Homely French

First published in Options, The Edge Malaysia, June 6, 2015

The unexpected find of honest-to-goodness, hearty, traditional French food.

Away from the shopping complex of Plaza Damas, there is a section occupied by offices, and it is in this quiet section that the Red Herring restaurant is located.  Within, the restaurant is long, narrow and small, with a cozy, intimate atmosphere.   The far wall, painted in black, is decorated with white outline drawings of food items – vegetables, cooking utensils, meats, bottles and glasses, and a herring in red. A long blackboard runs along the length of one wall, with the menu chalked on it with playful drawings at the periphery.  There is a wine list as well. The touch of whimsy contributes to the informal mood. Below the blackboard is a glass panel which peeks into the serious-looking kitchen.

There are less than 10 tables, covered in white paper, with various types of chairs, colourful posters, a wine cooler and a counter on the other wall. Downlights and four red pendant lampshades suspended from the ceiling cast a warm glow over the restaurant.

The small menu, sectioned into Appetisers, Mains and Desserts, is nominally French, with nothing particularly complicated, and classics such as Beef Bourguignon and Tarte Tartine. There are specials for the day, such as the home-made sausages when I visit for dinner one quiet weekend.

We start off with the Roasted Organic Tomato soup (Rm18), a special for the day, which is a bright orange coloured soup, served in a brightly-colored shallow bowl.  The soup is hot, thick and comforting, neither tart nor sour, just soothing. 

We follow up with a couple of the appetisers, which are served with little fuss and pretension, the Salmon Rillette (Rm15.90) in a small bowl with toasted bread, and the Pork Terrine (Rm15.90) in two thick blocks, with mustard and pickles.  The salmon spread is neither creamy nor rich, with a rough texture which goes well with the bread, and is exactly what it’s supposed to be: hand-flaked smoked and poached salmon, while the terrine, which is not to everyone’s taste, is bland, gelatinous, cold and textured with the mild flavor of pork, hence the mustard and pickles to liven it up, but my diner friend can’t get enough of it.  I am struck by the authentic, rustic nature of the food, which is a theme that only reinforces itself throughout the meal.

Halfway through, I get the distinct impression of being in someone’s house in a rural part of Europe, with a cold wintry night outside, and the food prepared by the lady of the house, but it is more likely to be a farmhouse than in an urban setting.

The mains arrive together: the simple, unapologetic presentations, the generous portions and the aroma wafting off the food only strengthen the impression of home-made, rustic food.  The Moules Mariniere (Rm60) is a wholesome, simple dish comprising 500g of live mussels with shiny black shells, in a thick broth of white wine, butter, shallots and herbs, served with a side of fries.  The broth is seriously good, the white wine adding that same feeling of comfort food of the earlier soup.  The live mussels are small but gorgeous little pearls of explosive flavor in the mouth, and the remaining toasted bread is pressed into service for soaking up the sauce.

Not to be outdone, the simply-named Fish Stew (Rm40) is a hearty portion, with big pieces of white Dragon Garoupa poached in a clear fish stock, with discs of carrot, small sweet green peas and onions.  The fish is fresh, firm and tasty, and the stew itself is another discovery that threatens us into forgetting our table manners. This is the sort of food for which you tear bread with your hands to dip into the wine-enriched stew.

Finally, our last Main order, the Beef Bourguignon (Rm48.90) has a dollop of creamy mashed potatoes, pureed into a smooth rich paste, beside saliva-inducing, glistening chunks of dark meat in a thick sauce, topped by thick pieces of carrot.  I abandon any attempt to eat with decorum over polite conversation; the food demands wholehearted attention, for it is food with heart, for a lusty appetite.  The beef chunks are firm though not overly so, and completely infused with sauce, which is essentially a red wine reduction.

Dessert is a struggle, but we share the Tarte Tartine (Rm12) and the Lemon Curd Tart (Rm12).  As per tradition, the Tarte Tartine is served upside down, with the caramelised apple slices on top of a meltingly soft pastry – a combination both tart and sweet, while the lemon tart is intense enough to perk up anyone feeling drowsy after a heavy meal.

The chef, Xer-Li, pops out of the kitchen to chat with guests during a quiet moment. She is bubbly and disarmingly cheerful. All the vegetables are organic, she tells us, simply because they taste better and are more nutritious.  Similarly with the meat – grass-fed beef, live mussels, free-range chicken, wild instead of farmed fish wherever practical, because they make for better food.  All the sauces are, as expected, made from scratch in the restaurant, and the results speak for themselves.  She tells us the menu will be enlarged in the coming weeks with the addition of help in the kitchen.  Her stay in San Sebastian – Basque country near the Spanish-French border – before returning to Malaysia helps explain the rustic nature of the food.

The food in the Red Herring is homely and honest.  The presentations are simple, with no mincingly fine portions painstakingly arranged into food sculptures, colourful decorative sauces, purees or coulis cleverly painted onto the plate for colour and effect. The portions are hearty, with rich, intense flavours, with the intention to provide good, nutritious food. Mom would have approved.

The Red Herring,

M-1-16, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1,

50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-62111417

www.facebook.com/pages/The-Red-Herring

Business Hours:

Tues-Fri: 5pm-11pm,

Saturday: 11am-3pm & 5pm-11pm

Sunday: 11am-3pm.