KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Shrinking wallets. Rising inflation. Post-pandemic, it's been a chaotic time for the food and beverage (F&B) industry.
Rather than sit through the storm, three restaurateurs recognised the need to push out new concepts to woo diners back.
Fine dining restaurants like Eat and Cook, and Chateau Dionne have introduced casual dining offshoots like Bar.Kar and Nice Bistronome... and so far, it's been working.
Chocha Foodstore, while a more casual eatery, also opened Kai New Nusantara Eatery in REXKL, with more familiar dishes like laksam and lontong sayur so it's even more affordable and approachable for everyone.
Bar.Kar
No. 199, Suites G-06, Ground Floor, G Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, KL
Open: 12pm to 3pm, 6pm to 11pm. (Tuesday to Sunday), 6pm to 11pm (Monday)
Instagram: @barkar.my
Tel:011-22773131
Eat and Cook chef owner Lee Zhe Xi is no stranger to tough times. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, he and his partner Soh Yong Zhi (Yong) lost their jobs.
Out of boredom and a chance to rent a space in an almost derelict shopping mall for RM300, Eat and Cook was born in 2020.
They grew from serving five at their original spot to 13 at their present place in Bukit Jalil, which the duo partnered with brothers Steve and Henry Lee to open.
When they went to Bangkok to receive the American Express One to Watch by Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2022, it opened their eyes to other possibilities.
"We found out that casual dining attracts a lot of people, where spending power is medium range. Secondly, they don't put too many expectations on casual dining."
With limited space and just one seating turnover rate, the harsh truth hit.
"As the major team was growing older, married and like Yong getting a baby, the stress on our shoulders was getting bigger and bigger, heavier and heavier."
It was not an easy decision but the four partners forced themselves to plow back their returns into Bar.Kar which showcases cooking with fire with an a la carte menu.
"It may be a loss or it might be a yes. If we don't do this, we can't build our team and whatever we want. We will have the money and that's it, you stop."
Lee also confessed to a deep love for grilling, sparked from his days, working the charcoal grill in Fuego and Prime.
When Bar.Kar opened, the buzz was its design. "The main reason people talk about the restaurant other than the food and reputation is the image and design."
Lee's vision is best experienced with the enormous circular chef's table that allows diners a ringside view of how their food is prepared.
"My concept is everyone sitting down eating grilled food and talking among themselves rather than focusing on their phones."
In essence, it takes us back to those days when one gathered around the barbecue grill, talking as they cooked their own food.
Bar.Kar entices many who prefer the flexibility to their time and wallet with its a la carte menu.
You can curate your own meal, with small bites, starters and big plates that focus on dry aged meats, fish and duck.
Unlike other casual places, there's the option to indulge a little with truffles, caviar and uni here.
A must for everyone is their Char Siew Wagyu Beef Rice served in a claypot, where tender pieces of beef mimic that sweet charred taste of the barbecue meat.
One hiccup Lee didn't anticipate was diners' expectations for service.
Those who had been to Eat and Cook expected the same service, where dishes were served course by course, and their plates changed constantly.
Recognising the issue, Bar.Kar worked around it with explanations and changes to their service which worked.
On weekends, Bar.Kar is packed with couples, friends and families so booking is encouraged. It's also very popular as an event space.
Nice Bistronome
939, Jalan 17/38, Section 17, Petaling Jaya
Open daily: 11am to 11pm.
Instagram: @nice_bistronome
Tel: 011-51107309
Life is a series of unexpected chances for Andy Choy, the chef and part owner of Chateau Dionne which champions French food in a fine dining setting.
After working in China for eight years, his plan was to settle down in Penang and open his dream restaurant.
Fate stepped in.
As he couldn't find the ideal location for his open kitchen concept in Penang, he ended up in KL as a consultant for the opening of Callia in Pavilion KL.
When David Lim who runs Chateau Dionne in Shanghai heard Choy was in KL, he offered him an opportunity to be part owner and chef for Chateau Dionne's KL outpost.
The clincher was Choy would get his coveted open kitchen.
It took one year to open their doors, as they were interrupted by the pandemic. As business was uncertain, it was their caneles that kept them afloat.
Those small French pastries not only became their saviour but post-pandemic, it morphed into a new brand, Doux Doux, which saw them opening a patisserie cafe offering those famous caneles.
The idea was a practical one where the pastry division for Chateau Dionne is housed in the cafe, allowing it to continue with online sales.
Choy's idea was to open in Overseas Union Garden but a random visit to PJ's Section 17 to discuss a collaboration led him to spot a banner for a unit for rent.
Even though the real estate agent told him a deposit had already been paid by an interested party, he was asked to put in a proposal and to his surprise, it was accepted leading to Doux Doux opening there.
"The more we plan, it doesn't work but the more we don't plan, it happens."
On the backburner, Choy already had the idea for a casual spot where authentic classic French dishes are served in a bistro style. This was his method to counteract the effect of the slowdown in spending.
This stemmed from his experience in Tianjin, China. With a stagnant fine dining scene, diners came after they introduced a cafe concept.
"It exploded when we created a bistronome using a different name," explained Choy.
Similar to Eat and Cook, a big push factor was retaining the same team they had since Chateau Dionne opened.
"If we don't grow or we don't come out from the comfort of just doing fine dining or one restaurant, we will not be able to keep the talent."
He also added, "We spent four years working together to get the chemistry and if we don't expand, then we will have to move on."
The cards fell in place when Choy bumped into the landlady of Doux Doux and he scored a ground level space, next door to the cafe.
Tweaks had to be made though. "When we got this lot, we realised that the French bistro concept would not be so suitable for the demographic around here."
