I’ve heard quite a bit of a new specialty pork restaurant, Sanbanto. Located in SS2, I’ve yet to have the good fortune of visiting the eatery. Good news comes in a variety of forms, indeed. Apparently Sanbanto has started expanding and one of their newest branches is located not far from where I work.
IOI Boulevard is a relatively new commercial development smack in the middle of an already busy and bustling (not to mention, competitive) business area. It’s just opposite IOI Mall and just walking distance from Neway. I myself have not been there before and visiting a branch of Sanbanto was reason enough to change that. Surprisingly, the IOI branch does not inherit the ‘Sanbanto’ name. Instead, it goes by the (appropriate) name of The Pork Place. Straight to the point!
The shop is small and cosy. I expect the weekend visits will require reservations as the number of tables are somewhat limited. This is partly due to half the shop space allocated to sell fresh pork meat in all cuts and sizes. I can’t gauge where the prices stand in the market, but judging from the restaurant’s servings, the meat here is to die for!
As my friend and I got ready to order, we were disappointed with one thing. The online website for the chain provides the menu of the main branch only! Apparently, the menu here seriously lacks variety in almost every way. Even their signature weekend-only items are different! Tip from the wise: check this place out on a weekend. I might plan a future re-visit to check out their weekend specials.
For starters, we ordered the only salad that sounded interesting: Sliced Belly Salad. This here are juicy and tender slices of pork belly, served on a bed of salad leaves with generous toppings of salmon roe. The dressing’s flavour is mild and helps the pork belly taste to stand out. Had I known the size of the servings, I might’ve taken this as an entree. Highly recommended!
Their largest selections are in the form of pasta dishes and sandwiches/burgers. My friend ordered the Breaded Pork pasta. It comes served in Japanese curry sauce. I have to admit that at first glance, I thought it was katsu-don served with pasta which is not far from the truth. The meat, to our surprise, was still juicy and has a unique flavour special to this chain I suppose. The curry does well to complement the dish without masking the delicious texture and taste of the meat.
My main course has an aptly named Special Cut Shoulder Loin Steak and comes in a choice of black pepper or cream sauce. I opted for the cream sauce (yum!). Be prepared to be served a LARGE steak. This is the closest to beef steak I can get; the right thickness and cooked to a perfect medium-rare for my liking (though such a request was never made). This is an excellent dish to appreciate how special the pork at Sanbanto really is. Specially bred pork and an ISO-certified business may sound like bragging details, but not when the results reflect their labour and love to deliver! The sauce was nice too, but it leans to the saltier side which I only noticed as the dish was getting colder. Yes… I admit it took me a while to finish this dish.
Only 3 dishes? Yes. There were only two of us, and we were already having trouble finishing the stuff we ordered. Regardless, the experience was more than enjoyable and I’d warrant a second visit on the weekends just to check out their specials. To those who have never been there, this is my advise: this is a great place to check out for a group of 4 on the weekends. The variety on the menu would be just nice then, and enough people to share and enjoy it all.
What about price? Most dishes range from RM15-30, which is reasonable and average in comparison to other similar restaurants. Their specials can hit above RM40, but the experience alone warrants forgiving the price. I’m not complaining, that’s for sure.
Be on the lookout for a future update on their other selections, and perhaps even a visit to their main branch!
The Pork Place
Lot 31, IOI Boulevard,
Jalan Kenari 7,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
47100 Puchong,
Selangor, Malaysia
Operating Hours:
Tuesday-Sunday (11am-3pm, 6pm-10pm)
Closed on Mondays
Telephone: +603 7876 1728
Website: http://sanbanto.com.my/
GPS Info: 3° 2.801 N, 101° 37.324 E
