowls were mashed potatoes (loved it!), chicken wings (story below) and creamed cauliflower (?). There was also a pot of cauliflower soup. My partner had a bowl  and he said it was nice.

There was also salad and bottled sauces for those of us who can't live without our tomato ketchup or chili sauce.

And then there were desserts to be dipped into the chocolate fountain. At the center were chicken nuggets and fries (later joined by pizza) which I believe are targeted at young diners (children eat free).

This is the chocolate fountain. 

And the items to be dipped into the chocolate. No, I did not have any.

Later these pizzas were brought to the buffet area. My partner and I had a slice each and they were at best ordinary but would delight the young ones.

Now the story about the chicken wings.

They looked very sad but I have eaten sad looking food that were tasty, so I took a risk. My partner and I ate one each and our conclusion (based on the taste and texture) was that these wings had seen better days. And let's leave it at that. 

On a brighter note, we loved the pasta so much that we made another order. So you could say that I was carb loaded (and suffered the consequences the following day).

After my partner paid the bill, we were pleasantly surprised that ice cream was also included with our dinner. I didn't want any but my partner couldn't resist. He chose mint and raspberry. I just has a little taste.

Well, it was largely a pleasant experience (except for the wings) and we will return. It is quite a good concept that the main dishes are accompanied by free flow (price of course is built in to the cost of the mains) sides in the form of tapas and additional items from the buffet. 

For those on carnivore/keto/low carb way of eating, you can choose the low carb items/proteins from the tapas and walk away happy that you complied to your dietary requirements.

As for me, I know that I cannot resist the pasta LOL!