The Good Batch, Damansara Utama

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama, The Brinner Winner, All Day Brekkie KL

 Words: Claire Matheson    Photos: Monica Tindall

There have been two great moments of realisation about food in my life. The first was discovering you don’t need to be celebrating someone’s birthday to eat cake. The second was learning you can eat breakfast at dinner time, or at any other time of the day really.

I have long been a fan of ‘Brinner’ (Breakfast for Dinner), whether it’s eggs on toast, pancakes, smashed avocado and feta, or the humble bowl of cereal. The decision to eat breakfast foods at any other meal time makes me happy. It’s almost akin to eating your dessert first, although, I admit, even as an adult I still feel I need permission for this one!

Discovering a restaurant that specialises in serving All Day Breakfast elicits the same level of excitement for me as the release of a new Game of Thrones installment. The Good Batch wholly delivers on this concept, and is owned and managed by the All Tasty Ideas group, who are also responsible for: the sophisticated and richly styled Hyde cocktail bar, the wholesome, clean eating focused Nara Kitchen & Co., and the 61 Monarchy whisky bar, channelling colonial plantation chic. Located in the same Damansara shop lot, each of the four establishments have their own distinctive style, menu concept and focus.

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
The Good Batch
The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
The Good Batch

Known for its eye-catching graffiti art spanning an entire outer wall, The Good Batch’s menu is filled with pun-tastic names and difficult choices. It may take you a while to narrow down your selection, but at least you won’t end up with food envy. The restaurant is beautifully designed, with glossy black subway tiles and exposed concrete surfaces, paired with natural wood and galvanised black metal furniture. Cog and gear artwork and vintage suitcase accents hint at a quirky personality that is mirrored in the food.

From the All Day Breakfast menu, we try ‘My Fancy French’ (RM25), fingers of French toast drizzled with a devilish coconut-pandan syrup, crumbled chunks of dark chocolate and red-velvet cookies, and a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. While Breakfast for Dinner is always appealing, this is Dessert for Breakfast!

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
My Fancy French

Our second choice is the Chicken and Pancakes (RM29), thick, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, with a generous heaping of smoky chargrilled chicken, a sunny side up still-runny egg, and a surprising and fun pineapple salsa, all topped with maple syrup. But can we just stop for a moment and appreciate the hash brown that comes on this plate! Large, chunky cut potatoes immersed in a crunchy outer shell. Yes! For so long I have tried to find good hash browns in KL, and here they are, in all their perfect glory.

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
Chicken and Pancakes

From the All Day Tacos menu, we sample ‘The Yogi’ (RM19), a vegetarian option with chunky, thick cut mushrooms sauteed in butter, topped with fluffy organic scrambled eggs, crisp buttercrunch lettuce and a caramelised capsicum and onion confit. The mushrooms are so juicy and meaty, you won’t even realise this is a vegetarian menu option (something the Good Batch specialise in). The taco base is also made from corn instead of wheat, perfect for those avoiding gluten, and is soft and chewy with a crisp outer edge.

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
The Yogi Taco

The Crispy Chicken Thai-Co (RM23), seems like an odd pairing of Mexican and Thai flavours, but together they work a crazy kind of magic. Chicken strips with a salty, sweet, sour and spicy chilli outer shell are served with a fresh and surprisingly minty kerabu coleslaw, drizzled with a sticky, fragrant homemade peanut sauce.

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
Crispy Chicken Thai-Co

After lengthy consideration of the comfort-food-rich Pasta and Mains menu, we settled on the Good Ol’ Fish and Chips (RM33) – the ultimate test of a Western influenced menu and an elusive favourite of expats. The Good Batch has perfected their own secret batter, using soda instead of beer for an alcohol free yet still bubbly, crunchy texture preserving the soft Dory fillets inside. Initially skeptical, the result may be even better than the original. Served with a healthy side of lightly salted Aussie style chips, with perfect thickness and crispiness, and bowls of mushy peas and homemade tartare sauce. All that’s missing is the newspaper wrapping.

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
Good Ol’ Fish and Chips

If you prefer to drink your breakfast, or perhaps require some ‘hair of the dog’ to recover from a big night, then the tricked out Bloody Mary options are just what the doctor ordered. An adult version of the hyper milkshake craze that has been sweeping the globe, these are the ultimate in Instagrammable breakfasts. Made with the same spice laden tomato Bloody Mary base with craft vodka imported from Austin, Texas, they come with the traditional celery stick, olives and lemon wedge and the extras vary widely. We try the NY Cheezie Dog (RM37) topped with American melted cheese, a heaping of cheezels, and a skewer of small baked potatoes and smoky paprika sausage. If you like a bit of heat, the Cajun Chipotle (RM43) comes with a skewer of cajun prawns and sun-dried tomatoes. Get your camera ready!

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
NY Cheezie Dog Bloody Mary
The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
Cajun Chipotle Bloody Mary

As a last final treat, we decide to share a plate of The Good Churros (RM18). The Spanish style dessert has an extra doughy centre with a caramelised outer crust, and is drenched in gooey syrup and creamy vanilla ice-cream. The guilt is worth every bite.

The Good Batch, Damansara Utama
The Good Churros

The Good Batch’s home-styled, comfort laden menu is heavy with American and Australian influences and is matched with an equally satisfying drinks menu comprising hot and iced coffees, flavoured lattes, soft drinks, floats, juices, coolers and teas. You can also indulge further with a glass of wine, cool beer, variety of liquors, or a few choice cocktails, available any time of day. On Taco Thursdays, all tacos are served with a free side of onions rings, and on every other day, desserts are 20% off after 9pm.

Full of good vibes and fun food, The Good Batch is a crowd pleaser that you’ll want to keep coming back to.

Reasons to visit: Vegetarian options galore, a glorious two-page All Day Breakfast menu, meal-in-a-glass Bloody Marys, and the ultimate Fish and Chips!

The Good Batch
No. 53, Jalan SS21/1A, Damansara Utama,
Selangor, 47400
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
www.facebook.com/thegoodbatchmy

Opening Hours
Tuesday – Friday doors 11 am til late
Sat and Sunday 8 am til late

9 Comments

  1. My Fancy French is simply too hard to resist!
    Can you ask them to replace kaya with condensed milk for me?
    I want mine even sweeter.

  2. I love the exposed brick, and the Fancy French does look quite good!

  3. French toast and pancakes! Had those gluten-free ones, not bad quite like the real thing – post in my blog tomorrow – but somehow, they’re not quite the same.

  4. The last time I was here, I had a good meal. I see they’ve introduced some new items (time for a revisit to try the tacos) and revamped some of their old (the chicken pancakes now offer grilled instead of fried chicken and the pancakes are also much thicker). And yeah, I remember those hash browns too! 😉

  5. Looks good, don’t mind a feed of fish n chips once in while.

  6. The French toast, pancakes and taco look good to me. Fish and chips included.

  7. Thanks for the great post! Have a nice day)

  8. I cannot believe that I have yet to step into the Good Batch even though I pass by it very often. Time to make my first move!

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