Ante at 1 Utama: Restaurant Review

This review is brought to you in part by Ante.

One of our favourite restaurants for meat, meat & more meat, Ante has finally opened its second outpost – a bright, sleek setting that’s an alluring addition to 1 Utama. If you’re a fan of Ante at Solaris Dutamas, it’s worth checking out this new branch too; there are several offerings exclusive to this mall outlet, including inventively conceived small plates for the modern palate.

Small plates

Only at Ante 1 Utama for now, fans can kick off their meal with a tasting platter of cold cuts & other appetite-whetting nibbles (RM38; serving size for two persons) – Jamon Iberico ham, house-cured salmon, smoked duck breast, confit onions, candied olives, cherry tomatoes, pickled beetroot, multi-grain bread & smooth French butter. Each component is fresh & appealing, presented in precisely the perfect proportions; it’s a pleasure to polish off the entire platter & look forward to the next course.

Ante 1 Utama specialises in beautiful small-plate recipes personally created by the team here, separated into cold & warm categories. The former includes Jamon Iberico balanced with poached & fresh apple slices, shaved radish & chive flowers (RM32), while the latter boasts highlights like succulent cuts of sous-vide cured pork loin coated in a delicate tuna cream, shallots, celery leaves, capers & tomatoes (RM24). Each is admirably elaborate in its conception & ambitiously nuanced in its flavours & textures – dishes that shine a new spotlight on Ante’s capabilities as a confident, contemporary-minded F&B brand.

Palatable poultry

Ante’s best known for pork, but its repertoire extends to poultry too, with temptations like a small plate comprising a chilled duo of smoked duck breast (RM26; the first side is shaved thinly & layered with a bed of soft tofu for an intriguing combination, well-contrasted against a counterpoint of juicy chunks tossed with orange segments, hazelnuts, cucumber & chilli oil for a bit of heat that teases the taste buds) & a main of tender sous-vide chicken breast (RM36), made creamy with hollandaise sauce & mashed potatoes, complemented by the earthiness of mixed mushrooms, some sauteed & others turned into crispy chips.

Flavourful Fish

The restaurant performs similarly well with fish – customers can savour their salmon house-cured & coupled with a complex ensemble of fried capers, red radish, chervil, egg cream, dill & spring onion oil on toast (RM28) or poached to a supreme moistness, honey-glazed with a surprisingly crunchy seaweed crust, partnered with braised shiitake & torched leeks (RM52).

Ante’s speciality: Pork

But ultimately, pork is the reason for Ante’s existence & the chief lure for most of its followers. Ante 1 Utama carries on the tradition of turning the hog into the best sort of comfort food, from hard-to-find concoctions like sumptuous confit pork cheeks with cauliflower puree, carrots, demi-glace, onion rings & parsley (RM39) to crowd-pleasers executed with flair, such as a satisfying bolognese pasta with minced pork, kitchen-made tomato coulis, herbs & parmesan cheese (RM28), all ideally paired with Ante’s thoughtfully curated wine selection, spanning Australia to Argentina.