Kuala Lumpur - "Champ's, D*mn Shiok Bistro" at Bangsar SC

[klyeoh]

I was tipped off by fellow KL-based Chowhound, mikey881, on the opening of the new branch of Champ's (which called itself "D*mn Shiok Bistro) at Bangsar SC, after the success of its original outlet at Centrepoint, Bandar Utama.

I popped in to check out their new spot this evening. At first glance, the eatery actually looked more like a pub than a proper bistro. Low-slung tables were interspersed with high tables-tops with bar-stools. The food:
- Starter: The so-called Eastern-style pork bacon with wasabi dressing. I found the dish rather dry & chewy - simply couldn't continue after the first couple of tentative bites - the stringy strands of dried "bacon" was too stubborn and I'm not about to spend the rest of my meal chewing cud.
- My entree was their house specialty - the highly-recommended Prawn Noodles (Champ's take on Penang-style Hokkien noodles) - a combination of yellow "Hokkien mee" and thin rice "bee hoon" in a spicy prawn-pork broth, topped with 2 large prawns (un-shelled, oops!) and a few pieces of pork ribs. The soup was authentic "Penang" to a 't' - you can taste the dried shrimps & chillis used in flavoring the broth. The prawns were very fresh. The pork-ribs were under-cooked and not fall-off-the-bone which I'd expected. "Kangkung" (water-spinach) and beansprouts complete the picture. My main complaint was the price - an eye-popping RM26++ (5 times what one would pay in a Penang hawker stall for the same dish). Not really unexpected since the place also charges RM10++ for a Coke Light (which retailed at RM1.40 in the supermarket a floor down).
- Chendol dessert - very generous amount of red beans besides the requisite green "noodles". But I couldn't really taste the coconut milk, nor the Gula Melaka (brown sugar/molasses). At RM7++, this was a "bargain" of sorts.

Service by the waiters/waitress was fast, efficient & cordial, but the restaurant manager seemed cold & stand-offish.

One thing which I simply couldn't understand - Champ's was rated one of the top 30 restaurants in Malaysia by the (rather unreliable) Miele Guide (?!). Not in a hurry to come back, if at all.

Address details
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Champ's
Lot 136, 1st Floor
Bangsar Shopping Centre
285 Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya
59000 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: [phone]

[huiray]

That pork bacon dish and the chendol looked unappetizing to me. Weird. This place wouldn't be an attempt at "Hip/chic" quasi-Western glossing on local establishments, would it? I initially thought you meant a takeoff (or an outpost) of the USAmerican chain "Champps" but I guess it is not.

BTW - this post and the recent one of yours on lunch in Malacca depicting the chendol you sampled has me wondering why the "chendol pieces" are all FLUORESCENT GREEN now. I remember chendol with muted green stuff, sort of with a brownish tint, definitely NOT the bright green shown in your pics of the dish as presented nowadays.

[klyeoh]

Heh-heh, huiray - obviously, muted green color = fresh, natural pandan extract. Bright green color = artificial coloring. Sad state of affairs with regards to food production in KL ... and Malacca, huh?

I think they actually *tried* to create a hip/chic pseudo-Western atmosphere - forgot to mention that half of their menu was dedicated to steaks, Texan BBQ stuff & pasta dishes.