Affordable European dining

It was seven in the evening and the streets of SS18 in Subang Jaya was deserted. Not a soul in sight, not a scurry by a critter, nothing. All that was alive was a handful of dimly lit street lights and the warm orange glow emanating from TJ Haus Restaurant’s signage as we hurried towards it remembering what our mum’s used to tell us about empty streets after dusk.

As we made our way to the first floor, we were immediately welcomed by an eclectic array of European and English styled decoration. Everything about TJ Haus’ interior spelled coziness and warmth, like a home of a friend rather than a restaurant.

We were surprised to find almost everything on the menu priced below RM30 and these are authentic European food we’re talking about. Authentic you ask? Well TJ Haus is actually run by good friends German chef Thomas Kepler and Jeffrey Tan. The former stirs up a storm in the kitchen while the latter attends to the hungry diners. Among their house specialities are the Lamb Shank, Viennese Style Chicken, Madagaskar Ribeye Steak and German Style Crispy Duck (RM22-29).

For starters we ordered the mushroom soup (RM8) and a basket of garlic bread to go with it (RM5). The portion was very generous but nothing about it stood out.

We had a Lamb Shank as our main and boy was it heavenly! The lamb was tender and cooked to perfection served with a tangy, smoky barbecue gravy with ratatouille and mashed potatoes. We hear that the lamb has been braised for almost two hours hence the tender texture! At RM26, this was worth every penny and filled us to the brim.

We also tried the Fancy Salad (RM12) which is pan fried chicken served on a bed of fresh vegetables. The combination of greens went very well with the chicken and sauce. This too was wiped clean.

There are also other European dishes on the menu such as the Spaghetti Con Scampi, Hungarian Devilled Gulasch, Cordon Bleu Chicken and Spanish Paella. From meats to fish to pasta, TJ Haus has got them covered. End your meal with desserts like their Homemade Cheesecake with peach topping (RM12), Mango Sorbet, Bavarian Cream or Chocolate Mousse W, but we were stuffed.

This restaurant definitely warrants a second and third visit! TJ Haus is a great place for office dinners, dates and friends as it’s relatively private with its homey ambiance and great food. Do give them a call to make a reservation if you’re planning to drop by as the restaurant as seats are limited.