(Disclosure: I was commissioned for this food-tasting, but I paid for the food myself and the following are my honest and independently written review on their menu.)
After a birthday dinner at home that went awry, I celebrated my birthday again with a few of my close friends in KL.
Dear friends,
I am getting old. To celebrate the occassion you are cordially invited to come to my birthday dinner cum tasting… errr… I mean, birthday dinner cum FOOD tasting at Jarrod & Rawlins.
The chef will be preparing several Guinness-infused dishes that’s not publicly available yet. There will also be lots of “sausages” and “stuffed pies” to go around, so remember bring along an empty stomach.
P/S. Kenny Sia practices a “No Birthday Gifts Required” policy, so please don’t feel obligated to bring any gifts. Like they say, “it’s the thought that counts”. So as long as you got think, then good enough liaw!
Ahhh… Jarrod & Rawlins.
Sounds like a law firm. Looks like a law firm. But 100% confirm it’s not a law firm.
Instead, Jarrod & Rawlins is a very popular chain of restaurants in KL best known for two things: Wine and PORK.
Ask any KL-ite who loves their pork and they surely would’ve heard of this place.
Jarrod & Rawlins’ Ampwalk Mall outlet
They got five outlets throughout the Klang Valley.
The original one started at Desa Sri Hartamas a year ago. From there, the gastronomic partnership between wine expert Jarrod Check and fine meat lover Denis Rawlins sprouted out four other outlets at Damansara Heights, Ampwalk Mall, 1Utama and Capsquare, with many more to come.
The concept behind Jarrod & Rawlins is not gonna be what everyone is used to. It ain’t your run-of-the-mill restaurant. It’s more like that Britney song. “It’s not a pub… not quite a deli.”
J&R is not quite a restaurant, not quite a deli, not quite a cafe yet not quite a pub. It is a little bit of everything, banged up and mashed together, and somehow just… worked.
Anyway if you’ve been to Mr Ho’s Fine Foods, the concept is similar. Except J&R did a much better job!
In most outlets, they have a separated area for pubs where the ambience is a little more casual and more conducive to watching sports on the big screen while drinking beer freshly poured from the tap.
Every outlet has a deli where you can pick your meat and cheese from the glassed showcase.
There are more sausages than a men’s changing room, and they come in all kinda shapes, sizes and flavours.
You can choose anything you want, and it doesn’t always have to be the biggest sausage. Because you know, it ain’t the size that matters. It’s how you cook it!
You can order the meat straight from the deli and cook them at home yourself. Otherwise, the more popular option is to pay a little extra and have the chef do it for you.
There are tables for those who wanna dine in. In their Damansara Heights outlet, they even have a posh little restaurant area for those who prefer to be part of the discerning crowd and wine and dine on white cloth-covered tables while listening to Kenny G.
It’s almost a punishable crime if you go to J&R without ordering the pork bellies, chorizos and dynamite sausages in a platter. These babies are seriously damn addictively good. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
You know the food is good when you have four skinny girls at the table and they’re the first to finish off everything. And then they still asked for more.
For starters, I ordered the Atlantic prawns and avocado (RM18). Honestly though, it wasn’t that good. I’ve had better prawns at seafood restaurants elsewhere. But it’s healthy dish, so no complaints there.
Nicole had the caramelised pear and walnuts on gorgonzola (RM18). Not bad. A nice pure vegeterian dish to warm up her stomach for the humungous meat feast later on.
The salmon carpaccio and aragula salad with Guinness wasabi dressing is deliciously light and fantastic.
It’s from their Christmas menu, available only from their Ampwalk Mall outlet. These are wafer-thin slices that’s cut just enough to tantalise the tastebuds without filling you up too much. The salmon is topped with salad, olive oil, crouton and capers, then glazed all over with Guinness wasabi.
Quite a nice touch on an otherwise boring dish of salmon sashimi.
For the main course, Lainey ordered black cod fish with lemon butter on spinach and potatoes (RM48).
Yee Hou opted for the pork cumberland sausage (RM28).
… which look like this!
KY said it looked like something he made last night. Including the sauce.
Despite how dodgy it looked, it must’ve tasted good. Yee Hou gobbled up everything nothing left to spare.
Ringo went for the grilled king tiger prawns with poached asparagus (RM60).
It’s yummy. But for a portion that small, I won’t say it’s worth the RM60 price tag.
Of course, that dish was just the odd one out. As most J&R regulars would tell you, portions in this restaurant are usually very large.
