LUNCH at Lut Gastrobar TDDI gives you an overview of what its chefs have to offer.

The six-course menu for two, with mostly shared platters, except for the starter, teases with flavours from Europe to Japan, as promised.

We got used to the darkish neon interior of the gastrobar, which cast some pink and purplish shadows on our pictures, and sailed through lunch, beginning with the signature chilled capellini with kombu, chives, truffle oil and dashi espuma.

It’s a whoosh of flavour embracing the fine al dente capellini, picking up on the subtle sweetness of kombu, briny bursts of lumpfish caviar and of course the significant aroma of truffle oil. Crunchy chives and dashi espuma brought it all together.

Next, tasty knobs of battered cauliflower sprinkled with spiced powder and nori powder, served with an aioli dip had us wanting for more.

The aioli was perfection in itself, with a lot of oomph. We could have added RM40 and got the house speciality, the foie gras sandwich.

The fish of the day with caponata, bocconcini, basil and evoo did not disappoint.

We each had half a lush fillet of pan-fried garoupa, fresh and springy, paired with a sweet and tangy caponata relish of tomato, raisins and red pepper, touched with basil-infused evoo and slices of mozzarella cheese ball or bocconcini.

I have always liked a meal that has fish in it. It makes it complete.

I tasted cumin, garlic, paprika and other spices in the roasted chargrilled piri piri chicken.

The slices of juicy, spice roasted chicken sat on a bed of creamy buttered corn with coriander and lemon. It was a generous serving, but it was not really my favourite part of the meal.

If you were still feeling peckish after all these, be assured the seafood aglio olio would fill you up. Though shared, it was a fairly large serving of pasta, with prawns, fish, squid and clams, finished with cherry tomatoes and chopped chives.

The welcoming heat of chilli hit the palate, soothed by the sweetness of cherry tomatoes and seafood.

Dessert of the day was malt brownie with banana sorbet. I wouldn’t have minded if it was just smooth banana sorbet with its delicious aroma and flavour.

The lunch for two was RM150++, with two mocktails – mixed berry and passion fruit lemonade that match the colours of the interior.

The lunch menu tempts you to add more to the meal, such as black cod for the fish of the day (supplement RM60), New Zealand rack of lamb/Australian wagyu ribeye (supplement RM80) for the piri piri chicken and seafood paella (RM80) for the seafood aglio olio.

We might come back for the a la carte dishes such as foie gras sandwich with cempedak purée ‘n’ avocado kaffir lime gel and microbasil; red snapper ceviche with Szechuan pepper, lime ponzu and chilli oil; grilled calamari with boquerones, watermelon, onion and mint; and sake ʻnʼ miso marinated cod fish with wasabi leaf, smoked eggplant and chive oil, among other dishes.

There’s a dinner menu for two at RM488++ that begins with premium oysters, then foie gras and lobster sandwich, grilled king oyster mushroom, tiger prawn, battered fried cauliflower, seared Hokkaido scallop, marinated free-range chicken or wild caught coral trout, and dessert.

Lut Gastrobar, which is pork-free, is at 30 Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 2, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur, tel: 014 383 8093. It’s best to make a reservation. – October 29, 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.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.