KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 – Let’s face it: when it comes to front of house service at KL restaurants, it’s really quite wanting.
Most times, we get satisfactory service where our order is taken and food is brought to our table. Sometimes it can be extremely bad service, where the wait staff are running around clueless, or food for the whole table arrives at different times.
Rarely, do we experience exceptional service that elevates our total dining experience. No matter how stellar the food is, poor service just spoils your dining experience.
Enter Team Australia – Robert Gilliland, Donna Freeman, Ric Patterson and Angus Harrison – the people behind Drift Dining & Bar that opened last December.
Together, they hope to bring great Australian dining here with an emphasis on excellent service. “It’s all about doing things in a casual unassuming environment but doing it well,” explained Gilliland who owns Drift.
All four come with top flight credentials, having worked with the best in Sydney’s dining scene. Freeman is well regarded as one of the top sommeliers in Australia while Patterson once managed Sydney’s top restaurants, Quay and Marque.
Harrison cut his teeth at several restaurants in Sydney including Fratelli Fresh and Longrain. His last posting was head chef of Luke Mangan’s Salt Tapas in Bali before coming to Malaysia.
And prior to coming to Malaysia, Gilliland used to work as a sommelier at Flying Fish and Marque.
For seven years, Gilliland dreamt of opening up a place like Drift here but the timing was not right for the concept. He had moved to Malaysia after he set up fine wine importers Straits Wines Company here and in the Philippines.
After his media company Global Television was sold last January, it accelerated the push to open this place.
In addition, he believes the dining scene in KL is ready for this kind of concept. Paving the way to acceptance by KL-lites was a part played by The BIG Group.
“I think The BIG Group has done huge things in changing how people socialise and eat and drink.” As The BIG Group’s restaurants and grocers are fashioned after an Australian concept, many have gotten used to the Australian way of doing things.
“Without the BIG Group, we would have to convince people what’s Australian-style and they have already done that. People know this concept and are not intimidated by it.”
Walk into Drift to discover a casual yet relaxed dining style. It’s designed as a place where you can come in a T-shirt or even a tuxedo, as long as you’re comfortable. “Drift represents everything about what we love about eating and dining. We want people to drift through menus, drift through conversations, and drift through the wine list. We want people to drift in and out.”
As you sit at the bar, there’s a black-and-white picture that hangs behind the bar, which shows Gilliland all dressed up in a suit, soaking in a bath tub. “That moment when you fall back into the water... that splash is the moment of drift.”
Even the space seems cloistered from the hustle and bustle of the city, despite being about 60 metres away from Jalan Mesui, with its lush trees and greenery. “We’re in the heart of the district of entertainment in KL but you have the trees and plants. There’s no traffic and it’s like you’re in your own space here. Drift is a world away from the world.”
The restaurant is designed with an emphasis to bring people closer to have conversation, from its intimate tables to a curved bar that can be converted into a table for seven people. It’s also a manageable size of 70 seats, for the four of them to handle on their own.
The menu is produce-driven, making it an evolving one. There are also no entrees or mains listed, as it’s designed for sharing. “You’ll never see 50 things in our menu, you will see 10-15 items. We will rotate and change. And there will be things we’ll have on, like for instance, people say they love the pork ribs. We kind of hate using the word, signature dish as it indicates that everything else is not up to standard.”
When you dine here, it’s up to you how you want to roll, whether it’s a long dinner where you’re served one dish at a time, which can span about 3-4 hours or if you prefer, all six dishes can be served at one time for you to finish within 45 minutes.
“You come here to drift, we’ll take care of the rest.” Prices are also kept on par with what you will pay nearby at Changkat Bukit Bintang. “Price-wise, we don’t want people to think you can only come here once a year. You do not need to pay a fortune to get good food.”
That same philosophy is also applied to their carefully curated wine list.
“It’s not a big list at the moment and we’ll have to grow it out bit by bit but it’s an extremely thoughtful wine list to cover price points. For instance, there’s a bottle of red wine under RM100.”
Diversity is also what the wine list is all about, including their wines by glass. “There’s no two regions, varieties and producers, which are the same.”
If you prefer not to drink wine, the bar also offers Drift jars filled with 1 litre of their in-house cocktail (a concoction of lemongrass, ginger, brandy and vodka) for RM60. “It’s a bit strong and not like watered-down punch. We have deliberately done it so this can be your local, and you can drink and relax.”
Service is a priority for Gilliland. During his time here, he has observed a number of restaurants that failed with improper co-ordination between the kitchen and the wait staff, or even inattentive service at the bar where ordering a drink can be a painful experience.
Even before he scouted for a chef, Gilliland made sure he had Freeman and Patterson on board for this venture. “If Harrison was here but Freeman and Patterson wasn’t, it just would not work and it’ll be a waste of time. That is the thing no one will notice but that’s the part that will make it magic.”
Gilliland recalls a time when he worked in Marque, at that time Australia’s No. 1 restaurant and ranked No. 25 in the world on a Saturday night handling degustation 10-course meals with wine, together with Patterson.
“There were four people doing a top 50 restaurant in the world service-wise. You don’t need 1,000 people, you just need a couple who know what they’re doing.”
At Drift, Gilliland hopes to train his staff to provide attentive and thoughtful service. He does understand that the industry is looked upon differently here compared to Sydney. “Traditionally, the F&B industry has not been looked upon as a career path as you do that if you’re not educated. In Sydney, top waiters get paid as much as lawyers.”
He believes things are definitely looking up for the F&B industry as he has witnessed bartenders rising up the ranks to become bar owners.
Don’t expect Gilliland to just stop at Drift as he’s got a lot of plans.
“You’ll never see another Drift or Prive. We’re not going to cookie cut it. It’ll always be small and intimate but exceptionally well run. There’s more to come, it’s just the beginning.”
By early March, Gilliland hope to open the doors to their providore cum cafe, Ebb and Flow, which will be opened for breakfast and lunch. The providore will stock pickles, relishes, jams and cured meats, all made by Harrison.
In addition, cheese, wine and coffee will also be available. “Harrison used to work at Fratelli Fresh and he makes amazing salads and we’ll be serving amazing sandwiches. Everything will be made in-house.”
If you look closely within the restaurant, you may also spot the hidden speakeasy Prive, a private space perfect for intimate parties far from prying eyes.
Drift Dining & Bar, Ground Floor, 38 Bidara Condominium, Jalan Bidara, Kuala Lumpur. Open from 5pm onwards (Mondays to Saturdays) https://www.facebook.com/Driftdiningandbar
