ATAS @ The RuMa Hotel and Residences - Malaysian Cuisine
Location: Jalan Kia Peng, Opposite KLCC
Type: Malaysian Cuisine
Price: ~RM300 for 2pax, à la carte menu
Verdict: Fresh take on local cuisine, will re-visit on future menu change
How we started?
Thinking of some information on wedding venues for my wife’s assignment, as she is exploring a career change into the wedding industry. RuMa Hotel and Residence was one of the venues on the site visit list. Then, we had a sudden thought—why not also have dinner at ATAS @ RuMa to experience the overall vibes of the venue?
Interior of the ATAS @ RuMa
The restaurant adopts a dark colour palette, filled with warm lighting (which the staff adjust as the evening progresses), creating a cosy yet luxurious environment. Details sprinkled in every corner, sofas felt soft to touch, and tables are decorated with an elegant table lamp, further enhancing the intimate atmosphere. Luxurious yet welcoming, without feeling elitist or intimidating1.
Prior to our visit, we learned that the restaurant had recently updated their menu to focus on Malaysian cuisine first, with fusion elements second.
Foods
Appetisers
Complimentary starter of Assorted Crackers w Red and Green Chilli Sambal
We are pleasantly delighted with how the sambals tasted, with Red being spicier (but not overwhelming) and salty, while Green being more earthy and fragrant, which we enjoyed a lot. It’s the first time we ate crackers with sambal together, and it is a very unique one.
Umai
Raw King Fish Slice, Calamansi, Shallot, Chilli, Pomelo, Kaffir Lime Leaf
The raw fish slice was slightly firm, giving it a nice chew without being fishy. Combined with other condiment and sauces, it gave a Thailand feel to it with its acidic, pomelo bitterness and refreshing shallot & dill. Nice tasting, however, we felt the sauce were slightly watery, which didn’t cling well to the fish.
Mains
Steam Jasmine Rice
Well… Jasmine rice being jasmine rice.
Wok Fried Lamb Rib Black Pepper
Australian Lamb Rib, Sarawak Peppercorn, Onion, Sweet Soy Sauce, Bell Pepper
Absolute star of the night which is our top favourite among the courses. The lamb is so tender, that the meat just laid nicely on our spoon with just a scoop of it from the ribs, while the fats melts in our mouth, and a very pleasant and smooth lamb flavour. The charred onions and bell peppers added sweetness that nicely balanced the rich pepper sauce (though my wife is not a fan of bell peppers :3).
According to the staff, the lamb ribs are marinated for a week long to achieve the tenderness.
If I want to be picky, I would say that the pepper sauce, if you close your eyes, it feels similar to the bottled pepper sauces that we find in supermarkets. Don’t get me wrong, the sauce is pleasant, but it feels very common, household-y taste.
Teochew Fish Soup
Boneless Grouper Fillet, Heirloom Tomato, Salted Vegetable, Ginger, Chilli Oil
Excited for the soup, we take a sip cheerfully and find it… hmm… a little muted, compared to the taste that we expected from the experience of another restaurant. The soup is savoury and sweet, slightly garlicky, overall pleasant, but we felt that the salted vegetables, tomato acidity, ginger spiciness has been toned down to “suit elderly palette” for the lack of better words to put it.
When the staff came to ask on the dish, we feedback accordingly, and they explained that the dish was intentionally balanced to cater to both local and international guests, as strong flavours might not be well accepted by everyone.
Nam Yu Snake Bean
Long Beans, Garlic, Onions, Fermented Bean Curd
Another dish that once we had a bite on it, we exchanged curious looks. When we see the words Nam Yu (Fermented Chinese beancurd), we naturally have a picture of savouriness and spiciness to the dish. But all we tasted is something of sweet soy sauce.
With further few tries, then only we are able to pick up the very faint hint of Nam Yu. The long bean is crunchy and delightful, but again, a dish that is very different from our mental picture.
Dessert
Spice Delight
Keluak Crisp, Chocolate Financier, Keluak Chocolate Ice Cream
Before deciding on this, we have a search on what Keluak is (Pangium edule, sometimes called kluwek / 黑果), an iconic Peranakan ingredient which has an intense, earthy, deep flavour, and might be an acquired taste for some. We decided to go for this as it seems rare to us.
And I got to tell you, it blown us away with the taste of it. When tasting the ice cream, we felt the bitterness of the chocolate, but there is something else, earthy notes in there that we can’t place, that seems to make the bitterness and earthiness of the ice cream way more profound. It tasted familiar yet strange.
The taste of the chocolate cream is the mega-intense version of the ice cream, which we are rescued by the red berry compote on top of it. The bottom of the financier has a texture of rum and raisin cake, and again, the same earthiness that we found before.
After some intense thinking and frowning2, we finally are able to have a description on the taste that we agree on. “Chocolate plus the bitterness of liquor, but without the fiery burn of it”.
This dessert is super duper fascinating to us, and we will re-order again on our next visit (if it is still on the menu by then).
Side note:
- Despite its name, the “Keluak Crisp” felt no different from the batter commonly used in Chinese New Year snacks.
- We also ordered Americano (Illy), which is a fine and smooth coffee.
- Very good hospitality from the staff, constantly checking on us on how the dishes is doing. We have a heart-to-heart conversation on the thoughts on the dishes, and exchanged opinions on it. Even the bellmen and the chefs greeted us with sincerity and smile.
- We made it clear that the food was not bad at all, just that it is different with our initial expectations. But we are still glad to be given the opportunity to explore other takes on local dishes, to have a stronger emphasis on “toning down strong flavours and letting fresh produce shine” approach.