Located in a quaint PJ neighbourhood, The Butcher’s Table is a cosy diner with a simple, modern interior that provides a no-frills meat sampling experience for the young and old in PJ and beyond.
As you walk in, you are greeted by a large display of fresh meat and homemade sausages, tempting you to just order everything.
Helmed by Mr. Ho, he first introduced sporktacular dishes to Bangsar-ians back in 1992. After leaving behind his carnivorous legacy, he’s back for more and it’s certainly a welcomed whiff of nostalgia to PJ folks, as he serves up platters of meat dishes in the new and improved SS2 diner.
We recently dropped by The Butcher’s Table and unlike our typical DiscoverKL food reviews, we invited 2 readers (who also happen to be major foodies) to join us on a culinary experience.
The Signature Salted Beef (RM39) was the first dish we sampled and it’s a sight to behold. You could just tell that the meat was going to be fork-tender. The salty, juicy beef brisket basically falls apart on the tongue. While salted beef is typically served in a sandwich, Mr. Ho decided for it to be a star of its own, complemented with a generous portion of mustard.
Pork chops have the tendency of being overcooked but The Butcher’s Table serves up their Signature Shoulder Loin (RM13) pink and juicy in the centre. It was seasoned well enough for me to omit the pan sauce which was by the way, a favourite condiment on our table. Our DiscoverKL reader, Souffle, enjoyed this dish as well, and in particular, the sausages served during the review.
At The Butcher’s Table, the a la carte main dishes do not come with sides. In case you’re overwhelmed by the taste of meat, you should order their sides of Mash Potato, Coleslaw, and Sauerkraut (RM5 each). The Sauerkraut, in particular, provides an acidic freshness to cut through all the richness from the meat.
The Crispy Roast Pork (RM12), also known as siu yuk, was a true crowd-pleaser.
Crispy, fatty, and tender, you can’t really find fault with this well-roasted pork. Personally though, it might not be the best crispy roast pork I’ve had in the area. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I can’t help but draw parallels to its Chinese cousin—the siu yuk—which is in my opinion far more superior in flavour. However, it’s still a decent slab of pork, made all the better when paired with the chilli sauce.
We ended the night with a large portion of Smoked Pork Knuckles (RM65), which probably wasn’t the best idea as we were already pretty full at this point. Being the only guy at the table, I felt inclined to be the Bandaraya to clean up the platter.
It might be the exhaustion from eating so much meat in one sitting, but my tastebuds weren’t having any of it. Souffle too mentioned that the Smoked Pork Knuckles were bland and salty at best, with no hint of other flavours to mask the strong pork taste coming from the fatty, gelatinous part of the animal.
While the food here was good, she noted an important thing that was on everyone’s mind—the seating arrangement in the restaurant. The arrangement of the tables and chairs were not conducive for the older folks who might prefer a more spacious setting. The same goes for larger groups, as the setting at The Butcher’s Table is more of a cosy one and might not be suited for parties and birthday celebrations.
I’ve personally recommended this place to a few friends for a party, but due to the seating arrangement, they’ve opted to head somewhere else instead. That being said, I am going back in December for a friend’s birthday celebration and as our group is smaller, I would imagine it to be a cosier experience.
The Butcher’s Table
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 11:30am-3pm, 6pm-11pm. Closed on Mondays.
Address: 26, Jalan SS2/103, Petaling Jaya
Website: The Butcher’s Table
Tel: 03-7728 2843
