THERE are two styles of Malay cooking that I favour at Cili Kampung: masak lomak and asam pedas.

Masak lomak works so well with beef and nangka, and the asam pedas tenggiri with its unapologetic hot-and-sour notes truly hit the spot.

We were at Cili Kampung in Suria KLCC recently, its new outlet after the one at Hartamas Shopping Centre.

Few are aware that the first Cili Kampung restaurant is in Langkawi, where its popularity grew with local visitors and tourists to the island. The owners decided then to establish its presence in Kuala Lumpur.

There’s a rustic feel about Cili Kampung in KLCC, with its lush potted greens, paintings of kampung life, rattan lampshades over tables and rattan furniture.

First, the cold drinks refreshed us. Mine was the pretty bunga telang selasih with lime juice in it. We also tried the red lychee, lime and rose, sirap pandan kenduri and rambutan lengkong (cincau).

For our late lunch, there were asam pedas tenggiri, gulai nangka with pucuk manis, sambal petai prawn, masak lomak beef and ayam goreng Cili Kampung.

The dishes are all about sharing here. Asam pedas tenggiri was a big serving, with fillets of the fish, ladies’ fingers, tomato and eggplant in a red hot and sour curry.

It certainly meant business with the red cili padi topping it, as well as the generous shreds of bunga kantan and daun kesom. It had all the expected flavours and aromas, enticing you to eat more rice.

The gulai nangka with pucuk manis was our favourite dish – the soft chunks of nangka had soaked in the delicious yellow curry, fragrant with daun kunyit.

While I liked the tender slices of the masak lomak beef drenched in the yellow curry, the flavours would have been better expressed with less salt. Otherwise, it was a fine curry.

Sambal petai prawns turned out well with lots of onions adding sweetness (besides the large prawns) and the bonus was of course the petai. I wished there were more.

Ayam goreng Cili Kampung had chunks of deep-fried chicken tossed in a spicy paste of green chillies, cili padi and onions.

We also had a taste of the mee kari oxtail, available at teatime, that was done in a dry curry style and topped with crispy fuchuk, bean curd puffs, fried hard-boiled egg, cucumber, beansprouts and lime. We dug in, turning up small chunks of tender meat from the oxtail, which we liked.

An unusual and rather nice dessert was onde onde pudding bakar – baked buttered bread with pandan coconut milk layered with palm sugar, drizzled with a vanilla sauce and topped with roasted coconut.

Then there was the lovely icy treat of bukit kelapa, assembled with coconut ice cream and pineapple filling, drizzled with gula melaka and finished with coconut, crumbed coconut sugar and mixed nuts topping.

Mama cendol was served in a glass with cendol, sweet corn, red beans, jackfruit and palm sugar ice cubes at the bottom, and coconut ice cream on top. It was completed with a drizzle of fresh milk.

The desserts are RM25 each, with mama cendol at RM22. The drinks are between RM14 and RM16.

Asam pedas tenggiri and sambal petai prawns are RM65, masak lomak beef (RM48), ayam goreng Cili Kampung (RM40), and gulai nangka (RM35). The portions are large and can be shared with at least five people.

Cili Kampung is at Lot 432-433 & OS401, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur. Call 017-846 2403 for enquiries. It has two private dining rooms that can seat 11 people each. – November 4, 2023.

* 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.