A frantic work day, with several different edits running in parallel, juggling a rainbow of track changes. I didn’t even bother changing into day clothes, putting on a kaftan instead as I knew there was no chance I’d make it out of the flat.
Yesterday, Sunday, went on two excursions for similar meals, but a somewhat different experience. The first was to Restaurant Li in Damansara, my second time there. This is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in KL, doing really interesting things with Chinese-Malaysian kopitiam fare, and with a real fire and zest to their food. Strong flavours, clear ideas and excellent execution. I wish it were nearby.
The second place, Duddha, is nearby, having opened in Suria at the foot of the Petronas Towers. This is clearly a slightly poorly thought out concept waiting to be expanded, at least in terms of decor, ambience and menu design. It has had superb reviews (though one can rarely trust reviews in KL) and has been started up by the head chef of a very happening restaurant in Singapore. It was good, though strangely not to my taste. All three of the dishes we had felt like they were interesting ingredients combined and somehow muddied, like several colours being mixed into a brown. The idea was, again, interesting takes on local fare, but after Restaurant Li in the afternoon, it just wasn’t that impressive. And, oddly, despite not having eaten much at all, I felt a bit nauseous at the end of the meal, despite a very robust digestive system. I don’t think it was food poisoning, more that there was something unwholesome. Thinking back, I wonder if it suffers from the disease of American restaurant fare: too much salt and oil. As a desi that is an odd criticism perhaps, but I can happily eat nihari with tarka or puri bhaji, but American restaurants leave me feeling a bit unhealthy and ill.