Opened last June in the busy Petaling Street area, this restaurant is quickly making a name for itself through its fun and experimental menu.
“Our menu is a combination of Malaysian cuisine with French techniques infused into it,” owner Jef Yap, who’s also collaborating with VCR Bakehouse in the café space upstairs, told FMT Lifestyle.
Indeed, one glance at the menu reveals hints of European influence – oyster with rasam sauce, asam pedas risotto, South-East Asian (SEA) spiced scallops, cold capellini with local mud crab and the list goes on.
It’s worth noting that the restaurant’s menu changes every three months, giving customers the privilege of sampling something new when they return.
Décor-wise, the restaurant exudes a cosy but sophisticated vibe, with warm lighting and modern but classy paintings on the walls.
“Usually the customers we cater to are couples on date nights, friend groups and the occasional family,” Yap, 31, said, adding that there have been a few birthday and anniversary celebrations since opening.
That said, Yap commented that they had to make some adjustments to their menu as the European-inspired dishes proved a tad bland for the locals’ palate.
“Us Malaysians tend to lean towards stronger and more intense flavours, hence why we made some improvements in that regard to suit their preferences.” Evidently, it was the right call, as business significantly picked up after!
FMT Lifestyle savoured some crowd-pleasers recently.
For the appetiser, the soon-to-be-launched smoked oyster is a must-try if you are a fan of the shellfish. The slightly smoky flavour of the oyster blended well with the sweet-sour rasam sauce and pickled ginger. The gorgeous plating was a plus point.
You can also opt for the SEA spiced scallops, elevated by a lemongrass-ginger coconut cream and kaffir oil for a harmonious and succulent bite.
You can’t go wrong with the flounder yu tao mei either. Nestled on a bed of fettuccine crackers, the deep-fried fish with its accompanying ginger fish broth made for a flavourful but not-too-filling main course.
If you’re hankering for a cold dish, the celtuce noodle is a good choice. Made from choy sum stems, thinly sliced to resemble noodle strands, the protein here is slow soy-poached chicken. Dip the “noodles” into the earthy and slightly-sour broth and you’ll be in for a treat of a lifetime.
For something completely brand new, give the asam pedas risotto a try. Here, the spicy flavours that Malaysians love are infused into the classic Italian dish, with morsels of mackerel and tender baby octopus rounding it off. Sprinkled with kesum leaves and bunga kantan as a garnish, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this dish’s sense of creativity.
Finish your meal with the Java Apple Tarte Tatin. The caramelised apple on a bed of crunchy, flaky puff pastry is served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Any interesting observations he’s made since the restaurant’s opening? Yap said women tend to swamp the place on ladies’ night.
“One thing I noticed is they love to take a long time just trying to get the perfect shot of our food,” the KL native said, smiling.
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Dodoo Kitchen
192, Jalan Tun H S Lee
City Centre
50000 Kuala Lumpur
Business hours:
12pm-3pm; 6pm-10pm (closed on Mondays except public holidays)
Contact: 012-9845966