Tamarind Springs, Ampang

Fatin Says:

A short drive away from town, Tamarind Springs is nestled in a richly thick jungle-like place with loads of greenery and water features. The walkway from the main entrance to the restaurant was lined with candles and dimly-lit, giving off an ambiance of romance and mystery. With aromatic candles and joss sticks burning, it's a good getaway from the bustling city ambiance and perfect for romantic dates ;p

Hazeman Says:

First impression of the place, "Woah the place gonna be bloody expensive". Because its so bloody nice! But yeah, can't agree more with Miss F: the place ah? Bloody romantic one! You can see people wear formal suits and bareback dresses. (Did I just say "Bareback"?)

Fatin Says:

As an appetizer of sorts, we were given a serving of savory crackers with sweet chili sauce. It was a good start but be careful not to eat too much lest you prefer to be too full for your actual meal.

Hazeman Says:

Obviously, Miss F forgot to mention the rolls of Pandan-leaves-smelling-wet-towels-which-we-thought-are-roll-cakes. Yes, we can't tell the difference between roll cakes and rolled towels. (We were breaking fast for the Ramadhan, people!)

But anyways, the crackers are... just crackers. *NEXT!!

Fatin Says:

The staple dish here is rice, and all the dishes you order will be served with a plate of fragrant jasmine rice (RM5). To go with the rice, we ordered stir-fried broccoli and tofu with cashew nuts, yellow curry with sweet potatoes, deep fried soft shell crabs, and roasted duck with yogurt.


Stir-fried Broccoli and Tofu with Cashew Nuts:

This dish was without a doubt, cooked to perfection, regardless of the fact that we were falsely led to believe that the tofu in question was the soft egg tofu. The broccoli was juicy but crunchy (not over cooked)
and went well with the soft texture of the tofu and the solid crunch of the cashew nuts. The taste of the sauce was a good compliment to the taste of the vege and nuts but the sauce was just a little bit too thick. The perfect mixture of taste and texture made this vege dish my favourite dish that night (and I'm not even a fan of vege).

Hazeman Says:

Damn son! I mean, I know how vegetarians usually suffer from tasteless food (been on a vegetarian diet myself). But this entirely vege plate is like awesome. The gravy was not enough for us all since everyone was so eager of putting some on their rice (and because the portion is not big enough for 4 gluttonous devils, obviously).

The best part of the meal was the Cashew nuts really. I secretively just want to have more of that, but you know, it's Nadal's birthday. Meaning, the mission is to put them in her ass, and not mine. ~lalala~


Yellow Curry with Sweet Potatoes:

Fatin Says:

When the dish first arrived, I though the curry looked like rain water mixed with yellow colouring. It looked too...for a lack of a better word, cair. But when I tasted it, I found that the sauce was of the right thickness, and the contrast of the sweet potatoes, with the slightly spicy curry was a treat to my taste buds, and it was so good to have sweet potatoes in the curry instead of normal ones.

Hazeman Says:

Okay, Miss F's description and the picture obviously did not do the meal justice. The gravy is like awesome weh. AWESOME! and not overrated. To substitute usual ground potatoes with sweet potatoes is a very good change. I thought it was caramelized carrots or something, coz it tasted so familiar but nice. Nothing peculiar to the Asian tongue, really.

However, the whole look of the pot should seriously get some makeover. I mean, being honest in cooking is one thing. But overpaying for an ugly looking meal? Err, not pre-appetizing.

I give this a "Must-eat" award.

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crabs:

Fatin Says:

The cool pomelo bits was refreshing to my parched throat.

Hazeman Says:

Miss F is able to say just that since she ate only the pamelo (Seriously Fatin?). And yes people, they serve pamelo WITH the soft shell crab. Luckily, the taste wasn't weird at all. Because take note at the picture, it is served with the gravy thingy. The gravy was what blends everything together really.

Well I guess you guys would know how a pamelo would taste like, so I'd skip that and focus on the crab itself. They fry the whole crab with god knows what mixture, it was alright. But there is something about the inside of the crabs. They are like cooked medium rare, meaning if they are beef, there're redness in the middle. But they are not beef (Duh!) so I tasted some "thing" in the crab. I haven't eaten a REALLY fresh soft-shell crab, so i'm guessing, considering the prestige the restaurant holds, they are super fresh. So I guess that was it.

I, by nature, am very adventurous with tastes. But most that I know out there isn't. So for those who aren't, not recommended. I on the other hand finished it without a problem.

Again, SMALL PORTION. I AM A GUY!

Roasted Duck with Yogurt Sauce:

Fatin Says:

Succulent and sweet, the roasted duck came to us tasting good and having a soft texture, which was fortunate since we were skeptical when we were ordering, worried that it would be too dry. The meat was juicy and cooked in a way that brought out all the sweetness of the meat. Dipped in the sour yogurt sauce, This dish was given two thumbs up all the way :)

Hazeman Says:

Like Miss F said, we were worried, yeah. Because usually, chefs that I know in Malaysia just have no idea on how to cook ducks. Coming to me as being dry and have weird after-taste. Plus, bones not properly "de-boned". I hate that.

But this particular dish? No smell, no weird after-taste and the yogurt was what made the whole dish worth for compliments. Infact, the yogurt gravy made us wanting more on our rice. And I hate eating rice (because of of the calorie count). But yeah, to hell with carbs. The duck and the yogurt made my day.

*People in Tamarind Springs should consider the yogurt as a condiment on its own for the rice. Really.


Fatin says:


Although service is a bit slow and the price is rather steep, I absolutely recommend Tamarind springs for special occasions because the food is awesome, and the decor is gorgeous so that makes up for the fact that the bill will burn holes in your pockets :D




Cuisine : Traditional Indochinese Village (Khmer, Laos & Vietnam)
Phone : 03.4256.9300Address : Jln 1 Taman T.A.R, 68000 Ampang, Selangor D.E.Email : tamarindsprings@samadhi.com.my
Opens daily for lunch & dinner