Previous visit: 23rd Dec 2014.
Current visit : Sat 4th July.
I was attracted to ThirdWave when they first opened when I saw the fancy dishes of stuffed squids, the Scotch Egg and some of the desserts featured online.
The dishes were visually appealing, out-of-the ordinary creations with good ingredients thrown in. Execution seems particularly mindful and painstakingly put together.
So I went with high expectations, but came away disappointed.
The “Hidden Gem”, stuffed squid was weird to us; as in the flavours didn’t quite harmonised as a dish.
But that’s ok. That was just one of the 3 dishes we ordered.
The other one was the Scotch Egg and it seems that we are the only one who tasted that the outer coating of the egg, which is the meat part was tad funny, almost foul smelling.
This we sent back, and the kitchen kindly replaced it.
The replaced dish had the same smell and texture, and we were told that’s the way it is.
So again we took that as a sign that we must be the odd ones.
The final dish of Beef Parpadelle was large, but uninspiring in taste.
Both of us gave up at this point and didn’t bother with desserts.
Perplexed, I didn’t post about it, for after all, if ThirdWave has so many fans, it must be the both of us that failed to appreciate their work.
Images from 1st visit: 23rd December 2014.
This was so promising. Thankfully other than the outer coating, everything else on the plate was fine though if I were to nitpick, the beetroot and carrot were pretty greasy.
We are not people to waste food, and this dish is RM35+. Yet we could only managed half a squid and some of the watermelon.
I’m familiar with this preparation with feta, so it wasn’t because I have not tried watermelon prepared this way.
But like I said earlier, the dish just didn’t appeal to us.
This was how much we wasted.
Beef Goulash with Pappardelle (RM 28).
What you see below is just about all the meat there is.
In the end, the unfinished portion was this much.
Fast forward to July 2015, I was adamant to head back because of MATCHA.
I read a post that they launched new items on the menu and some of these includes hotcake and ice cream made from imported matcha.
I managed to convince the same partner to head back to ThirdWave. It took some sweet-talking, for he genuinely hated the food.
Personally, I thought that perhaps we were just unlucky, and should give it another shot.
The person who took my order at the cashier didn’t seem too happy when I requested for all the dishes to be served as and when it could be ready, which means the mains and desserts together.
I was aiming for the hotcakes and the hot mains were for my dining companion. So I didn’t see it as an issue though the politically correct sequence would be savoury mains then only desserts.
I didn’t like the look he gave me, and well, he didn’t exactly refuse either, so I left it at that.
Our [Love in Provence] (RM26) – Lavender Honey Chicken Breast | Beetroot & Wholegrain Barley Risotto | Rosemary Balsamic Reduction was the first to be served.
It wasn’t mind-blowing or particularly memorable, but credits given where it is due, it was palatable at least.
Next was the Grill Raclette Cheese dish. This came with mushrooms and an egg plus a side of pickles.
It is a nice “sandwich” overall, because you can’t really go wrong with cheese, toast and an egg.
The only gripe I had was the mushrooms as I’ve never liked shitake in my western-style dishes.
Let just say it is a personal preference. I didn’t know what sort of mushrooms are used, as it wasn’t indicated in the menu else I would have switched to another dish.
The part that truly turned our dining experience here sour was when I said to the person ( same guy that I had to interact with at the cashier earlier) clearing my plate that I find using “chinese mushrooms” for this sort of western kind of preparation could be better replaced with perhaps swiss or brown mushrooms.
I stand corrected, for he said it isn’t chinese mushrooms.
His reaction was of “I don’t need this feedback“.
He didn’t enquire further, and instead gave me another frown and said in a dismissive tone “It is not chinese mushroom“, with an air that gave the vibe of “you don’t know what you are talking about“.
Granted, he didn’t ask for any feedback, but I had thought I could just let him know that I liked the dish, but it could have been better if Swiss button or portobello or any fungi that are milder used as the “chinese mushrooms” does impart a distinct, earthy flavour which I felt didn’t harmonise with the dish as a whole.
It was just an opinion of course, and since his less-than-friendly manner is such a kill-joy, I asked him back, “Well, what sort of mushrooms was it?”
He hesitated a bit as if unsure, then muttered something like “mix, shimeji but not chinese mushrooms”.
In fact, he might have said “shitake (which coincidentally is chinese mushroom) but I’m NOT sure so we will just leave it at that. Then he walked off.
Wow, excellent service there. Well, I got photos.
So tell me, are these “chinese mushrooms/shitake” or is there another name for it?
I even asked on my FB for my friends’ opinions – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153023109728034&set=pb.550768033.-2207520000.1436874984.&type=3&theater
2. Do you agree that these mushrooms give a strong flavour that are not really in harmony with egg and cheese (western preparations of food) or you think it is alright?
There is no right or wrong to this, for we could always agree to disagree, since palates are subjective.
But we all do appreciate good service right?
Dessert: Hanako Hotcakes (RM25) – Tall & Fat Matcha Hotcakes Filled with Vanilla Bean Custard | Strawberry Compote | Rose Petals | Matcha Ice Cream.
This was the reason I came back, though by then I had lost my appetite.
The hotcakes were nice as a whole, though I find the inner side of the pancake was a wee bit undercooked. Anyhow there is no point in giving feedback right?
We finished the ice cream and asked the rest to be ‘tapau-ed“. Thankfully the person who served us then was a cheery, kind guy and that brighten our mood a bit.
Or rather mine. My dining partner was still furious.
Conclusion:
No doubt the menu here is appealingly creative and I can understand the reason THIRDWAVE has a strong following. On both occasions we did ordered coffee and I find the drinks decent.
My partner is definitely not a returning customer, but I’ll never say “never” since I’ve not tried everything on the menu and have not met the people behind the establishment.
I might not like this place much for now, but I hope that one day I’ll be able to appreciate the effort the team has put into their food and venue.
THIRDWAVE
Unit 1-11, Level 1, Nexus, Bangsar South
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
03-2242 2126
Mon: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tue – Thu: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 10:00 am – 12:00 am
Sun: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm