[Food Review] A Christmas Feast at Morganfield's Publika

I’m pretty sure most of you are already in your most cheerful holiday mood with Christmas around the corner and the coming of the new year (boy, that was quick!). ‘Tis the season for jolly (and folly), spending time with loved ones and lest we forget — Christmas grub! I had the opportunity to sample the Christmas spread at Morganfield’s Publika recently. No wonder Santa’s so huggable.

I’ve heard plenty about Morganfield’s before this but sadly hadn’t paid a proper visit. Stepping in to the restaurant, I was greeted with absolute ‘porkiness’ — from the posters that proclaim “Keep Calm and Eat Pork” and snorty mugs (which are cool gifts, btw) to the distinctive aroma of a certain hoofed animal.

Ambience is casual and rustic. No pretense, just a place to get together and indulge in swine!

Ho ho ho! Let’s swine!

The Christmas Feast @ Morganfield’s Publika is available from 28 November 2014 till 4 January 2015.

As a kickstarter, we started with a glass of refreshing Christmas Breeze, made of gingerbread syrup, fresh lemon juice, cranberry juice and soda. Frankly, I’ve never heard of gingerbread syrup, nonetheless, what’s important is that it tastes good. For the adventurous, put in a shot of vodka 🙂

The Awesome Threesome was first to the table, greeted by half a dozen hungry mouths. The trio consists of a giant onion blossom, potato skins and chicken served with a selection of dips. The onion, perfectly battered, was highly addictive and provides a nice teaser to what’s to come.

Next was the homemade Mushroom Soup served with a slice of garlic bread. The soup was rich and creamy and perfectly seasoned. Make sure to lap this all up, and don’t forget to dunk the garlic bread. That’s right, go ahead!

Salmon is always a good, safe bet when done well, especially for those who prefer something lighter and healthier for dinner. The Grilled Norwegian Salmon was impeccably cooked — skin aromatic and crispy whilst tender and not overcooked inside. A generous amount of steamed vegetables is served alongside mash potatoes and a delicious spiced orange salsa.

What’s Christmas without turkey? Actually it would be rather blasphemous without the famous clucker, so next up was the aptly named Roasted Turkey. I was pleasantly surprised that the turkey was tender and juicy, something extraordinarily hard to find. It’s something we eat probably once a year, and when it’s this good, I wouldn’t mind having this twice. The roasted turkey is served with sauteed paprika potatoes, pork stuffing, seasoned vegetables, brussel sprouts (yum!), winter chestnuts and giblet gravy. I’ll be first to admit I enjoyed this.

And just as we thought the night couldn’t get any better, we were introduced to the biggest, baddest, jolliest platter at Morganfield’s Publika. The MVP — Morganfield’s Most Valuable Platter.

Made deliciously to share (6 pax should be extremely satisfied with this), The MVP comprises 1/2 slab of Hickory BBQ Spare Ribs, full slab of Jack Daniel’s Iberico Baby Back, full slab of Smoked Peppercorn Lamb Rack Ribs, full slab of Hickory BBQ Beef Ribs, Spicy Devil Sausage, Herby Hog, garden salad, grilled corn on the cob, corn bread and french fries.

I think I was full just looking at the platter in front of me.

The Iberico Baby Back ribs were my favourite, with the Smoked Peppercorn Lamb Rack Ribs coming a close second. The ribs were juicy, and easily slid off the bone. The Spicy Devil Sausage was fabulous too, with a nice bite to it.

Anna Bella Wong — Here’s fellow foodie Anna Bella, simply killing the ribs.

The Hickory BBQ Beef Ribs as expected, was a little too sweet for my taste but was tender and juicy.

With our special Christmas bibs (which are for sale btw, for RM20) protecting us from the intricacies of eating ribs, we dug in. With hands, fingers. The way it should be done.

Choo Mei Sze — Mei Sze all bibbed up and ready to go!

That’s not quite the end yet, folks in case you’re wondering.

Along came the scrumptious Volcanic Chocolate Lava Cake. An absolutely sinful icing on the cake (pun intended) for our indulgent evening. There’s something about a warm, moist chocolate cake and a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to make you go “mmmmm…”