Chambers Grill @ KL Hilton

Ah.. I do love my meat.

And there is nothing more sexy, than that elusive steakhouse char, or when the grill actually gets it right. Well, it’s not rocket science – steak that’s dipped in a combination of butter and oil, coated with a generous layer of himalayan salt and cracked black pepper, and seared over the hottest possible fire. Yet, why do so many places get it wrong?

PC304494

Well, for one thing, you need to start with the best prime-grade, dry-aged beef you can get your hands, on, and not everybody does this. You can substitute a run of the mill steak from the grocery store, but you won’t get the same depth of flavor. Then, you should go for the meat with the most marbling, i.e., visible grains of fat running through the steak. As the steak is cooked, the fat melts, naturally tenderizing the meat and building in flavor. Wow.. isn’t that just the stuff that great steaks are made of?

PC304602

Well, the good news is that Chambers Grill at KL Hilton, has gotten all these points right, and more. The restaurant has an innovative grill menu of prime aged meat cuts or fresh seafood served on skewers cooked “a la minute” over lava stone, charcoal or on their super cool “robatayaki” style grill, annexed to the hotel’s main bar & lounge.

PC304461I cannot peel my eyes off the Robatayaki grill once I see it. A round sand pit towards the back of the restaurant where the cooking station is, where coals are stacked in an alter-like fashion, in the center of the pit. The meat on skewers are stuck into the sand, straight up, and the heat grills the food perfectly on one side, then the other. The Robatayaki as well as the Charcoal grills are perfect for meats due to the high heat, while the lava stone works best for vegetables.

PC304495

I watch in a trance as the chefs work to get the fire perfect on the grill.

PC304545

They stack up the charcoal in the center. Then they let the fire burn for fifteen to twenty minutes, until the coals turn about halfway white; then they spreads it out to one side, leaving a cool spot on the other. Then they wait for three to five minutes, until it’s seriously hot, hot enough to sear the outside of the steak quickly and form a crust. And at this precise moment, the dry-aged beef is slapped onto the grill.

PC304577

Dry Aged Steak from the Himalayan Salt Cabinet – 250G Wagyu Ribeye Marble Score Six, dry aged 14 days

The perfect steak is defined by the contrast between the charred exterior and the warm, juicy center.. medium rare of course. There can be no room for error. Cook it too long and you are screwed. Have the flame to weak and you won’t get that perfect char.

Have I said enough times, how much I dig Chambers Grill..? It is my top place for incredible steaks in 2014.. you have to try it!

PC304524

Appetizer – Beetroot, smoked grilled mackerel & horseradish salad – the menu does not only just serve steaks. You have options of fish, chicken lamb, etc. 

PC304526

love beetroot.. can’t rave about this dish enough! It was a great complement to the smoky, oily mackerel. 

PC304533

Skewered Seafood – Two Hokkaido Bay scallops grilled in their shells

Irregular shaped Hokkaido scallops… had a lovely succulence about them, but they were too salty – had to tell the Chef to go easy on the salt.

PC304499

charcoal bread .. delicious and addictive… how on earth does one go easy on the carbs?! 

PC304557-001

Skewered Lamb – Dorper lamb cutlets.. fabulously rare! 

 PC304574

Skewered Poultry – Chicken marinated with chilli, lemongrass & kaffir lime .. Cumi’s favourite – had a bit of an Asian Thai flavour to it. 

PC304579-001

Dry Aged Steak from the Himalayan Salt Cabinet – 250G Wagyu Ribeye Marble Score Six, dry aged 14 days.. one of the best cuts I’ve eaten, even for a marbling of 6. 

PC304602

This is what I’m talking about – A great cut of dry aged Steak that’s coated with a generous layer of himalayan salt and cracked black pepper, and seared it over the hottest possible fire. The perfect steak is defined by the contrast between the charred exterior and the warm, juicy center.. and just look at that!

KL Hilton New Year Staycation

Sides – Green asparagus, Portobello mushroom, Caesar salad with soft boiled egg, anchovies & parmesan, Three onion rice & Tomato, grilled feta cheese & Spanish onion salad.

We had so many sides, that we were stuffed even before we got to desserts. The highlights were the three onion rice, the grilled feta cheese & Spanish onion salad and the portobello mushrooms – incredibly good!

PC304619

Chambers Charcoal Wagyu Burger – 180gram Grassfed Wagyu (Charcoal semolina bun, whole grain mustard, caramelized onions & rocket salad)  – we saw this being prepared .. we vow to come back for this burger! 

PC304614

Dessert – Minced pie, fruit cake, Christmas pudding, ice cream, salted butter toffee

PC304565

Wines for pairing – Tenimenti Conti Neri Prosecco DOC, Italy & the 2007 Clarendelle Rouge Bordeaux, France.

If you have not visited Chambers Grill, please put it on your list of must visits in 2014… it’s guaranteed to impress, as these guys really know how to get a nice char on a rare steak. You won’t be disappointed.

Follow me on Instagram : @agentcikay

Please show us some FB LOVE, thank you!
 
 
Add:
Chambers Bar & Grill,
Hilton Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily for lunch & dinner.
Tel: 03-2264-2592

4 Comments

  • ulric says:

    Had a Aussie dry-aged sirloin at my new fav steakhouse Beato recently….loved the crispy exterior and the juiciness of the insides =)

    How much is the dry-aged 250g Wagyu? The Dorper lamb cutlets look damned good lar…but the burger patty looks overly-charred…hehe =)

    • ciki says:

      It was RM298++. I can’t comment on the burger coz I didn’t try it. But you can see the steak is charred but perfectly succulent on the inside. Steaks are damn good.

  • fatboybakes says:

    whats the pricing like? or is it one of those “if you have to ask you can’t afford it” kinda places?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *