Bijan, Kuala Lumpur

I love the first night out on holidays. Whilst it's true that it generally takes me a good 48 hours to wind down and relax, being somewhere tropical means that tends to happen a little faster. I love the heat and I also love any type of Asian cuisine.

After much online research, I made a dinner reservation for our first night in Kuala Lumpur at Bijan. The website states:

Bijan opened its doors in September 2003 to offer a unique dining experience to discerning palates. The Bijan experience is modern in presentation yet wholesome in flavour. Traditional Malay cuisine is taken out of hawker stalls and buffet lines, and served against a lush backdrop. Modern in its surroundings with distinctive Asian accents, Bijan is warm, yet chic; intimate yet spacious.

We enjoyed a slow walk to the restaurant from our hotel, through the night markets and hawker stalls which made us even more hungry by the time we arrived.

As much as I'm completely in love with Asian food, often it looks ugly in photographs! I mean a whole fish with a red sauce heaped over it or chunks of beef (tender though they might be) served in a mound just don't look pretty.

We loved Bijan. The decor was Malay in style and simple but there were canldes on the tables and clean white tablecloths as well as a good variety of wine glasses.

Did I mention just how fresh, authentic, delicious and CHEAP everything was? My plain rice was less than $1 and whole fish for main course one of the most expensive items on the menu at around $18.70

We shared a couple of entrees and the one below was completely unlike anything we had ever tasted before. We both marvelled at the lightness yet intensity of flavour and I would have happily ordered another but held myself back.

Daging Bungkus Kukus
 Delicate parcel of steamed minced meat & herbs wrapped within a layer of pancake & coconut gravy

For main course we ordered a dish each, a vegetable side and a couple of serves of rice - Nasi Putih
(Steamed white rice) and Nasi Lemak (Rice cooked in coconut milk & served with deep fried anchovies, peanuts and sambal). By the noises Sean was making from across the table, I knew his lamb had amazing flavour and tenderness. My fish was fresh and firm but was served with a lot more sauce than I had envisaged which was perhaps a little overpowering for my clean and simple tastes. The green vegetables were spicy and crisp and a great accompanyment.

Kangkung Goreng Belacan
Water spinach stir-fried with belacan sauce & dried shrimp

Rendang Kambing
Chunks of lamb shoulder cooked in an aromatic infusion of spices & coconut milk
over a slow fire

Ikan Bawal Serkam
Black pomfret grilled in banana leaf with a spicy & tangy topping of fresh herbs &
chillies

Bijan gave us the spicy and traditional dinner we had hoped for. For me, the entree was the standout and I'm on the search to find something similar at a restaurant back home.....

We dined on 22 November 2011

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