First published in Options, The Edge, on Feb 6, 2016
From tapas to churros, Spanish cuisine finds
a home in a Kuala Lumpur suburb
Despite being hidden in the ground floor of The Signature
Suites and Studios, on a Saturday night, Marta’s Kitchen is full, with diners
who have not made a reservation having to wait for a table. The space is not
large, comprising an indoor dining area opening out onto a spacious and quiet
terrace, but families, friends and couples occupy light aluminium chairs at
simple, black-topped tables.
The restaurant décor is simple yet appealing, with patterned
floor tiles breaking up the otherwise gray-dominated interior, with the leafy
surroundings providing a relaxed ambiance.
It is a quiet enclave, a part of, yet apart from, the busy commercial
area of Desa Sri Hartamas
Behind the serving counter and glass-fronted kitchen, which
provides full transparency into the creation process, Marta Alonso Garcia and
her husband Finn Leijnse preside over the kitchen.
The single page menu offers only one type of paella,
although other varieties can be pre-ordered for a minimum of 3 people. Behind glass, the cook prepares paella in a
large, shallow, paella pan over a broad-ringed cooker.
For starters, we have a few tapas dishes. The Escalibada
(Rm17) of roasted peppers and eggplant soaked in olive oil scented with a
little garlic is neutral and cold and eases us into the other offerings. The Pinchitos de Cordero (Rm22) are small
pieces of skewered lean lamb meat, marinated with garlic and herbs, each a fragrant,
meaty mouthful, taken with pieces of crusty bread.
No less fragrant, with a little less bite and milder in
texture, are the Pinchos Morunos, (Rm15) pork kebabs infused with the exotic
spices of North Africa, and grilled to a delicious colour. The heady curry
flavour is both exotic and familiar at the same time.
The Gambas Al Ajillo (Rm23) is a standout, fresh prawns
fried in wonderfully aromatic olive oil with chilli and garlic, deceptively
simple yet compellingly delicious. Extra
portions of bread are requested, until the oil is completely mopped up.
To balance out things, we have the Ensalada de salmon y
citricos (Rm25), a bright salad of leaves with smoked salmon in a cheery,
citrus dressing which is refreshing without being tart.
Arriving on a thin slab of stone, are handkerchief-thin
slices of Iberian ham, Jamon Iberico con Pan Y Tomato (Rm37), served with bread
smeared with a little tomato. Not in the
least bit waxy, the Iberian ham slices melt in the mouth, luxurious pieces of
silken-textured, salty meat with the beautiful flavour of Iberian ham, making
each slice a piece of indulgence.
All these are only warm-ups for the Paella Valencia (Rm35).
We have been watching it cook, with marinated chicken and seafood pieces
flooded with stock, the rice being scattered partway through the process, the
addition of more fresh seafood, the slow reduction of stock to the golden-brown
final product in the paella pan.
Served with a large prawn and mussel, the pearly beads of
rice are moist, with embedded bits of squid, prawns and chicken meat. The rice
is not mushy, retains a bite, and is infused with the saffron-scented flavour
of the stock. It seems like comfort
food, warm and deeply satisfying, with little nuggets of seafood. Garlic aioli
sauce provides little highlights.
We sample a few desserts. All evening we have spied the
churros being dropped into hot oil from the churro maker, and we have them
plain (Rm9), beautifully long, elegant sticks served with a scoop of ice
cream. Delicately crispy outside, they
are light and chewy within, and spectacularly good. They rather steal the show from the other two
desserts, the Tarta de Santiago (Rm14) and the Crema Catalana (Rm12).
The Santiago cake, served with vanilla ice cream is sweet, a
little sticky and is reminiscent of sugee cake, which is no coincidence, since
grated almond is used, but the texture is finer and it is dusted with fine
sugar.
The Crema Catalana has a rather runny custard under a crust
that is a little too lightly caramelized for my taste.
Marta’s Kitchen is a retreat for Spanish food with nothing elaborate
or fancy on the menu, but the food is authentic with the flavours of Spain, the
atmosphere is welcoming and it’s somewhere special for a meal with friends.
Marta’s
Kitchen,
The Signature,
3 Jalan Sri
Hartamas 22,
Desa Sri
Hartamas.
Tel: 03-6411 0832
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartasKitcheninKLPaellaBar/
Business Hours: Daily from 11.30am till late, closed on
Mondays
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