Mojo KL, The Row

Mojo KL, The Row, Kuala Lumpur

β€œget your mojo workin’”

Mojo KL is one of the only restaurants to survive the rise, fall and rise again of the famous, then infamous and hopefully soon to be recognized once anew, Jalan Doraisamy. Located in what was previously known as Heritage Row, and now cleaned up and rebranded simply as The Row, Mojo KL intrigued us with their resilience. They must have something special to last the tumultuous tales of one of KL’s most talked about streets.

Mojo KL, The Row
Mojo KL, The Row

Abigail, our bubbly host, tells that they’ve been open for over 10 years now and that their secret to success is adaptation. Initially launching as a club in line with the other businesses along the street, they have gradually morphed over time into the current casual dining setup at the end of the first phase of The Row. She notes that many expats appreciate the al fresco environment (and please note in the photos how they’ve cleverly taken advantage of the construction wall that is bordering their premises). Hanging plant pots, leafy table decorations, and red table runners complement the exposed red brick and outdoor cafΓ© vibe of The Row.

Following in the footsteps of the β€œdentally challenged British gentleman spy Austin Powers,” we begin to find our own β€˜mojo’ with some liquid refreshment.

The bartender warns us with a knowing smile that the AK47 (RM25) is a deceptively innocent drink with its top up of orange juice, but covertly deadly with its base of brandy, whisky, rum, gin, vodka and tequila!

Mojo KL, The Row
AK47

The outlet’s signature Mojorita (RM21) has to be tried and we find it a pleasant twist on tradition with Tequila, lime, mint leaves, and passionfruit. A rim of salt finishes it off and balances out its fruitiness.

Mojo KL, The Row
Mojorita

Nicely timed for Valentine’s celebrations, we sample the Love Bite (RM22). Displayed in rainbow layers of banana liqueur, Midori, orange juice and red wine, and garnished with a slice of orange, it serves as a fine tropical-inspired version of sangria.

Mojo KL, The Row
Love Bite

The cocktail list is backed up with a fitting range of spirits, bottled beers, and a very affordable wine list. Starting at RM21 a glass and RM88 a bottle, both new world and old world wines are in the collection. Wine by the glass is currently a 2014 Bilyara Chardonnay by Wolf Blass (and there’s also a red by the same vineyard). Its rich ripe fruitiness makes it a suitable partner to many of the spicy dishes on the menu.

Mojo KL, The Row
Wolf Blass House Wine

The food menu presents a mix of western and local flavours. In general we find the food full-flavoured, filling and reasonably priced.

Mojo Crispy Duck (RM29) has stirred up a bit of fame in KL (according to some respected local bloggers) recently for its tasty meat in plum sauce and chili oil wrapped in thin homemade pancakes. We first spread the sauces across the wrapper (go easy on the chili sauce), add shredded fried duck, and top off with a sprinkling of julienned veggies. It’s a recipe the original owners brought directly from England and has been on the menu since opening.

Mojo KL, The Row
Mojo Crispy Duck

Ikan Bilis Terengganu and Sausage (RM15) is a robust dish made of anchovies from the coastal state, a salsa of onion, red and green chillies, garlic and slices of chicken sausage. It’s not something that I’d usually order, but turns out to be surprisingly more-ish. It goes very well with the Mojorita, and I imagine an icy cold glass of beer would do equally well.

Mojo KL, The Row
Ikan Bilis

A vibrant fillet of Teriyaki Salmon (RM36) is pan fried and partnered with a house made teriyaki sauce, sautΓ©ed potatoes and tempura vegetables. It’s cooked well done so slightly on the dry side, but I’ve heard this is the preference (cooked through) by many guests. The chaperoning sides make it a substantial plate.

Mojo KL, The Row
Teriyaki Salmon

Linguini Anatra Aglio Olio Duck (RM28) is described as having quite a punch. Hubby however has a low spice tolerance so they’ve adjusted it to his tastes. Pasta strings are cooked al dente with roasted cloves of garlic, mushrooms and tasty pieces of duck heartying up the dish.

Mojo KL, The Row
Linguini Anatra Aglio Olio Duck

Pilaf Rice with Mutton Curry (RM19+) is another dish that seems to be of incredibly good value. A smoky curry with a medium kick is well accompanied by the rice that is brimming with egg, chili, onion and a heavy infusion of black pepper.

Mojo KL, The Row
Pilaf Rice with Mutton Curry

Desserts are clearly not an afterthought at Mojo KL, and the duo that we try are put together very capably. A generous portion of Banana Fritters (RM9+) come in a thick batter drizzled with honey, white sesame and sided with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. This is one of hubby’s comfort dishes and his grin couldn’t be wider as he devours the batter I just picked off my banana, and the second banana fritter in its entirety.

Mojo KL, The Row
Banana Fritters

Cardamom Panna Cotta (RM13) is fantastically creamy with a very subtle undertone of the spice. I get in a few fast spoonfuls as I know as soon as hubby gets a taste, it will quickly disappear. And… it is gone.

Mojo KL, The Row
Panna Cotta

Mojo KL is the type of place where we’d feel comfortable dropping by after work in office attire or rockin’ up in thongs and shorts from a nearby backpackers. Both food and drinks are reasonably priced and there’s enough variety to satisfy a good market segment. It’s reminiscent of an Aussie beer garden, and service is equally friendly.

Reasons to visit: casual vibe, reasonably priced full-flavoured dishes.

Mojo KL, The Row
42 Jalan Doraisamy
50300 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
+6 03 2697 7999
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/mojokl
Open:
Mon – Fri 11:45 – 1:00
Saturday 17:00 – 1:00

18 Comments

  1. I would love the salmon without the sauce! I have not had duck in so long! πŸ™‚ A very relaxing ambiance for a nice meal!

  2. Panna cotta looks perfect! I would go for the pilaf rice with mutton curry, with the ikan bilis by the side – the chopped green cili padi in it turns me on. πŸ˜€

    • They do quite a good job with their desserts. Hubby, although wary of spicy food really enjoyed the ikan bilis and still talks about it.

  3. Very competitively priced i must say…

  4. All the food looks delicious….and to have survived that long on that row is quite an achievement. That ikan bilis dish reminds me of the one I make at home (but minus the sausages)! ;D

  5. “The Row” part is intriguing?????
    Certainly interesting cocktail mixtures with I reckon
    more than an AK47 kick!
    The food is very reasonably priced – I’d go for them all
    except the IKAN BILIS!
    Cheers
    Colin
    PS: Pouring rain in Melbourne for day 5 of the Open – thank God
    for the three covered courts so those are in action.

    • The Row certainly has some history to it. Great to see it rebranded and refurbished – there are not many walking streets in KL so it’s nice to be able to stroll down the street and check out the various restaurants here. Hubby has too been glued to the action. I don’t dare interrupt. πŸ˜‰

  6. Both the food and drinks look scrumptious.

  7. I like it, “The Row”. Love the look of the place, very relaxing. Both the food and drinks look tempting and mouth-watering.

    • It’s great to have a strip of restaurants where pedestrians have actually been taken into account in the construction and planning.

  8. Love Bite – that’s my thing!
    It’s so colourful and interesting.
    Ha ha.. I made some ikan bilis sambal last week. πŸ™‚

    • I sometimes find ikan bilis too fishy – I know that’s weird because, well, it is fish! But this one was on the less fishy side and we both really enjoyed it. πŸ™‚

  9. Oh wow, the crispy duck sounds so tempting! Have a good weekend, dear! xoxo

    • Shirley, you’ve picked one of their best sellers. It’s a popular item in this restaurant. πŸ™‚

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