Modern Malaysian Cuisine
Sarong Party Grill, SPG
by Bijan is the latest new hotspot to dine and party on the block. An
offspring by the acclaimed Bijan, SPG by Bijan aims to take diners on new
heights of Modern Malaysian cuisine while letting it loose with lots of fun
thrown in for good measure.
The
restaurant is located next to Bijan and is barely a few weeks old. Designed
with an adjoining doorway with Bijan, SPG
by Bijan allows diners to experience the best of both worlds. With a
creative menu filled with delectable bites and fanatical cocktails, SPG by
Bijan aims to take their name inspired interpretation of ‘Sarong Party Girl’ to a whole new level of fun in the city.
The
new space is beautifully decked out. From the bold renditions of colourful
shades of fuchsia, blue and green through large floral batik prints on the wall
to the jewel tones of furniture and lush greenery foliage, the ambiance has a
wonderful laid-back retro chic vibe.
Filled with an eclectic mix of rattan
furniture with plush velvety sofas coupled with a hand printed tiled bar, SPJ by Bijan is one space to chill and
end the day with ease and comfort.
The
menu is filled with a creative flair of taking classic local and international
dishes and injected their own twist of deliciousness. Even the cocktails have
flirty names and takes on local flavours from a list that reads Yellow Fever, Cocojito, Stinkini, Asam
Pedas and more.
The
Cocojito is familiar upon the first
sip. A concoction that has a base of coconut water along with white rum, lime
and mint leaves, this one is refreshing and easy to enjoy. The Stinkini is a potion for those who are
game to try a martini laced with pickled petai. Truth be told, despite not
being a fan of petai, I admitted to enjoying The Stinkini a lot as the flavours
jived well with a smoothness on the palate!
Made
up of gin tainted with the sunshine hue of turmeric along with lime, honey and
tonic water, the Yellow Fever
renders a bold tasting note that leaves an impression. The Asam Pedas takes on a strong note of tamarind with tequila and
triple sec. It’s a feisty cocktail that is piquantly sourish with a good kick
of flavour.
For
those who simply prefers a safer route of drinks, the mocktails of Bluepea Tonic and Kedondong Kampung are thirst-quenching pleasers.
Our
lunch commenced with tapas bites such as Keropok
Keropok, Ah Ran Sini and Pais Barramundi. Each one a pleasurable
bite with its own unique flavours and textures.
Keropok Keropok, pleasing to the eye at sight, offers
a selection of crackers paired with housemade sambals.
Don’t
be deceived by the plain sight of the Ah
Ran Sini balls. These are deliciously addictive. Inspired by the Italian
classic arancini, the culinary team at SPG by Bijan takes our much beloved nasi
lemak and turned them into these scrumptious balls. Coconut rice stuffed with sambal
and nuts, deep fried till crispy and golden then served with a tasty anchovy
mayo sauce. So yummy that one can keep popping these happily!
Little
grilled parcel of banana leather wrapped barramundi marinated with spices and
coconut summed up Pais Barramundi.
The dish reminded me of Otak Otak in terms of flavours and aroma. The clever
twist of banana leather replicated the banana leave wrapped fish custard while
the spices and coconut reproduced the flavours of the classic dish.
A
brilliant concoction of Jackfruit
Rendang Bao had us at hello! Honestly, the jackfruit rendang was so
delicious that one can’t even tell it’s a fruit and not the usual beef. The
rendang has such sublime and piquant flavours and the spice balance was just
right. The kick of heat pretty much rounded up why this fluffy bao was so
delectable.
Lidah and Sambal was much raved by others at our
table. The combination of tender braised ox tongue with the unctuous dark
sambal hitam was a great pairing and made a tasty tapas to go with the giggle
juices or even beer.
We
heard the owner personally carried back these petit tiffin carriers from her
travels. Kudos as the Ayam Limau Purut
dengan Roti Jala Tiffin made a wonderful conversation piece on that
adorable tiffin carrier. That said, neat and pretty yellow rolls of roti jala
went well with that creamy spicy curry. The curry is aromatic from all the
spices and goes so well with the roti jala. The kerabu salad was also a nice
touch to the creamy curry dish.
SPJ
by Bijan also offers a selection of grilled dishes. Our Grilled Calamari was nicely charred with a tender and juicy
texture. The sambal served along side was enough to pump up more flavours to
the seafood.
The
next two dishes of Duck Skewers and Chicken Kicap Skewers made good bites
as a meal or tapas. Generously skewered with chunky meat, the Duck Skewer was
savory while the Chicken Kicap Skewers was more sweetish. The duck version was
served with a green sambal while the chicken version was paired with a creamy
sauce.
Another
locally inspired dish to try is the Pan-seared
black Pomfret, served with a coconut and galangal sauce. The two generous
fillets are beautifully cooked and had a juicy bite. A squeeze of lime perked
up the flavours even more. Put in an order of rice or salad to make this a
complete meal.
Tuck
into more barbeque and this time it’s the Angus
Oyster Blade and Grilled Lamb Loin.
Both meats are served with three sambals of Sambal Hitam, Sambal Hijau and
Sambal Merah along with bits of raw vegetables. The Angus Oyster Blade is
superb. Utterly tender and juicy, cooked to medium pinkness, each bite of the
beef was so yummy, even without the sambals. The Grilled Lamb Loin was
faultless, but the beef stole the limelight in this case.
A
dish that would really go well with the grilled meat would be Sekinchan, a tri-colour rice and
quinoa, served with pulled chicken, Asian pesto, rice crackers, and crispy
chicken skin.
At sight, that golden chicken skin looked so amazing. The rice
with quinoa is lovely and packed with flavours. The chicken skin was the
ultimate condiment to the dish.
Perhaps
this is the right time to order Oohaa
Tuak! The local rice wine has a sourish tingling note that works great as a
palate cleanser for the savory dishes before the sweet ones.
Desserts
was also a memorable one. Bananas Over
Bananas features house made banana ice cream served with a caramelized
banana and dehydrated banana cone. The smoky aroma was delightful while the
rich dark sweetness was just right.
Pulut Mango Cake was a hit at our table. Chilled mango
mousse and fresh mango slices are layered with a creamy coconut glutinous rice
with a biscuit base. The flavours are so delicious with just the right balance
of fruity sweetness. This one was also my personal favorite dessert.
SPG by Bijan is certainly a sensory dining
experiment to those who seek some fun and delicious food along with lots of
happy giggle juices in the heart of the city. The ambiance is lovely and
relaxing. Parking may be a bit of an effort but its certainly worth to check
out SPG by Bijan for some wonderful chow and tipples!
SPG
by Bijan
No.3A Jalan Ceylon,
50200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2022 3575
Business Hours:
Monday to Sunday from
12.00pm-12.00am
No comments:
Post a Comment