COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Many years ago, there was a well-known western food chain restaurant called “Mamachops & Papagrill” which used to draw large crowds due to their delicious offerings and very affordable prices.
A management change happened later, and several people who ran the outlets rebranded the business to set up The Gravy Factory, located in NU Sentral.
This casual eatery shows off rustic open-brick walls, simple metal chairs and plain tables with laminated tops. You will also see plenty of al fresco seating on the terrace, with a superb view of skyscrapers all around.
The menu is not all that extensive as they pride themselves in serving what they do best.
As their name implies, their gravies are listed at the top. Customers can choose from the list of six special gravies prepared from recipes created by Hainanese chefs during the colonial days.
It may be a challenge to choose from gravies like black pepper, mushroom, brown, garlic mushroom, BBQ and spicy cajun for the meat.
To get the appetite going, we had their Salted Beef Salad which turned out to be a good choice. The serving came with slivers of salted beef topping, crisp green and red coral salad, cherry tomatoes, crunchy croutons, drizzled with Caesar dressing. It’s a hearty, comforting salad and a good combo of protein and vegetables.
Without a doubt, the Hainanese Chicken Chop is one of the signature dishes in The Gravy Factory. It’s a delectable East meets West dish of deep-fried battered chicken thigh with a gravy smacking of sweet, tangy oriental flavours.
It’s good to note that the gravy is served separately, so you can pour as much as you like.
It’s served with well-seasoned crisp potato wedges which we couldn’t stop dipping in the gravy.
The Grilled Ribeye was also prepared well; seasoned with just salt and pepper, the piece of ribeye was grilled nicely and didn’t disappoint in terms of taste and texture. With onion rings and saute’ed vegetables by the side, it’s indeed a value-for-money item.
We just had to order Baked Crab when we spotted it on the menu. It’s a dish that is synonymous with Hainanese heritage, something that we’ve missed for some time.
We were served fresh crab meat, seasoned well with spices, stuffed and baked in two crab shells covered with a layer of golden melted cheese. It’s served with garden salad by the side. While we have tasted better ones, these were commendable nevertheless.
So if you are hankering for some good old-fashioned Hainanese Chicken Chop or baked crabs, check out The Gravy Factory.
THE GRAVY FACTORY
Lot 5.05 Level 5, NU Sentral
Jalan Tun Sambanthan
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2276-3373
*Halal
Chris Wan also blogs at Pure Glutton
Reader Interactions