Sanbanto @ SS2, Petaling Jaya

People & food - that's a combination that works every time. Every weekend, friends meet up, start having some conversation and it always seems to turn towards food. "Yo, where's a good place for lunch/dinner?" and end up trading recommendations. One of these recommendations turned out to be this interesting place - a meat shop cum café/restaurant. This 4 month-old café located in SS2 is a quite interesting place to visit. Customers probably would end up purchasing some fresh prime pork meats after having their meals here.

Here, Mr. Eddie (one of the owners), explained that Sanbanto's tag line "From our Farm to your Table", refers to their 1st class handling of the prok all the way from their pig farm to being served in the restaurant. Theirs is the only pig farm in Malaysia that has ISO food safety management system. Sanbanto's pigs are grown free from growth hormones, which is what most customers prefer nowadays. Furthermore, Sanbanto's farm in Johor utilizes mineral water straight from a well, which ensures that the pigs get the extra nutrients from the mineral water. In addition to that, these pigs also fed on homegrown bacillus (Japanese technology) which gives them a healthier gut system, minimizing diseases and the use of medication or vaccines. Based on these facts, it’s recommended that customers buy their pork meat to try it out themselves.

Enough said about their fresh pork meat and let’s talk about their food. First of all, the Sanbanto Bacon & Cheese Burger. They make their own patty and crunchy straight cut fries. Must say that the bacon taste great and juicy, and not oily (surprisingly). Nice!

Then the Pork Bolognese with Home-made Pappardelle. The pappardelle is freshly hand made and taste good. Maybe some don’t know what Pappardelle is. It’s a large, very broad type fettuccine. Its name is derived from the verb “pappare,” to gobble up. The ones made here are two to three centimetres (¾-1 inch) wide and may have fluted edges. Dried egg pappardelle have straight sides. This traditional noodle, a cousin to the smaller tagliatelle, was traditionally paired with wild boar sauces and rich hare sauces. With Pork Bolognese sauce and some deep fried lard, it blends quite well together.

Carbonara Spaghetti with wild mushrooms and bacon. This is another pasta you should try which is made with a rich creamy carbonara sauce and (lots of) bacon bits inside. Yummy!

Next is the Short Ribs Spaghetti in Brown Sauce and Basil…. The brown sauce and basil spaghetti is tasty but overall is average. The short ribs are great though! The ribs are tender and well marinated and able to maintain the sweetness of the meat. Fantastic!

This dish, the Braised Pork Knuckle served with Garden Greens & Mash Potato. It comes nicely braised and the meat is very very juicy and tender. Unfortunately, it also came with a lot of fat, which one has to discard or else it will pose a hazard to one's health. Still a dish to recommend to patrons who love pork knuckles.

And every weekend, their chef comes out with some weekend special dishes such as this English Roast with Wine Sauce and Egg Yolk served with potato wedges, aubergines, broccoli and carrots. The English roast meat is very good. You should eat it with the wine sauce and some egg yolk (powdered), you get a piece of heaven in your mouth. It’s so good and delicious. Yum yum…..

Overall, the place is cozy and comfy. Don't expect much in terms of decor, as the place doubles up as a shop to sell the meat in the front and a large open kitchen takes up almost half of the space. The whole set up is relatively simple with mirrors on one side, to give an illusion of a bigger space. Here, tables and chairs are also quite limited; hence it’ll be quite difficult to get a table during peak times.

Food Review

Food Type: Western (Non-Halal)
Address: No. 32, SS2/63, Petaling Jaya, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: +603-7876 1728
Price: Average: RM20-25 per pax
Operating Hours: Daily (11.30am-3pm, 6pm-10pm)

Taste Rating: 8.5/10
Ambiance Rating: 6.5/10
Service Rating: 9/10
Value Rating: 8/10

Overall Rating: 8/10