Ever heard of this song by Santana back in the year 2000?
♫ Maria Maria, she reminds me of a west side story.. ♫
As I purchased Maria's Restaurant & Café's Groupon voucher a couple of weeks ago, this tune was stuck in my head. Well, 'Ave Maria' by Kim Ah Joong managed to creep into my musical system as well but Santana seemed to have a better grip, holding its spot on my mind whenever my eyes are set on the word 'Maria'.
Let's cut to the chase.
Located just above Citibank & Old Town White Coffee, I had my lunch at Maria's.
All items are subject to 10% service charge. Check out their full menu. Yum yum.
Random pic of Maria's table setting along with their purple menu.
Urk, my iPhone 4's camera doesn't do any justice to this restaurant's beautifully decorated interior.
I liked what they have done with this place. If Maria's Restaurant was a girl, she'd be characterized as a non-pretentious individual & you'd definitely like to hang out with her. Yup, this place gave me a cozy vibe and relaxes my nerves.
Fresh Pumpkin Soup (RM9.00)
If it's not the month of Halloween, I'm generally not a fan of pumpkins..
But 'tis the season to be jolly as this particular pumpkin soup tasted as if it was made with heart. It tasted homey and sweet. Although it might be a tad too sweet for my liking, I gotta give Maria's some credit for not serving us diluted soup (which is what I absolutely loathe when dining in a restaurant).
Quality: Check!
Fresh Mushroom Soup (RM9.00)
mMmm, nothing like a hearty bowl of mushroom soup to cheer up your day.
Pity I didn't get the chance to taste the croutons. The soup was not as thick as the pumpkin version but it wasn't diluted either. Which meant that the pumpkin soup was really concentrated whereas the former was just right. I really liked this one. As a fan of mushroom soup, Maria's version has definitely secured its spot as one of the better ones out there for its stated price above.
Grilled Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce (RM20.00)
The mains were served with sauté vegetables and a couple of wedges were tucked beneath the meat.
I've read several reviews regarding this place prior to my visit at Maria's and realized that most diners recommended Maria's Honey Mustard Sauce over its Mushroom Sauce. Not wanting to challenge the people's choice, we too ordered honey mustard!
Verdict? All of us liked it. I'm not a fan of chicken meat but this could be an exception. Along with it's accompanying sauce, the meat was pleasantly tender. The sauce was sweet but I wished there was a stronger punch of mustard in it (I friggin' <3 mustard). Overall, this was an enjoyable meal. If only the portion was a tiny bit bigger :p
Pan Fried Canadian Seabass (RM58.00)
Premium white cod served with sake sauce. Wa wa wa, the dish's name alone has managed to successfully capture my undivided attention. Question is, does it taste as good as it seems? Yeh, pretty much. Albeit the slightly salty potato wedges, everything on the plate was spot on. What can I say? The cod was fresh and well prepared. Its skin was crisp yet the flesh tasted juicy. Come on, who doesn't love cod?!
By the way, I would say that this meal is worth every penny as Maria serves a pretty generous portion of cod to their diners. Look at that slab of fish!
I know many restaurants that are extremely tightfisted when it comes to serving cod, leaving customers unsatisfied at the end of the day. *the portion can be extremely miserly at times! Which makes me sooooo angry*
Australian Chilled Fillet (RM59.00)
Usually, I would prefer having a medium-rare steak but I opt for a medium one today. There were two slabs of steak fillets stacked on one another but I have to comment that one of it was medium-rare whilst the other was medium. Fine by me, as long as it wasn't well done.
Quality wise, you can't expect it to taste like wagyu as the price would've been double or triple its original price. It tasted like an ordinary piece of steak that I bought from the meat department in Coles while I was in Australia. (It is a chilled fillet after all.)
Sorry, this is a miss for me.
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Apparently, the menu stated that the chilled fillet is served with red wine sauce. If that's what red wine sauce is supposed to taste like, I am a little speechless. In my opinion, it tasted like mushroom sauce... At least the chefs managed to get my order right-ish?
One of Maria's waitresses seemed to be in a rush to clear our plates though,.. my mum was chewing on what's left on my plate (snow peas) and a lady walked over & said "Excuse me", picked the plate up & walked away without any signs of hesitation while mummy was still holding her fork with a snow pea stuck on it.
Mm seng muk.
Lemon Cheese Cake (RM9.50)
On a lighter note, I really enjoyed this dessert! Was looking forward to Maria's tiramisu but it wasn't ready yet :(
Was aiming for their moist chocolate cake too but the crowd seemed to prefer lemon cheese instead. No regrets tho'! It was a real joy to eat. The cake wasn't too sweet and the cheese tasted light. The lemon wasn't overpowering either so everything came together really well. 't was gooooood.
Maria's Restaurant & Café
Lot C131A, Center Wing, Level 3
Metropolitan Square
No. 2, Jalan PJU8/1
Bandar Damansara Perdana
47820 Petaling Jaya
For reservations: 03-7725 2313
Yours truly,
Jx
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