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A
Walk On The Hip Side
This
Issue, Malaysian Business saunters down
Bintang Walk in style, only to discover a
pair of rather intriguing restaurants - Rahsia & Grappa SoHo. What sets these
two outlets apart from the countless
others which grace the strips?
reports
Tan Hee Hui
Besides
this scribe, songstress Ning Baizura and
actor/comedian Jit Murad are in on the
latest secret in town, especially since
they too have had the pleasure of dining
at one
Rahsia
Restaurant (for those not in
the known, rahsia means secrets in Bahasa
Malaysia). The original choice of moniker
was ‘Khatulistiwa’ by the way, but
since the restaurateurs wanted a ‘hot,
exotic and mystical’ name, they settled
for Rahsia.
Situated
right smack in the center of a prominent
landmark in town – the KL Plaza,
overlooking Bintang Walk and the Bintang
Steps’ strip of cafes and restaurants,
Rahsia dishes out a sizzling array of
cuisine, from Nyonya, Malay, Indonesian
and European.
When
you approach the restaurant at the ground
floor (on the street level), don’t be
deceived by the sight of raucous
merrymakers – they would probably belong
to the bar downstairs. Rahsia is actually
located on the first floor where the
ambience is more relaxed.
Rahsia's
ambience is both sophisticated and
relaxing.
Rahsia
allows you to break the geographical and
cultural barriers with its diverse
offerings, ranging from Assam Laksa, Tops
Hats, Acar Ikan to curries (all Nyonya
favourites). The house specialty is The
Balinese Set, comprising of Arroz Java, a
mildly spiced fragrant rice dish served
with a combination of chicken, beef,
vegetables and other condiments.
There
are set meals serving Nyonya, Balinese and
Borneo favourites too. The first set
comprises Tumeric Rice with curry, Jiuhu
Char (braised turnips, carrots, mushrooms
& cuttlefish) and a baby spring roll
with a choice of fish or chicken, while
the second set is a mish-mash of Sumatran
Chicken Curry and Denpasar Beef, served
with Arroz Java, Pineapple
Pajeri and Malinjo Crackers
Make
a quick European stop and select some
Continental favourites, from pastas and
sandwiches to meat dishes to obligatory
soups and salads. Leafy greens are not
blandly served here; they are
spiced up with choices like the Salade’
Nicoise – a combination of watercress,
lettuce, capsicum, cherry tomatoes, black
olives, quail eggs and topped with avocado or mangoes,
served with red wine vinegar and mustard
dressing. Or, go for something home-grown
like Rojak Buah which has turnips,
cucumber, pineapple, mango and cuttlefish
tossed in Penang Rojak sauce and topped
with sesame seed and crushed peanuts. Round
up your meal with a cup of hot
steaming coffee, and proceed to the
terrace with a glass of fine wine while
amusing yourself with the antics of
groupies loafing about Bintang Steps.
Prices
at Rahsia start at RM5 for drinks and RM6
for food, depending on what you order. It
is also a Pop-and-Top40-Hit-Song-Free
zone, serving acid jazz and world music as
well as some vernacular and obscure
niche-genre numbers instead, adding a
touch of sophistication to the ambience.
For
reservations, call 03-2144 0059. Also on
Bintang Walk is the Gappa SoHo restaurant
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