Playte — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

In short, food is underwhelming when paired with the price point. Service is excellent however, would reserve for a special occasion if you’re in it for the overall experience.

My partner dined here in early 2022 and raved about it so much that she planned a reservation on my birthday. Expectations were high when I walked in.

The restaurant was empty during dinner time(we went pre-Michelin guide) aside from one other couple seated. The space is also on the smaller side as well.

We ordered some recommended dishes and previous smash hits according to my partner. Each beautifully plated dish left a good first impression but each following bite came sobering moments of disappointment. I can’t describe the food as bland or bad however. The price point is what gives me the confidence to say this was absolutely mediocre.

I’d give it 2-3 stars but the service is what absolutely saved our experience. My partner hadn’t revealed it was my birthday beforehand to the staff. But given the lack of customers and small space, the staff overheard us mention skipping dessert for the cake waiting for us at home. Minutes later the staff came out with a gelato decorated with a candle. The impressive gesture and attention to customer care was a great summary of the events that preceded the surprise birthday dessert. We felt at ease and hearing about their Michelin guide mention does not come as a surprise. The service is that good.

I don’t think we would return and my partner was a little embarrassed after the dinner, as she now claims that we won’t have to come here again. But for first timers, worth going for...

We dined at Playte and tried many of their dishes and most if it was pretty good.

We had the Lamb Doughnut, Oxtail Croquette, Duck Tsukune, Playte's Salad, Cold Cappelini, Cauliflower and Spanish Octopus. ALL of it was delicious!

For mains we just had Angus Ribeye, Wagyu Striploin and Truffle Pasta. I wold recommend the Ribeye over the Striploin, it was a lot tastier and tender. The Truffle Pasta was amazing though.

Dessert was interesting, pretty deconstructed style and slightly pricey for the portion size.

The service was not bad, the food came pretty quickly. I must say i found the place pretty bare, the windows at night were just black with no curtains or anything to soften the look. It probably looks nicer in the day where u would be able to see outside the windows. Ceilings were a little low and tables had no table cloth which i guess i would have expected from a restaurant at this price point. So it's a place to enjoy good food but probably not where u would have a celebration at as the ambience could be improved on. Toilets were good and clean.

Overall i would recommend this place. It is a little pricey so be wary of that (i've posted pics of their menu), otherwise it had interesting food that was nice...

Menu is pretty limited at the moment, especially the mains, as I'm told that it's a soft launch for now. But most of the food we had tasted great.

The Hamachi tartare was a little too sweet for me, but the squid and cauliflower were delicious. Squid was slightly overcooked and a bit rubbery but beyond that it was very well done.

The duck was cooked perfectly and had flavour in each bite, and I was very happy with it as the last few places I had dry aged grilled duck they were all uniformly disappointing. The fish was similarly cooked well – flesh was flasky and tender with a crispy crust of a skin.

Dessert was good, and the earl grey ice cream and almond Panna cotta combo worked surprisingly well, but the caramel ice cream + butter cake was less successful only because they layered a generous helping of vinegared jelly on the cake. It was a little like adding balsamic vinegar on your dessert and took away from the other flavours. Get rid of the vinegar and it would a solidly satisfying dessert.

Food also took some time to be served even though there weren't many guests. But overall it was a pleasant experience and...