Many Malaysians have fond memories of school Sports Day, and being divided into Houses based on colour. Chanting these funny little rhymes to support your House (or mock others!) is probably something many remember well.
These classic playground chants, and the naughty, playful spirit behind them were the inspiration for local restaurant Red Red Botak Head’s name.
This fun eatery, which prides itself on serving up ‘twisted’ Malaysian flavours, is the brainchild of chef Tan Chung Liang. Fittingly, he’s a “botak head” (bald) himself!
Avid readers will particularly enjoy this restaurant nestled within local bookstore BookXcess, on the rooftop of Gardens Mall here. All their food is Muslim-friendly.
The dining experience here is fun and friendly, partly due to the presence of Liang, who often takes front-of-house duties. He welcomes guests with a huge smile, often chatting with them animatedly as he guides them to their seats.
True to Red Red Botak Head’s playful spirit, many of its dishes have whimsical names. Game to try the Cheese Bedebah, Steak to the Script or the S’up BrothA duck broth?
According to him, much of his menu’s offerings had been literally ‘dreamt up’. When food ideas pop into his head, he experiments on them until he gets a version he knows diners will enjoy.
“We try to be different with our food here. After all, we’re in such a huge mall, with hundreds of other great food outlets. So, we need to stand out, in a way that will make people keep coming back for more,” said Liang, who previously helmed the former Whup Whup restaurant in Subang Jaya.
Many of the dishes here marry beloved flavours and cooking techniques from different culinary worlds.
The Spiced Buttermilk Fried Chicken, for example, combines the crispiness of Western fried chicken with the spiced zest of our local ‘ayam goreng berempah’.
Despite all these combinations, one word you won’t hear very much here is ‘fusion’ – the word’s taboo here.
“I think the word ‘fusion’ has been bandied around so much nowadays, it’s lost its meaning. Even things like tom yum fried rice, or goreng pisang with cheese, some people even call that fusion! The word has been abused to death,” Liang said.
One of their specialities is the Chee Cheong Fun Lasagna, a rich melange of pistou bechamel, potato, aubergine, pickled lettuce and duxelle mushrooms, artfully layered on ‘chee cheong fun’ rice noodle sheets.
Its strong flavours can be hard to get used to initially, but after a few mouthfuls, this delightful plant-based dish should completely win you over. As the playground chant goes, ‘green, green, always win’!
The highlight here, is undoubtedly the Unagi Laksa. This hearty dish combines shoyu egg and deep-fried beancurd puffs with finely-sliced Japanese eel fillets, with everything immersed in a succulent, sourish broth that’s satisfying to the last drop.
According to Liang, finding the best laksa broth to complement the unagi wasn’t easy. He and his team experimented with assam, Sarawak and nyonya laksa flavours before deciding to create their own concoction.
This proved a wise decision, as their new broth proved a hit: the restaurant serves about 35-40 litres of it daily!
Another menu must-try is the Filet Minah, a selection of sous vide tenderloin medallions with mashed potatoes, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and the restaurant’s signature Bilis Bawang butter.
This mix is accompanied by a unique ‘black pink’ sauce, concocted from dragon fruit and reduced thick soy sauce: K-pop fans might want to give this a try!
Your meal here would not be complete without something from the dessert and drinks selection. You can’t go wrong with the RRBH on Vacay, a tropical-inspired mix of passion fruit, mango and dragon fruit.
Also indulge in the Bae-na-na, a house favourite. Liang describes this delectable dehydrated fruit, ice cream and banana loaf dessert, served with housemade mango sauce, as “like Christmas every day of the year!”
Overall, there’s plenty to enjoy at Red Red Botak Head, from its cheery ambiance to its memorable dishes. It’s the ideal venue for those seeking a fresh spin on familiar Malaysian flavours.
So stop by for a bite… and maybe pick up a book too!
Red Red Botak Head
Level 6, Book Xcess,
The Gardens Mall,
Lingkaran Syed Putra.
Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur
Business Hours: 10am-10pm daily