There are two words that perfectly describe this place: Meatlover’s Heaven. The first thing that really struck me about Down to Bones the first time I got here was how varied their customer base was. Yes, the whole setup looks like your quintessential hipster joint with plenty of young people taking selfies for the ‘Gram. The walls are a minimalist white and grey and there are plenty of retro décor pieces on the walls and around the cashier. There’s even a corner which houses an arcade game machine.
However, if you look closer, you’ll see a whole different demographic that come here too. There are families with their young children and youths who bring their grandmas and grandpas along. There’s only one thing that can really bring together people of all generations like this; really good food.
Down to Bones started out as an outdoor pop-up eatery near the OUG market. Over time, their reputation has grown so much among the locals that they’ve managed to get themselves a comfortable shop lot.
Although their menu rather limited, it had a good variety. There are four mains, namely pork ribs, lamb, roasted chicken (called Chicken V2.0) and crispy buttermilk fried chicken. I’ve seen the size of their pork ribs and it is massive, so I called the pasta version instead (Aglio ‘Porky’ Olio, RM20) that has a smaller portion of pork ribs served with pasta.
I’ve heard their Chicken V 2.0 (RM20) was good too so I got that. Lastly, I ordered the mixed wings ( RM15) from their sides menu. They also have a good selection of drinks. There was Vietnamese style drip coffee, but since it was dinner time, coffee probably wasn’t a good idea. Instead, I got something from their fruit tea collection. These teas are artisanal and made by Guocha. I was recommended the Roselle Pineapple Black Tea so that’s what I got.
Their customer service was something else that really struck me as outstanding. I faced no problems at all getting the attention of the servers. At one point I didn’t even have to say anything. I was just staring at the wall waiting for the food to arrive when one of the servers caught my eye and immediately said: “Oh I’ll check on your orders right this instant.” A couple of seconds later, his colleague assured me “we have two more tables to serve, and then it’s you guys.” Kudos people, keep it up.
The roasted chicken was the first to arrive. It was tender and flavorful, served with coleslaw and a small pork sausage. I understand that they usually serve it with mashed potatoes but they had run out of mashed potatoes that evening. The chicken was topped with a buttermilk sauce. I thought the sauce didn’t quite fit and would have preferred a brown sauce but that’s just me. Otherwise, the meat was cooked perfectly.
The wings were delicious! I chose a mix between the spicy wings and honey soy wings. These Korean style wings were smothered in sauce after deep frying, and I really liked both. The spicy one was slathered in Sriracha sauce and the honey soy was adequately savoury without being too sweet at all.
I looked forward to the pork ribs with Aglio Olio pasta and wasn’t disappointed. The best way to savour the pork ribs is to use your hands, and Down to Bones provides plastic gloves at every table so you can literally munch the meat all the way to the bones. I really enjoyed that part myself.
A meal for two here is arguably really affordable. I paid only RM 65 for everything, even with so much meat on the table. It’s a great place to be at any time of the week if you’re having a craving for juicy ribs and chicken thighs.
Down to Bones Kuala Lumpur OUG
- Address: 8, Jalan Hujan Rahmat 3, Overseas Union Garden 58200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Phone: +60 3-7972 0130
- Opening Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12:00 - 15:30, 18:00 - 22:30. Closed on Thursday