I had the crispy Guinness pork knuckle for mains. But even when the wait staff had warned me, I had no clue how huge it is until it arrived.
Man, I thought I knew what big was. Everytime I look into my pants, I SEE BIG.
But this!?
There’s tall, grande and venti. And then there’s the Jarrod & Rawlins’ pork knuckles. It was so freaking enormous that I suspected must’ve cut it out from one of Godzilla’s legs
Seriously, I’ve never eaten anything THAT size before. There’s enough meat to give my doctor nightmares, enough crispy pork skin to make my cholestrol level shoots through the roof and enough fat to power a diesel truck.
It is also one of the most sublime pork dishes I have ever had in a long time.
You know they got it right when everytime you cut into the meat, you can hear the beautiful crackling of the crispy skin as it falls away from the bone. Then when you dip it into the sauce and put it in your mouth, you’re in heaven.
The dried serano ham served with the dish ain’t too bad, but it’s the savoury sauce that made it work.
I’m not sure what they put in it there, but we couldn’t stop ourselves from stuffing them down our throats like a pack of hungry wolves.
This dish is part of J&R’s Christmas menu, and I highly recommend it for all self-confessed carnivores out there. If Jarrod & Rawlins is pork lovers’ definition of Heaven, then the crispy Guinness pork knuckles must be their Fountain of Youth.
Because everyone was stuffed to the max, we ordered three different cakes to share: the Macaroon Banana, the Warm French Chocolate and the Apple Cinnamon (RM16 each).
I didn’t even get to try the cakes because they were all gone before I had a spoon of each. Dammit, I’m the birthday boy!
We also had the mixed berries compote with Guinness reduction, vanilla gelato and crushed pistachios from the Christmas menu. Magnificent.
I realised how busy I am lately that I’m begin to lose touch with people that matter to me.
My status on MSN has been on “Appear Offline” mode since like forever. The healthy social life I used to have had all but disappeared. These days, I have been online so infrequently and spending so little time with friends that even simple moments like these, when we gather around the table and talk cock over good food and Guinness Draught that I truly appreciate.
Eventhough it’s just simple birthday dinner, we have our moments to remember by. Like how halfway through our food, JoyceTheFairy interjected everyone and said, “Eh I ask you all har. What’s the meaning of the acronym LMAO?” And we showed her what LMAO is by literally LMAO-ing at her. Such great friends we are.
I’m glad Joyce could join us because I knew how much she loved J&R. She had to come late after running around the whole day doing MIFA. By the time she arrived, she was starving and yet the first thing she ordered is not food, but a creamy pint of Guinness Draught.
That’s what you call RESPECT.
The list of Jarrod & Rawlins outlets can be found here. The pork here is seriously good stuff and if you’re feeling particularly hungry or just wanna spoil yourself, I highly recommend the dynamite sausages and the crispy Guinness pork knuckle from their Christmas menu.
Jarrod & Rawlins’ Christmas menu is only available from their outlet in Ampwalk Mall, Jalan Ampang from now until the end of the year. And just like Delaney’s Irish Pub, every order of the main course comes with a free pint of Guinness Draught, and a voucher for a RM12 discount off three pints of the black beer and a limited edition miniature glass freebie for the next visit.
But of course, good food comes with a price. The total bill for twelve of us came up to this much.
First time ever in my life I footed a dinner bill FOUR DIGITS LONG.
Aiya, it’s my birthday after all. Considering the quality of the food, sizable portions, amount of beer and the good times we had, less than a hundred bucks each for all twelve people is still okay lah! 🙂
No, I was not dropped as a judge from Malaysian Dreamgirl.
I’m simply repackaged from an on-screen judge to an online judge. We had a lot of problems with the filming last season because I am based in Kuching, have a full-time job and can’t always be flying to KL for the shoot. But not having to appear on screen gives me a bit more flexibility with my schedule.
I won’t be there, but auditions for the model search reality show begin this weekend in Penang and Ipoh.
wow..nice dinner..have been reading ur blog but nva posted any comments b4..good blog ure keeping
That’s a huge amount of $$$$$….u r willing to spend dat much for ur frenz…dey muz meant a lot to ya…:)
How much is the crispy Guinness pork knuckle?
oppss 4digit? u should post this early,
today got toto =X
6.50 for soft drinks..tats taking da piss
thats like a gagillion percent profit
Jawker, the starter, main course and dessert altogether costs RM105. I had it at the Damansara Heights outlet, but it might be a cheaper at the Ampwalk Mall outlet if you try it there. 🙂
It’s very pleasing to see “Thank you!Please come again!” below a 6 digit bill. (including cents)
Food looks good and Kenny looks great!
well, i went to the sri hartamas outlet few yrs bek.. n since i’m a vege, i hav no choice but to pass those pork n sausages, instead ordered a gigantic mushroom stuffed wif cheese.. dur~!
