Abanico • Your Deli Restaurant — Restaurant in Shah Alam

You see, for me to drive all the way from PJ to Kota Kemuning is not an easy decision to make. It's about 30km drive just to reach this area and depending on the traffic at that time, it'll take about 30-50min before I can sit down to enjoy the food. It's actually more than my usual 10km rule so to go such distance, the place must be good.

After reading so many positive posts on this deli-cum-restaurant in Kota Kemuning, I finally mustered enough courage to plan my dinner here.. starting with a reservation at 6.30pm. No fancy schmancy interior, just a normal setting with a huge chiller displaying all the available meats, plus blackboards with all the side dishes, pasta, salad and specials right behind the counter. Everything is kept simple in Abanico - place your order with the waiter/waitress and then sit back down and wait. ◾Iberico Abanico RM52.90 - the deli is named based on this iberico cut of the meat that wrapped the ribs. Thin, marbled with fats and extremely tasty when perfectly executed - here they just sprinkle the Abanico cut with sea salt and black pepper to retain the original taste of the pork. True enough to its name, they did this piece of meat justice. My favourite dish of the night. ◾Bacon Mac & Cheese - anything with bacon is always welcoming addition to a dish. ◾Clams with white wine Vongole - slightly salty but taste-wise very good with generous portion of fresh clams. ◾Manhattan Clam Chowder - tomato based soup and I never would have thought that the small ones finished it in the end (I wanted it for myself) ◾Trio of sausage - The Godfather "Italiano"; Black Truffle and Bacon Bratwurst.. there are many choice of sausages prepared from scratch, I chose three and everything was polished clean. ◾Pork Belly - I couldn't resist ordering a piece of specially marinated pork belly (with their homemade rubs) although I was quite content with the Abanico. Not as good as Abanico, but it was not fair to compare orange and apple. On its own, some might say that it's bloody good. ◾ Japanese Smoked Sardines - a special dish for the day, I can't get enough of the sardines served on a piece of toast. A total of 8 pieces were not enough to keep everyone from eating it. ◾Smoked Duck Breast - tender, juicy and not as smoky, I ordered this almost at the end of dinner. ◾House-made lemonade

Completing my satisfying and awesome dinner was a bottle of Domains Serene Yamhill Cuvee Pinot Noir from the US, a fantastic wine tasted just like a Burgundy. Corkage clocked at a reasonable RM40 per bottle.

The brainchild of Chef Eric Siew, formerly executive chef at DoubleTree Hilton KL, I simply love the casual setting and the price for such meat quality. It is such a gem that I wish to be opened in PJ instead. If you are a meat lover but do not want to burn a hole in the pocket, this is THE PLACE for you. Reservation is advised...

We had dinner at this restaurant on 09/03/2023. Everything went on well until when we made payment. The cashier demanded I made payment by e-wallet or by cash. When I wanted to pay by Maybank e-wallet, I don’t know how to use the e-wallet as I am 65 years old. The young cashier was not helpful at all, as she didn’t know how to use as well. I thought as a young cashier she should know how to use this type of payment… She instead started to say things like you have eWallet why don’t you asked your bank to teach you and so on so forth in a rude manner. Non stop telling me off.

That spoiled my day as:

1. why does this restaurant allowed the staff argue with customers and speak with customers in a rude manner? This cashier I encountered is such a rude and incompetent staff! Where is the staff training?

2. I haven’t come across a restaurant only allowing cash payment ( I wanted to pay by credit card or debit card). But this restaurant does not offer card payment method at all!!! If the restaurant is to accept only cash payment, then the cashier should guide the elderly customers like me to use the eWallet instead of treating them rudely.

What if I don’t have cash on that day?????? Will this restaurant let me go!!!!

I’m very very disappointed with...

Absolutely blown away by our dining experience at Abanico in Kota Kemuning! Every dish was a standout, but a few truly stole the show. The prawn salad was refreshing and perfectly balanced, and the bacon and prawn aglio olio hit all the right notes — garlicky, savoury, with just the right amount of heat.

The giant baked cheese portobello was rich and comforting, but the highlight for me had to be the Iberico ribs — melt-in-your-mouth tender, juicy, and full of flavour.

And then came the surprise star of the night — a dish not on the menu (yet!) called The Dark Sea. Smoky grilled squid in a savoury sauce that was both refreshing and deeply flavourful. It brought out the natural sweetness of the squid, cooked to absolute perfection. I truly hope this becomes a permanent fixture on the menu — it’s unforgettable.

Special thanks to Chef Felix for the amazing dinner and unforgettable flavours. Service was warm and attentive, and the atmosphere was cozy yet elegant. Highly recommend for anyone who loves bold,...