An Extraordinary Night of Good Food
& Wine, Art and Music
Hitting
all the perfect notes of a fabulous evening filled with scrumptious food and
wine, a passionate art collection and a gorgeous piano lounge sums up Bobo Kuala Lumpur. It’s about time too
because there’s hardly any place like Bobo
KL in our nation that exudes a classy ambiance coupled with a multi-sensory
experience of food, art and entertainment under one roof. Owner Ed Soo and
other partners, who have been successfully running their restaurants on Jalan
Bangkung for years, are bringing in more joie
de vivre with their latest venture of Bobo KL.
Bobo radiates a jazz bar scene popular in New York from early
eras except its brought up to date with modern contemporary flair. Its concept
combines the owners’ love for food, wine, art and music. Bobo occupies two
levels on the famous row of shop houses in Jalan Bangkung. Enter the restaurant
by its discreet side entrance next to Lucky Bo Restaurant, coincidentally also
owned by the same owners.
The
first level of Bobo houses the main
dining space designed with modern elegance and filled with Ed’s personal art
collection. The dining space is cleverly segregated into a main dining area, a
casual lounge and a private section for functions. The restaurant serves modern
European cuisine injected with creative twists as well as classics. Bobo also has a solid list of wines to
go with its menu and is expected to grow with time.
After
all that is said, why Bobo we asked
Ed. Bobo, as it turns out, is Ed’s
favorite huggable pet!
The
name Bobo is a tickler but once you
have experienced the place, you’ll find that the name does somehow lingers in
your mind, reminding you of a wonderful and mesmerizing element that Bobo did
with its owner.
Our
group of nine shared platters of Starters
and Secondos that evening coupled
with house whites and reds. Kicking of the lot was golden batons of Polenta Fries (RM24) served with lemon
truffle aioli. Sheer simplicity executed with precise crispiness of cornmeal
fries filled with creamy deliciousness that had us craving for more.
The
Foie Gras Pate (RM45) with cranberry
sauce and onion marmalade was one of the best pate I have had. Silky smooth,
creamy and decadent with a layer of clarified butter. The unctuous salty notes
of the parfait of chicken liver is balanced by touches of tangy cranberry sauce
and sweet jammy onion marmalade, all to be savored with toasted baguette.
Superb!
For
sharing, the Charcuterie & Cheese
Board (RM39), a platter of chorizo de
pavo, salchicon de pavo, cecina de vacuno, manchego, mahon and rock melon,
is indeed a pretty antipasti that whets the appetite for more.
An
oceanic harvest of plump, briny and sweet Fresh
Irish Oysters (RM38) with extra virgin olive oil and tiny pearls of black
caviar hit all the right notes of flavours and textures. Simply add a squeeze
of lemon and slurp the whole aphrodisiac down for a taste of heaven…
I
have always enjoyed a good arancini. Bobo’s Arancini (RM28) has all the check marks of a yummy Italian rice
ball with its crispy shell, creamy and gooey saffron risotto rice with buffalo
mozzarella cheese and tangy tomato sauce.
Crudo simply means raw in Italian. The Salmon Crudo (RM34) was executed to
near perfection. Sublime salmon slices lightly smothered in olive oil and
paired with briny salmon roes, horseradish cream and lemon curd with dill and
micro herbs evoked sensations of sultry and luscious flavours. The tingling hit
of horseradish elevated the salty ikura
together with subtle hints of lemon.
Bobo’s Caesar Salad (RM28) was not what we all expected.
Nevertheless, the dish is beautifully scrumptious in every bite. Parmesan
mousse on crouton topped with shredded romaine, a wafer of baked parmesan
cheese and shavings of parmesan cheese, a pungent strip of brined anchovy,
creamy and tangy sauces and a sprinkle of crushed peppers summed up the dish. The
whole element just worked in harmonious flavours of a Caesar salad. The wobbly
mousse was perfectly set and luscious in flavours. This dish is simply
marvelous in every possible way from flavours to textures and creativity.
A
classic rendition of an Italian favorite was showcased through Spaghetti ala Bobo (RM42). Slurp on
garlicky and spicy aglio olio pumped
up with medley of prawns, scallops and squid rings. Extra points for the toasty
and aromatic crumbs on the pasta.
Upon
seeing the Crisp Paupiette of Barramundi
(RM75), I wished I had ordered the dish. A long fillet of barramundi wrapped
with thin slices of crisp baked potatoes is served with a bed of braised leeks
and a red wine sauce. I managed to taste this and loved the barramundi with the
crispy potato blanket. The braised leeks is creamy and sweet with a deep aroma
while the red wine sauce was pretty unique.
The
Moules Mariniere (RM58) came piled
high on a casserole with a side of toasted baguette. Fresh Australian mussels
are cooked in white wine with lots of celery, carrot, leeks and onions. The
plump mussels was sweet but the sauce was less impressive as it was not seasoned
enough. A adjustment of seasoning would have solve this minor thing. It’s still
cooked well and our friend who ordered the dish seemed to have no issue polishing
it off happily.
I
had the Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb
(RM75) served with grilled asparagus and dauphinoise potatoes. Succulent pink
flesh lamb racks are beautifully crusted with herb crumbs, giving the lamb a
crusty texture and delicious herb notes. Savor the lamb with a rich demi-glazed
sauce served on the side. The potatoes and asparagus went really well with the
lamb too.
After
dinner, we went up through a discreetly hidden stairway leading to the second
floor of Bobo. Entering the room to the lounge, a bar set with tiles and grey
hues of marble top as well as walls is sure to catch one’s attention. More art piece
is set as a backdrop to jazz up the bar. One can enjoy their drinks here prior
to the show at the piano lounge.
The
music room was designed with minimal décor and yet, it commanded an air of
elegance. Working with Sean Ghazi, our very own talented
artist who has been making a name for himself in America, Ed and the team has
also engaged a professional to design and set up the room to achieve
exceptional effects for the lighting as well as the acoustic. The venue is
really intimate and perfect for a night out of good food, wine and music.
Catch
David
Gomes on all regular evenings (apart from Mondays and specific dates)
from 9.30pm onwards at Bobo Piano lounge. David Gomes is a talented jazz
pianist and an amazing singer extraordinaire. We caught him in action that
evening and was simply mesmerized with his performances. I wanted the night to
last forever, deeply spellbound by interpretation of many classics of jazz as
well as other songs.
There
are also other artists making special performances such as Sean Ghazi, Stephanie Reese, Tria
Aziz, Shanthini Venugopal, Ida Mariana and more to come. It’s a great
opportunity to catch our very own local talents set in such an amazing
ambiance.
For
diners who dine at Bobo that
evening, they are entitled to enjoy David Gomes performances at no cover charge
or special guest artistes’ performance at 50% off. There will be a cover charge
for non-dining guests. Make sure to follow BoboKL Facebook here for the latest
line-up.
BOBO
KUALA LUMPUR
57-77, Jalan Bangkung,
Taman Bandaraya,
59100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 60 3-2092 5002
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BoboKualaLumpur
Business Hours:
Tue to Sun – 5pm to 12
midnight
Closed
on Mondays
