Serai at Empire Shopping Gallery

On a quick dinner out, we had the opportunity to try out Serai at Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya.

My friend had been there previously but it was my first time there.

We walked in at 8.30 pm and the restaurant looked like it was full - usually a good sign! The only table available was in the smoking section, but the staff assured us that there weren't many people smoking at the moment. I take it they'd sent through a lot of people who had requested for the non-smoking section.

The staff were quick and attentive, even with the restaurant full to capacity as it was. We had no problems flagging down a waiter to take our order, and they were very efficient at clearing the table whenever we were done as well. 

As it was a late dinner, we only ordered the steamed fish with lime sauce and calamari rings.

The fish was beautiful, light and fragrant - with a tangy flavour that was strong, but not overpowering. The spices were a good combination, and brought out the sweetness of the sea bass that we chose. A definite must-try.

The calamari rings were slightly different from your average deep-fried crumbed rings, cooked well, but there was salted egg mixed in with the batter, giving it a grainy texture and a twist to your traditional deep-fried stuff. The portion was quite reasonable as well, and you could probably share it with another person.

We had the minted calamansi and the sirap bandung, which were both really good as well - not too icy, not too sweet and the right amount of flavour for each drink. Drinking bandung really makes me reminisce about my kampung back in Muar, and the flavour of the bandung is very similar to the bandung that I used to drink as a child.

Naturally, a meal isn't complete without dessert - and feeling adventurous, we tried the nutella ravioli with vanilla ice cream. It was quite interesting, and was basically deep fried pastry with nutella inside. A bit on the small side as well, but taste wise, was perfectly fine. The ice cream was delicious as well, beautifully presented with scattered nuts around.

All in all, service-wise and food-wise, Serai is definitely a place I would be back for a meal - one hopes it won't go down the route of declining service and taste as years go by. 

Serai can be found at Empire Shopping Gallery, Jalan SS16/1, 47500 Subang Jaya. Reservations are recommended - call them at 03-56370706.