Recapturing the idea
of old world China, with a twist or two
Changkat Bukit Bintang can lay claim to the heritage of old
KL in its proximity to Tong Shin Terrace and Jalan Alor, while being
conveniently near the bling of Jalan Bukit Bintang. Rows of converted old shophouses cater to the
late-night crowd, with 24-hour mamak
shops, convenience stores and a cluster of bars and restaurants, one of which
is Opium restaurant.
In the hours of dusk, Opium Restaurant evokes the romance and
decadence of pre-Communist Shanghai, while after dark it assumes a more vibrant
character. By 10pm on a weekend, the street outside is choc-a-block with pedestrians,
honking traffic and blinking lights, and Opium becomes a watering hole, a place
from which to watch the endless street parade outside.
The lilting, evocative music of the guzheng being expertly plucked echoes through the dim interior of
the restaurant. Dark wooden ceilings,
floorboards, semi-private curtained booths, lighting from lanterns, and wall
hangings of opium pipes, set the dreamy mood within. A private dining room with
patterned red wall, earthen wine jars, an endless replay of Bruce Lee kicking
butt in The Big Boss recreate the
illusion of old China, with its intrigue, opium dens, mandarins, triads and
cuisine.
Waitresses in semi-ao
dais and bright blue pants add cheekiness to the make-believe. There’s an
outdoor dining area overlooking the street, while indoors are private rooms,
booths, and an open dining area, all evoking the nostalgia of a bygone era that
lives in the popular imagination.
The food menu is also extensive, with sections for Western,
Eastern, snacks, dim-sum, soups, salads and desserts. It only seemed right to
be eating Oriental in such a setting.
Some thought had gone into the presentations, continuing the old China
theme, for they were clever and worthy of admiration.
We started with two salads. The Fern-leaf salad with Grilled
Prawns (Rm28) was finely-sliced pucuk
paku with an aromatic smoky kerisik
flavour, and two large overdone prawns, while the Mango Salad with Softshell
Crab (Rm26) demonstrated a light touch in a dish that often succumbs to
overenthusiasm in strong tastes; Opium’s version was light and balanced with
the crunchy softshell crab.
Moving onto the mains, we tried the Curry Spaghetini with
Salmon (Rm32). The spaghettini had body, the coconut curry was thin, flavourful
yet creamy, while long beans, beansprouts, tofu
puffs kept a hint of authenticity, and crisply fried salmon made for very
agreeable companionship, taste-wise.
Our three mains were served in small decorative metal woks
on heated earthern stoves. These were the Beef Brisket and Tendon Stew (Rm38),
Cod Fish in Curry Cream (Rm38) and Stirfried Home Vegetables (Rm32), with a
side of rice or flat Chinese buns (muntau)
as accompaniment.
There was more beef than brisket in the thick brown stew,
but it had the requisite stickiness and rich taste of traditional brisket, with
spices and thick chunks of meaty mushroom, for a good combination with the flat
muntau buns. The Cod Fish curry was strong and heavy on
its own, masking the flavour of delicate cod fish. Eggplant and long beans added variety to the
mix, which went well with white rice. The stirfried home vegetables didn’t make
a strong impression, with a predominance of salted vegetable which eclipsed the
taste of the other vegetables, but it was meant to be a supporting act.
There was an equally imaginative and extensive list of
desserts to select from. The signature
Opium Ice Glass (Rm18) looked like a combo of favourite South-east-asian desserts,
with shaved ice, glass jelly, water chestnuts, coconut milk, gula melaka, coconut ice cream and mung
bean paste. With a combination like
that, it couldn’t possibly fail, and it didn’t, being as sweetly complex as a
woman’s moods. The Cheesy Banana
Fritters (Rm22) combined traditional goreng
pisang with aged Cheddar cheese and a dollop of Banana Ice Cream, spawning
a rich medley of textures and flavours: the sweet coldness of ice cream was put
into the shade by the remarkably sweet bananas with their fragile, crisply
fried coating. We also couldn’t resist
the Pineapple Crumble (Rm22), with its nutty crust, and decadently sweet
sticky, kaya-enriched interior, embedded with pineapple chunks.
Opium Restaurant is beguiling, pandering to our fantasies.
Clever presentations, a mishmash of South-east-asian accents, traditional
Chinese street dishes, reimagined and reworked with nontraditional ingredients,
provide for fresh interpretations in the food department while the drinks
selection alone is worth a visit to this charming restaurant with a name that
evokes the romance of a vibrant, intriuging and exotic past.
Opium
Restaurant,
50, Changkat
Bukit Bintang,
50200 Kuala
Lumpur
Email : customerservice@opiumkl.com
Phone : +6
03 21425670
Open: Sundays - Thursdays : 12.00PM - 1.00AM
Fridays : 12.00PM - 2.00AM
Saturdays : 4.00PM -
2.00AM
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