IT is worth climbing up four flights of steps at REXKL, venturing into a dark bookshop and finding yourself in the bright open space that is Shhhbuuuleee.

If you’re wondering about the name of this restobar, it simply means “quiet” (or shhh) as you’re in a bookshop, and “don’t care” (in Mandarin or Cantonese) and doing what you believe.

For us it’s opening up to the food, sake and natural wines at Shhhbuuulee, all in all a titillating, delightful experience.

It is about small plates here, East Asia-inspired, as Chef Mui explores his heritage, and takes a culinary journey through China, Taiwan and Japan.

First it was the tofu with soy cured yolk, tomato water and herbs (RM22). “You’d never look at tofu in the same way again after tasting this,” my friend Alice said. Indeed. 

We loved the tofu in the sweet, piquant tomato water bath, touched with the saltish and complex cured egg yolk. We slurped up the tomato water.

Next were the drunken cockles steamed with rice wine, topped with tauchu (fermented by the chef himself) and mustard oil (RM38).

The cockles were from Sabah: their lush and sweet meat was heightened by a little tauchu on top. They made springy bites and I was amazed that these cockles were actually from Sabah.

At this point we had sips of the light and refreshing sake: Shuho Awesome Karakuchi, Junmai Daiginjo from Yamagata. We also had a shot of the light Ougaku Mugi Shochu (brewed from barley) and the punchier Satsuma Godai Imo Shochu (from sweet potato).

The thin slices of grouper head terrine (RM32) tumbled hot, tangy and delicious flavours onto the palate. It’s a lot more than meets the eye in the preparation of this.

Chef Mui divulged that the fish head had first been braised in a fish stock simmered with fish bones. The meat and gelatinous parts of the head were mixed with house-fermented mustard greens, pickled chilli, soy sauce and reduced fish stock.

The terrine was served with pickled chayote and drizzled with a vinaigrette of chilli oil, Szechuan pepper oil and vinegar.

The scrumptious wagyu tartare (RM52) was a blend of raw beef rump, pickled radish, pickled ginger, bonito, mayonnaise and spring onion. It was served with crunchy seaweed crackers which lent a smoky feel to the meat.

Fried sole fish with salted mustard greens and shiso leaves (RM42) may seem a little plain compared to the other small plates, but it still shines with the fragrant infusion from shiso wrapped round each piece of the crumbed and fried fish, with a little punch from chopped mustard greens and chilli.

Red glutinous rice with sakura shrimps and salt cured fish roe (RM24) was a flavour bomb it was, with the finest red sticky rice from the Langit collective, Sabah, and the crunchy tiny shrimps and fish roe.

Sauteed kale with wood ear fungus and kombu butter (RM22) presents a yummy way to eat up your vegetables while we savoured the different chilli peppers in the grilled peppers with sesame and peanut pepper (RM26).  

Again, the sweet peppers – the Japanese Shishito and banana peppers—are from our home ground, in Sabah.

Cantonese and Hakka overtones were in the braised tripe and tendon in fuyu broth with daikon, lotus root and tang ho (RM48)  

We almost asked for rice to go with this tasty, rich stew with well-braised tripe and tendon, with the daikon, lotus root and egg infused with the deep flavours of the sauce.

We thought the tai or sea bream head in bamboo fungi broth (RM88) had light herbal nuances but it was the aroma of the bamboo pith that made it so.

We enjoyed the fried fish head which was cooked in chicken stock with vinegar and soy sauce, then finished with puffed red rice. Chef Mui takes inspiration from grandma in his Chinese dishes, giving them a modern slant while respecting tradition.

At Shhhbuuulee, these light eats are complemented with light profile alcoholic drinks like sake, natural wines and low alcohol highballs. On weekends DJs are in the house spinning techno, disco and funk.

Shhhbuuuleee is on the 4th floor of REXKL, 80 Jalan Sultan, Kuala Lumpur, tel: 012-612-0786. – April 23, 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.