F&B (FOOD & BEVERAGES)

Review: SOULed Out

Kuala Lumpur’s dining scene is varied in many ways. Spanning a wide range of cuisines and budgets – everything from mamaks and hawker centres to white tablecloths and Michelin stars – the only constant in the F&B landscape here is change, and plenty of it. This is great for hungry patrons, who crave the never-ending variety and also “the new and trendy” when it comes to eating out, but it can put restaurants at a real disadvantage as business can be great when you’re the buzzy new kid on the block, but when another concept comes along and lights up social media, your once-packed eatery can be left high and dry. That’s why, when a restaurant in KL goes the distance, moving from strength to strength for nearly three decades, you have to assume they’ve found (and then perfected) some kind of secret formula.

That’s all we could think when we enjoyed an eclectic meal at SOULed Out’s near-iconic Desa Sri Hartamas gastrobar outlet. It certainly wasn’t our first time here… not by a long shot. From regular meals to personal celebrations to St. Patrick’s Day parties and World Cup Finals viewing, SOULed Out, under the Soul Society Group, has been a mainstay for many years. But here we were, on a typical Sunday evening, and the place was full. And as far as we could tell, everyone was having a good time – guests and employees alike!

We kept trying to put our finger on it, wondering what that magic formula could be, and in the end, all we could surmise is that the team at SOULed Out just gets every part of the restaurant’s ‘holy trinity’ right – that’s food, service, and ambiance. Let’s break it down.

The food and drinks here are consistently good, and there always seems to be at least a couple of great promotions going on at any given time. While SOULed Out does not pretend to be haute cuisine, it ticks most boxes for its faithful clientele, many of whom appear to come from the neighbourhood; this is their go-to dining venue in this part of the city. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes to cater to a multitude of budgets, it welcomes children, it features major sporting events on big screens, and it’s not going to break many bank accounts.

There’s an appealing array of options on the menu, from Western favourites, including some original creations, to crowd-pleasing local and regional fare. If you want a healthy salad, a great seafood dish, some fried beef noodles, a wood-fired thin-crust pizza, or a delectable Indian dish, SOULed Out says, “Yep, we can do that!” The prices are reasonable, and the food virtually never disappoints. On our recent visit, we chose a couple of dishes ourselves, and took some recommendations from our server for another selection or two. It was all good, but the early standout was definitely the Spanish Garlic Prawns (RM46). The dish featured big tiger prawns bathed in an irresistible garlic-infused olive oil, along with red pepper flakes, paprika, white wine, and lemon. It may sound a bit basic, but the flavour was absolutely out of this world, and the prawns were succulent and super fresh. Notably, a few pieces of rustic bread are served with this dish so you can soak up that tasty oil after you’ve demolished all the prawns.

We also had a wonderful Autumn Harvest Salad (RM30) full of tart green apples, pomegranate seeds, avocado slices, pecans, arugula and mesclun greens, and shaved parmesan, along with a tangy honey vinaigrette. This is an easy-to-recommend fresh choice for salad lovers, but options like the Tropical Tango Salad (RM28) and Breezy Summertime Salad (RM33) are also winners. We couldn’t turn down the Chicken Tikka (RM28) hot from the tandoor oven. This is a fine dish, but we thought the tandoori spices could have been kicked up a notch to really drive home the great flavours.

We loved the fresh flavours of this salad

A true comfort food selection was the Salmon and Spinach Bake (RM35), a casserole-style dish filled with chunks of salmon baked with spinach, eggs, mozzarella, and cheddar cheeses. Like the prawn dish, this one is also served with bread on the side, and it’s completely delicious! We also tried the Open-Faced Beef Wellington (RM98), basically a deconstructed version of the classic dish featuring 200g of Angus tenderloin atop a flaky, buttery puff pastry, served with savoury mushroom duxelles and grilled veggies. We thought the presentation was a bit lacking for such a premium dish, but it all delivered beautifully when it came to taste. It was very, very good, yet we still found ourselves wondering if just ordering one of the steaks from the grill might have been a good choice, too. The 200g ribeye, for example, is RM85, while the 200g striploin is RM78. However, if you want the regular 200g tenderloin, it’s RM98, just like the Wellington dish with all its accompaniments, so at that point, you’ve got a real decision to make! We also sampled an “Indonesian-inspired” Flame-Grilled Chicken (RM34), which was tasty, but by that time, we were quite full!

