Champ's at Centerpoint, Bandar Utama

Champ’s Bistro at Centrepoint, Bandar Utama.

How much would you pay for a bowl of Penang Hokkien Mee a.k.a. Har Mee in KL? In the hawker stalls around the city, it would cost an average of RM4 per bowl. But if you want some really luxurious har mee, you can expect to pay about RM20 per bowl. And that’s what I did. I have to say that for me, this is an indulgence, an occasional treat for myself. And for me to indulge in a bowl of Lusso (luxury in Italian) har mee, I go to Champ’s, Centrepoint, Bandar Utama.

Centrepoint Bandar Utama is home to many interesting food outlets, especially Pizza Uno & Bernard’s (These outlets would be featured in my up coming articles)

The Food

Champ’s is one of my Guinness joint. They also serve various kind of beers and they have a range of beer food to go with it. On the tap, they also have Kilkenny and tiger beer. Paulaner German beer is also on the menu.

Guinness Draft in All Its Glory !

As for food, the har mee seems to be the highlight here.It comes with 2 big prawns, 2 pieces of pork ribs, your choice of noodle (vermicelli or yellow noodle or mixture), thin slice of lean pork, vegetable (kang kong) cooked in very rich prawn based stock/ broth and lotsa of crispy pork fats (chue yau char), lard, shrimps and garnished with crispy shallots. The broth is rich with flavours from the pork and prawns essence and has a great homogeneous aroma and consistency. It comes with extra sambal (chili paste) at the side for you to add on if you fancy extra spiciness in your broth. Overall, the noodles were not over cooked, the broth was additive and spiciness..just nice. The intense flavour of this har mee goes well with my pint of Guinness. Really Really ‘Hitz the Spot!’ …ahhhh!

Apart from har mee, they also feature another house specialty; Chue Yuk Fun or Pork Noodle.

Chue Yuk Fun

This is another superb noodle filled with porky stuff. I guess pork is the way to go for Champ’s. By now you should know that this place is non-halal and not for the faint hearted and those with cholesterol issues. Set at about RM16.90 ++, you get your choice of noodles or vermicelli with ingredients like minced pork, slabs of pork ribs, pork slices, liver and intestine , lots of crispy pork fats (lard), chinese cabbage for that sweetness in the broth and parts I cannot identify! Nevertheless this is some kickass pork noodle and just like the har mee, it comes in very big portion. If you have a small appetite…do share. The broth is extremely rich. So rich that you might even get all ‘porked-out’. To me, this has to go with chili padi.

Chili Padi

And conveniently, this dish comes with a small saucer filled with mouth watering power packed chili padi (bird’s eye chili). Caution: the chili padi is filled with HEAT and unless you can take it…it is best to avoid it. For me, I have them with every mouth full of this wonderful pork noodle.

The other stuff we ordered tasted fine as well. The tau eu bak (soya sauce pork) Is a traditional Hokkien dish. The pork meat (semi lean) is cooked with black soya sauce till it caramelized entirely coat the meat. The texture of the pork is just nice and for this dish, it only works well with tender pork with a good balance of lean meat vs. fat ratio. Serves with sambal, this is another great accompaniment to Guinness!

Tau Eu Bak

Another surprise that I discover was the Fish-head Meehoon (RM19.50). Not something I would order at first glance but it was very tempting. Tried it and I must say, not too bad!

Fish Head Meehoon

They use Garoupa fish-head with some fillet and chunky bits, mushrooms, tofu, onions, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, ginger slices, topped with crispy pork fats (again), mee hoon (vermicelli) and all these drowned in a huge bowl of creamy soup made from fish broth, evaporated milk and possibly ikan bilis essence and fish sauce (nam pla). Well, I could only guess the ingredients that goes into making this fish broth so tasty but I reckon the extra kick of spiciness comes from the thick slices of ginger and the ginger juice that got assimilated into the broth during the cooking process. All in all, this is a must try too.

Seafood Spaghetti with Vongole and Shitake Mushroom

Next, we had the Fresh Shitake Mushroom Seafood Spaghetti. Like the Italians, the emphasis on fresh ingredients is the key to any good pasta. Regardless of any seasoning, you don’t really need them once you use ingredients like vongole (fresh clams), bacon slices, squid, shitake mushroom, coriander, bay leaf and base stock. That’s exactly what you get when you order this dish. A good change from the sinful noodle dishes they have here. This I suppose is the lesser of the two evils. Spaghetti was spot on Al-Dente. A great Italian dish with eastern fusion.

Baby Back Ribs

Also a popular dish based on what I observed from the orders on other tables, is the Baby Back Ribs. Huge portion of ribs marinated to perfection overnight and sprinkled with sesame seed and served with corn and pickled vegetable, the meat is tender and melts in your mouth. No wonder this is such a popular choice. With the tender texture of the meat, eating this rib is effortless.

Ox-Tail Soup

If you don’t feel like having anything too heavy and just want a simple soup, you can go for the ox-tail soup. Chunky bits of Ox-Tail stewed with carrot, tomatoes and potatoes topped with Chinese parsley and sprinkled with spring onions, this is nice to go with some bread or buns to soak up the rich gravy thickened with the disintegrated potatoes and tomatoes and seasoned with spices and black pepper. For me, this dish lacks the heat and maybe more black pepper and spices like cloves, thyme and red shallots to spice things up a little.

Crispy Bacon

Once you are done with your main meals and if you still feel like picking on something so that you can finish up your last pint of Guinness, you can try the crispy pork belly. Pan-fried till crispy and sprinkled with sesame seed, this is a great sinful beer snacks and it works both ways…before and after meals.

Ambience

Outdoor seats are the most sought after spot. Always filled up, so you will have to go early after work and get there before the happy hrs rush up till about 7:30pm. TVs showing sports channel are strategically located to entertain you while you wait for your happy hrs buddies to arrive.

Special Guests

The MBA Gang

Jin Han with a satisfied look

Verdict

Overall, I must say that the food here is fantastic and quality is quite consistent. I have been there many times and I have not noticed any deterioration in terms of the freshness of the ingredients and the portion. Talking about portion, the servings are quite huge and most noodle dishes should be shared if you have a small stomach. No complains when it comes to the drinks and infact, Champ’s is one the places that serves good Guinness draft. Service is good and the staff there is quite attentive. You will see the owner, Richard, there most of the time, entertaining guests and friends. Definitely ‘Hitz the Spot!’ and I would recommend it for those who want to indulge….just like my group of MBA friends who, like me, appreciates great food and good drinks !

Location

Champ’s Bistro Address:
Lot F10, 1st Floor, Centrepoint,
Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
03-7722 5800
Open from 10:00am to 12:00am daily

Extras
GPS Coordinate : N3 08.299 E101 36.627
Map