Rahsia Bistro and Wine Bar is a little
ethnic niche in the spread of very European Bintang Walk in
Kuala Lumpur. Located in KL Plaza, stumbling upon it is a very
pleasant surprise. Amidst the cacophony of Bintang Walk’s
bright lights, theme restaurants and fine dining establishments,
Rahsia (which translates into “secret”, in Malay)
is unpretentious, cosy and it serves great food. And it definitely
won’t be a secret for long.
Oh U-Chen owner and connoisseur
of food found it when he was looking for office space a few
years back. “I was immediately taken by the abundance of
trees outside and soft breeze. It’s also at a side street
which makes it quieter to sit outside and enjoy drinks,”
he said. Indeed there is a charming balcony area to perch and
people watch under swinging homemade Vietnamese basket lamps.
U-Chen did most of the decorating himself, something different
to sink his teeth into after 15 years in public relations. His
PR office in actual fact is conveniently situated upstairs.
“I have always toyed with the idea
of opening a restaurant and after finding such a good location,
my mum told me she could help with the food. It just took off
from there,” he added. The food is a mix of Penang-Nyonya
delicacies straight from his mother’s kitchen and Western
basics like pastas and some grills. The appetizers are mainly
Thai. It will of course evolve as Rahsia comes of age.
For starters, two thumbs
up for the Top Hats, a pretty and delicious hors d’oeuvre
of minced prawn and vegetables stuffed in a fried flour pastry
shaped like what else but top hats. The mango salad is a heavenly
mix of very finely chopped mangoes, lime peel, herbs topped
with juicy prawns.
The Balinese set is an exotic platter
of Arroz Java (Javanese Rice), Sumatran chicken curry, spicy
beef, pineapple chutney and empeng (Indonesian crackers). The
rice, a cross between the Spanish paella and the Indian briyani,
is aromatic and fluffy. Try the Balinese set if you like spicy
food, the heady aroma of spices used in the curry complements
the midly-flavoured rice very well. The panfried steak was amazingly
thick that we thought it might be a bit on the tough side. But
never judge a steak by its size at Rahsia - the meat is succulent
and cooked just right. On the side is a dollop of buttery mashed
potatoes and steamed vegetables. Currently, the wine list has
a good selection of wine and U-Chen is planning on expanding
it very soon. Cocktails will also be included in future.
The next best thing at Rahsia besides
the food is the value for money pricing. Starters are priced
at a mere RM9 and main dishes cost between RM15-24. Unlike most
Bintang Walk food outlets that charge an arm and a leg for miniscule
portions, Rahsia serves big portions at a fraction of the typical
Bintang Walk price.
The background music is an eclectic blend
of jazz, acid jazz, gamelan (traditional Malay music) and even
a bit of Bowie and Depeche Mode thrown in. This idea of keeping
it simple and going with what works will make Rahsia an unpretentious
and delightful venue for laid-back evenings. Plus the fact it
only seats 50 ensures a more personal touch from the staff.
Before I left I did ask him why he
chose such a cheeky name for his bistro. He smiled, “I thought
it would be fun to play a bit with the name. So whenever someone
asks, where are you? Rahsia, their friend would answer. Then they
will say, “Go on, tell me. What’s the secret?”
Such a tease - spoken like a true PR man.
Access Rahsia via KL Plaza (walk past
Coffee Bean and the small concourse area, look left) or the
side street off Jalan Bukit Bintang just before Tangs Department
Store (opposite Scholtzky’s Deli there are stairs leading
up).