January 14, 2016

2OX French Bistro @ The Row, Jalan Doraisamy, KL

2OX

Or Two OX.

Manned by the lovely and energetic team behind Maison Francaise and leaded by passionate Chef Thierry, this is a French style bistro café which is created in a casual and much relaxed atmosphere, for one to enjoy the simple yet affordable and authentic French plates; that is ranging from warm to cold appetizer, cold platter to the amazing juicy steak and to the sweet ending; all in the simple one piece menu.

I love how the interior decorated; white, clean, simple and modern. Especially the white ceramic tiles on the wall, contrasted with the bistro-liked chairs and a sophisticated bar counter. The vibrant mural at the back did the trick to the whole atmosphere, created a casual and inviting ambience for a laid back meal.

Complimentary freshly baked bread to start off the meal, served warm and .

Italian & Spanish Ham Platter (Rm 88)
Came with a variety of cold cuts and the pickles too, were the bombs! A great sharing appetizer before the mains joining in.

Pâté de maman – provincial style pate (Rm 40)
I am fine with pâté but not the type going for one after another. Normally, I will just stop at the only one. However, 2OX’s version has got me wild. I kept spreading the pâté the on the bread and crispy bruschetta and helping myself with it. 2OX’s version was meaty with fine bits, very flavourful and fragrant with the peppery bits.

Duck rillette served with pickled gherkins (Rm 38)
Rillettes are a preparation of meat that is similar to pâté. The meat is cubed of chopped, salted and cooked slowly in its fat until tender and can be shredded easily, cooled with enough of fat to form a paste. This duck rillettes has a rustic texture. Simply delicious.

Salmon rillette, pickled gherkins, capers, shallots (Rm 38)
Fresh and moist fine salmon rillette; a lighter version of rillette as compared to the earlier one. But then, I still the prefer their pâté to rillette.

Angus Steak with Pepper Sauce (Rm 108)
Nicely done Angus steak with fine marbling texture; succulent and juicy. *gulp* The chef does know how to make this right. Love the mild pepper sauce to pair with the steak. Not to mention, the side potato too! So fragrant and buttery.

7 hours low temperature Cooked Beef Oyster Blade (Rm 88)
Just like the name said, being slow cooked for long hours; it is easily cut through without any efforts. Very flavoursome and beefy aroma, tender and succulent. If you love steak, give this a try!

Chef’s mum’s Hearty Coq Au Vin (Rm 55)
Coq Au Vin is a French dish of chicken braised in red wine, small braised onions, mushrooms and garlic, and lardons over long hours of cooking. A very hearty dish it was and definitely the best companion on the rainy day. I couldn’t help licking clean the broth, with the help of bread of course.

Josper Oven Grilled Squid with Fresh Lemon (Rm 59)
Another star of the day. I love how this squid perfectly done under Chef’s magic. The Squid was fresh and a mild squeeze of tangy lemon juice enhanced the freshness of the squid. What’s more, paired up with the creamy dipping sauce and it gave a creamy tangy taste to the squid.

Josper Oven Grilled Pork Ribs (Rm 75)
It is amazing to see 2OX has a Josper Oven in the house. Such a huge investment on that. The grilled pork ribs may look dry but surprisingly, not at all. Chef Thierry is really good in playing the magic with his wand. The pork ribs was very well flavour and had this moisture locked within it, given it was a piece of lean meat. But then, I still prefer my meat layered with fats.

Les Trip with Tomato and Spicy Herbs (Rm 58)
I am not an offal person but this is exceptional. Love its crunchy chewy texture of the beef tripe; nourished with lots of sauce that is heavily infused with herbs and spices. A drop of tabasco sauce magically intensified the flavour and gave a short hint of spicy kick to the beef tripe.

Seared Sea Bass with colourful Saffron Sauce (Rm 66)
The beautiful sea bass fillets swam elegantly in the pool of vibrant and fragrant saffron sauce with its skin made crispy and served as an edible decorative. A forkful of fish with its skin and a dash of saffron sauce, so yum!

Classic Crème Brulee (Rm 15)
How can we not have this dessert when dining in a French place?! Creamy rich vanilla custard contrasting with a layer of hard caramel; a perfect sweet dish to end the meal.

Bourguignon Pear & Vanilla Ice Cream (Rm 20)

Lemon Tart Meringue en verrine (Rm 15)
Mmmm, tangy and lovely. Not overly sourish and I find it great as a palate cleanser at the end of the meal too.

Homemade ice cream and sorbet (Rm 15)
Raspberry sorbet for the night.

Dark Chocolate Mousse (Rm 15)
Holaaaa, this was heaven! I believe chocolate lovers will fancy this. Creamy, rich and smooth, topped with crunchy bits of chopped nuts.