Saturday, December 10, 2016

Doma Modern Korean Cafe, De Garden Ipoh (revisited 2nd post)

Yours truly failed to secure a comfortable queue number to dine with 50% off in conjunction with the opening of Dozo Japanese cuisine in de Garden. Not really drawn to 3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf which occupies a dining environment totally identical to previous tenant Boston and yet charging the same menu price with their branches in Bangsar Village, I decided to make a revisit to Doma. At 8pm+  on Saturday night whereby most of the crowd is drawn to Dozo, Doma also manage to clock a near FULL HOUSE!

The wait for still bearable though. After around 15 minutes, the Kimchi Fried Rice (RM20) came with bacon bits and grated mozzarella cheese and spring onions. The cheese was so finely grated that it is as fine as spider wed or as if the reddish rice was topped with a layer of snow. Not very spicy but it is indeed an appetizing dish, great to be shared by two person.

As I tried the fried chicken platter (half bird at RM29 - plain, sweet soya and spicy sauce) during  their soft launch, I opted for the Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) Burger (RM17) instead of the Fried Chicken Wings (RM16). Boneless chicken meat formed the layer of burger patty, sandwich with the typical lettuce and tomato on a sesame seeded bun, served with a bucket of fries do not seem like a dish you will expect in a Korean Restaurant right? This dish did not meet my expectation as the fried chicken was prepared  moments earlier, despite maintaining its crispy exterior, it was no longer piping hot. Perhaps a smaller dining group of two should opt for the Chicken Wings under the Appetizer selection as a platform to try the famed Korean Fried Chicken if the half bird portion is too much. Else give this dish a miss.

Having tried the BBQ Pork Belly in my last visit, I opted for the BBQ Ribs instead. If I am not mistaken there were 4 huge portions of ribs served, much more than enough for 2 diners! The gravy used for basting is moreish which is more on the Asian aftertaste rather than the Hickory or HP sauce used. The meat was tender and fell off the bones with just a slight prick from your fork. There was not much need in holding it with your bare hands and unleash the caveman mode as you can handle dish with just set of fork and knife. The tangy julienned green apple and onions salad served as great palate cleanser if you feel the gravy is slightly overpowering. Ok, don't ask me how the lime wedge should be squeezed on the ribs or the salad.

No free Bingsu this time around, so I have to fork out RM20 for the Blueberry Cheesecake Bingsu since I got a complimentary Red Bean bingsu on the house on the previous visit. This one I had came with fresh berries (seriously I havent seen blueberry this size! Hmm... anybody wanna enlighten me?) on the same snowy shaved milk based ice, generously drizzled with blueberry syru. Instead of digging into chewy mochi and smooth red bean past, one will find cheesecake cubes in the midst of the snow. Verdict: I will go for the blueberry cheese cake version but those who want an authentic taste will prefer the Red Bean flavour. Besides that, they have Oreo and Green Tea flavour as well. 

Last but not least, how could we forgo the special Sticky Rice Pancake (RM19)! The Black Sesame was great in my previous visit but the Green Tea version did not fail to deliver. Served with a scoop of green tea ice cream and matcha powder, this will send green tea lovers to a state of delirium. Neither a hater or lover of green tea, I find that all the ingredients blended well both in terms of contrasting taste and texture. There is Nutella flavour and Oreo flavour to unlock in my next visit but I think I will stick with the Black Sesame.

Total damage for 2 person comes to RM137+, pricier than the group of four diners during soft launch but we previously capitalized on the 20% discount and Bingsu on the house! And this time around, there is no complimentary sky juice as they will charge you for mineral water or you have to order some of their specialty tea like Roasted Corn Tea at RM10 per serving. Personally, I feel the drinks is a bit on the higher end and the dessert price here is more expensive than their HQ in Mont Kiara (RM19 in Ipoh branch versus RM15 in Mont Kiara which makes me a bit puzzled, the cheaper rental and operation cost could not offset the logistic cost?) 

I felt that we over-ordered as most couple will just order a meat platter (ribs or pork belly or fried chicken) and just one noodle/rice and could probably give way for a bingsu. But yours truly feel it is worth indulging once in awhile :)

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