It was a great dinner with a great price.Who could treat me that meal in my next birthday?haha~~~
RM1,164.80 sap sap sui lah, the motherfucking nuff nang cheque can cover already 🙂
Sixthseal postd on the 1 Utama outlet recently. That yee hou so skinny but can really eat hor! Chinese old people say greedy ppl nvr grow fat! LMAO!
oooo, it is big……Anyway, the bill is bigger. 4 digits…………………………………..Tat
hummm.. maybe u can treat me next time..
Well, you can earn those money back in the future and it’s worth to spend it with people that you care much.
Friendship forever! ^^
For that amount of money, it could support a poor family of four for a month, at least…
But yea, we live in a world where nothing is fair…
Happy Birthday, Kenny 🙂
sausages!!! =9
EuroDeli serves nice pork knuckles and pork sausages too. Top that with German beer!
I heard J&R at 1U is closing. I stand to be corrected.
It was a very good dinner and thanks for footing the very auspicious bill (ended with .80 anyway)
=D
Looks good!
I am just wondering, does Jarrod & Rawlins earn more than RM3 million pa? Why food outlet still charging the 5% government tax?
HOLY SH–
i could’ve used that cash and buy something mini from lv.
you forgot to mention that jarrod&rawlins is a good place to find an ang mo sugar daddy.
seriously that place is crawling wit them.
just saying.
ewwww nicolekiss. wat the hell is on her head.
Hey Kenny
Did u edit the photo you took with three pretty girls?
If no, congratz!
You look slimmer especially the face.
Looks like the photoshopped KennySia is going to be the real one!
Keep it up!
Hahaha u’re lucky the 4 digit figure was in RM and not S$ hahaha
Wow damn expensive. Kenny, belanja me la next time. I am one of your readers ma.. =)
oh my god!! i dun mind to be the 13th people. haha.. its look so mouth watering and delicious too. drive me hungry!!
Wow…. the food look super nice…. n the price also…. super….. hahah, the tax already 100+.. haha, well, birthday celebration, nvm la, 1 year once only ma. n for 12 ppl wo. haha
oi kenny,
whats your email address ar? i want to write love letter to you! (joking la)
*seriously, i would like to ask for some advise on my trip to KL.
Best Regards
Tangyuan
holy s**t….. i jus saw your email address up there….
hahahahhaha
so ma looooooooo…..
nice and expensive!!! XD
omggggg i miss jarrod and rawlins soooo much
cheese + crackers + meat
with wine
sigh
Got eat my candy floss or not?!
Happy 26th Kenny. 🙂
All right! Gonna go there to celebrate my birthday tomorrow. Haha! This post of urs came in at the right time.
hey kenny.. u should try the roasted pork.. chinese style… the best i had can be found in j&w…
always like to see a pretty chic drink Guinness… Kudos Joyce!!! Actually sausage and pork knuckle goes nicely with german beer…haha, Cheers!!!
Wow Kenny that was very nice of you to foot that amount. If I see that amount on my bill I’ll be wondering if my girls ate the cute waiter up or something.
Kenny,
You’re like the male version of Paris Hilton. You’re born into wealth, had a good life all along and yet you still manage to earn tonnes of $ through your own ventures. You definitely have my R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Unlike Paris Hilton whom I doubt has a university degree, you’re actually a Physics graduate. Nevermind about the look though (not that I thinky you’re ugly or anything; far from that as a matter of fact), life is fair. Happy Birthday Kenny! 🙂
it’s your birthday. why are the hell are u footing the bill?
and they’re who u call close friends?
Rugi le you. As a famous bloer, you blogged and promoted so hard about the restaurant and their food yet they still charged you 4 digits amount. If I were the tauke, I will give your atleast 50% discount.
Ahh.. yes… the taste of good food is there.
So K, you’ve got some great friends who are there.
