KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Since it opened for business in mid-January, this restaurant tucked away on the first floor of an unassuming block of shops in Bangsar Utama has steadily won over diners with its food.
Zoe Rai, the chef/founder of Zoe the restaurant, is a latecomer to the F&B world; he had previously worked in Bank Negara Malaysia for 14 years.
When he turned 45, he decided it was time to do something different with his life so he won’t have any regrets later on.
He said, “If I could do the last thing that I would do with my life, I think cooking will be nice.”
So in 2014, Zoe embarked on his formal training at Le Cordon Bleu in Adelaide. His culinary journey saw him cutting his teeth at restaurants in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Bangkok to pick up what he calls “real life experiences.”
Back here in Kuala Lumpur, he worked at the Marriott Hotel as a pastry chef and also dabbled in private dining.
About a year ago, he stumbled upon this space as he was driving by. It was a lawyer's office but under Zoe's hands (and after some frustration with contractors) we have a restaurant that has different corners for everyone
There are tables for couples on the side, a larger space for parties and a big open balcony so you can take in the world of colourful Jalan Kemuja.
Or if you love some action, head for the counter that faces the open kitchen. By the way, sitting at the counter is great if you are a single diner and don't wish to be conspicuous in the open dining hall.
But wherever you are finally seated, don't forget to look up... a lovely feature of the restaurant are the exposed wooden roof trusses.
The compact menu takes cues from Zoe's food experiences. “It’s me... what I like to eat or what I think is interesting for people to eat.”
As a child, he recalls a vast plethora of meals — Punjabi, Chinese, Western and even Nyonya — thanks to his Nyonya mother and Punjabi father.
Just don't expect any crazy fusion dishes popping up here. Zoe explained, "The food is what I have learnt or come across when I lived abroad. My idea is to bring that here in the most authentic way I can. I don't Malaysianise it. I am not fusion. I am very authentic."
For lunch, it's Asian. It's a practical choice for Zoe as he can cook that type of food in batches.
It is also perfect for those looking for a short, fast mid-day meal. Taking centrestage now is khao soi, He picked this rich curry egg noodles dish, unique to Chiang Mai, as it had "blown" him away when he first ate it.
The thick curry chicken (Zoe's also offers a vegetarian option) is a spice bomb; a mixture of spices, some unique to only Chiang Mai.
The dish takes about two days to prepare. And surprisingly, about 95 per cent of his customers have not eaten this regional dish before.
Other items on the lunch menu include pla haeng yaengmo, a watermelon salad topped with dried fish floss, fried shallots and mint leaves, mussels in coconut milk and khai giao, a fluffy Thai omelette.
End your meal with the refreshing som choon. The shaved ice dessert is an idea borrowed from David Thompson's Nahm in Bangkok, where Zoe did his stage.
It's unusual with fried shallots topping the sweet and sour fruits of pineapples, lychees and mango. Finishing off the dessert is a light pandan syrup with lime and ginger.
In the future, he may switch to another Thai noodles dish. Be warned… he has hinted it’s going to be a spicy one.
As night falls, it is Western food. Diners can chill out as food is made to order. You will be happy to find the mains are all about comfort food a la Italian nonna-style, which Zoe prefers even though he was trained in French cooking.
It will also include Mediterranean and Spanish dishes. “I have more fun cooking Italian food. I love Italian food as it’s the most comforting. It’s something that most Malaysians relate well to. With French food, everyone feels it is sophisticated and atas but they are okay with Italian food."
The small plates include a well-executed deep fried zucchini blossom with light, crispy batter. What won us over was the salsa verde packed with punchy flavours.
You also have Muhammara, a roasted capsicum and walnuts dip that is delicious with their homemade fennel bread.
For a light starter, the ceviche is a nice choice with its sliced kingfish (the fish changes to what's available) topped with persimmon. A hit of creme fraiche with wasabi lifts up the dish.
There's also mutton bone marrow served with their homemade bread and mushroom arancini accompanied with their house-made mayonnaise.
In a city where most people enjoy their pasta on the softer side, we are happy to report that Zoe's pastas are perfectly al dente. Their lamb ragu pappardelle won us over with its thicker ribbon like pasta accompanied by the hearty slow braised lamb that is fork-tender.
For seafood lovers, there's the dreamy slow poached baby octopus on top of tagliatelle. Its smokiness riffs off of the rich prawn bisque that coats the strands of pasta. Yes, you won't find the pasta drowning in the bisque but it's packed with a really rich flavour.
For vegetarians, there's a Moroccan eggplant tagliatelle with homemade sun dried tomatoes that has a slight citrus hit.
And you also have a Sicilian style pasta dish featuring sardines that is popular with many, including children.
The gnocchi here is a thing of beauty — fluffy like a cloud, with an unusual combination of spinach and chestnut in the form of a pesto. "I's my favourite," said Zoe.
He chose chestnuts as it's a favourite ingredient of his. Moreover, he feels it is an under-rated ingredient rarely seen in dishes here.
Instead of another pasta, he decided to make gnocchi since it's very hard to find a good one here.
End your meal here with a hazelnut tiramisu. It's a slightly different interpretation since there's no alcohol or coffee, making it ideal for children.
But our favourite are the bunuelos or Spanish doughnuts with a crunchy top served with vanilla custard. Occasionally, there are board specials too like the incredibly decadent chocolate truffle with a rich, dark flavour we had on one of our visits.
In the future, the menu will evolve but one thing remains constant... it will be a compact, focused one.
Zoe explained, “To me, when you go for the best char kway teow, you go for char kway teow and you don’t ask him for wantan mee. If there are too many things on the menu, you will be jumping around. If you cook one thing many times, you get better and better."
It's early days now but Zoe's end game is to help the less fortunate. "My main ambition is to open a cooking school for charity. I don't want a culinary empire."
Zoe is at 42A Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. It is open from 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10.30pm from Wednesday to Sunday. For reservations, call 012-708 8643. Their Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pg/ZoeRestaurantBangsar/
