1. 50 percent or 70 percent. To keep it short,
it’s heaven in a cup.
The kitchen closes between 10.30 and
11pm but they offer a range of wines too,
for those who would prefer to stay awhile
and chat.
Ladies and gentlemen, you can leave
your diet behind before coming out here.
The menu is literally filled with carbs and
meat so this isn’t a place for you to watch
your weight. Head over for nothing but to
indulge, indulge and… indulge.
28-G Jalan 24/70A,
Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur
+603 23035740
Opens at 5pm on Tuesdays to Sundays.
Meat your match at
BY VANESSA R. SINGH
B
rought to you by the same
mastermind of Ril’s in Bangsar,
this recently opened joint
called The Cow and Chicken
in Desa Sri Hartamas is ready
to educate you on the wonders of meaty
French dining. May your childhood
memories resurface when you step into
the apparent world of The Cow and
Chicken. Yes, you got it right, it’s all
about steaks and poultry. They concisely
deliver what their name suggests, focusing
on their compact menu of steaks and
of just doing chicken, but that would take
away the big crowd.
At the Cow and Chicken, their idea is to
make you feel comfortable through their
homely, small and rustic ambiance. The
photos on the wall were all taken by the
owner, Tunku Khairil himself. For instance,
the portrait of a cow taken in Langkawi. If
you look towards the end of the restaurant,
you’ll find two portraits; a cow and a
chicken. They were both painted by a
German artist, Oliver, who currently resides
rotisserie chicken. Has the cow and chicken
theme song been playing in your mind
ever since you took a glance at the title?
Yes, that too is right. We noticed it when
we walked into their toilet and the theme
song of the cartoon was playing in the
background.
The menu itself is inspired by a restaurant
called Le Relais in Paris which serves mostly
entrecotes and chicken – a small menu. The
Cow and Chicken wanted to bring that sort
of food over to Malaysia and first thought
in Bali. Despite it being small and cosy, it
is an ideal spot for an intimate dinner with
family and friends. I’m sure a date would
be impressed too!
The focus here is on the Rotisserie chicken,
where the chicken undergoes a process
called brining – meaning it is put in
a herbal bath for about 2 days with
rosemary, peppers, and anchovies. Then,
they take it out and put it on the rotisserie
for an hour and 45 minutes so it’s not
fried or roasted nor grilled. Cooked to
perfection, its irresistible crunchy skin on
the outside and succulent juicy flesh on
the inside makes it treat down to your last
bite. It’s so tender that it easily slides off the
bone.
Depending on your appetite, decide
between a quarter, half or whole chicken.
All mains are served with warm and
fluffy bread rolls, either mashed potato or
fries, a bowl of salad with either honey
mustard or French mustard dressing (the
honey mustard is suggested), and a
choice of béarnaise (the way it should be),
chimichurri, Café de Paris butter, beef jus,
chicken jus or peppercorn sauce. The “the
way it should be” sauce, is French herb
butter, anchovies, peppers and rosemary
all made into a sauce. It used to just be
called French herb butter but everyone kept
choosing it and the feedback they got from
it was so good that they decided on the
name “that’s the way it should be”.
Having being influenced by French
dining, the entrecotes (which are basically
the rib-eye) are cut French style to ensure
you don’t get as much fat on your dish.
They are equally as tender as the chicken.
As said earlier, their entire menu is French
influenced, including their cheesy garlic
bread (warm, soft and oh-so-fluffy) and
classic French onion soup, which we
could probably have for days and not get
bored.
Lastly, the highlight of the evening was
their French influenced Valrhona hot
chocolate with marshmallows. It’s slightly
on the thick side but that’s due to them
using actual Valrhona chocolate slices
melted down in a pot and topped with a
tiny bit of milk – you even get to choose
your cocoa content of either 40 percent,
THE
COW AND
CHICKEN
Bread RollsValrhona Hot Chocolate with MarshmallowsCheesy Garlic Bread
Rotisserie Chicken (Half)
KL LIFESTYLE l 4544 l KL LIFESTYLE