Succulent swine at Ante Kitchen & Bar, Publika

[Editor’s note: This is a non-halal establishment]

Ante may not be the easiest restaurant to find in the maze that is Publika Mall, but when you do find it (facing the main road, same row as Pappa Rich), a modern yet rustic ambiance awaits. Warm lighting, soothing contemporary jazz tunes and quirky paintings add a tongue-in-cheek vibe at a dining outlet that takes its food seriously but also knows when to have a blast when the time calls for it.

For your starter into the wonderful world of swine goodness, go for Ante’s signature sweet pork belly. This appetiser is made up of Chinese influenced roasted pork belly, with a moderate drizzling of house made caramel sauce. True to its Chinese influence, the pork belly’s skin is incredibly crispy and salty, while the meat is extremely soft and palatable. The drizzling of caramel sauce helps to cut the saltiness of the dish by adding a hint of sweetness, which makes for a dish that will be quick to be munched up by diners at the table.

The restaurant also doesn’t shun those who enjoy eating greens, as it offers five different types of salad for the health conscious eater. Ante’s signature salads are the refreshing and light garden duck salad and the fruity savoury crispy pork trotter salad.

The garden duck salad showcases smoked duck slices, cubes of grilled marinated watermelon, half dried tomatoes and crushed cashews resting on a bed of romaine lettuce make for a refreshing yet diverse salad dish, enhanced with a brandy-orange reduction sauce.

The crispy pork trotter salad, on the other hand, is a more savoury type of salad that features crispy salty pork trotters with mangoes and young papaya for that added sourness, and topped off with peanuts and pomegranate in French dressing for a nice light sweet vinegar finish. 

Pasta is a popular dish among foodies worldwide, so it doesn't come as a surprise that Ante has a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to this Italian staple. Among the pasta dishes on the menu, two stand out among the rest.

The first one to strike a home run is the “real bacon” carbonara, a Malaysian take on an Italian classic. Extremely rich, the carbonara features a good serving of mushrooms and pork bacon. Each spoonful is a full assault of flavours that jolts your taste buds awake, thanks to a robust creamy sauce, salty bacon slices and umami tasting champignons.

The second pasta, which is an underrated treat at Ante, is the smoked duck pesto, a pork-free dish. Freshly made in-house pesto with basil, almonds, arugula and half-dried tomatoes accompany the main ingredient of the dish, smoked duck slices. The pesto sauce is well balanced and a delight to the senses, made even more gratifying by the salty smoky duck and toothsome linguine.

Those who come for some succulent swine will not be disappointed with the restaurant’s pork-only mains. The highlight of the restaurant, char-grilled pork steak, makes for a delectable dish. The steak has a pleasant seared chargrilled crust but is tender and juicy on the inside. The pork steak is elevated by horseradish blueberry cream on the side to give it a subtle sweet dimension of flavour. A side of roasted potatoes and rockets nicely compliments the smokiness of the chargrilled pork.

Select the pork’s collar if the steak doesn’t tickle your fancy, as it is a good alternative. Slow braised with herbs, spices and marinade, the pork neck has a magnificent buttery quality to the meat and is served on a bed of potato puree with red wine reduction sauce.

After indulging in savoury meats, Ante has the perfect dessert to end your meal. Good old-fashioned apple crumble with ice cream is your best pick, with a taste that ignites imagery of how a classic American apple pie should taste. Not too sweet with a delightful crumbly texture, this dessert has soft yet lightly crunchy apple slices flavoured with cinnamon. When eaten together with the vanilla ice cream, it makes for a mouthful of hot and cold goodness.

Ante Kitchen and Bar, Publika, Solaris Dutamas; +603-6206-2264

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