Drinks at SOULed Out are a big part of the festive vibe of the place, that cannot be denied. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options are served with style, and there is a huge selection to handle any thirst. So we certainly feel that another reason for the success of the SOULed Out formula is its beverage selection, packages, promotions, and happy hour pricing. For example, the mojitos were being promoted when we visited at three for RM65 (any flavours). SOULed Out say they have KL’s best mojitos, and while that’s of course subjective, the ones we tried (both in this visit and in several previous ones) have been quite good. There are eight different varieties offered and it must be said, some flavours highlight the rum better than others, so don’t be shy about asking for guidance if you want something that tastes stronger. We wish the mojitos were a little bigger – mostly because they taste so good and go down so quickly. Oh, the glasses look normal in size, but once you account for all the various additions (ice, mint leaves, limes, sugarcane stalk, etc.), there’s really not as much of the actual beverage as you may think, and if you’re even a bit thirsty, you’ll find your glass empty very fast.

A bold claim, but one that SOULed Out capably backs up

There are plenty of cocktails, though we didn’t try those. We were curious about the wines, though. We suspect very little happens by chance in the well-oiled machine that SOULed Out is, so when we glanced through the comprehensive wine list and noticed that just a few were offered by the glass, we assumed there must be a good reason for this. Seemingly, wine drinkers are happy with the house wines, promotional wines, and wines by the bottle, but one wonders if the management should consider a Coravin system that enables more superior wines to be offered by the glass while preserving the wine’s quality.

Currently, they offer house red and white wines and more superior wines on monthly promotions for a red and a white by the glass or the bottle. The promotional wines on offer were Frankland Estate (Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon) and Grant Burge 5th Generation (Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Merlot). The Frankland Estate wines were priced at RM40/glass, RM185/bottle and RM340/two bottles. Grant Burge’s South Australian wines were available at RM33/glass, RM150/bottle and RM270/two bottles. Sparkling wines were also being promoted with Deutz Champagne (RM300), Lunetta Prosecco (RM200), and Chandon Garden Spritz (RM260).

Both the Frankland Estate wines from Frankland River in the southwest of Western Australia were most expressive wines. Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, and Pinot Noir are also grown on this estate and thrive in the Mediterranean climate along with varieties such Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pockets of the Great Southern wine region exhibit cool conditions resulting in wines of great clarity and freshness. We were impressed with the long flavour profile, silky tannins, and all-round freshness of the Frankland Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

That said, a glance around the many full tables suggested that wine is not the beverage of choice for most SOULed Out patrons. However, those who do choose to enjoy wine will find a wine of their choice from the extensive list arrange by grape variety. The attempt to spell each variety out phonetically falls rather short of the mark, but credit is given to making the attempt. Prices for wines such as Querciabella Mongrana Maremma Sangiovese from Tuscany (RM258), Marques de Caceres Crianza Tempranillo from La Rioja, Spain (RM194), and Giesen Pinot Noir from Marlborough, New Zealand (RM222) are most reasonable compared to many other outlets in Malaysia.

The service, another pillar of dining out, was terrific. The cement that binds SOULed Out together is the staff of dedicated young professionals who seem to know exactly what to do at the appropriate time. Our primary server – as well as everyone who came to our table – exuded friendliness, knowledge of the menu, and what seemed to be a genuine commitment to ensuring guests were enjoying themselves. We definitely can’t say enough about the fun, breezy, and engaging service at SOULed Out. If you go even semi-regularly, as we do, you will be remembered, as well, and that’s a great feeling in any restaurant.

The open, near-festive ambiance of SOULed Out is another key component of its success. It’s just an easy place to be, whether you’re sitting downstairs or on the ‘mezzanine’ level upstairs. It’s always a good time here, and with that unforced, enjoyable atmosphere bolstered by good food and drinks at fair prices, along with great service, it’s easy to see why this place has remained popular for so many years.

If you haven’t been to SOULed Out, or if it’s been a while, there’s never a bad time to visit. Welcoming, appealing, and just a near-guaranteed good time, these guys do so many things the right way. All the different elements are handled well, and as a result, it’s fair to say that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts at this beloved neighbourhood restaurant and bar.