Ben’s Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Words by Kirsten Durward

Pictures by the Yum List (Monica Tindall)

For a lighthearted lunch or
evening meal with friends, few locations could be more upbeat than the Bens on
the terrace at Publika. Soaking up the lively atmosphere we sit outside in the
warmth of the afternoon, enjoying the hatter of happy voices, and general
upbeat buzz, we’re already enjoying our first pitcher of cocktails, and with
this crew, you can be sure there is more to come!

We love the look of the
Watermelon Margarita, tall and slim in its pitcher, but more importantly we
also love the taste. Cool, refreshing and light, with just a hint of sherbety
lime. It’s great value for four glasses, but one each is not quite enough so…

Next up is Blueberry
Lemonade, a cheerful vodka based drink, which tastes smooth, very smooth. Both
are excellent choices for a warm afternoon.

Wine is the next choice to
complement the food. We stick with the house offerings (RM20++ per glass),
which are fine for the price. The Chardonnay Terrazas is a clear fruity white
and the Malbec Terrazas a light drinking red.

The thick cut beef in the Deconstructed
Thai Beef Salad with shredded green mango(RM 27++) is a deal chunkier than your
regular Thai, so you won’t go hungry and I’d even consider it a sharing dish. We
love the deconstructed plating and have fun stirring up juicy bean sprouts, basil
leaves, fresh chopped chili crunchy peanuts and more. Mmmm! Mon is cleaning the
plate.

Oh a big plate of rocket and
spinach is displayed in the Burnt Butter Wild Mushroom Salad (RM24++)! I’m so
happy to find a salad not featuring a bowlful of lettuce. Roquefort cheese, coriander
and truffle oil add subtle flavours to an excellent range of textures with caramelized
walnut a sweet treat hidden within.

Caning is famed for his love
of meat, but patiently waits for me to try the classic Ben’s Cheeseburger with
cheddar slices (RM26++) before sinking his chops around the lion’s share of it.
It’s a thick juicy patty coated in cheese with a good slurp of mustardy ketchup
on a sesame seed bun.

We’ve been enticed to try
two locally inspired dishes. The first, Golden Soft Shell Crab Spaghettini (RM24++)
is soft shell crab dipped in egg batter deep-fried at high temperature. The
ensuing flirty fronds are perched on a large portion of spaghetti coated in chili
flakes and oil. We enjoy the chili hit and Monica muses on how this is a
favourite amongst her Malaysian friends.

A huge bowl of Dad’s Curry
Laksa (RM25++), certainly more than a single portion, is served, with great
chunks of fried tofu floating in the coconut milk soup. The colour is great and
it’s chock full of noodles and spiraled greens.

We’ve been holding off a
little for the extensive dessert menu, for none of us are short on a sweet
tooth at all! Choosing isn’t easy; it’s just lucky there are four of us. We’re
not disappointed with our selection, although we do wonder if we’ve over ordered
(again!)

A crunch of almond brittle tops
the Banoffee Sundae (RM13++) with plentiful goeey vanilla ice cream slathered
in chocolate sauce and stuffed with banana, walnuts and crumbly buttery
shortbread.  It’s hard for my spoon to
stop digging.

We love it when pud manages
to be both sticky and light. The Sticky Date Pudding (RM14++) has oodles of
sauce and melting vanilla ice cream. Not oversweet, we see why it’s a
recommended dish.

A precarious tower of
caramel and macadamia brittle dribbles over a decent sized slice of Macadamia
Caramel Cheesecake (RM15++). The texture is light and creamy to taste.

Served warm and round,
Caning’s so happy with the moist and light Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing (RM13++)
that he declares he wants to eat dessert here every day!

Ben’s offers a 5pm – 8pm
Happy Hour called 1, 2, Free! The third drink is free. This applies to the
house wine, draught Guinness and Heineken and a range of spirits by
measure.   

Reason to visit: Buzzy atmosphere; hearty portions; value for money; Watermelon Margarita; Deconstructed Thai Salad.