Roost at Telawi, Bangsar: 2016 menu

This review was brought to you in part by Roost.

Roost soars higher than ever with its newest repertoire of recipes – chef Albert Frantzen and his team have hatched one of Bangsar’s most intelligent menus, treating thoughtfully sourced produce with conscientious creativity in a charming setting.

Starters

A restaurant that lavishes such detailed care on each dish deserves respect – commence with the mackerel salad; the fish is commandingly fresh and captivatingly fine in flavour, wet-aged and kitchen-cured for a sultry, succulent smokiness, well-matched with heirloom tomatoes, baby cucumbers and capers (RM28).

Thumbs up too for the crisp-battered zucchini blossoms, stuffed with a surprise, spilling out with Roost’s own-made mozzarella when sliced, balanced with intimations of chilli and mint (RM22). The outlet’s founders now even run their own vegetable farm in Cameron Highlands, for an assurance of consistent standards.

Poultry

If you adore poultry, Roost promises persuasive possibilities – the 64-degree-cooked chicken liver mousse pate is ravishing, achingly soft and smooth, with a mellow but distinct flavour, complemented with toasted bread, wild honey and sea salt; like many of Roost’s pleasures, it’s something we’d jubilantly eat again and again (RM22).

Roost relies on free-range capons for its chickens, in enjoyably elaborate preparations like sous-vide chicken thigh with red cabbage and lentil puree (RM38) or chicken breast with onion puree and king oysters (RM38).

There’s duck as well, pulled in luscious sliders (RM32; served with terrific thick-cut fries and constructed-from-scratch chilli jam) or turned into a ragout to pair with Roost’s own pappardelle (RM32). The restaurant wastes none of its chicken and duck supply, with remaining meat going into snack-sized poultry croquettes (RM18).

Local seafood

Local seafood, from Pulau Ketam and other Malaysian waters, is represented in everything from a crispy squid starter with ink aioli to a mangrove crab salad with sorrel.

Portion sizes span the sea bass with beetroot risotto (RM38; perfect as lunch for one) or a squid ink paella with snapper, prawns and other fresh catch in the pot (RM105; ideal as a family feast, this requires a one-day advance order) – satisfying triumphs in transposing Italian and Spanish rice-based cooking into our domestic context.

Red meat

In a bid to remain as true as feasible to the farm-to-fork ethos, veal, lamb and beef are the only protein obtained from overseas – Roost’s Spanish-bred veal cheeks are worth the effort, coupled with mash and beets for creamy, soul-food comfort with earthy dimensions (RM72).

Even the side dishes here succeed in transcending cliches, comprising some of KL’s best-textured polenta fries (RM16) to a complex ensemble of roasted and sauteed dehydrated shiitake, erynggi and oyster mushrooms (RM25).

Desserts

Desserts and drinks are far from an afterthought at Roost – ice cream is house-made, showcasing tangy flavours born of local harvests, including soursop, passion fruit and tamarind (RM12 a scoop); the panna cotta conveys coconut and passion fruit, cheesecake is accented with rose apples, while a chocolate gateau features pineapple coulis and lemongrass.

Drinks

Coffee is hand-carried from Taiwan (Roost co-founder TungWei has family roots there), roasted by Gabee Cafe in Taipei, with light, clean subtleties.

Cocktails are concocted to be confidently refreshing – we especially love the dynamics of the Strawberry Basil Gin and Tonic (exactly our kind of poison), but the Grown-Up’s Iced Tea, combining vodka with Earl Grey, honey and lemon juice will have numerous admirers as well (RM28).

The wine list merits investigation too, specifically several Spanish varieties like a white with a candied lushness and a red with an easy-drinking brightness, each at RM22 by the glass and RM95 per bottle. Many thanks to the Roost team for having us here.