Lock, Stock & Barrel @ Damansara Jaya & The Balcony @ Hock Choon

Lock, Stock & Barrel has taken over from Dirty Nelly's at Damansara Jaya, with a welcoming vibe that might prove infectious. Even if not everybody knows your name at this suburban sports bar, they'll still seem mighty glad you came; cheers to that. 

The pub-grub menu is packed with temptations galore, from mutton cooked with eggs (RM25) to Mom's Nyonya sambal served with bread (RM15). On one bustling night, with Katy Perry roaring on the speakers, half the menu seemed sold out before 9pm.

We somehow made the wrong choices in ordering, since we struggled to finish the prawn sliders (RM22), blighted by mushy patties, sub-par buns & fries that tasted recycled & refried, even though they couldn't have been. Lock, Stock & Barrel has a fine service team that clearly works hard to keep customers happy; it's highly unlikely they'd try to cut corners in the kitchen.

 Pork sausages & mash (RM25); these bangers were too soft & tasted overly processed, without a meaty bite. We probably would have fared better with the roast chicken or pork escalope. Head here & have fun, but maybe skip the sliders & sausages.

The liquor menu shines the spotlight on beer, whisky & vodka, with no sign of wine. But ask & you'll certainly receive (at a reasonable RM20 per glass); we're grateful that everyone has the right to drink whatever they want at Lock, Stock & Barrel.

One more watering hole for the long & winding road: Checking out the most recent entry into Terrace At Hock Choon _ The Balcony, an alfresco bar-&-lounge that's precisely what its name proclaims it to be.

Deja vu: The Balcony's staff members are also really nice, so we sincerely wish we could say the same about what we ordered. The lamb burger features a patty that's pretty much a mess, both texturally (suffering here from the faux-meat syndrome too) & flavour-wise. Can't see it in these photos, but it's in there somewhere.

Grilled chicken wings that, unfortunately, tasted almost as if they had been marinated with nothing. Tender meat though.

We admit it: The reason we headed here was for The Balcony's ongoing Thursday night booze promotion, a master stroke of gender inequality that allows customers to drink as much wine as they want (RM88 before taxes for men, RM68 for women). Not the most wonderful of wines, but we'll take it.

Who left these on our table? It's all a blur now, but we appreciate the gesture. And we'll take these too.

Lock, Stock & Barrel

27 Jalan SS22/19, Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya

The Balcony

241-B, Lorong Nibong, Off Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

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