There are a plethora of food choices in Kuala Lumpur. The one that we were invited to to do a sponsored food review is not an obvious one that springs to mind. Angus Charcoal Grill Steakhouse, as you can see in the photos above, was very quietly understated. Almost too much so when you compare it to all the other eateries around which are practically screaming at you to "COME IN AND GIVE US A TRY."

When you walk in you do get the feeling that there is a certain "no frills" eating experience to be had here. And you will be partly right. Everything has been set up in such a way that it's functional, peaceful, casual, and focused on their main object, Beef. From the "run of the mill" 200 day old Australian Beef to Wagyu and beyond (which are accompanied with seriously "let's have an extra special treat" prices). On closer eyeballing however, there is a certain understated quality about everything.

Given that Angus Charcoal Grill Steakhouse is Japanese owned and operated, that quality should not be a surprise. It also includes a varied wine selection with 138 labels stored in a purpose built-in wine 'cellar.' I've put 'cellar' in quotation marks because I still have this idea that a cellar is meant to be dark and cool and lit with a single, incandescent light bulb. Nowadays, wine 'cellars' tend to be climate controlled environments which are light, airy, and surrounded by glass.

There are 6 Angus's in the region; in Kuala Lumpur, in Indonesia, and in Singapore.

The cutlery above has a fantastic heft to it. When you hold it, it falls beautifully in your hand. Much like a good piece of metalwork should. And look at the tang of the knife, it's not stamped. It's forged, baby! It's very much a Lexus in the way it's quietly, unostentatiously, confident. The quiet, which was intended, I'm sure, was unfortunately disturbed by an F1 event down on the main concourse by the Porte Cochere entrance. But the way the staff were trained, down to the answers that Julian, the restaurant manager gave, spoke of a certain tick tock clockwork of Swiss/Japanese precision cocooning you.

Julian says "we would like you to try our set lunch menu." After a hard day's work and a harder workout, I was ready for anything. Just bring on the food! Oh my! Seafood bisque. That's what it smelled like. Julian said "it's cream of carrot." I sniff again, and the unmistakeable salty scent of the sea assails my olfactory passages. "It's cooked with a chicken stock." I suspect that there's a bit more to the chicken stock than he's letting on, perhaps a leaf or two of wakame, but hey, a food establishment must be allowed it's trade secrets. The "Cream of Carrot" was creamy without being greasy, pureed to a silken texture and the perfect start to an evening.

The Brioche shaped dinner rolls were warm and inviting. Pillowy soft on the inside and hot enough to melt the butter that Anna and Allan slathered on it. Being mindful of a challenge this month I nicked my pat of butter with my butter knife and scraaaaped it on the little bit I tore off the nipple of the roll. The rest, I passed to Allan.