THE Niffler, the magical beast of Harry Potter fame, is on the wall at the new cafe that is its namesake at the Kiara Park Condo in Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

Since The Niffler opened last week, it has been drawing a constant stream of visitors.

The menu at The Niffler covers the culinary gems of western, Asian and local cuisines. For our first lunch here, it was seafood croquettes, chargrilled chicken skewers, quinoa salad and even fish keropok to start.

The seafood croquettes (RM22) were crispy on the outside, settling on bites of a blend of snapper and prawns, releasing aromas of lemongrass, onions, turmeric and other spices. Topped with lemon cream and spicy kaffir lime salsa, the croquettes were simply delicious.

Chargrilled chicken skewers (RM16) had the meat soaking in the flavours of the gula melaka marinade before the grilling, then served topped with kyuri yoghurt and a mint roasted rice dip.

The quinoa salad (RM30) was lavish with slices of avocado and together with quinoa, lettuce and cherry tomatoes was completed with a citrusy and refreshing yuzu vinaigrette and sago crackers.

Like the niffler with the long snout and black coat of fur, which is attracted to shiny things, we sought out other “treasures” in the menu. We turned out nasi lemak soft shell crab, beef brisket and cheese sandwich, serunding aglio olio and charred cauliflower.

I have not seen such a varied menu in a cafe, not counting the freshly baked pastries and pies on the counter, cookies and cakes.

Like us, other guests were enamoured with the cool and green surrounds of the glass-walled and spacious cafe that overlooks the condo pool. We could spend a lot of time here, eating, drinking coffee after a meal and relaxing with good company.

The food did not disappoint. Nasi lemak with soft shell crab (RM28) brings this well-loved breakfast fare to another level. The rice was rich and aromatic with santan.

A whole glazed and crispy fried soft-shell crab tasted good on its own. We couldn’t get enough of the sweet, flavourful sambal that came with it, and of course the usual crispy ikan bilis and peanuts, whole egg, cucumber and fish crackers.

Standing out was the charred cauliflower with quinoa upma, hummus, cashew nut soil, salsa and yoghurt duo (RM38).

I’m not surprised that it has found favour with non-vegetarians, with its layers of flavours and textures. The roasted cauliflower was presented like a tomahawk steak, with a knife stuck in it.

It was dusted with dukka, a fragrant mix of crushed cashews and pistachios and sesame with spices, cumin among them. It was topped with the Balinese sambal matah, a lovely blend of shallots, shrimp paste, kaffir lime leaf and bunga kantan. Together with the hummus and quinoa, it made a luscious meal.

Serunding aglio olio (RM24) hit the spot: the aroma of the white truffle veloute wafted up as the pasta was stirred with the spicy shrimp serunding. The flavours of both clung to each strand of the al dente spaghetti, with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes bringing it all deliciously together.

If I had to have a sandwich here, it would be the beef brisket and cheese (RM38) for me. It was brimmed over with melt-in-the-mouth beef brisket that had been wood-smoked for 14 hours, then paired marvellously with strong cheeses like mimolette and gouda.

Mango cheesecake and the Orh Nee or yam cake were our choice desserts. On another visit, I was over the moon with the soft crumbly cranberry scones (RM5 each) served with yummy lemon curd and cream.

The Niffler is run by Wen Huey Lau, a United Kingdom-trained surgeon who is passionate about food, and her husband Jon, who got his chef whites in Switzerland. Porcupine Place in Puchong was their first restaurant. Jon has also worked as a chef at Blackbyrd, KLCC.

The Niffler is at Kiara Park Condo, Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

It is open to outsiders. Parking is easy at an empty lot across the road. It is open from 9am to 9pm daily, except on Wednesday. – June 4, 2022.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.