ANKIMO topped with crispy seaweed and drizzled with a ponzu sauce is a treat indeed at Rare The Food Company in Petaling Jaya.

The monkfish liver is smooth and creamy, with the sauce delivering a light tartness.

We relished this Japanese delicacy, which is salt-cured and rinsed with sake. This comes with a salad of thinly sliced radish, papaya pickle and greens alongside.

Our dinner continued with Pulpo, or smoked octopus, which arrived at the table on a plate with a glass cover, smoke swirling within.

The tender octopus sits in a pool of slightly sweet smoked peanut sauce. Yuzukosho, a paste of yuzu peel, chilli and salt, gives the dish a citrusy, spicy lift.

Layers of flavour are just waiting to be discovered in the Brown Crab Chawanmushi with carabinero miso and vinegar dashi.

The velvety steamed egg is infused with the sweetness of crabmeat and carabinero, a prized deep-sea prawn known for its scarlet colour, caught in Spanish waters.

We had a rare encounter with buah Kulim, or jungle garlic. It is the nut of the Kulim tree, found in the lowland rainforests of Malaysia and Sumatra, Indonesia.

The aroma of garlic pierces through the hard shell of the nut, which is the size of a ping-pong ball. Shaved over the Pickled Shiitake Mushroom, we were over the moon with its almost truffle-like flavour.

I enjoyed the lush Lagrima Boneless Iberico Rib, especially the charred bits. The accompanying chopped bunga kantan, yuzu kosho, papaya pickle and pink salt each provides a unique experience.

The meat is excellent with a bit of silky pickle and bunga kantan. A mouthful of the tender pork with its melted fat, together with the fragrant pickle, sent me straight to porky heaven! Don’t mind the fat as it is high in oleic acid, which is a “good” cholesterol.

Jamon Iberico de Bellota Arturo Sanchez, cured for 48 months, is outstanding. Restaurant owner Ken Lai painstakingly lifted thin, hand-cut slices of bellota from the pack, allowing the meat to “breathe” before it is served.

Fat oozes out of the moist ham at the bite, and the saltiness is just right. The meat, from an Iberian breed fed on acorns, exudes a nutty, buttery aroma.

The Pan-fried Sabah Garoupa with Kombu Butter, accompanied by papaya pickle and daikon slices, showcases the freshness of the fish, specially chosen for its small size.

The skin is crispy and the flesh has a marvellous texture. This is terrific with the pickle.

Carabinero Brilliante, or grilled deep-sea prawn, is not to be missed. The head is grilled, the body torched and the legs deep-fried.

The prawn is shelled tableside and placed over Japanese sushi rice, which soaks up the roe. The meat is sweet and the legs crunchy. Don’t forget the head!

Earlier, we had the Mushroom Pate with Sourdough Milk Toast. The pate is a creamy blend of button and portobello mushrooms, ricotta and lemon.

We also had the Grilled Sweet Corn topped with peppery, tangy yuzukosho butter. The corn, a Japanese variety grown in Cameron Highlands, is juicy, sweet and has a nice bite.

There is no finding fault with the ingredients at Rare, including the Roasted Japanese Sweet Potato, sprinkled with jungle garlic salt.

For desserts, we got the Lemongrass Panna Cotta with Mango Coulis, and Desiccated Coconut Marjolaine.

The panna cotta is superb. Wobbly and smooth, it goes great with the coulis and toasted coconut. The marjolaine is a lovely cake with a brulee topping, chocolate ganache in the middle and coffee praline cream.

The three of us paid RM150 each for our sumptuous meal.

Rare, which also supplies ingredients and kitchen equipment, was started seven months ago. Lai sources the latest kitchen gadgets, such as one that uses sound waves to pasteurise vegetables and fruits, extending their shelf life. The company represents Yanagiba knife makers in Japan, and Lai has even brought in cleavers made of Damascus steel for Chinese chefs.

There is also the dry ager (the meats sell faster than Lai can age them), as well as the over-fired broiler, the cleanest and healthiest way to cook meat.

Rare The Food Company is located on the second floor of The Club @ Empire Residence in Jalan PJU 8/1, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya. It can be reached at 016-670-4257. – December 14, 2019.

* 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.