Chuup

As a person who would not hesitate to drive 4-5 hours to savor good food around the country; it perplexed me to read a review on Chuup that was done by an arm-chair, offsite, long-distance, secondary-informed person. I’m someone who believe that the proof of the pudding is in the eating… so I pick up one of my buddies and we decided to go over to the restaurant to have lunch and see how the food and service was. We ordered the pork chop, the Merdeka Day satay and finished off with durian coffee. Here is my verdict (based on real-life, personal experience): My pork chop was well marinated with a light brown sauce, served with potatoes and chopped spinach. I like the taste of the meat as it was evenly cooked and juicy. The sauce was light, tasty and not overpowering, which some restaurants tend to offer, so that I could still taste the flavor of the meat, with a hint of the flavoring. This is old-style pork chop which you don’t get to savor often nowadays. The chicken satay was well marinated and grilled evenly. The meat was flavorful and juicy. The peanut satay sauce was fair as I would have preferred a thicker, less-grounded up peanuts with stronger turmeric and lemon grass flavor. The satay meat was one of the better ones I have tasted around the country. The durian coffee was a class of its own. Durian often overpowered most drinks and tend to bury other tastes when combined together. This was not so with this drink. The coffee flavor was still distinct, while the durian flavor complements it and give a clear unmistakable marriage of flavors. Also the durian flavor was real and not some artificially concocted essence. Now on the service… the waiters were attentive and never intruding. They were quick to clear the plates when we finished our pork chops before the satay arrived. I could feel that they were scouting the restaurant very often and were quick to respond to guests’ requests or orders. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience and my buddy and I ended up staying longer than anticipated as we felt relaxed and welcomed in the restaurant. Definitely recommended for good, innovative food in a pleasant environment.