Tujo @ The Ascott KL

Everyone’s a food critic these days, but when you ask for some suggestion on where to go, no one seems knows where to eat.

Many restaurants are like a flash in the pan.. they open, they close. Some are the flavor of the month, and then vanish without so much as a whisper, like a one-hit-wonder pop song singer who just fell off the face of the earth.

 Dinosaur Ribs .. a must order..

But the rare few restaurants find a groove, and a regular audience, and one such place that has found a rhythm of its own is Tujo, at the Ascott KL. The name sounds like “7” in Bahasa Malaysia (tujuh) and it might be a coincidence but it has been seven years since 7atenine opened its doors to KL in the very same place. Tujo that is the Soul Society Group’s newest outlet is generally packed after work every day of the week, and it is a place where you can find strong, no-messing-around cocktails, creative finger food, pizzas, pasta and steak. Perhaps Asian-Fusion cuisine would be a good classification for their cuisine.

And if the weekday crowd is anything to go by, then this place has been proving their culinary chops and reliability on a daily basis almost from the word go.

So what do the adventurous eat here? Check out the new Grill featuring a delicious selection of meats and seafood cooked to your liking coated with customised rubs and marinades. For the non-carnivorous, there is a terrific choice of salads, nibbles, pizzas, sandwiches, an eclectic slew of main courses and deserts too. I could list them all, but then you would probably tire of the long list of must eats.

Instead, I’ll post photos of what we ate that night, and let you be the judge of what’s good.

Oxtail soup RM18 – Spiced consome, carrots, potatoes

Oxtail soup – hearty , peppery, with chunky bits of cartilaginous tail that’s hard to resist. Perfect for rainy weather and for warming up the stomach.

Smoked Duck Salad RM23 – Cos lettuce, orange segments, cherry tomatoes, cilantro dressing & Spinach, Melon and Feta Salad RM18 – Savoy leaves, melon, Greek feta, almond flakes, balsamic drizzle

They serve great salads at Tujo. Here are two of our favourites.

An incredible choice of premium wines, cocktails or champagne at Tujo. L – R : Windy Peak Shiraz Heathcote, Australia RM33/glass & RM148/btl; Classic Mojito RM19 (Happy hours) / RM28 (normal price); Lanson Rose Label RM67/glass & RM358/btl

In terms of drinks, there’s something for everybody. Start off the night with cocktails (the Mojito is our favourite), proceed to have your steak with a glass or red wine, and finish off the meal with dessert and a flute of Lanson Rose. Perfect!

Interior of Tujo – contemporary and spacious.

Liver pate served with apricot jelly and brioche croutons

I like the preciseness of this starter. It is unctuous and rich and delicious and you don’t have to think about it too much. It goes down so easy with toasted brioche croutons and apricot jelly.

Clockwise: Tujo Stinger Satay (6 sticks) RM15 – Chicken satay with pineapple salsa, nuts and spicy shrimp paste; Malaysiana Pizza RM19 – Sambal, nuts and anchovies; Spinaci Pizza RM25 – Spinach and Egg

If Asian fusion pizza rocks your boat then try the Malaysiana Pizza which has Sambal, nuts and anchovies. I found it too salty especially the anchovies, but I did enjoy the spinach pizza as well as the succulent Tujo Singer satay. Chunks of fresh pineapple cubes slathered in salsa are the perfect match for chunks of succulent chicken.

Dinosaur Ribs RM140 – 500gm prime rib on the bone, served with sides of wilted spinach in cream, sautéed mushrooms & brown sauce

Loved the name of this dish – I guess it is supposed to evoke visions of dining on a primeval creature, but they are really just beef ribs. I must say though, these larger-than-life hearty prime ribs are not only big on size but on taste, too. Served with sides of wilted spinach in cream, sautéed mushrooms & brown sauce, we had difficulty finishing all of it.

Clockwise: Ira Malai RM45 – Prawns in coriander gravy with mixed vegetables and pulao rice; Tomyam Fettucini RM32 – Squid, prawns, chicken tossed in spicy tomyam sauce; Parmesan Bass RM35 – Baked sea bass with parmesan crust, fava beans with sage and caper sauce; Mushroom Spaghetti RM23 – Button mushrooms in a creamy sauce

Pastas, Fish, and even Prawns with Pulao rice – there’s definitely something for everybody here. Kids would have ample dishes to choose from.

Salted Caramel Apple Guava Tart RM20  – With apple dragonfruit sauce and Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream

Enter this delicious salted caramel apple guava tart. Caramel and apples just go together so perfectly and with the guava, there’s an added dimension in tartness and flavour, that I find irresistible. A must order.

Gula Melaka and Jackfruit Cheesecake RM15 – an exotic combination – light, fluffy and melts in your mouth. Not my cup of tea because I am not big on cheesecakes, but I can see why folks might go gaga over this intoxicating, perfumed Jackfruit dessert.

Well, if Tujo’s motto is Eat, Play, Live, I would say they definitely delivered an environment conducive for those three things.

Tujo is a playground worth taking advantage of, for good food, drinks and just to have loads of fun.