Southern Rock Seafood in Bangsar Utama, KL
If you walk down from Menara UOA in Bangsar, you’ll find yourself in safe hands for fresh seafood. At Southern Rock Seafood, the oysters are shucked right in front of you, so you know they’re as fresh as it gets.
While there aren’t any seagulls flying in the skies or waves crashing against the shore, the seafood experience you’ll get here is as close as you can get to dining at a beachside seafood restaurant.
Here’s our review.
Ambience at Southern Rock Seafood
If we were to imagine what a seafood restaurant should look like, Southern Rock Seafood would be close to it.
With blue and white tones – some in stripes – chalkboard menu, bar, and wood-panelled walls that evoke the feeling of being at a dock or on a boat, it could be a TV show set.
Inside, you’ll find comfy sofa seats alongside wooden chairs, all bathed in the magenta-blue glow of the restaurant’s fish-shaped sign at the bar counter. For those who prefer some fresh air, there are outdoor seats too.
While we visited during the day, it’s easy to imagine how lively and bustling this place gets at night.
Food at Southern Rock Seafood
The menu reads like a comprehensive seafood glossary: mussels (RM65), salmon (from RM38), trout (from RM68), and lobsters (from RM299). These seafood delights rack up more air miles than most of us in a year, arriving from places like Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Scottish Highlands.
The restaurant also takes absolute pride in their fresh oysters, such as Sydney Rock and Irish Premium. You can enjoy them in a trio (from RM30) or go big with a dozen (from RM110), on ice or cooked.
If you’re feeling a little bougie, order their caviars (from RM150), which come with blini pancakes, chopped egg, and fresh French cream.
Appetisers: Around The World Oysters, Scottish Salmon & Gambas Pil-Pil
Our Asian mums raised us to prefer cooked food, but we were also taught to embrace the “less is more” philosophy and keep things simple. That being said, we went straight for a dozen raw, assorted oysters: Around The World Oysters (RM188).
A classy touch of Mignonette vinegar dressing, Tabasco hot sauce, and lemon was all it took to elevate the overall flavour without overshadowing the natural brininess. The oysters were plump and tasted clean. Simplicity was at its finest.
Loch Duart Scottish Salmon (RM48) was sliced just thick enough to deliver a firm yet delicate mouthfeel. Be sure to dip it into the wasabi soya sauce as it accentuates the fish’s buttery taste. The pungency of wasabi made our eyes water, but it was well worth it.
The restaurant also serves shareable small plates, such as Gambas Pil-Pil (RM48). The prawns are submerged in olive oil of garlic and chilli flakes, making the accompanying hunks of bread the ideal sponge to soak up the decadent goodness.
The dish was, as it should be, greasy with bold flavours, but so very satisfying. The dressing was more garlicky than spicy. The heat didn’t hit right away but slowly crept in, leaving a gentle warmth in our throats.
Mains: Fish & Chips, Lobster Linguine Pomodoro & Fresh Salmon Burger
The restaurant’s Fish & Chips (RM48) offers a classic British experience. It comes with tartar sauce, mushy peas, lemon, and a generous portion of chunky chips.
The batter was lightly crispy, clinging to the pearly-white cod that was well-seasoned and appropriately flaky. We couldn’t get enough of the mushy pea. It was creamy and nutty-sweet – the perfect foil for the fish.
Lobster Linguine Pomodoro (RM188) was decent but didn’t wow us. For the price, we expected more grilled lobster meat.
The linguine was the supporting role we ended up noticing and liking more. Its texture remained springy despite bearing the weight of the lobster on top. The Pomodoro sauce coating each strand was puree-like, offering a comforting tomato flavour with hints of garlic.
If we were to pit fried salmon against salmon sashimi, the latter would win for us, especially after sampling the Fresh Salmon Burger (RM45).
The frying process took away the distinct flavour of salmon that we love, leaving us with a salmon patty that tasted more like deep-fried canned tuna. The rest of the plate was, however, spot-on – the fluffy brioche buns, salted crispy fries, and refreshing coleslaw.
Dessert: Rum & Raisin Gelato
If you’re looking for booze-infused desserts that don’t actually half-ass the booze part, the Rum & Raisin Gelato (RM30) will be it. Rum is mixed into the gelato and also drizzled on top, giving the dessert a strong and punchy bitterness.
Life is always bittersweet, so they also add chocolate sauce and Oreo crumbs on top, resulting in a balanced flavour. We didn’t expect to fall for a gelato at a seafood restaurant, but it made us grin.
Fresh seafood by Southern Rock Seafood in KL
Dining at Southern Rock Seafood is a full-on seafood experience, where you can enjoy the smack bang of the sea raw, grilled, smoked, or fried – however you prefer.
While we couldn’t sample everything, we highly recommend trying their raw oysters, fish & chips, and boozy gelatos.
Psst, you might also know Southern Rock Seafood by another name: Shucked. It is their modern oyster bar with outlets in various malls.
Address: 32, Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar Utama, 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 12pm-11pm, Daily
Contact: 012-385 0266 | Southern Rock Seafood Instagram
Southern Rock Seafood is a not a halal eatery.
Cover image adapted from: TheSmartLocal Malaysia
Photography by xinyeegoh.
This was a media tasting at Southern Rock Seafood.