Enjoyed ur blog…
Enjoyed the pics…
But slow down on the fine dining thingy…
No $$ enjoy that kinda food la day…
the total tax and the service charge is the price of my last birthday dinner at a western restaurant.
hi kenny,
been loyally following your blogs for a year alrd..it is really fun as everytime I’m on the net I look forward to take a peek at ur blog..you are witty and you deserve every bit of respect you’ve got! here wishing you HAPPY BIRTHDAY kenny!!hopefully this year will be filled with joy and $$$! 🙂
The size u ate may be will transform to ur own size. haha.
btw, 1st time i saw a 4 digits bill. geng.
you know, i can buy a secondhand laptop with that amount of money you are paying!!!! I never eat til that much! the most is only RM100+++ hahahah
Happy Birthday Kenny~ ^_^
Terrific! The food looks so darn good and so your blog.
i think you lost weight!
Damn i didn’t know you actually paid for it… thank you 🙂 xxx
May I know how to become one your closest friends? hehehe…
Find your blog very interesting.
Happy belated birthay and cheers!
Wow… Nice dinner… of course, Guiness Draught also 😀
walau eh…respect ur generosity man! Perhaps this online contest http://www.toyota.com.my/onlinecontest/index.html would help make up some holes burnt in your wallet..lol
Well at least you are not in Zimbabwe… 😉
http://www.investmentpostcards.com/2008/06/04/dinner-for-one-in-zimbabwe/
Hey dude,
Once again much thanks for the sweet dinner.
Especially loved the sausage & char siew combo, and the sashimi.
Good shits.
Wow at the bill!!!
Love that line: “more sausages than a men’s changing room…”
always wonder how those germans make those heavenly pork knuckles. Do reveal the mistery and indulge me when you have the chance.
Happy B’day Kenny
You know, if you look at your photo with the three girls (the one after the ice-cream looking dessert), you look like the photoshopped version of you in xiaxue’s blog!
do food looks reli good but wahlau eh……da tax…..i suggest u come to sitiawan n u will find da best roasted pork! *yums*
LOL. Joyce always like her booze.
Pork.
Pork.
Pork.
Pork.
Pork.
Pork.
lol ruionkoh sor jor
mmmmmmm the crisy pork knuckles looks fantastic!
you Malaysians are damn lucky!
any restaurant over here, the bill would have been at least double that!
Joyce has lovely eyes
nice dinner…wonder why am i not invited..?? JK…
wow.. this only rich kia can afford.. rm 1k,
i take rm 100 go eat something normal..
rm 900 i can eat 9 times more for normal.. 😀
wah, it’s your birthday u still footed the bill. Maybe ur the most wealthy one among them lol.
1k, i would have gone for seafood. I can have dragon pawn and many more lol. fill until i died.
if that money is used for charity instead. Imagine the ppl u could have helped.
I m disgusted…
lol leen shut the fuk up
Wow.. hope i’m one of your fren.. U’re awesome. 4 digit meal with frens?
yeah…great time share wf fren…
is still worth…
HH
hey kenny, actually u are dropped as judge rite? why still said u are not but appointed as online judge?u feel embarrased?pls lar, take it like a man lar, nothing is wrong if dropped as judge rite? after all u are qualified as a pro judge rite?u are no one but a blogger rite?
[KS: I am not dropped as a judge. Why don’t you ask them directly? Scared ah? 😉 Don’t be scared. Take it like a man lar. Nothing wrong if you’re an idiot.]
RM1k+ for food??? *fainted*
leen,
it’s a birthday dinner la.
what’s with charity?
sweat…..
lier !! photoshop receipt
hahah..This is such a funny and heart-warming post. Glad you spent it well with your close friends. 🙂 *hug*
hey kenny, i would like to ask you a question for the first picture. is his name paul….
dear kenny,
did u check whether J&R does indeed earn at least 3M pa to charge service tax?
anyway those sausages look delicious! yum yum
kenny fuck off lar
Well, nice food with nice people = Value. Shouldn’t care too much on the price. After all, it is Jarrod & Rawlins.
wow-ed on the bill. expensive man!
why the hell u tell me audrey not going at first?!!!
babe, i bring u somewhere with BIGGER pork knuckles than this hehehehe..
p/s: they played kenny G purposely for ur bday ar? it was all rnb/hiphop when i was there
with Guiness Stout sponsoring via Nuffnang, I don’t think you’re paying the full amount 🙂
RM 105.90 for tax. Damned.
aiyah…u came from so far and eat at the place.
my office is right in the same building and I have never even gone there…damn…
hey…Happy Belated Birthday 🙂
The sausage looks tasty but a bit pricey lah.
you’ve got the owners name wrong .
Its Jarrod Chek not Check
Hot :)) – Really fine recipes. I love your weblog, carry on!