We had the pleasure of visiting Chapters Urban Bistro in Empire Damansara recently where we sampled their menu. Empire Damansara is confusingly not Empire City Mall (which is also nearby) nor is it Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang - so do watch out for this when trying to get there!

Their interior is modern with artsy finishes, like the beautiful mural on the wall and geometric-design light fittings.

Chapters also boasts a comfy outside seating area strewn with fairy lights for you to enjoy dining or drinking al fresco.

The Urban Okra (RM 12) was a quickly blanched okra, tossed in aged Japanese soy dressing, crispy garlic crumbs, parmesan and served with freshly squeezed lemon juice. The aged soya dressing and crispy garlic crumbs gave the dish a light and nice touch. However the parmesan slightly confused me in an okra dish but perhaps it might just be the thing for you!

The Posh Bass Sliders (RM 24) had a locally sourced sea bass buttered up between lightly toasted brioche buns. The fish was extremely fresh and delicious, and the brioche buns were nicely buttered and toasted. The basil and pine nut aioli in the sliders also gave a good breadth of flavour and made the otherwise heavy dish refreshing. There were some sprouts within the sliders themselves that seemed to add a strong and differing a taste to the sliders.

The Seafood Loves Tomato Sauce Pasta (RM 42) was probably one of my favourite dishes of the night. The seafood (mussels, prawns and squid) was fresh and not overcooked at all. The tomato sauce was chunky and made using fresh cherry tomatoes - who can argue with a solid marinara?

We then had a mid-meal Lychee Martini (RM 28). It was strong and sweet - everything a martini should be - with dehydrated lemon and a stalk of lychee.

The Grilled Fish and Chunk Chips (RM 34) was an interesting local twist to a very British dish. The seabass was of the same quality as the sliders above - fresh and firm meat. The chips however were unevenly fried - some were more crispy and enjoyable than others. But the garlic aioli was to die for and did much to remedy this.

The Moroccan Lamb Meatballs (RM 26) was probably my second favourite. Chef Vic uses New Zealand lamb grounded in house (yes in house NOM) to make these meatballs. It's then tossed with parmesan and free range egg and a chunky tomato sauce. Whilst the sauce was a tad too salty for me, it was much better when paired with the toasted bread slices.

The Coffee Butter Beef Bagel (RM 26) was amazing - a hand packed beef brisket patty mopped with coffee butter and topped with caramelised onions made for a really JUICY burger. The entire burger was dripping with juices when we picked it up. Although the coffee taste did not really come out strongly in my opinion, you still would not be disappointed with this extremely melt-in-your-mouth burger. The meat was really tender and exceptional.

The Hot Roast Chicken and Jalapeno (RM 24) is a thin crust pizza made with local chicken breast, bird's eye chilli, jalapeno and fresh herbs. I personally thought that the thin crust was more akin to a quesadilla, making this dish more of a massive taco rather than a pizza, but it was still an enjoyable taco-pizza.

Finally, we had the Salted Caramel Cheesecake (RM 18). The cheesecake had a nutty cheese filling, a chocolate base, and a white chocolate ganache. The cheesecake was rich and dense. Perhaps the dish felt a bit too overwhelming with its nuts, white chocolate, mint leaves and chocolate base in addition to the cheese but it was still a solid cheesecake, though, and I would give it a try!

Chapters also has two floors upstairs - a nice area for live music and a pool table area to chill at. It's also a great place to hold a private function if you're looking for something casual.

Address:

Chapters Urban Bistro

Empire Damansara

Lot 13, Heritage Lane

Jalan PJU 8/8A,

47820 Damansara Perdana,

Selangor.

Open daily from 11:00AM - 1AM

#chaptersurbanbistro #empiredamansara