After Jeju island with Air Asia X, I barely caught my breath before packing off to Hong Kong where I ran and raced against 6 other teams from SEA to win the EscapersHK scavenger hunt. It was one of the most rushed media trip ever, with no rest days in HK at all.
Returning to KL for 2 days, I’m now in Langkawi for another resort review. This resort is gorgeous. In fact it’s more of a retreat than a resort; cosy, spacious, tranquil and homely. Check out the video here if you have M685/night to spare for 2 pax and I bet you won’t find anything like this on this island.
So where was I? Yes, about being back in KL for 2 days.
I need my steak and burgers every week and I was quick to grab one before Langkawi. I’m familiar with El Fresco – a grocerant (restaurant + grocery store) in Empire Subang and my friends Kevin & KC are huge fans.
However I prefer Japanese or US beef (which is why I don’t mind paying for steaks at Skirt at W Sentosa, Sg) and I’m somewhat wary of having my steaks cooked by a small outlet within a supermarket.
Anyhow, after a visit 2 weeks back to the new Jaya Grocer in The Intermark, I thought I’ll give it a shot.
Directions: Walk into The Intermark & down the escalators down.
I usually take the LRT to DoubleTree Hilton/The Intermark but since we went on a Sunday evening we thought traffic should be fair. It was our first time parking in The Intermark.
For first timers, do remember to follow this signboard and drive all the way to the end. The parking for Jaya Grocer is at Level LC (the lower floors so don’t go up!). This is where you would be able to walk right into Jaya Grocer from the parking.
Parking is free on Sundays and public holidays. For other days, purchases above RM30 entitle shoppers to free parking for the first two hours.
Below: Entrance to Jaya Grocer from the parking lot.
Jaya Grocer at Intermark is 30,000 sq ft. It is notably the largest and distinctly different from the others at Jaya 33 and Empire Subang; from its hip décor to a larger selection of premium imported foodstuff, from organic produce to dining options.
And by premium they really meant the finest. Imported gourmet cheeses, premium meats, fresh greens, fruits and dry goods.
But Jaya Grocer’s best sections for the homecooks are the fresh seafood and poultry. However, with the existence of El Fresco you can enjoy having fresh meat and seafood cooked to order as well.
The key here is to order a minimum of ONE side dish at Fresco per piece of meat or seafood. Look out for the round green stickers – that indicates which can be cooked at El Fresco and which are not.
While it’s fair to say there’s a good selection of quality meats, I personally find that it is just Australian meat, with a mix of New Zealand ones. Higher grades are Wagyu up to marbling score of 9. Call me a snob, but I don’t find Australian Wagyu even at marbling of 9 particularly exciting.
But for a decent steaks at “you won’t go broke prices” El Fresco is for you! 😀
Our picks was one rib eye at RM28.32 (119 grams) and Australia chilled lamb leg, boneless at RM15.50. The staff wasn’t too helpful and just stood silently waiting for us to decide.
It would be ideal if they showed some knowledge on the meats, asked us what we would like and proceed to take the initiative to recommend to us the cuts. We didn’t really need it though like I said, it would be nice if they did.
There’s burger patties, sausages, marinated meats for sale as well.
After paying at the cashier in Jaya Grocer, bring your purchase and receipt over to El Fresco. Select your side dishes and tell them how you like your meat. The menu at El Fresco includes soups, pasta and other dishes as well.
If you fancy seafood, you can opt for the salmon from the ‘Freshmonger’. Just remember to look out for the green round sticker that indicates it can be cooked at El Fresco.
Though it was a Sunday the wait wasn’t too long and our steaks arrived together with the sides.
Both rib eye and lamb were slightly undercooked than medium rare and at some parts rather chewy. I gave up after a quarter serving of each. Better luck next time I hope, since I’ll be revisiting soon to use my vouchers again.
The Rib Eye.
LAMB.
The sides of mashed and asparagus were alright.
It’s fabulous news to me to see Bonjour Bakery here. I love the breads. You can read about my post here. I usually visit the one at Tropicana and 1U (when they used to have a pop-up store there).
My favourites are the Rye Fruits (RM26), Levain Cranberry Cheese and Levain Mangorange. It can be expensive at RM15-RM26 but hey, I believe in eating the best. I bought this small chestnut raisin loaf for RM10 and it was half gone by the end of the night.
It seems that not many people knows about El Fresco after I updated about my meal on instagram and FB. Do you know about it? Have you been here? Would you like to join me for the 2nd round? 🙂
There is also a non-halal section for the dining area. My next post should be about the Hamky-Panky (porky sandwiches/deli), the famous pork noodles and the roast pork. Stay tuned! 😀
El Fresco, Jaya Grocer
Intermark
348, Jalan Tun Razak,
50400 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Looks nice. almost like they’re trying to get into the Ben’s Grocer market. I’ve been to El Fresco in Subang. Steak was good. Your lamb here looks underdone tho, almost too raw :/
Been ages since I drop by at Jaya Grocer. It does have a wide range groceries. Need to drop by soon & check it out myself.
I love a good steak. Looks like El Fresco is on my list to pay a visit.
I like the look of the supermarket, though I must say I could do better steaks myself.
Oh Intermark is starting to be quite busy! Providence is really popular now.
Just visited Cheras Sentral. Staff name Rosmanira was friendly and service was rather quickly attend though it was 1050 Hours. I bought RM84.78 Wagyu Steak Marble 9+, inquire how much need to be paid RM 5 for Cooking Charge depend whether you want any Mushroom sauce RM 4.8.