COCONUTS HOT SPOT —Anyone who steps into Mama San Kuala Lumpur can’t help but be mesmerised by that signature painting of the Mama San at a far-end wall. This same painting, done by a Russian artist, also graces the walls of Mama San Bali and Mama San Hong Kong.
The design concept in all 3 restaurants is the same – expounding the colonial charm of Shanghai in the 1920s. The retro-inspired wall mural wallpaper, together with the old-style photographs enhanced the “old world” ambience.
Asian cuisines rule the menu of Mama San. There is a good mixture of traditional Asian/Malaysian favourites, some infused with western influences as well.
A typical example was the luscious Durian Pannacotta. It’s a great way to start my day — a hearty dessert with my favourite fruit and there were also two mounds of sweetened white sticky rice and vanilla ice-cream for good measure.
We couldn’t wait to dig into the mouth-watering Softshell Crab Rujak Salad — Mama San’s version of our fruits rojak. It’s a big serving of the usual cucumber, pineapples and jived up with green mango, rose apples, mint, peanuts and a kickass chilli tamarind sauce.
Try not to miss the Fish Curry here as it’s really good. The home-blended spices tasted mildly Indian and there’s a stronger hint of tamarind in it, the tartness working well with the naan we had. We even ordered a super-crispy Roti Canai to go with the curry red snapper accompanied by chunks of okra and tomatoes.
We saved some of the naan for the Butter Chicken. The thick creamy gravy covering the chicken had a good spicy kick from the garam masala as well as a subtle nutty nuance from the cashew nuts used. The gravy was so good we mopped everything up.
For desserts, we had the local Ice Cendol, something that all Malaysians are familiar with. For something a little different, check out the Indonesian Klappa Tart which was not really a tart. It’s actually coconut panacotta with raisins and young coconut, almonds, dusted with cinnamon and coconut ice-cream.
So, the next time you are in KLCC, save some stomach space to check out the treasure trove of Asian cuisines in Mama San.
MAMA SAN KUALA LUMPUR
Lot G46 Ground Floor
Suria KLCC
Jalan Ampang
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 019-7875810
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