KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — Over the last few years, Back Alley Pasta gained a cult-like following, becoming one of the hippest and most exciting pasta restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, thanks in no small part to former founding chef Jay.
His latest brainchild is Base Pasta Bar & Bistro, which opened this week promising “pasta fresca and more”.
Base, named for its philosophy of strong fundamentals and “no frills, no frets, just a bloody good time,” is located in Aurora Place, Bukit Jalil.
The space opens with a few tables for larger groups, while the rest of the seating clings to the left, running alongside the central feature: a long concrete bar, behind which the magic happens.
Grilling takes place in the alley out back, but a seat at the bar guarantees front-row seats to the show.
The wall wears bits of the chef’s personality and influences on its sleeve: a birthday card shares the shelf with books like André Chiang’s Octaphilosophy and Josh Niland’s The Whole Fish Cookbook, both by chefs he’s cited as inspirations before.
His journey, which includes stops at db Bistro by Daniel Boulud in Singapore, Zenzero, and Rare The Food Company, is chronicled in a charming booklet found with the menu.
We sat at the bar, ears taking in the kitchen’s call-and-response: Chef Jay barking orders, followed by a chorus of “Oui chef”, occasionally interjected by a playlist that spanned from Dr Dre to The Chainsmokers.
Keen-eyed diners will recognise a few familiar faces from Back Alley, along with some of the dishes they’re serving.
Several crowd favourites return, including the quinoa arancini (RM27) and charred cauliflower (RM24) in the small plates section.
It was clear why the latter is popular: smoky florets of cauliflower covered in a generous snowing of salty pecorino romano, sitting on a healthy smear of pesto diavolo for added oomph and warming heat.
In principle, it’s everything you love in a bag of potato chips, but because it’s cauliflower, you can enjoy a whole plate without the looming guilt.
The menu isn’t just a tour of the greatest hits. Unlike the Gallagher brothers, Base actually offers new material – d’you know what I mean?
Another standout among the small plates was the grilled tomato salad (RM28), served with a red wine vinaigrette and “market” pesto on a bed of housemade ricotta. The contrast of cold ricotta with hot tomatoes was brilliant, the latter a medley of cherries and larger tomatoes grilled to jammy, sweet perfection.
Onto the pasta section, where we sampled three dishes. The best was the pork collar (RM68), grilled and served with thick bucatini cooked in fermented lemon butter and pecorino romano. Another smear of pesto diavolo – a signature at this point – came on the side.
It paired wonderfully with the charred, meaty pork, but the bucatini was the real star. The fermented lemon butter added a tremendously savoury, tangy intensity that carried the whole dish.
Sourdough garganelli (RM48) was just as good, featuring chewy, ribbed morsels of the Emilia-Romagna speciality in a spiced pork ragu and topped with pickled shallots.
I’m not a huge fan of the sourdough-ification of damn near every baked good in my life, and was curious to see how it would translate in pasta.
I worried it might be too dense, but instead, it provided just a bit more of a toothy chew, allowing the rich ragu to shine even more. In a way, it put the “dente” in al dente.
I did not enjoy the next dish as much, which saw Spanish squid ink tagliolini cooked in an aglio olio base, served with a slab of grilled shoyu Patin topped with romesco (RM48).
Don’t get me wrong – the pasta itself was excellent, and so was the fish, but they really got in each other’s way. The sweet, slightly smoky flavours of the romesco and shoyu on the fish, with slivers of bunga kantan, demand so much of your palate’s attention that the milder cherry tomatoes and garlic in the pasta end up getting overshadowed.
It’s perfectly understandable if you plan to come here for pasta and nothing else, but you would rue the missed opportunity to try some of the best dishes on the whole menu.
Off the medium plates section, the cornmeal-coated fried whole catfish (RM58) was easily my favourite dish of the night. Served with spinach and ulam salad, tomato relish and smashed roasted potatoes, the cornmeal coating reminded me of Southern fried catfish, which I fondly recall from my college days.
The batter was light, the flesh flaky and moist. The hulking fish was covered in a blanket of spinach and ulam, which we moved to reveal the bright tomato relish sitting atop its torso.
The visual was reminiscent of ikan keli goreng belado, except this relish was only sweet, and not spicy at all. The potatoes, smashed flat for maximum crispness, sounded like crispy skipping stones. What a treat.
The flank steak (RM115) was another substantial protein option, featuring 200g of perfectly cooked flank, thinly sliced and served on a bed of cauliflower puree with red wine jus.
A few sweet pearl onions dotted the plate, a respite from the savoury steak and surprisingly savoury puree. Chef Jay chose cauliflower over the usual mashed potatoes to offer a lighter alternative and to reuse scraps from the charred cauliflower dish.
While I would have preferred the steak to be charred a bit more for added textural contrast against the smooth puree and jus, it was still very, very good.
Tiramisu (RM28 for a full portion) is the lone dessert option. We watched as a staff member carefully scooped our order from a tray before dusting it with cocoa powder.
It’s non-alcoholic, but don’t underestimate it. Fluffy, soft, airy and tasting gently of coffee, it was a great way to end an excellent meal.
Base Pasta Bar & Bistro
B-1-13A, Aurora Place, Plaza Bukit Jalil, 1, Persiaran Jalil 1, Bandar Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 5.30pm-11pm
Tel: 010‑350 7022 (WhatsApp only)
Instagram: @basepasta_bistro
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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