A French place barely 10 minutes walk from my home had been in business for a while now and I had been uninterested until my big bro posted a picture on FB giving it his approval.
Now, if he approves, the place is worth checking out for sure. On the evening of my visit, I bumped into a another friend who in turn bought me dinner that night.
The meal left a good impression and I was told TopShelf would be undergoing renovations and perhaps a change of menu. Months flew by and the new menu plus the renovated venue surfaced.
I took time to dine here ASAP, looking forward to the change and of course, PORK in the menu.
Being a french restaurant, there are expected french classics of Bouillabaisse, Coq Au Vin and Bourguignon. We had the Bouillabaisse (RM48) the first round and thus on this visit we decided to go for the mussels instead.
1st visit : Bouillabaisse – Seafood stew cooked in white wine & saffron served with toasted bread.
Recent visit: Mussels – RM30.
Both ‘soups” (technically the mussels dish is not a soup but we drank every drop as if it’s a bowl of soup!) are worth every cent paid. There were at least 20 mussels in the pot, perfectly cooked and the broth it came swimming in was divine.
And the Bouillabaisse, brimming with fresh seafood and intense oceanic flavour in every drop.. you know quality when you taste it.
A carnivore though and through, I had the Classic Steak Au Poivre (RM99) and Confit de canard (RM36) months back. On this return visit, it was the Lamb Provencal (RM46) and Confit Pork Belly.
Portions are unquestionably generous here. This dish came with a thick rack done medium rare and another smaller rack with medium doneness; both tender and tasty. The crust is interesting, crumbly bits covering the outer layer of one side of the lamb.
We cleaned the plate; the bed of couscous, the ratatouille and licked the ribs shiny.
The only letdown was the Pork Confit. We gave our feedback about the tough and chewy texture and was offered a replacement promptly. We didn’t want to wait, so we moved on to desserts instead.
Anyhow, the price for the pork confit was waived from our bill so it was fair enough.
This is a Banoffee Pie (RM24), or rather, Topshelf’s interpretation of a banoffee.
A very small portion and we almost ordered another one because it was again, just like the other dishes we had here, simply wonderful.
I did thought it was expensive for the size, but I guess the superbly creamy vanilla ice cream should be taken into consideration.
All in all, TopShelf is a hidden gem, located in a quiet neighborhood, offering good food for acceptable prices (based on the quality of ingredients) and certainly worth a visit or more.
Service is friendly, portions are generous which is suitable for sharing (means sharing of bill as well! 🙂 ) and the cosy venue is great for a quiet dinner or a gathering of celebration with friends. Even if you’re not thinking of having a bite, come here for a drink!
PS: Additional pictures from my first visit – one of the best Duck Confit I’ve had so far and a really good
Classic Steak Au Poive (RM99) – 220gm black angus filet mignon, fries and bordelaise sauce.
Check their Facebook for updates : https://www.facebook.com/topshelf.kl
Nice! I actually stay nearby. Have you been to Tabletalk? Not that good.
5 minutes from your home? So if I do come here I can give you a holla?
The steak looks so good! And the Bouillabaisse!
The mussels and lamb rack was worth the second visit…too bad abt the pork belly confit though =)
Yups!
Let’s see what’s next on their specials next week 😛
I love a good pot of mussels! Looks like they got a really good one here
I like how you describe. Non-pretentious and fresh well prepared food. Not many in KL. Definitely on my list now! 🙂
The steak looks blue in the centre, not even rare…
I would blame the camera for that. It was very slightly under-med rare but still very palatable.
It’s off the menu now so I didn’t think there was a need to elaborate on this one. 🙂
What a find. I think I know that row, quite secluded unfortunately. Wonder how these outlets survive.
I do go to Mukha every now and then. Will check this out the next time I’m in the area.
Becky, was there earlier. Indeed good stuff. Service was like you said, attentive but not annoying. Food is warmly comforting, good portions.
I like the food here, it’s impressive. But two things I must share abt my dining experience in TopShelf. I brought my kids for a dinner there and I do hope the owner respect us by not smoking in d restaurant wz her personal friends. The restaurant prepared baby/toddler’s high chair so I believe it meant to also serve families? I do hope she as food n beverage biz owner should understand this simple rule as respect to her patrons, do not smoke in an air-cond restaurant, especially in such a nice ambience. Well, there are 2 tables wz ash trays allocated out there I believe it’s a smoking zone. I never expect I got home wz smoky shirts n hair included my kids, after d dinner. I think d biz owner shld also respect customers in overall aspect. Even a small courteous gesture, customers would definitely sense it n feel welcome.