Returning to Subang's Jibby & Co, this time to try its lunch & dinner selection. Earlier entry on Jibby's breakfast: March 23.
Start with salads: Jibby serves fresh, hearty ones with fun twists, such as this visually tantalising version of Salad Nicoise (RM28 before taxes) that substitutes tuna with blue swimmer crab meat (a step up, for sure), combined with tomatoes, corn, new potatoes, half-boiled eggs, french beans, baby romaine, onions & boiled eggs with a sesame dressing.
Panko-crumbed boiled egg with salmon, asparagus spears, zucchini, dill, edamame, ikura & seeded mustard dressing (RM29), a princely portion that could easily work as a main course.
An eclectic list of light bites is also available, ranging from salted egg yolk chicken 'popcorn' (RM22, leaning a little more toward wet than creamy) to hummus with minced lamb & pine nuts.
Whole soft-shell crab burger on brioche (RM29), a big treat for fans of this crispy crustacean, coupled with Asian coleslaw, spicy mayo & sweet potato fries.
Not everything here's a smash hit though; we wanted to like this appealing-looking pizza, topped with Moroccan-inspired lamb shank meat, pine nuts, roasted aubergine, za'atar herbs, natural yoghurt & baby spinach (RM35), but it was less punchy-tasting than expected, with a base that evoked supermarket-variety crusts. But no point being negative & dwelling on this.
Lots of cakes in the chiller; temptations include Vogue (RM16.50, fraisier genoise sponge, mousseline cream, vanilla & strawberries), Meteora (five-layer hazelnut dacquoise, praline & paste), apple cakes with almond crumble, chocolate pavlovas, lemon meringue tarts, nutella cakes & more.
Jibby & Co is strictly halal, as is much of Empire Shopping Gallery; there seem to be only four or five outlets in this mall _ such as Italiannies _ where customers can unwind in the evening over wine & cocktails.
Italiannies _ mercifully less than a three-minute stroll from Jibby & Co _ has a lounge at the back that's hidden but spacious, ideal for escaping the crowds.
The house wines at Italiannies are OK, but the cocktails aren't, barely befitting their deceptively low RM20+ price tag. The Mojito is more fizz than liquor, while the Sangria is artificial-tasting & cloying.
Jibby & Co
GK11, Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya
Tel: 03-5613-7070
Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits.
Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link:
Note to subscribers on Gmail: The newsletter will be in the Promotions folder of your inbox.
As a separate initiative, the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. This eBook of restaurant recommendations is available for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires March 31, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).