Madam Kwan's Restaurant

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - KLCC

My trip to Genting Highlands was punctuated with a trip down to KL. The star purpose of this trip was to lunch at Madam Kwan’s. Highly recommended by my sister, my family made lunch at Madam Kwan’s an important event during our yearly trip to Genting Highlands. This time however, I was armed with a camera and my trusty notebook.

The Ambience

Greeted by a multi-coloured tile façade of the service counter, the décor was decidedly up-market. The place had a quiet executive feel, which was apt since the clientele was mostly busy lunching executives and tai-tais, with the occasional tourists. That being said, the restaurant was anything but quiet, especially since we were there during the early lunch hour.

The Service

Based on the clientele, the service was efficient but slightly cold. It’s worth mentioning that they serve ice water without being asked, the ice water however, had a curious whole strawberry, leaf intact, floating conspicuously. This branch tends to get rather busy, hence the food arrives in record time, filling the entire table with our lunch.

The Food

Serving both traditional Malay Cuisine with sprinkles of Chinese and Western, I decided on concentrating on the traditional. Although they offered set dishes, my party decided to share the goodness to maximize the experience.

Chicken Curry – The plate of warm orange covered chicken was the first to arrive. The sweet, almost overwhelming taste and smell of coconut spreads warmly on our taste buds. The playful spicy kick came in momentarily, and lifted the taste of this dish so far up I was reluctant to come down. I knew then, I needed rice. Lots of rice. Nothing was going to stop us from licking the plate dry. It was one of the best curry chicken I’ve ever tasted.

Chicken Drumstick – It seemed like chicken overkill to order another chicken dish, but having previously devoured two of their giant drumsticks, it would have been a sin not order it again. The golden fried drumsticks, with a thin layer of crispy skin, were seasoned so well, the same wonderful fragrant spices were evident throughout the entire leg. You had to have it all, the wafer thin skin, the juicy plump flesh, even the bone, which had no dark red marks, tasted particularly good. Yes, I was guilty of tasting the bone.

Bojari Rice – Slightly less oily than its coconut counter-part,the tri-coloured bojari rice was something else. The feel it gave was that of Indian Nasi Beranyi but with normal short fragrant rice. Without the oily exterior, this dish of rice actually gave a different dimension when combined with the curry chicken. The rice absorbs the curry and gives it an extra kick.

Coconut Rice – A classic Nasi-Lemak, with a good balance of fragrant pandan and oily goodness of coconut milk. The rice was soft and plump with a shimmering oily surface. Something this bad for your must be good. Indeed, the flavours in the rice was consistent from start to finish. Already excellent by itself, the curry chicken when drizzled on, was a perfect combination of the two coconut based dish. It was difficult resisting an extra order of rice.

Brinjal(Eggplant) lightly fried with Garlic – This seemingly simple dish smelled so good, I attacked it the moment it was served. The slightly burnt surface of the Brinjal hid a white, soft fleshy center. The entire cut of Brinjal was covered with a fragrant oil, with large pieces of garlic. The accompanying pieces of garlic went splendidly with the Brinjal. The combination of the fleshy white with the pungent punch of crunchy garlic was so good I was in Brinjal Heaven.

Otah Otah – Brightly coloured red than usual, this piece of spicy fish paste wrapped in banana leaf looked a little suspicious. It had more of a bounce than what I am used to. The taste was pleasant enough though I prefer the version found at the Ali-san Taiwanese Porridge joint in Kovan. The colour largely contributed to my lessen interests in the dish. I think I’m better off with another order of chicken curry.

Beef Rendang – For the price listed, this seemed like an awfully small dish of beef. It was only slightly spicy, with a hint of sweetness. The meat itself was a little tough. I’ve had better costing a lot less.

Petai with Sambal Prawns – Petai, nicknamed “Stink Bean” (for obvious reasons) was seldom present on my table. In fact, this is my first recollection of ever ordering this dish. However, I was in the company of avid and experienced Malay cuisine lovers. I approached the dish with trepidation, and was rewarded with one of the strongest tasting bean I’ve ever put it my mouth. It did not go down well. The rest at the table commented that it was an acquired taste. I believed them, but did not venture much further. It must have been a little too strong for them as well. We did not finish the dish.

So, if you find yourself in KLCC, it’s worth giving Madam Kwan’s a try. Just avoid the 1pm lunch crowd. I’ve witnessed frustratingly long queues and for those who know me. Queues and I don’t get along too well.

Ambience – 7/15

Service – 8/15

Food – 10/15