First published in Life+Style, Digital Edge Weekly, August 29, 2015
Malaysian
influenced and modern European food make for a harmonious combination.
In late 2014, what was “F by Buffalo Kitchen” transformed
itself into a different animal, that rejuvenated animal being a Rhinoceros
hornbill, whose roost is airy and spacious with glass windows on two sides,
rustic wooden flooring and light wood topped tables and lightweight chairs. Occupying a big section of the restaurant is
an open kitchen, presided over by the Chef Albert Frantzen.
Outside, there’s a cosy verandah with seating. It’s a comfortable, easy place to hang out,
with upbeat, piped music and a young and dynamic, but relaxed vibe.
The single-sheet menu is nominally a “mixed European”
cuisine, although it has a heavy Malaysian twist. With locally sourced ingredients as far as
possible, the menu displays a few imaginative items.
Firstly, the Crispy Cuttlefish and Ink Ailoi (Rm20) featured
thick pieces of longitudinally-cut squid, coated in batter and deep fried in
sizzling oil. The result, served with a squeeze of lemon and a squid-ink aioli,
was excellent, the batter being light and fluffy as tempura with no threat of imposing
on the freshness of the squid.
Similarly, the Apple Wood Smoked Duck Breast (Rm20)
displayed a masterly turn, with small pieces of deeply flavoured duck meat with
a fatty rind, sprinkled over with ruby-red pomegranate seeds, with little need
for the sweet accompanying sauce to do justice to the home-smoked duck meat.
These were openers for the Mangrove Crab Meat and Crab Claw
Salad (Rm28) with a meaty crab claw nestled amid a bed of mixed greens and a
dressing of crab meat and grated cheese. Bitter watercress accentuated the
sweetness of fresh, firm crab meat wrested from the wicked-looking red claw.
The theme was followed up by the off-menu Shellfish Soup (Rm28),
a red, thin concoction that had the gingery undertones of tom-yum soup, thanks
to lemongrass and bergamot leaves, stewed in a seafood soup stock with tomato, a
harmonious marriage of Western stock-reduction techniques with strongly Asian
herbs, with highlights from pieces of fresh seafood within.
For the mains, we
shared the day’s special, a whole Red Snapper wrapped in paper and baked with
vegetables (Rm78). A light sprinkling of
herbs, a tease with the knife and fork, and a chunk of white fish to savour –
moist, fresh and naturally sweet. It was cooked just right; fish is delicate and
brutally exposes any weakness in the cooking process. The fish spoke for itself, and it was
enhanced by a bed of carrots, onions and corn in a thin juice from the fish,
making for a much-lauded dish.
We tried the Mangrove Crab Ravioli (Rm40), cushions of
puffed pasta in a creamy crab bisque, that elicited ‘ooohs’ of appreciation for
its creamy crab flavour. The ravioli didn’t disappoint, with the wrapping being
thin enough to supplement the enjoyment of the crab and prawn meat inside. As with the other seafood dishes of the
evening, there was no trace of fishiness.
We ended the evening with a couple of desserts. The Fresh
Jersey Milk Panna Cotta (Rm20) made with fresh milk from local Jersey cows, had
a passionfruit dressing. It was one of
the more memorable panna cottas, for its silkily smooth texture, almost like soybean
curd, and its middling density. It was scented with coconut, providing a hint
of the exotic.
The Dark Chocolate Fondant (Rm24) almost outdid the Panna
cotta. An egg-shaped scoop of home-made
vanilla ice cream provided the yin to the dark chocolate’s yang, a truncated
tapering cone hinting at the pleasures within, almost crusty on the outside,
almost liquid on the inside with oozing dark chocolate.
The theme of the evening was one of lightness, in ambiance
as well as food, which combined European cooking with Malaysian-sourced food,
accented by Malaysian flavours. The combination works well in evoking a
harmonious blend, proving that cultural differences can be merged and
celebrated, rather than being divisive.
Roost,
69-1, Jalan
Telawi Tiga,
Bangsar
Baru,
59100 Kuala
Lumpur
Tel: 03-2201
1710
Contact: roostkl@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/Roostkl
Business Hours: 11.30am – 11.30pm, closed on Mondays.
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