I EAT: Palillos Spanish Yakitori @ Changkat Bukit Bintang

I won a bottle of sake and had to claim it at Palillos Spanish Yakitori, or I’d never have heard of the place. Located in the nightlife area of Changkat Bukit Bintang, in the middle of KL City, it’s not a place I usually go to.

Palillos is located upstairs of Pinchos tapas bar, up a narrow, dark staircase. It’s easy to miss, and to be honest, you’d only go there if someone asked you to, because I didn’t think there was much about the place worth making the special trip for.

Palillos claims to be a fusion between Spanish and Japanese food, but what it really means, is that this is finger food, or snacks. Palillos is basically a bar – let’s not mince words, and the food is reflective of bar food. Nothing terribly substantial.

You get a menu for assorted yakitori (Japanese barbequed skewers) of which among my friends, the bacon wrapped blue cheese stood out. Less so for me, as I wasn’t a fan of the more pungent flavour. The pork neck and pork belly yakitori were good.

We also had salmon sashimi with torched skin, which was quite interesting. You get a cooked-but-not-cooked texture and the smokiness of the torched skin added to the flavour. We also had an onigiri rice ball for added carbs, but really, we shouldn’t have bothered.

The atmosphere is dark and smokey as smoking is permitted. That put a damper on our spirits somewhat, for we would have preferred a non-smoking joint.

Palillos serves sake by the bottle, with the one pictured coming in at RM90 for 720ml. I suppose it’s alright if you’d like to gather a few friends and spend an evening with drink and insubstantial food.

Personally, I don’t plan to return as I didn’t find the food or drink terribly special, and parking is next to impossible at Changkat Bukit Bintang. On Fridays and Saturdays, the whole road is closed to traffic, and parking is very limited to the parking touts who scalp you. My suggestion is to park at Invito, One Ceylon, the serviced residence/hotel just about 2 minutes walk away. As of date of writing, parking after 5pm is RM5 flat rate, which makes it very affordable. Parking at the open air areas will set you back at least RM15 and you’re subject to the touts.

SUMMARY

AMBIANCE: Dark and smokey as smoking is allowed indoors. You can sit on the high tables, or at the bar

SERVICE: Service was prompt and the yakitori and dishes are served to your table as they are prepared.

TASTE: The meats were well grilled and tasted fresh.

PRICE: Expensive. For 4 persons just food set us back about RM70 per head and I still wasn’t full

Palillos
18A, First Floor, Changkat Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur.

Opening Hours: Mon-Sat, 6.30pm-11pm.
Tel: 03-21105051