KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — My gym buddy has been on a steak diet lately. His freezer is well stocked with his favourite cuts of beef. His sous vide machine and handheld torch get a good daily workout. Protein for days.
So I was surprised when he suggested we head to a deli cum restaurant for lunch. Surely he doesn’t need more meat?
Ah, but I fully understood once we arrived at Anne Elizabeth, a deli cum restaurant in Taman Segar, Cheras. Beyond the usual premium cuts of Black Angus and Wagyu, from ribeye to striploin, the true draw of the place was its wide offering of porky delights.
The chiller display showcased a veritable smörgåsbord of pork products in every conceivable incarnation.
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Ask the staff for help in choosing your cut of meat.
Iberico spare ribs from exquisite Spanish Black Pigs, smeared liberally with grain mustard and sea salt. Pork shoulders soaked in milk or brined in Guinness for 24 hours, then chargrilled and finished in the oven. Perfect with garlic confit on the side
Tender pork jowls cooked simply with only a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Italian pancetta and ham. Portobello mushrooms baked with homemade bacon and cheese
The free range pork collar I ordered didn’t need much more than the dark roasted gravy, reduced until it’s sweet like a caramelised glaze, and the moreish apple sauce. A smudge of grain mustard for a bit of a kick.
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What does free range entail anyway? Apparently most free range pigs are grain fed, alongside a healthy supplementary diet of fruits and vegetables. No antibiotics or hormones.
Black Pig Meatballs in Blanket.
Which makes me wonder, are these barnyard beasts eating better than us, given how much junk food we consume and the amount of antibiotics our eager doctors prescribe to us when we visit clinics?
Putting such ruminations aside, I guess if we are eating meat from healthier animals, that improved nutritional profile transfers to us too, no? Tasted fantastic, at any rate.
Anne Elizabeth is owned by a husband and wife team, Jacob Fong and Sandra Lee. The former a chef handling the kitchen, the latter managing front-of-house. If the quality of the menu is stellar, it is matched by top-notch service.
Bear in mind that this isn’t a fine dining establishment; Anne Elizabeth is refreshingly down-to-earth and an easy, casual restaurant. Patrons are happy to drop by in shorts and flip flops.
The restaurant is typically packed, especially on weekends.
Yet somehow the service goes above and beyond what we have seen in fancier spots. From the staff managing the deli counter helpfully guiding curious customers in choosing their cuts to the servers that ask for permission to help slice the cooked meat at the table, service is exemplary.
Even the presentation is unpretentious, aside from the seemingly requisite if random sprig of parsley on every plate. A throwback to dining in the Glamorous Eighties, perhaps.
We shared a platter of Black Pig Meatballs in Blanket to begin with. Despite its beautifully crusty exterior, the meatballs remained juicy. The “blanket” of a strip of streaky bacon certainly helped, its fats moistening the minced Spanish Iberico pork.
My gym buddy had the local Sakura pork belly. This is a regular order of his, the rich fat tempered by both honey and Sarawak pepper. Should be enough for most appetites. But sometimes more is more.
Fantastic table service: A staff member helping to slice the Sakura pork belly.
For soon enough, he returned to the counter to inspect the wide variety of sausages on display. Classic Bavarian Weißwurst and smoked bacon bratwurst. Bangers that are stuffed with Cuban spices or crushed pistachios and plum. Cajun Spiral and Chorizo. Hungarian and English Chilli.
There is something for every taste bud, to bring home and cook when the cravings strike.
The restaurant is typically packed, especially on weekends. So we were fortunate to get a table for two without a reservation. Definitely more of a family establishment though there were a couple of solo diners too.
When the meat is this good, sometimes you can’t help but return for more, company or no company.
A wide variety of sausages to enjoy.
Anne Elizabeth The Deli Restaurant
1, Jalan Manis 4, Taman Segar, Cheras, KL
Open daily (except Fri closed) 12pm-10:30pm
Phone: 016-376 6180
IG: @anneelizabeththedelirestaurant
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
*Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.
