Compare to new brunch places , there are more new coffee shops. It's kinda difficult to find a worthy and yummy brunch place because, apparently the cafes and restaurants serves the same kind of food without innovating it or have something special on their own. I'll only pick those that are worth sharing here; the others will just be on my insta - or , I won't even mention about it at all.
It's really rare for me to wake up early to have brunch because I can actually have my first meal of the day at 2pm after all the delays. However, I visited the same place twice before 1am which is actually pretty early.
This is definitely not a foreign picture because it's all over instagram.
Metal Box , could be considered as the most famous place in Empire Damansara.
The bricks actually reminds me of a castle. It's really rare to see designs like this around because everything now is based on simplicity and minimalist. It'll also be a good background if I want to take picture, lol.
I didn't manage to snap the whole interior of the restaurant because it was really crowded. I am not joking about the crowd. I'll advise you to not visit during the peak hour - probably better before 11am or after 2pm ; or you will get to wait in line until your turn. It'll be havoc if you decide to come in groups.
I find this pretty , lol.
I think the outside seats are slightly more comfortable because it feels very packed inside. However, there's another difficulty of having a meal in the hot weather. The first time I visited, I sat inside. While the second visit, my friends and I chose to be seated outdoor since it's drizzling. It was really comfortable when it rains . I really hate how tables and chairs are closely placed.When people walk pass me, they would give my chair a few kicks.
I heard that their chef is the previous chef from Red Bean Bag. And RBB is famous for their quality brunch , so I carried high expectations together with me when I step into Metal Box.
Just like I expected, their food is really presentable.
Metal Box Baked Egg , RM18.90
The good amount of ingredients as fillings, topped with the thick creamy texture of grated gruyere cheese already earn two stars out of five for this dish. I thought that the creamy texture which is actually pretty watery compare to the other baked eggs served elsewhere , was due to the eggs half-boiled. The cheese was alter in certain amount to ensure that it doesn't us feel stuffed.
If you have affection towards cheese, this is definitely not going to satisfy you.
Speciality French Toast, RM15.90
At the first glance, this look like fried tofu to me. It's an interesting way of presenting this. I love how they sprinkle nestum on it coating with roasted pistachios. Instead of maple syrup, they have gula melaka to coat them with sweetness. It's definitely a fusion of our culture to this!
It tastes really good ; and also definitely get an extra credit of using gula melaka!
Guinness Pancakes , RM 15.90
It is undeniable that this would remind you of skyscraper from RBB. The texture of the pancakes are really fluffy, meeting up to my expectation. The presentation are comparable to those that serve in fine dining. The speciality of this dish is the syrup which is made from Gula melaka and a shot of Guinness! You could taste a little bitterness despite having the sweetness of Gula Melaka while indulging your fluffy pancakes.
Besides filling my stomach, this satisfied my sweet tooth!
The Metal Breakfast, RM20.90
A hearty portion of big breakfast - which is slightly bigger than the one that they serves outside. Having a choice to choose between chicken/beef sausage, turkey ham or beef bacon ; also, your choice of how you want your eggs to be. I'll give credit to cannellini beans - I get disappointed when I see cafes/restaurants serve canned beans. I don't mind paying more for better ingredients. Lescure butter is offered. Overall, I could say that the price is pretty reasonable.
This portion is big enough to have two girls sharing them.
Hemmingway , RM17.90
Egg Benedict but they have croissant as the based instead. I really appreciate that the chef always use fresh and premium ingredients. The slices of salmon was fresh , and I would reckon that they put more fish flakes! The fish flakes made this dish taste extra better. The eggs was right on point. I don't think anyone wants an overcooked egg for egg benedict. I have a thing for the yolk flowing down to my plates , lol.
The Red Benedict , RM 18.90
Just like Hemmingway, it represents egg benedict. Instead of salmon, you could choose between beef bacon or turkey ham - and I would recommend, beef bacon.This is because it goes better with the hollandaise sauce and a little red wine.
Yes, they have red wine doused in this dish - and definitely, beef bacon would go better with wine! Unless you couldn't take beef, I would strongly recommend you to have beef bacon! This dish should be the one on top of the must-try list.
Most people to have egg benedict with thick toast or English muffin as base for egg benedict. Personally, I think croissant is a better choice because it's a little lighter but still filled up my stomach. Thick toast is always at the edge of the scale - where it will be really delicious, or screwed up the whole dish.
Well, I guess croissant as base is actually something that make Metal Box stand out compared to the other cafes out there.
We have chef recommended and signature dishes all on the table. Besides that, they also offer pastas and other choice of food such as tacos.
I think that we should try the signature dishes since they are slightly different from the ones we could find outside. They do not operate just to run business, they actually innovate and improvise basic brunch dishes. Perhaps there are not much changes but definitely something that surprises our taste buds. And now I get why people actually queue to try this place out!
And I will definitely pay another visit because it satisfy my tummy and tastebuds at the same time - also, the food are presented very nicely *ahem ahem* instaworthy.
you have no idea how many pictures I took that day!
This place should be on top of your list if you desire to have western breakfast!
let me end this post with an ootd;
x.