Since Kenny Tang who was picked to head the new place was passionate about everything Italian including making fresh pasta, it became a marriage of both cuisines.
Even the name had to be brand new. "If we refer to it with anything Chateau Dionne, people will associate it with fine dining and it being expensive."
Choy came up with the "Nice" name, when he realised it can also relate to the city in France, that was once part of Italy.
At Nice Bistronome, one can pick dishes from the a la carte menu or go for the chef's menu where dishes are curated for your convenience.
Here, the plates are designed for sharing, allowing diners to sample the breadth of their offerings.
On almost every table, there will be Chitarra Pasta with Tiger Prawn and Crustacean Sauce, Duck Leg Confit and their iconic Buratta served with figs and hazelnut crumble.
Choy is amazed how the burrata is a bestseller, as it was the dish he had the least confidence in.
"I never would have thought burrata would be a dish people would order so much and come specifically for it."
Many laud the combination of creamy burrata with the slightly sticky compote made with figs, balsamic vinegar and onions, garnished with chopped hazelnuts.
Another must order is the handmade pasta tossed in essentially a crustacean-rich sauce inspired by the French prawn bisque. Ikura is mixed inside the sauce, giving you pops of the fish roe as you eat the al dente strands
The duck leg confit is classic French with its crispy skin and tender flesh underneath. There's Italian touches with the stracciatella cheese and French potato mousseline
Choy observes that NIce Bistronome's diners tend to be a younger crowd, usually big groups who are out for celebratory meals during the weekdays. Weekends see families dining there.
Nice Bistronome's customer behaviour has also been insightful for Choy, leading him to plan for Chateau Dionne.
"We try to restructure our menu and bring a new mentality for dining to our Chateau Dionne diners, which is when you go for fine dining, you don't need to spend a high price, like a four course meal for RM300."
Choy prefers that the customer reach out to them with a budget, allowing him to accommodate the menu accordingly, rather than just set a fixed price menu, where ingredients are used to match that price.
"What we are doing is we want to be sustainable and be in the market for the long run."
Kai New Nusantara Eatery
REXKL, 80, Jalan Sultan, KL
Open:12pm to 10pm. Closed Wednesday.
Instagram: @kai_nusantara_eatery
In KL, Chocha Foodstore has made a name for its take on Malaysian food that won't break your wallet, under its executive chef Mui Kai Quan who joined them five years ago. Previously the restaurant served family-style meals.
Under the hands of Nazri Gapur, their chef de cuisine, diners have been introduced to his unique East Malaysia flavours the last two years.
Be adventurous and order the ambuyat or sticky sago palm tree starch, a dish not seen much in this side of Malaysia.
There's even ulam lemang, where Nazri makes the bamboo rice from scratch using a slow cooked method.
In Chocha's a la carte menu, the prices for their dishes are kept affordable. There's also a chef selection menu curated to highlight their best picks.
Mui admits it's not easy maintaining those prices and even though diners are appreciative, they are struggling with the rising costs like rental, manpower and ingredients.
"We would like to charge higher but looking at the response of the public like how people think of us, we can't take a big step in terms of pricing."
Instead, they look towards events and collaborations that help generate money for the restaurant.
This year, Kai New Nusantara Eatery opened its doors in REXKL, which is operated by one of Chocha's partners, Shin Chang.
It hopes to recreate the success that the previous Warung had, where many tourists would flock there for the Malay food.
Created by Nazri, the menu is different from Chocha's, where the foundation is focused on South-east Asian fare.
Previously a fisherman, Nazri decided he wanted to learn more about cooking rather than just catching the ingredients so he moved to KL to work in restaurants like Rasa Utara and Italiannies to build up his cooking skills.
"It's a modern approach, whereby some familiar dishes are given a twist," explained Mui.
Here, the laksam is reinterpreted into a lighter bowl, where a nose to tail approach is adopted.
"We like to use the whole product so for the fish, from the flesh and bones we will use the bones as well as we don't like to waste anything," said Mui
The broth is light with just the slightest whisper of coconut milk. As the fish is deboned and flaked, one mixes it all together with the fresh torch ginger flower and herbs.
What's also unique is the use of chee cheong fun or flat steamed rice rolls to replicate the laksam noodles.
These have a lighter, delicate texture that marries well with the broth and fish. Even though Kai is at a lower price range compared to Chocha, Mui practises the same standard operating procedures like Chocha, where all their pastes are made from scratch.
"We want to run almost like a nasi padang but the food is cooked fresh. It is a restaurant standard for food but we want it to be affordable and something different from Chocha."
For their Lontong Sayur, this is cooked upon order, rather than stewed in a pot. It's the same for their Asam Pedas Ikan too.
"It may look the same but the twist is not so evident," explained Mui.
The menu also shines a light on utilising certain ingredients in a new way, like their Sate Lilit Tongkol.
Instead of the usual fish or chicken, they use the abundant ikan tongkol, favoured for gulai served with nasi dagang, to form the chunky skewers.
"We like the flavour as it goes well with the spices. It's very underrated in restaurants but it's meaty, fresh and easily accessible."
Cucur Udang also gets a flavour makeover here with the use of rainbow prawns that is sweeter compared to the usual variety used. It's served with a tangy pineapple curry.
Keeping it traditional, the classics like Daging Rendang sees beef brisket being gently cooked till it is fork tender.
Influenced by southern Thailand, the Pajeri Nenas sees sweet pineapple mingling with the spices in the curry.
The menu also includes Bebek Masak Hitam, where braised local duck is slathered with bumbu hitam usually served in Madura.
