[Pork-free] We finally checked out Bowls of Steel (BOS)!
We first tasted BOS’s amazing Lamb Noods when they opened a pop-up stall with Kadei by Manchula at fTiffin at the Yard last December.
The noodles were one of the best dishes we ate in 2021 and 2022 – it made it into our Top Nine Meals of 2021 list and Top Nine Meals of 2022.
We’ve been meaning to dine in at their Noodles Bar ever since – and finally dropped by last week. Check out the original post here.
Bowls of Steel in Uptown
BOS does not offer the typical traditional Malaysian/Japanese noodle dishes such as pan mee or tonkotsu ramen.
Instead, BOS offers newly-created noodle dishes which take inspiration from hand-crafted ramen noodles, and infuse them with local produce and influences. All of the dishes are created by head chef Jun and his team, and do not feature any pork.
As a result, you’ll find dishes such as Lamb Noods – which incorporates Mutton Curry spices (courtesy of their friends from Manchula) paired with handmade egg noodles (perfectly al-dente), lamb shoulder roulade, and torched bone marrow.
We loved the dish at Tiffin at The Yard, and we still loved it here!
Hand-crafted noodles at Bowls of Steel
BOS first opened its doors in Oct 2020 but had to pivot to takeaway/delivery due to the MCO then.
The establishment in Damansara Uptown (which were subjected to many restrictions throughout the various MCOs) has since allowed dine-in.
We definitely recommend dining in for the best experience. We’ve tried deliveries but nothing compares to enjoying a bowl of freshly-prepared noodles from the kitchen, as intended by the chef.
The kitchen also periodically refreshes their menu – hence, some of the dishes you see today might not be available in the next few months. Chef Jun is also constantly coming up with new dishes – so, do expect something exciting to pop up on the menu.
Excellent service, make reservations
BOS is only open for dinner service from Wednesdays until Sunday, with lunch service on the weekends.
We highly recommend making reservations as seats are limited – and this establishment is pretty popular (for good reasons). The space is comfortable, and the service is excellent.
As the dishes are so unconventional, we applaud the front table service – who patiently explained the qualities of each dish to us (and to other first-time patrons who dined in that evening).
Send (Lamb) Noods, please
Four months after we first tried the Lamb Noods (RM35) – the dish remains as good as ever.
If you like your noodles rich in flavor, you can’t go wrong with this.
Everything that we liked about the bowl is still here: perfectly cooked al-dente noodles similar to hand-made chilli pan mee – lathered in rich and potent mutton curry that’s been reduced into a thick and luscious gravy.
The lamb shoulder roulade remained overwhelmingly tender with meat that is not gamey and fats that just melt in the mouth. The leek and caper salad on the side provided some levity to the heavy flavours.
The gravy is creamy with enough spicy kick to please those who can take the heat.
Compared to our first encounter with the dish four months ago, chef Jun had decided to wrap the bone marrow in an edible crispy sheet (baked three times) instead of serving them in the bone themselves.
While we personally like digging the marrow from the bones – the sheet provides an additional texture to the dish.
Tomatoes – sends us tingling from the top to-my-toes
BOS currently offers five noodle dishes on its menu. Besides the Lamb Noods, they offer 2022, Tomatoes, Hahaha and 5G.
Yup, the names are eccentric and may require explanation (see the descriptions in the pictures above).
Among the remaining four, we ordered Tomatoes (RM28) based on the waiting staff’s excellent recommendation.
The rationale: the other 3 dishes are equally rich in flavours (one is served with 36-hour beef brisket, one is served in prawn bisque reduction, and one is served with garlic done five ways).
Hence, the Tomatoes was the most refreshing and would provide a good contrast to the Lamb Noods. This bowl is also the chef’s current favourite.
Tomatoes – done five ways
And they were right! We really enjoyed the Tomatoes – noodles served with tomato sambal, sambal matah, fried green tomatoes, confit mushrooms and tomatoes, fresh ricotta cheese by Cotta, basil and lemon oil.
We started off by pouring in their tomato-dashi consommé and mixing all the different ingredients. The elements really came together well with creaminess from the ricotta cheese blending with the different iterations of tomatoes.
If you’re afraid that the dish might be too sour – you’ll be pleased to know that it is actually well-balanced.
We particularly liked the deep-fried tomatoes.
The breading was crispy like a croquette and the sliced tomatoes were thick and juicy. We also added tenggiri furikake (RM8) to our dish – which provided some flaky texture and mackerel savouriness.
We also enjoyed the hand-rolled toasted wholemeal noodles – which were more al-dente than the egg noodles.
Burnt broccoli
BOS currently offers five sharing plates; we opted for the Burnt Broccoli (RM18) as we wanted more fiber that day.
This salad offers a myriad of texture and flavours – charred broccoli in gula Melaka-dijon dressing, sweetcorn, confit mushrooms, pickled lobak, and cured egg yolk shavings.
The dressing is light with hints of caramelised sweetness, and we especially liked the bits of crispy fuchuk for some crunchy texture.
Overall, this was a nice starter to whet the appetite for the noodle dishes which came after.
Verdict
All in, we really enjoyed the creative flair that chef Jun and team brings to their bowls of noodles here.
The Lamb Noods were stellar, but the Tomatoes were a surprise hit – we might actually prefer this now due to its more-balanced flavour profile.
We HIGHLY RECOMMEND Bowls of Steel.
We will definitely return to try their other noodles. Also, top marks for the excellent service.
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More noodle recommendations
For more recommendations to the best noodles in KL, check out the link below:
Bowls of Steel
Address: 94a, Jalan SS 21/62, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Hours: Wed-Fri: 6pm-10pm
Sat: 11.30am-3pm, 6.30pm-10pm
Sun: 11.30am-3pm
Mon-Tues: CLOSED
Phone: 03-7733 1002
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybowlsofsteel/
Reservations: https://bookingmaestro.com/go/bookings/add/bowlsteel/mcws
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