KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — You know how some restaurants instantly make you happy when you walk into them? Zoe Bangsar is one of those.
It's a great place to chill, kick back with friends who enjoy good food and the warm hospitality of owner Zoe Rai who also heads up the kitchen.
With the conditional movement control order (CMCO) restrictions, Zoe Bangsar has not opened up their dining room but they're still delivering happiness to our doorstep.
Previously, the restaurant used to divide their menu into two separate cuisines: Asian for lunch and Western for dinner.
Now you get to order the best of both worlds, as the kitchen is open throughout the day. So yes, you can have your curry and that unusual nettle risotto all in one meal.
Even their homemade dips and refreshing salads can be ordered for lunch or dinner for a complete meal.
I particularly enjoy being able to do that as I rarely venture there for lunch since parking is horrendous in that area during the day.
So, the first thing I eyed was their famous khao soi. The northern Thai curry noodles are packed with flavour.
You eat this with raw sliced shallots, diced pickled radish and their dried chilli flakes. The chilli is not overly spicy but gives the dish a nice depth of aroma. Order either the chicken for RM25.30 for a more substantial meal or the vegetarian version for RM24.20.
There's loads of curries on the menu including ones I have not tried. I reckon the next order will be a curry feast as I am eyeing the durian beef massaman curry, Chiang Mai mutton or beef red curry and beef geng gati curry. There's even a gulai ikan Terengganu, if you miss local flavours.
A relatively new dish is the mee keluak (RM25.30) that will satisfy any vegetarian or even meat lover. Here you have a noodle dish laden with shiitake mushrooms cooked in a dark black sauce lightly laced with keluak paste.
That Indonesian black nut's paste is much sought after by the Peranakans and even the Eurasians for its umami taste that some say is similar to dark chocolate.
Here it adds a hint of umami to the sauce, which seems to be more focused on the earthy mushrooms. You also get sliced okra and deep fried lotus root chips balancing out that richness.
Strangely enough, I found pickled green chillies and dried chilli flakes packed with my mee keluak. The chilli flakes didn't seem to work for me but those pickled green chillies were an absolute match with the earthy flavours of the noodles. You get a hit of tanginess that balances out the richness. Perfect!
For my pasta, I was steering towards the gnocchi which is always a big favourite of mine. It's a little different in the takeaway menu as they have paired the potato dumplings with cumin and crab, so I settled for another dish, the lamb ragu pappardelle (RM52.80).
You get lots of the braised lamb in a sauce that is piquant which helps cut through the richness of the flaked, tender meat. The portion is huge and one can easily split the sauce for two meals. Enjoy it with the broad pasta ribbons cooked al dente.
There's much thought and love put in the food here. Even the packaging is special. Each dish gets cling wrapped with their condiments together, making it easier for you to assemble things at home, especially if you have never tasted the dish before.
Case in point: My mee keluak. The plastic boxes with the curries and sauces also get a cling wrap layer to prevent spillage. All your packages are double bagged in plastic too.
Zoe Bangsar, 42A, Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar, KL. Tel: 012-7088643. Open from 11.30am to 6pm (Monday to Friday). You can order from 10.30am to 5.30pm. Closed on Saturday and Sunday. They are also on Food Panda or just arrange for delivery yourself if you're not within the radius of delivery. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZoeRestaurantBangsar/
