The food's sailing

By Sharen Kaur (Published in NST on August 20 2008)

THE SHIP is not just a sailing vessel but a place to have good steak and fresh seafood. Founded by the late Foo Hee Hoon and Foo Hee Loon, the first outlet was opened at Jalan Bukit Bintang in June 1972.

Thirty-six years later, there are now six outlets with the same concept at Jalan Sultan Ismail, Damansara Utama, Dang Wangi, with two in Penang - Batu Ferringhi and Sri Bahari with more to come.

The Ship's appeal is in its signature look. You cannot miss it from outside as its frontage is the facade of a full-blown hull of a Ship, right in the heart of town!

On the inside, the allure is enhanced by the use of colour and tone, giving the place a warm and cosy feel, complemented by the generous use of Meranti wood on the ceilings and walls.

The exclusively designed wooden furniture, lighting, pictures, artifacts and decorations lend to the charm of the nautical theme. The service crew, donned in nautical uniforms perfect the picture, complemented by the quality of food, level of service, ambience and dining experience.

The menu is a treasure trove of delectable dishes with secret recipes created and perfected over many years, and passed down the generations of the Foo family.

But one thing is for sure, having a meal at The Ship is still the same as when you first had it 10 years ago. Area manager Steven Yoon said: "The heritage and quality of food and service has kept The Ship sailing for more than three decades," adding this wealth of knowledge and expertise has been carefully preserved and passed down to the current generation.

Among the favourites on the menu are Oysters Rockefeller, baked with butter spinach and finely chopped turkey bacon. For oyster guzzlers who prefer it au naturel, it is easy to go overboard with the air-flown New
Zealand oysters on half shell, chilled and served with cocktail or tabasco sauce.

Still greatly savoured are the delicious escargots burguinonne - French snails baked in Chablis garlic sauce. The secret is in the sauce, a combination of cream, garlic and wine. Having it with warm rolls and margaritas or other liquor makes for an endless evening.

"The recipes for all the dishes belong to The Ship, so the taste is always consistent even when new chefs come onboard," added Yoon.

From the soup tureens come a variety of piping hot, in-house made fresh soups like the rich and creamy US seafood chowder, or the aromatic French baked onion soup made with beef stock and a generous amount of sliced fresh onions to give it a bite and almost broth-like consistency.

I had tom yam soup, popular among the locals and heating up with the foreigners, who look for something spicy and sweet on the tongue.

And, being a steak house, taking centre stage was the range of steaks.

The different prime cuts of beef, rib-eye, sirloin, T-bone, fillet mignon are done to your preferred taste, and served as is, or with a selection of home made sauces.

The eight varieties of tasteful sauces include black pepper, BBQ, garlic, Bombay (similar to mango chutney), brown, chamberfin (red wine, mushroom and brown sauce mix), vodka (vodka, white cream and other
ingredients), and kebab (ginger-based chilli) sauce.
Voon said one of the more popular steak and house specialty is black pepper steak. The fillet steak is grilled to perfection and garnished with the rich-in-flavour black pepper sauce, along with fries and vegetables.

For a rivetingly delicious meal from the first bite to the last, the fillet steak flambe with mushroom sauce will be an excellent choice. The meat on its own is tender and moist, and the mushroom sauce complements it delightfully without masking the natural flavour.

The Ship's roasted lack of lamb is also an excellent choice. While it is served with kebab sauce, ask for black pepper sauce, to mix and spice up the flavour.

The other best selling item is Phoenix neptune combo which comes with tiger prawns and chicken topped with gravy, and served on sizzling hot plate with corn-on-the-cob and frieson the side and a salad bowl. I loved it but it was better with the exquisite black pepper sauce, which goes well with almost any dish you have.

"The food is all about the spices and flavours, which have been maintained. Other than that, a piece of meat is just a piece of meat," added Yoon.

The desserts are lovely. Your finale may be Cringpe Suzette, a typical French dessert and tiramisu which is part of the enchanting charisma that The Ship continues to offer.

After your meal, adjourn upstairs to The Funtheque for drinks, entertainment and music, and witness the amazing performances by the Sexy Diva who take centre stage on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, who perform two sets at 10.45pm and 12.45am,

The action continues on the other evenings with Gigolo Nite on Mondays, Hospitality and Service Nite on Tuesdays, Ladies Nite on Wednesdays, Automobile Nite on Thursdays, Pirates Nite on Fridays, Island Party Nite on Saturdays, and Rock Nite on Sundays.

For more information call 03-21443605 03-21443605 or checkout the website at http://www.theship.com.my/.

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