KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Opened just last December, Taste & Memories has been pulling in the crowds.
Here, standard Chinese fare is done differently. For those who loathe MSG, they’ll be happy to find the flavour enhancer is not used in the dishes here.
In the hands of Taste & Memories Chief Operating Officer DK Lee, 35, they will find instead that Chinese comfort food is elevated with the use of quality ingredients and a touch of creativity.
As a young boy of 12, Lee picked up his kitchen skills while he was lion dance training as his instructor also ran a restaurant. When he turned 16, Lee quit school to join the same restaurant in Rawang.
Under his mentor, he learned how to cook like a chef. He also picked up management skills — how to run a restaurant and manage operational costs.
When he was 22, he decided it was time to explore the bigger world of Kuala Lumpur. He joined Chatterbox Restaurant at 1 Utama Shopping Centre for two years.
Later, he also consulted for a Chinese restaurant that opened in Sydney. As the emphasis was Chinese food with a Malaysian slant, this involved sourcing for local ingredients that worked for the overseas location.
Prior to opening this place, he worked with the restaurant chain Canton-i. During his nine-year stint there, he trained the chefs and managed operations.
In January last year, he took part in a Malaysia Book of Records feat for the longest ice carving sculpture that showcased yee sang. This was done together with the Malaysian Chinese Chef Association KL.
When he decided to open his own place, his focus was food that is traditional enough to please the older generation. With this in mind, he selected Taman Desa since it has a large population of Chinese diners who can appreciate this kind of old fashioned taste.
In addition, Lee works with his chef to come up with a few new dishes, using unusual ingredients, to stand out from the crowd. The concept is a winning formula as they are packed at lunch and dinner.
The business has also expanded and they now occupy three shophouses. You now have more choices like noodles, porridge and dim sum. No matter where you sit, you are allowed to cross order the menu items.
The compact menu focuses on food you usually see on the family table. The Hometown Chicken Soup sounds simple. It’s not. Despite its moniker, the thick, bright yellow soup isn’t made from chicken. Neither is it made from sharks’ bones even though the soup has a gelatinous mouthfeel.
You’ll be surprised but the flavourful broth with its bold notes is boiled from a guinea fowl! Lee tells us this was a recipe he took one plus years to perfect.
The deep flavour is slowly eked from the guinea fowl which is slowly boiled with just water for a total of six hours. Accompanying the soup, you’re also served poached free range chicken.
Lee explains to us that they only use chickens weighing 1.6 to 1.8 kilograms for this dish. Savour each piece of the juicy chicken with the fragrant young ginger dip, served on the side.
Their Homemade Pork Rice delivers nostalgia with every spoonful. Who can resist, piping hot rice in a super hot claypot topped with golden, fluffy lard pieces. We can’t. Stir it all up, including those crusty bits at the bottom.
We guarantee you’ll ask for seconds. Lee has also pushed up the luxe factor for this home-styled dish with a topping of mini abalone.
Even their kailan, often the obligatory greens to minimise our guilt, is given a new twist. Here, it’s presented with a topping of stir fried mui choy with garlic, as fried up by Chef Loon.
That extra touch of the savoury preserved mustard greens elevates the dish. Unlike the usual softer mustard greens used, these top quality preserved vegetables retain their crunchy texture. It’s also not too salty — a right balance of savoury and a sweet edge — making it a moreish dish.
Helming their kitchen is Chef Tett, an old hand in home-cooked favourites and of Hakka descent just like Lee. Also in the picture, you have Chef Loon who works closely with Lee to come up with more new fangled dishes.
Chef Tett’s specialties include the chee kiok chou or vinegar pork trotters and curry pork ribs. Unlike other spots that serve a zingy version, there’s an appreciative mellowness in this pork trotter dish.
The trick we understand is the use of their homemade vinegar, enhanced by their homemade rice wine lees. Traditionally, dried chillies are not added but nowadays as many prefer a more robust taste, it has found its way into this dish.
For ultimate comfort, we suggest eating the curry pork ribs with a bowl of plain rice. What makes it exceptional is the dark chocolate-reddish coloured curry. It’s Chef Tett’s special spice paste that uses garlic, shallots and aromatics cooked slowly for four hours until it is incredibly fragrant. Pair it with fork-tender pork ribs and you have a winner.
Accompany your meal with a simple steamed egg filled with slices of otak-otak. Their addition helps to boost flavour for this humble dish. Similarly, the simple stewed yam bean dish is perked up with quality ingredients, like fragrant dried prawns and cuttlefish.
There are also crowd pleasers like porridge and noodles for all-day dining. It’s perfect for solo diners looking for a quick, substantial bite.
You’ll find plump wantans, stuffed with minced pork and prawn. Pair these with thin, crunchy egg noodles and thick cut BBQ pork. You also can opt for pork shin curry or braised chicken feet and mushrooms with your noodles.
The latest to join the menu is their dim sum. Started this July, the menu covers all the favourites like char siew pau, har kaw and siu mai. If you want something different, try the steamed wolfberries angelica (dong guai) dumplings. Similar to siu mai, it’s enhanced with the traditional Chinese herb that lends a nice fragrance to the tiny bites.
For something innovative, try their spicy sauce fried fish noodles. Similar to chai tow kuih, the radish cake cubes are replaced with soft, cloud-like noodles made from fish paste. A lot of skill goes into making this dish too, as there’s no oily residue.
You will also find the unique double taste custard bun. Lee tells us they are the first to serve this in Kuala Lumpur as this hybrid item was introduced in Ipoh.
Usually, flowing salted egg yolk custard is only served with a plain steamed bun but this one includes a filling of pandan lotus paste that makes it a more substantial bite.
The restaurant also serves big buns, in limited quantities on a daily basis. On weekdays, only 16 pieces are available but come the weekend, this is upped to 24 pieces.
Not one to just rest on conquering Taman Desa, Lee hopes to bring the Taste & Memories concept to possibly the Petaling Jaya area. We wait with bated breath. And empty stomachs.
Taste & Memories
No. 6, Jalan 1/109E
Desa Business Park
Taman Desa
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-79710302
Open daily: 11am to 10pm
For the dim sum, it’s open from 8am to 5pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taste.memories/
