YOU may get lost in Plaza Arkadia like we did, but you can’t miss the striking entrance of KC & Co, a modern Peranakan restaurant. It’s a life-size wall mural of three curvy Nyonya women in their colourful sarong kebaya.

KC stands for “kamcheng”, a Hokkien phrase for close-knit ties with family and friends. But it’s also a collaboration brand from The Kamcheng, a similar Peranakan restaurant in Malacca, headed by chef Paul Chia whose Peranakan roots and culinary skills now drive KC & Co in Arkadia, Desa Park City in Kuala Lumpur.

There were eight of us, so we hit on familiar Peranakan favourites and some new dishes to try. Appetisers were ngo hiang (RM19) and TTK chilli garam (RM18). 

I’m always eager to find out if the chef has done his best (or worst) with ngo hiang, classic deep-fried rolls of prawn and pork with water chestnut and five spice powder wrapped in bean curd skin.

They were crispy, luscious and spicy bites with a yummy sambal belacan. TTK chilli garam was a little too hot for most of us, although it was noteworthy for the well-fried and crispy tau kwa (dry bean curd), tempeh and shallots.

I guess a cold beer would help this go down better as it’s supposed to be a satay bar favourite.

The ayam buah keluak (RM38) had a lot of oomph, in the nutty keluak that had spilled onto the tangy broth spiked with enough tamarind and fragrant lifts from lengkuas and turmeric.

The chicken, infused with these flavours, tasted so good. Wish there were more keluak though.

The woodfire grilled Angus, 120 days grain-fed ribeye that was infused with garlic kesturi in the daging panggang (RM85) was disappointing.

A piece of good beef had been overcooked and slices of it were tough. It would have been better if the meat had been cooked to medium. It was served topped with green cili padi sambal and crispy shallots.

The jenak garam assam (RM40) had all the requisite flavours of a good assam curry fish, not tipping over in its sourness or chilli hotness. The red snapper in it was fresh and sweet; we loved the pineapple in it and the generous topping of fragrant bunga kantan.

The ladies’ fingers stayed green and firm, with more tanginess coming from tomatoes in it.

The Hainam pork satay (RM27) of well-marinated, smoky tender meat was delicious even on its own. The dip of spiced peanut sauce with a blob of blended pineapple ramped up its flavours.

We had missed having pork satay served this way on a recent visit to Malacca, and this more than made up for it.

Babi assam (RM42) has pork belly marinated in tamarind juice and grilled over a wood fire. The meat was perfectly done and juicy, the fat rendered into crispy edges. The garlic radish vinaigrette was a little too strong and sharp for the scrumptious meat.

Two vegetable dishes stood out – the lemak pucuk paku (RM20) and eggplant duo sambal (RM22). The poached fiddlehead ferns were finished with a rich, spiced coconut gravy and topped with thin crispy fried fish. The eggplant was halved and grilled, then topped with a tangy green cili padi sambal and salted chilli garlic paste.

A lovely bunga telang coconut rice (RM4) and fragrant white jasmine rice accompanied our dishes.

We also shared a portion of Chef Paul’s dry curry laksa (RM23), made with angel hair pasta. In the curry sauce were bean curd puffs, prawns and bean sprouts.

The laksa was topped with shredded daun kesom, the signature touch to a southern Nyonya laksa. I thought the curry sauce was a bit too mild.

As for dessert, everyone liked the tau suan pea cake (RM10) of baked mushy green peas, topped with crispy shallots. We also had the sago gula melaka (RM10) and Nyonya pulut tai tai (RM10).

KC & Co is at A-G-6 Plaza Arkadia, 3 Jalan Initisari Perdana, Desa Park City, Kuala Lumpur, tel: 011-1319 4117.  It’s very near to Coffeebean. – January 15, 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.