Dinner @ Retro Cafe & Grill

AT and I headed to Retro Cafe & Grill for dinner. This newly-opened shop is tucked away at Centrepoint 2 in Miri.

We arrived near 7.00 p.m. and there were already many people in and outside the shop, enjoying their dinner. We were met on arrival by Kelvin, whom I had corresponded with over Whatsapp on a few occasions. He greeted us warmly and ushered us into the shop. From where we sat, the open-concept kitchen was visible. We could see the Chef and his assistants at work.

I learned that the Chef was actually Kelvin's dad. He had vast experience as a chef, having previously worked in Australia and Singapore. He had also served as a Chef at Cafe Miri for many years before venturing out on his own. Retro Cafe & Grill serves mainly Western food ... and AT and I were both eager to try them out.

First of all, AT ordered a strawberry milkshake. I had a sip and I liked it. It was not too thick, and yet it was rich and creamy. I was glad that the strawberry flavour did not overpower, making the milkshake very pleasant to drink.

Yums milkshake

Kelvin was so kind to provide me 2 complimentary dishes. One was a mushroom soup, concocted from scratch.

 Lovely mushroom soup

I liked it because I found it to be rich and flavourful. You can tell by the size of the flavourful croutons garnishing the soup. Those croutons, eaten together with the hot soup was quite heavenly. Hidden under the smooth surface were lots of shredded oyster mushrooms ... and that was what made the soup so textural. The portion was also quite huge! I loved the soup and I would recommend this.

The next dish was a Char-grilled Chicken Chop.

What a large platter

There were 2 pieces of char-grilled chicken served with lots some greens, onions, crinkle cut potatoes, and carrots. A gravy was poured over the chicken upon serving. I found the chicken to be a little hard and I also did not quite like the gravy, finding it to be on the salty side. Perhaps it needed to be tweaked a little for a well-balanced flavour. The portion, again, was very generous, so this was NOT for a small eater. Lol.

AT wanted sirloin steak, and he wanted it well done. We waited quite long for this dish ... and I was glad that AT was quite cool about waiting. He did not throw a tantrum. :P

And well, I must say that the dish was worth waiting for. AT finished the whole platter, and it was not because he was starving. Lol.

Sirloin Steak

The steak was very thick, and though well done, it was not hard. I also appreciated the natural sweetness of the meat, with the minimal use of seasonings. I also liked the sides, especially the medley of pan-fried vegetables with just a hint of aromatic herbs. 

To end the meal, I ordered ice-cream .... 

Banana Frisbee

What can go wrong with ice-cream? Lol ... 3 flavours in the tall glass with banana and cream and chocolate sauce. It was indulgent indeed. :))

I had rather enjoyed myself over the meal, and I must once again thank Kelvin for his hospitality. RETRO opens from 11 am daily. Do check them out.