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Get
a seat at the terrace to
enjoy the evening breeze
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Rahsia
Bistro and Wine Bar is a little
ethnic niche in the spread of very
European Bintang Walk in Kuala
Lumpur. Located in KL Plaza,
stumbling upon it is a very
pleasant surprise. Amidst the
cacophony of Bintang Walk’s
bright lights, theme restaurants
and fine dining establishments,
Rahsia (which translates into
“secret”, in Malay) is
unpretentious, cosy and it serves
great food. And it definitely
won’t be a secret for long.
Oh
U-Chen owner and connoisseur of
food found it when he was looking
for office space a few years back.
“I was immediately taken by the
abundance of trees outside and
soft breeze. It’s also at a side
street which makes it quieter to
sit outside and enjoy drinks,”
he said. Indeed there is a
charming balcony area to perch and
people watch under swinging
homemade Vietnamese basket lamps.
U-Chen did most of the decorating
himself, something different to
sink his teeth into after 15 years
in public relations. His PR office
in actual fact is conveniently
situated upstairs.
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Top
Hats - the restaurant
signature appetizer
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“I
have always toyed with the idea of
opening a restaurant and after
finding such a good location, my
mum told me she could help with
the food. It just took off from
there,” he added. The food is a
mix of Penang-Nyonya delicacies
straight from his mother’s
kitchen and Western basics like
pastas and some grills. The
appetizers are mainly Thai. It
will of course evolve as Rahsia
comes of age.
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Shrimp
& Mango Salad is big
enough to share
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For
starters, two thumbs up for the
Top Hats, a pretty and delicious
hors d’oeuvre of minced prawn
and vegetables stuffed in a fried
flour pastry shaped like what else
but top hats. The mango salad is a
heavenly mix of very finely
chopped mangoes, lime peel, herbs
topped with juicy prawns.
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Try
the Balinese set for an
exotic taste of Indonesia
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The
Balinese set is an exotic platter
of Arroz Java (Javanese Rice),
Sumatran chicken curry, spicy
beef, pineapple chutney and empeng
(Indonesian crackers). The rice, a
cross between the Spanish paella
and the Indian briyani, is
aromatic and fluffy. Try the
Balinese set if you like spicy
food, the heady aroma of spices
used in the curry complements the
midly-flavoured rice very well.
The panfried steak was amazingly
thick that we thought it might be
a bit on the tough side. But never
judge a steak by its size at
Rahsia - the meat is succulent and
cooked just right. On the side is
a dollop of buttery mashed
potatoes and steamed vegetables.
Currently, the wine list has a
good selection of wine and U-Chen
is planning on expanding it very
soon. Cocktails will also be
included in future.
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Rahsia
serves succulent steaks as
well
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The
next best thing at Rahsia besides
the food is the value for money
pricing. Starters are priced at a
mere RM9 and main dishes cost
between RM15-24. Unlike most
Bintang Walk food outlets that
charge an arm and a leg for
miniscule portions, Rahsia serves
big portions at a fraction of the
typical Bintang Walk price.
The
background music is an eclectic
blend of jazz, acid jazz, gamelan
(traditional Malay music) and even
a bit of Bowie and Depeche Mode
thrown in. This idea of keeping it
simple and going with what works
will make Rahsia an unpretentious
and delightful venue for laid-back
evenings. Plus the fact it only
seats 50 ensures a more personal
touch from the staff.
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An
ideal place for intimate
casual dining
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Before
I left I did ask him why he chose
such a cheeky name for his bistro.
He smiled, “I thought it would
be fun to play a bit with the
name. So whenever someone asks,
where are you? Rahsia, their
friend would answer. Then they
will say, “Go on, tell me.
What’s the secret?” Such a
tease - spoken like a true PR man.
Access
Rahsia via KL Plaza (walk past
Coffee Bean and the small
concourse area, look left) or the
side street off Jalan Bukit
Bintang just before Tangs
Department Store (opposite
Scholtzky’s Deli there are
stairs leading up).
Rahsia
Bistro & Wine Bar
13,
Jalan Damai, Kuala Lumpur
Phone:
2142 5555
