[Pork-free] Here’s our honest take on Gordon Ramsay’s Bar & Grill KL.
Having watched chef Gordon Ramsay on the telly for years, we were pretty excited when the celebrity chef announced the opening of his restaurant here, the first outside the UK.
We hit the reservation button during the opening week in June, but only managed to secure a weekend dinner slot for September.
After a three-month wait, here we are at Gordon Ramsay’s Bar & Grill (GRBG) in Sunway Resort.
So, was it worth the wait and anticipation? Read on to find out.
Gordon Ramsay’s Bar & Grill KL
Located in the lobby of Sunway Resort, GRBR impresses with its beautiful and classy ambience.
The restaurant entrance is immediately noticeable from the main entrance of the resort.
Despite the glistening chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, eyes are immediately drawn to a large black-and-white portrait of Chef Ramsay welcoming you as you enter the lounge section of the restaurant.
There are four noticeable sections of the establishment: the lounge area which makes for a more casual dining setting, a sequestered bar section which makes for a lovely space for a pre-dinner tipple or post-dinner digestifs, private rooms for business meetings, and a luxuriously-adorned dining space with a view of the lagoon.
All classy, not tacky
We arrived promptly for our 6 pm dinner slot – and were immediately ushered to our table at the main dining space.
With its opulent details of black marble, hardwood, and black-and-gold trimmings – the space is proper posh and reminded us of a classy British restaurant in the middle of Mayfair, London.
Floor-to-ceiling windows provide a generous view of the lagoon, while portraits of famous celebrities such as Sir Sean Connery, Twiggy, and Sir Mick Jagger reminded us of this restaurant’s UK origins.
Do check out the wine cellar as well for some lovely vintage to accompany your meal.
Excellent service
Service was impeccable from our first step into their doors.
The hostess at the front of the house was super helpful and patiently obliged to take our photos (best to pose for photos before we stuff ourselves).
Our assigned waitress was attentive and did very well to thoroughly explain the details of each menu item.
Barrel-Aged Negroni
We started off the evening with the Barrel-Aged Negroni (RM75).
Besides the dramatic entrance (served in a smoked glass cloche), the drink made with Tanqueray gin, Mscino Rosso and Campari was a lovely tipple for the night.
As the Negroni was aged in a barrel for weeks, we could definitely taste the smokiness and hints of oak in the drink.
Other cocktails that piqued our interests were the Hibiscus Mojito (RM65) – an obvious tribute to the Malaysian national flower, and Chilli Margarita (RM80).
Besides cocktails, GRBR also has an extensive wine menu.
Bread and smoked bone marrow butter
We believe the serving of complimentary bread at the beginning is an important start to the meal.
It’s usually a good indicator of the quality of the upcoming dishes.
The ciabatta, olive, and multi-grain seed buns were served warm and provided a nice contrast to each other.
The ciabatta was a bit hard, but the texture of the other two buns was perfect.
Nevertheless, the highlight had to be the smoked bone marrow unsalted butter – which had lovely umami depth (from the bone marrow), which made it flavourful with no salt added.
Ahoy, Hokkaido scallops!
For starters, the Arnold Bennet Twice-baked Souffle (RM100) was highlighted on the menu, but our friend (who dined here previously) advised against it.
Between the Aged Steak Tartare (RM130) and Seared Scallops (RM115), we ultimately decided on the latter.
This turned out to be a good decision as the scallops were the perfect contrast to our two red-meat entrées.
We shared three pieces of Hokkaido scallops, which were sweet and juicy, and lightly seared for that much-desired caramelisation. The morel mushrooms provided a nice earthiness to the dish, with lovely sweetness from the asparagus and green pea puree.
Lamb loin
Our friend recommended the Lamb Loin (RM260) – three pieces were served with celeriac puree, cauliflower, and bone marrow jus.
In terms of flavours – the lamb was delicious!
Cooked medium, the lamb was very tender with no gamey-ness at all. The accompanying celeriac puree reminded us of chimichurri with its acidic, punchy flavours – and is a good alternative to the mint sauce usually served with lamb.
The crust made with chive and parsley provided a nice crunchy texture and the bone marrow jus was deeply flavourful.
Alas, the portion for the lamb was disappointingly small as we finished the dish in six bites. It’s definitely not worth the price when compared to the portion we received for the Beef Wellington.
However, we loved the accompanying mashed potatoes as it had the perfect balance of buttery and creaminess.
Gordon’s famous Beef Wellington
Finally, Gordon’s crowning dish – the Classic Beef Wellington (RM290), which was served tableside and cut from a large slab of gorgeous puff pastry encasing medium rare beef inside.
We have heard mixed reviews about this, but thought ours was decent enough.
The beef was previously served with the gravy poured all over the meat – which rendered it into a pile of mush.
Fortunately for us, the pomme puree and alcohol-free red wine jus came separately – so we could enjoy the different textures and flavours of the beef.
Our medium rare meat was tender and nicely seasoned, so we could eat it on its own. We also enjoyed the accompanying red wine jus which had a lovely sweetness to complement the beef flavour.
The crust, however, was not as hot and crispy as we would have liked, likely due to the fact that the trolley served many customers that night before making its way to us.
Mille-feuille
For desserts, the waiter recommended the 64% Manjari Chocolate Tart (RM65), but we followed a friend’s advice not to due to its richness.
She recommended the Mille-Feuille (RM70) instead, and she was right. We loved it!
Made with Italian meringue, yuzu crémeux, cream cheese, and mango gel – the dessert’s acidic notes and lightness were the best contrast to the red-meat heavy dishes that we had.
The pastry was flaky and we liked that the cream was not too sour but perfectly balanced with sweetness.
Summary
So, did we enjoy our meal here?
The positives – we definitely found this to be a memorable meal due to its excellent service, and we loved the opulent setting of the restaurant.
Alas, while the dishes were good, they were not mind-blowingly or life-altering.
Ultimately, we thought that the food was overpriced. For the same price (and less), we’ve tasted better food at some fine local restaurants with equally good service, and more creative flair in the dishes.
We also found the 1.5-hour dining limit to be quite prohibitive, as we were soon ushered into the bar section immediately after we were done with dessert to make way for the next seating.
We would have liked to savour our time here and really soak in the atmosphere (as we do at many fine restaurants here in KL).
In summary: GRBG is worth visiting at least once for the memorable experience, though we did not find the food spectacular enough to warrant a second visit. While prices likely include the premium of the Gordon brand, we think it is unwarranted considering the portion and the 1.5-hour time limit.
Check out the Instagram reel of our visit to the restaurant below:
Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill KL
Address: Lobby Level Sunway Resort, Persiaran Lagoon, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
Hours: 10am-11pm Daily
Phone: 03-7492 8000
Website: https://www.sunwayhotels.com/sunway-resort/dining/gordon-ramsay-bar-and-grill
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