Red Tomato - Asean & Western Cuisine

This is the Grilled Portuguese Chicken. I stole this pix from someone else so the drink you see is not the Blue Lagoon but rather the Mixed Juice.

A few days ago I explored this restaurant in Puchong by accident. I had planned to have dinner at F1 but they were quite busy and packed. Then I remembered Tommy mentioning this Red Tomato place so I decided to give it a try.

There were 3 of us and we almost walked out of the place because only two tables were filled at peak dinner time. But we strolled in to a booth while gazing at the colorful swirls painted on the walls. Blues & Greens, Purples & Yellows...all very 70's art deco with shimmery beaded partitions between booths and archways.

We were quite surprised when we had a look at the menu. Japanese, Western, Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, Thai & anything in between was on it. From local favourites of Nasi Lemak to Tandoori and Teppenyaki. The set meals were rather intriguing because regardless what style of food you chose, it came with sausages and an egg!

Anyway, the ravenous trio ordered some Thai fried rice and grilled chicken with lemongrass cakes, a tandoori set, grilled Portuguese chicken and a Thai mango salad. Now the very best chefs know that visual appeal and presentation is half the battle won when presenting a meal. And I have to say Red Tomato nailed it in this aspect.

The Tandoori set was served on a 3 tiered wooden carrier with the naan bread safely tucked into a weaved basket. The Thai fried rice and the Portuguese chicken came with less fan fare but uniquely served as well.

While I was very happy with the Portuguese chicken, the Thai grilled chicken & fried rice were lacking in some oomphh. But the lemongrass cakes were to die for! I have eaten in some of the best fine dining Thai restaurants and have yet to taste lemongrass cakes as flavourful as the ones at Red Tomato. The tandoori wasn't anything out of this world but it was tender and juicy. With the naan bread having a slightly different twist to the regular type you get at Indian restaurants. We absolutely adored the Thai Mango salad though. It had a delicious balance of sweet, sour and piquantness. Very tasty, refreshing and a surprisingly big serving for Rm4.80.

All in all, the meal was a satisfying one and reasonably priced. We had a Carlsberg and a huge Blue Lagoon which incidentally has become my favourite drink. An absolute delicious blend of longan and curacao. SLURP! All for around RM70+. Service was prompt and good. A few minutes after we arrived, the place filled up and it was apparent that it was popular with large families.

I am definately going back to try their other dishes because I can see the chef there has a very whimsical and artistic approach to the fusion food he serves. So I can't wait to see what he does with local favourites. And of course, I need another Blue Lagoon fix!

So the next time you are in the Puchong area, give this place a try. Its on the same row as the Citibank that's beside Giant in Bandar Puteri.

Tel: 03-80600 286
Add: 13, Jalan Puteri 1/6, Bandar Puteri