- Sarah Ahmad
The BARN, Citta Mall
Photo by Samad | Candice Lee, one of the founders of The BARN, with Barnabus the horse Congratulations to The BARN's on its 4th outlet opening at Citta Mall, Ara Damansara. The BARN has 3 other outlets located in Mont Kiara, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Residents and visitors around the vicinity of Ara Damansara now have a refreshing new hang out spot to wine and dine in an amiable setting while indulging on a distinctly delectable menu of food and beverages offering to please today's most discerning palates.
The establishment delivers unique experiences and food to their customers with its sophisticated interior design, seductive ambience, great service and impressive looking food! For the launch, The BARN's team organised a fun afternoon with the theme "Not Horsing Around", including wine, food tasters, a meeting with Barnabus the horse and a hilarious comedy show by famous Malaysian Stand-up Comedian, Andrew Netto, who's "a horse walks into a bar ..." jokes cracked everyone up!
Photo by Samad | Love how they display their selection of wines!
Photo by Samad | The bar area is pretty snazzy too
Photo by Samad | The founders, posing with the plaques of famous horse names
Photo by Samad | Candice Lee and Barnabus the horse
Now although I acknowledge that it was a fun gimmick idea to bring a horse over to a themed bar restaurant launch opening, we don't agree with forcefully bringing Barnabus, an elegant, complex and strong creature, into a shopping mall to be bombarded with flash photography; I understand the need to take photos for media purposes but you could clearly see that Barnabus was agitated and uncomfortable the whole time (Barnabus started stomping at the ground which created sparks between the floor and his horse shoes. This is a sign of discomfort, stress and frustration). The worst is that he had to endure flashes from cameras when the instructor clearly said to switch the camera flashes off! We'd recommend for you not to force an animal, especially one of this size and complexity in character, to do anything like this again. It's quite cruel and traumatising for Barnabus to be experiencing something as unnatural as this, and this was also a safety risk for your guests as any wrong-doings towards Barnabus could have caused him to kick or charge at you in aggression, leading to potential major injuries!
Photo by Samad | Comedy show by Andrew Netto! I think that we could have made do with a longer segment from Andrew Netto and less of poor Barnabus the horse. He was funny and the show he put on was pretty good, especially for an audience of our size.It felt very personable and his interactions were great. Good job Andrew! Below are photos of some of the food they offer at The BARN. The dishes look delightful but just note that the food is a bit pricey. I think that the restaurant is definitely perfect for working folk who want a place to hang out after work. It's also a great place for special occasions like birthdays (and FYI, if you bring 3 friends to dine in at The BARN on your birthday, you can enjoy a free bottle of wine! How amazing is that!).
Photo by Samad | Claypot Ba Kut Teh (RM35)
Photo by Samad | Tomahawk, 1kg for sharing, served on a hotplate with choice of potatoes or prime vegetables (RM339)
Photo by Samad | BBQ Rack of Lamb, served with fine beans and baby potatoes (68)
Photo by Samad | Oven-Baked Portobello Mushrooms with Bacon, Tomato and Cheese (RM352)
Photo by Samad | Crispy Pork Belly (RM29)
Photo by Samad | Chocolate Volcano (RM25)
Photo by Samad | The canapés served to invited guests
We were served with canapés after the comedy show. Sad to say, we didn't get to taste the food on display so we can't guarantee it's flavour and quality, but at least they prepared fresh canapés for us, which were lovely. There were beef meatball burgers, soft slow-cooked beef on fresh lettuce, chicken/fish fingers, mushroom and mushroom bruschetta. I liked the meatballs as they were tender and not over-cooked because you know, you never want a chewy piece of meat am I right?
Photo by Samad | Beef Meatball Burger
Photo by Samad | Meatball
If you're looking for a new and modern place to try out after work or just a nice out with your pals, pop by The BARN for some wine, eats, chats and a good time! Some more fun facts for you: they've got free cocktails during ladies night every Wednesday from 8pm onwards, live music on Fridays, free coffee whenever you check in at their establishment on Facebook and Instagram and 20% off all liquor every Thursday for gentlemen's night! So many enticing offers eh! Go for it. The BARN, Citta Mall Lot No. G-07, G-08, G-09, Ground Floor Citta Mall, No. 1, Jalan PJU 1A/48 PJU, Kuala Lumpur, 47301 Kuala Lumpur, Selangor Opening hours:
EVERYDAY 11am-1am