Fresco Bistro

Update: This business has ceased its operations.

Fresco Bistro is a new Western restaurant at Vantage Desiran Tanjung, just a short distance from Victoria Sweet Pastry which we visited last month.

The ground floor of Vantage Desiran Tanjung is less than 50% occupied (even worse for upper floors), so only the most resilient restaurants can survive here.

The menu of Fresco Bistro is quite typical of many Western restaurants. The main highlights are various types of grilled meat. There are also several choices of pasta, rice and tandoori dishes.

First up is a serving of Black Pepper Grilled Chicken (RM16.90). The meal consists of a piece of grilled chicken chop, a couple of potato wedges and coleslaw. Black pepper sauce is served separately on the side.

The chicken chop is reasonable in size, but I feel that it has been slightly overdone. The meat texture is quite tough due to lack of moisture inside. The flavor of chicken is also bland to say the very least; I think it should be marinated properly. On the plus side, the black pepper sauce is acceptable, though I prefer it to be thicker.

The serving of wedges is just adding insult to injury. Although not particularly special, I think such simple side dishes should be served in respectable amount. The coleslaw is OK though.

As for our order of Fish & Chips (RM15.90), this dish comes with fries as a side dish. Tartar sauce and lemon is provided to go with the fish fillet, while the saucer of tomato sauce is meant for fries.

The fish fillet is made from dory fish, not surprising because this is one of the cheapest fish around. I think the kitchen staff improvised this fish properly with a nice layer of crispy batter. The fish texture is reasonably tender, quite delightful despite my reservations on dory fish. The accompanying tartar sauce is also commendable, but I wish Fresno Bistro were more generous with its amount.

The amount of crinkle-cut fries is nothing but pathetic. How much does a huge sack of frozen fries cost to the restaurant? Seriously, I would have been less insulted if fries were not included in this meal. But that means this dish can no longer be called "Fish & Chips".

As for drinks, we had two glasses of Lemon Tea (RM7.90 each). They are just normal lemon tea but charged as though this is a 5-star hotel. Come on, for a slow place like Vantage Desiran Tanjung, the last thing you want to do is to scare potential customers away!

Enough of entrées and drinks. How about some desserts? There is a counter to display available cakes of the day. We selected a slice of Pecan Caramel Cheesecake and another slice of Cookies N' Cream Mousse.

Starting with the Pecan Caramel Cheesecake (RM9.90), I think the pastry chef can use more cheese to make it richer and creamier. The bottom crust is too thick and tastes plain.

Cookies N' Cream Mousse (RM9.90) is the better of the two cakes. It is rich with dark chocolate boldness, while very creamy at the same time.

My verdict? The Western meals at Fresco Bistro fails to impress me today. Not that it is particularly bad, but a successful business needs a niche to shine in light of competition. On the negative side, the small portions of wedges and fries really turn people away. The pricing of drinks is also quite ridiculous; I need to think twice before ordering one again.