THESE days you can dine sumptuously on food delivered to your home especially if you choose wisely from the numerous options listed online. I was over the moon this week with the dishes from Chocha Food Store in Kuala Lumpur.

I was piqued by the coconut bread in the beef tongue Sammi and fried chicken sando in my food package. The coconut bread came with fermented coconut oil for the mackerel pate. Was there too much bread in one dinner for three? No, we loved it for the fluffy, glossy bun baked with coconut flakes, with a hint of sweetness.

I bit through the yummy bread sandwiching thin, tender and smoky slices of beef tongue in the beef tongue Sammi (RM28), touched with mustard mayonnaise and paired with sauerkraut. The beef tongue was brined, cooked for 24 hours, then smoked.

Fried chicken sando (RM25) offered more than that at a glance. It is boneless chicken thigh marinated with cincalok and deep-fried and chicken skin crackling tucked into the coconut bun. Smoked cheese and gribiche sauce of mayonnaise, boiled eggs, pickled, herbs and lemon juice bring it all together.

There are delightful bites with the crackling, and the juicy chicken, with mild tart lift from the sauce and smoky hints from the cheese.

The creamy and smoky mackerel pate (RM25) came about from blending smoked tenggiri (mackerel) with mascarpone and lemon juice. It was supposed to be served with eggplant chips but as they may get soggy in the delivery, it was replaced with a lovely coconut bun, with a dip of fermented coconut oil. So, we broke bread, dipped in the coconut oil and enjoyed it with the light and subtly flavoured mackerel pate.

Chocha is about modern Malaysian cuisine and believes in sourcing sustainable ingredients locally, supporting small independent farmers, fishermen and artisanal producers. Its head chef Mui Kai Kuan, is passionate about this, showing flavours and textures in his food expressed with these ingredients.

There’s Sarawak heirloom red rice (RM50) in one chicken dish, and beef from locally bred cattle with Australian provenance in another. We couldn’t stop eating the slightly sticky heirloom red rice cooked in chicken stock with corn puree, topped with confit chicken wings and crispy chicken skin. It brings to mind chicken rice, with a western culinary twist.

Chef Mui’s steak (RM90) is sirloin grilled over coals, sliced and lathered with anchovy butter and served with ulam chimichurri. It’s a herb sauce blended with ulam raja, daun selom, kadok, roselle and sawtooth coriander.

The fragrance of it bursts on the palate when paired with the beef which already has lots of umami from the anchovy butter. The texture and flavour of the beef compares well with Australian beef: to think that the meat is from cattle farmed in Terengganu and Pahang.

Complementing our dinner were lightly roasted heirloom tomatoes and watermelon balls in a cumin and starfruit vinaigrette, embellished with Thai basil (RM25). There was also a welcoming tart sauerkraut (RM8) scented with cumin.

The custard rice dessert (RM25) was divine. You slide into the creamy custard made with Sarawak glutinous rice puree, eggs, milk and gelatine, touching layers of jackfruit made tangy with lime juice. Toasted coconut flakes and puffed rice complete the dessert.

Chef Mui curates his menu, drawing on his culinary experiences from Michelin-starred restaurants like Maaemo in Oslo, Norway, and Ledbury in London, Esquina, a Spanish restaurant in Singapore and Sprout (modern European fine dining) in Johor Baru.

Where Chocha Foodstore is in Petaling Street used to be an old abandoned building but now the space is reused in a contemporary manner while preserving its history. 

Chocha is at 156 Petaling Street, tel: 03-2022 1100. It’s 15% discount on its Beepit menu, using the promo code STAYHOME15. Click on chochafoodstore.beepit.com. – January 30, 2021.

* 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.