[Review] Ferria KL grill bar food & drinks @ The Westin KL

At the grill bar Ferria KL, you’re promised a taste of the wild side along with an “Amazonian palette” of design. As we approached, we certainly heard roars. Except…

Instead of coming from wildlife, they were the roars of engines from the road separating The Westin Kuala Lumpur hotel and Pavilion, where traffic is often at a standstill.

Thankfully, parking is quite easily found in the hotel itself, and Ferria KL is located just a left turn from the lobby’s entrance/exit. Or, if you’re walking from Pavilion, you’ll find it on the side of The Westin KL that’s facing The Starhill.

Entering through a rather discreet door, the place opens up first to an interior room. Here, chefs in an open kitchen buzz about, separated from the comfy indoor seating area by a counter that curious guests can dine at.

For more privacy, follow the flow of the place through a hallway decorated with ceiling-to-wall faux jungle plants (mid-way, a door to the left leads to the toilets and The Westin KL’s lobby).

You’ll end up in a cosy, intimate nook that sits about four groups, away from the hustle and bustle of the main restaurant area.

Opposite the open kitchen are wide doors leading outside, where more casual seating can be found, ideal for boisterous groups looking for a fun night.

Design-wise, Ferria KL has certainly put its best foot forward. But what of its food?

We kicked things off with a must-have side at grill parties—corn. Called Jungle Jewel on the menu, this was a bowl of pearl corn seasoned and cooked in chicken lard.

It was indulgently greasy, and absolutely delicious. The lard was like next-level butter, its savouriness enhancing the sweetness of the corn.

To cut through the rather heavy appetiser, we were served the Watermelon Poppers. Super juicy cubes of watermelon, dollops of citrusy gel for boldness, and edible flowers and herbs completed the dish.

Before the mains, we had another light appetiser, the Untamed Seared Tuna Salad. The freshness of every ingredient did not go unnoticed, and there was no fight for dominance in terms of flavour.

The greens were crispy and the sous vide tuna steak rolled in sesame seeds was mild-tasting with a chewy texture.

Next, we sank our teeth into the Adventurous Prawn Kataifi. The only thing wrong with this was how addictive they were!

Super fresh prawns were spun in fine, crunchy kataifi pastry, the intact prawn tails serving as the perfect handle for dipping each one into the wasabi mayo. The dip supplied an enticing tang and a slight kick.

Another prawn dish was the XL River Monster Roll, featuring Ferria KL’s homemade milk brioche and freshwater prawns.

The butter-toasted brioche was fluffy, sweet, and delicious, but the dish’s overall chewy texture made for quite the jaw workout.

Instead of fries, it also came with a side of battered and fried French beans (available as a standalone called Jungle Fries) and the wasabi mayo. These were surprisingly addictive.

We were later served Zucchini Fries with wasabi mayo too, and honestly, regular french fries might want to watch their back, because these and the French beans were serious contenders.

For a break from the seafood, we indulged in Rocky Wild Chicken and Lamb Croissie.

Coated in a 48-hour spiced jus, the Rocky Wild Chicken had tender and juicy flesh thanks to a pineapple enzyme tenderising process, with a nice char to its skin.

The Lamb Croissie was peppery and oh-so-tender, and paired with the toum (Middle Eastern garlic sauce) made for a simple yet satisfying dish to share.

Going into the heavier mains, we returned to seafood again, starting with the Tarzan Arrabiata. This was served with meaty Tiger Prawns, soft shell crab, and Chilean mussels atop al dente pasta swirled in a spicy tomato sauce. It ticked all the boxes for a hearty, carby dish.

We also tried the Oceanic Olio, which featured a giant freshwater prawn and US scallops. The pasta was nicely al dente and the fleshy prawn helped offset the spice, but the scallops were a little undercooked and oversalted.

Our final main for the night would be the Wild-Spiced Lamb Pizza, cooked in a woodfire oven to give it a lovely charred crust.

The ratio of crust to toppings was ideal for someone who’s not a thick crust fan, and the lamb meat was flavourful, complemented by the same toum.

We ended the night with two desserts, Wild Expedition Tiramisu and Grilled Crystal Pineapple.

The tiramisu was a bit off-balance with a soggier base than preferred. It would’ve been nicer if it was creamier too, but with the addition of lemon zest, perhaps Ferria KL’s dessert is meant to be on the lighter side.

The Grilled Crystal Pineapple was a pairing of homemade coconut ice cream, vanilla butter crumble, and of course, the grilled pineapple.

This was… an interesting dessert, if not an acquired taste, mainly because the pineapple had a meaty overtone that was hard to ignore. This might have been due to a glaze or the fruit being cooked on the same grill as the meats from earlier.

For a proper refresher, definitely check out the extensive menu of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

We had the Amazing Green and Wild Wild Passion mocktails, which were sweet and delightful, ideal as palate cleansers in between all the strong-tasting dishes too.

Overall, the taster menu impressed as it didn’t shy away from bold flavours, which is probably why some elements had erred on the side of being oversalted.

It’s still early days for Ferria KL though, and with the level of mastery its chefs already have, there’s no doubt they’ll be able to resolve any consistency issues as the restaurant matures.