Green Dot Stables at Centrepoint Bandar Utama: Review

What happens when a sandwich bar from Detroit that’s notorious for offbeat offerings opts to open an outpost in Malaysia? Freaky fun ensues – Green Dot Stables at Centrepoint is where emboldened eaters can experiment with eccentricities such as beef sliders with peanut butter & kimchi, plus a side of fries sprinkled with Milo & sea salt.

The Sliders

The slider selection here is intriguingly eye-popping – expect a variety of combinations that have been tried & tested at Green Dot Stables in Detroit since 2012, many of them originally created by chef Les Molnar (a Le Cordon Bleu Chicago graduate). Each mini-burger costs between RM6 to RM8; you’ll need three or more if you’re hankering for a full meal.

A Slider for Everybody

There’s a slider for everybody – The Cuban (smoked pork loin, ham, cheese, mustard & pickle), Quinoa (with watercress & chimichurri), Black Bean Burger (with pico de gallo & creme fraiche), as well as several spicy ones specially conceived for Malaysian palates, like Ikan Bakar (blackened fish, sambal aioli & cucumber), Ayam Pedas (breaded chicken, salted sardines, peanut butter & cucumber), Lamb Curry (lamb patty, curry aioli & chilli salad) & Chilli Crab (crab cake & cilantro lime aioli).

The results succeed more often than not – most of the flavours feel cautiously tuned enough to blend well with each other, so your taste buds will probably be pleasantly surprised, not punishingly shocked. Yes, beef with kimchi & peanut butter can work together! There were instances though when some components could have been refined – perhaps the peril of striving to make these sliders affordable. Bonus points nonetheless for ensuring the buns were better than expected – soft, fresh & fairly fluffy.

Mystery Meat Slider

All in all, it won’t hurt to sample these, especially for fun-seekers who want to try something different. There’s also a ‘Mystery Meat’ slider that’s essentially an ever-changing weekly special; alas, it turned out to be merely Chicken Curry when we visited. The other options are too long to list – corned beef with sauerkraut, pickles & mustard aioli, as well as American favourites like a Philly Cheese Steak slider, Coney Dog, Buffalo Chicken, Grilled Cheese, BBQ Bacon & more.

Wacky Side Dishes

Side dishes are also wacky – try the gooey-meaty Venison Chilli Cheese thin-cut fries (RM5) or the Milo & Sea Salt fries (RM4; the mix might not sound immediately mouth-watering, but it’s effortlessly edible, proving that chocolate can go with anything). This is certainly not a run-of-the-mill restaurant when the least quirky recipe available is a hummus ball with fried bread (RM5).

Budget-Conscious Boozing

Budget-conscious boozing – the house red (not terribly bad) is RM12 a glass, RM60 a bottle. Cocktails are even more inexpensive; a Mojito costs RM15 & a Margarita or Long Island Iced Tea RM10 (!), but they prove to be cautionary tales. Bonus: The soundtrack here is tuned to Detroit & Motown – The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5 & Lionel Richie.