Review: Surf 'n' Turf at Utara Coffee House

Mooo....

Baaa.....

Quack-Quack!

*blooop bloop* (I've no idea how prawns, octopus, & fish really sound like...hahaha)

I know I'm sounding rather weird, but that's exactly what I've eaten last Friday at the Utara Coffee House in Armada Hotel! :D During the entire month of November, the Utara Coffee House will be having their special meat + seafood menu dishes to satisfy all meat & seafood lovers.

From RM34.00++ per person/serving, one will get to enjoy a pretty generous serving of meat + seafood in a dish at the cosy ambiance of the Utara Coffee House. The dishes are prepared by one of Armada's budding & promising female chefs, Chef Syuhada, assisted by the Executive Chef Chew.

There are 5 different dishes to select from the Surf 'n' Turf menu & my favourite was the "Duck Scented Octopus a la Orange" (RM35.00++/serving) because it's the most unique dish among the rest, although frankly, I found the sauce slightly too sweet for my liking.

Fruit juices from the drinks menu (not part of the set)

L-R: Carrot milk, orange, apple juice.

Duck Scented Octopus a la Orange (RM35.00++/serving)

This dish (actual serving size) looks "wicked"! With that gigantic octopus tentacle on top of the duck breast, it's really a game-meat dish that you won't want to fool with - it looks freaky, but to those who attended the review, they found the dish tasting "freakily good"! The octopus was chewy, yet not like rubber, & the flavoursome braised duck just keeps you eating & eating 'til the entire dish is gone. The orange sauce is sweet & fragrant (too sweet for my liking), but according to Executive Chef Chew, the original recipe from France (and how the French usually cooks this dish), is even sweeter!! Eek...overall this is a very unique & commendable dish :) First choice. 

My tasting-size...

Freaky but kinda "cute" arrangement...those...."suckers"......hahahahahahaha...nom nom...yums...

Atun Carne Risotto with Marinated Beef (RM34.00++/serving)

Risotto fans (or even rice fans) will love this dish more than the rest! Dig into a plate of creamy & cheesy risotto topped with tuna chunks (cooked on the outer layer only! yums!) & well-marinated grilled black-pepper beef. It's quite a delicious dish. It's like an East-Meets-West dish & I love the fact that it's the only other dish without a prawn! Second best!

My tasting-size...

The only thing that sorta went wrong in the tasting platter is the risotto on the capsicum. The smell & taste of the capsicum over-powered the supposedly creamy, cheesy, & fragrant risotto. Apart from that, it's a good dish.

Pan-Seared Lamb Cutlets with Scallops (RM42.00++/serving)

The lamb cutlets were pan-seared to perfection. If you're not a fan of meat that's still slightly "raw"/red, then you'll have to request to have your lamb cutlets "well-done". However, this may mean that the meat will be tougher in texture instead of this tender & juicy texture :) The scallops were pretty "succulent", although the ones served to me felt slightly under-cooked (although still succulent). Perhaps I'm no connoisseur of pan-seared scallops, so I just thought the texture felt kinda weird (not rubbery/hard like it's over-cooked nor raw that it still looks translucent, but it's like an in-between...slightly translucent & smooth - words won't do justice).

My tasting-size...

Each serving of pan-seared lamb cutlets with scallops comes with rosemary brown sauce + blanched broccoli, French beans, carrot sticks, & cauliflower. Our tasting-size portion came with a deep-fried pastry that held the vegetables together - the pastry was quite awesome! Crispy, light, & actually gave the dish an extra dimension *crunch crunch*

Succulent scallops 

Beef with Gambas and Béarnaise Sauce (RM38.00++/serving)

This is a true classic of a "Surf 'n' Turf" - a piece of juicy pan-seared beef with a grilled prawn (gambas - Spanish for prawn) & rich buttery béarnaise sauce. The dish comes with mashed potatoes, baby carrots, & asparagus spears. The beef will be served medium-well unless you request for a different texture. As the beef is only lightly marinated, you'll be able to enjoy the authenticity of the beef served. 

My tasting-size...

I felt that the prawn wasn't very fresh. I know all the prawns aren't live prawns, but hmm...somehow it's still not up to my expectations. I have non-live prawns kept in my freezer as well, but somehow it still feels "crunchy"/fresh. These were slightly powderish :S Oh, the beef was pretty good :)

Stuffed Chicken Farce and Tiger Prawn with Mousseline Potatoes (RM34.00++/serving)

This dish feels quite Chinese, but hey, tiger prawns actually go quite well with chicken. Or probably it's the other way around since chicken is quite a versatile meat. In this dish, you'll get a filleted chicken thigh, rolled & stuffed with prawns before setting it on the grill. It'll then be served with a tiger prawn, vegetables, & mashed potatoes + mushroom/black pepper sauce.

My tasting-size... 

Dessert (taken from the buffet line)

One of the bloggers had this & I thought it looked kinda pretty although I was too full to have any desserts.  

Don't miss the opportunity to try out the "Surf 'n' Turf" dishes - only for the month of November 2012! Especially if you're a meat + seafood lover...It'll be best to make a reservation before you go so that the chefs could start preparing before you arrive :)

Utara Coffee House
Armada Hotel
Lot 6, Lorong Utara C, Section 52
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
For reservations, please call (+603) 7954 6888 ext. 4557
URL: www.armada.com.my
FB: Hotel Armada
Twitter: Hotel Armada


Quacktopus,