YTL impresses once again with its swanky new brasserie at Lot 10’s rooftop.
Stepping into Lot 10’s rooftop is like entering a whole new world. What was once a dreary car park has been transformed into a beautifully lit garden, set beneath the night sky.
A grand view of Kuala Lumpur’s skyline rewards those who care to take a stroll around the manicured garden that bears an uncanny resemblance to KLPAC’s grounds.
Through the glass windows, fitness-crazy people can be seen prancing away in the gym while the other sides of the garden are flanked by Rootz, a posh-looking nightclub and Teeq Brasserie, a chic dining outlet. Actors Studio’s new home is also located here, beside Rootz.
Little favours: YTL’s new outlet, Teeq Brasserie at Lot 10 Rooftop, is meant to create a young and trendy space. Everything here screams fancy sophistication — the new “in” place to be. From the impressive side entrance to the avant-garde interior decor and the all-glass facade of Teeq, one can’t help but wonder if diners will leave the place a little less richer.
“What we provide is a young and trendy space, offering a quality menu to young professionals at a reasonable price. It’s friendly, relaxed, fun and unpretentious. It’s a home instead of a restaurant. This is what sets us apart,” said YTL corporate executive chef Kevin Cape.
Teeq, launched just last month, derives its name from the woody textures and earthy tones that make up this chic brasserie. “It’s just a younger and more fun way of spelling teak,” smiled the Briton.
Prices, although not the cheapest, is not too pricey either. Appetisers go for an average of RM20 while the most expensive main is RM65 for the Grilled Grain-fed Australian Beef Tenderloin.
So how about the food? It’s a little bit of everything, from Japanese and Thai to western delicacies.
YTL corporate executive chef Kevin Cape. Before the meal began, a plate of bread and sambal was placed in front of us. Er... sambal? What happened to the conventional olive oil and balsamic vinegar?
It took a while to get used to eating bread and sambal in a fancy restaurant but we did eventually. The sambal was sweet, not spicy and left a slight tingly after-taste. Not bad at all.
Appetisers came next. We ordered three — Tod Muan Pla, Pan-fried Sea Scallops and Larb Gai. Tod Muan Pla as you can guess by the name, is a tasty Thai dish made out of deep-fried soft shell crab wrapped in fish cakes and served with pomelo and coconut salad. The scallops cooked with lemongrass, wild ginger and coriander were rich with flavour. Larb Gai, another Thai dish, is ground chicken salad served with vegetables.
What made the dishes stand out were the herbs used, mild but with a distinctive taste, not too overwhelming. All the herbs are imported directly from Thailand.
“My wife is Thai and also a chef at Teeq, so I get access to the best ingredients from Bangkok. The ingredients are authentic so the dishes taste just as they would in Thailand. I don’t buy from commercial mass suppliers,” said Cape.
The Pla Tod Grob “Spicy” came next, a deep-fried sea bass with Thai herbs, ginger, lemongrass, lime, mint, peanuts, cilantro, spring onion and chilli. The dish was bursting with flavours. Most of the herbs such as cilantro are not easily available here. The fish was fresh with just the right crispy skin on the outside. Watch out for the chilli padi. You wouldn’t want to crunch on one by mistake.
Absolute heaven: Crunchy Mixed Fruit and Passion Fruit Crumble. We also ordered the Confit of Slow Cooked Salmon, which was an excellent choice. The fish was drizzled in soya ginger and orange juice, served with braised fennel and citrus fruit. It was the best salmon I’d tasted the whole year!
“Timing and temperature is everything. It’s cooked for exactly 10 minutes, not a minute more and not a minute less. It is cured with 80% salt and 20% sugar for 15 minutes to release the protein from the fish. This gets rid of that fishy taste, too,” explained Cape.
For meat, we had the Aromatic Lamb Shank, cooked with Mediterranean herbs and served with crushed Nicoise potatoes. The meat was tender enough and the potatoes were sweet. The dish was not bad, but not spectacular either.
All meals can be paired with their house wines, both red and white. Their selection is reasonably priced. You can get a glass for RM21.
After stuffing ourselves silly, it was time for desserts. We decided to go with the Serious Chocolate Brownies, Tiramisu with a Twist and Crunchy Mixed Fruit and Passion Fruit Crumble.
I loved the fruit crumble! It had just the right texture that crumbled in your mouth to release an explosive taste of the warm fruit filling inside. Heavenly!
To enjoy the Tiramisu, you’ve got to dig through the layers to get the various flavours. But the brownies were not as moist as I would have liked it to be.
The good thing about the brasserie being new is that Cape is still experimenting with the menu.
“We have no hard and fast rules here. It’s very informal and if you like something that is not on the menu, I will try to make it for you,” smiled Cape.
Teeq Brasserie has a seating capacity of 200 guests and offers a three-course meal at about RM100. It is open for dinner every evening (except Monday) and also for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.
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