Douglas Dragons at Dark
March 25th, 2024
From noontime treats of beef tacos and crispy liver submarine sandwiches to evening temptations of goat’s milk panna cotta with banana-chocolate wontons, Sitka is a Malaysian-Scottish collaboration that’s determined to deliver innovative cooking fuelled by local produce. This is one of 2014’s most promising new restaurants.
Sitka is the most ambitious initiative yet by the talents behind the Klang Valley’s Butter + Beans, Feeka & Food Foundry, marshalling the experience of Christian Recomio and Barry Lindsay, the former head chefs of the highly rated Moonfish Cafe in Aberdeen. In recent months, they’ve sniffed out small farms and independent food suppliers in Malaysia in their mission to create an eatery that capitalises on this country’s abundance of produce. Customers can expect to pay rational prices for satisfying meals that transcend run-of-the-mill recipes: A salad of honey-marinated aubergine, miso-tinged portobello mushrooms and millets will barely breach RM20.
Staying true to the ethos of its owners, Sitka is tucked away in a neighbourhood that brims with history and character. Here on Jalan Batai, it retains a long-faded signboard over its entrance, replacing a homeopathic treatment centre on a decades-old row of shop-houses out of sight from Damansara Heights’ main roads. It’s not a venue that most future customers can convincingly claim to have conveniently stumbled upon themselves for their ‘hidden cafe’ lists.
For this coming week, Sitka, a non-intimidating, far-from-stuffy outlet where customers can relax in a casual setting, is in its soft-opening stage, bereft of hot meals. Pastries & cakes are available, with coffee made with a Faema E61 espresso machine, a model that’s reputedly legendary among caffeine buffs.
The restaurant currently opens 9am-6pm daily; come early for fresh-tasting smoked salmon quiches and enjoy a chat with Sitka’s co-owner Jennifer Kuah or her cheerful baristas to learn more about what this place is all about.
Strawberry rhubarb tarts (RM11), jasmine raspberry pound cakes, walnut cinnamon rolls (RM8) and peach cobblers are among the sweet treats here, all crafted with care and poised to please.
Snatch a slice of the chocolate raspberry meringue creation whenever it’s offered; it’s a real crowd-pleaser.
Starting April 18, Sitka will serve its comprehensive menu, with daytime delights like tacos filled with local fish tempura, apple slaw & smoked pepper aioli (RM22). Dinner will only be served three nights a week (starting in May); expect possibilities like hay-smoked beef with pickled egg yolk and salted radish.
Feeka fans will be happy to hear their favourite cafe’s blend is used here. Try the flat white (RM10) or the hot mocha (RM11), both exemplary. Wine will be available by the end of next week.
Tonka bean ice cream affogato and iced black, brilliant for beating the heat.
Hot and cold: Macchiato and a creamy-rich iced chocolate.
Smoothies feature combinations like banana, mango and strawberries.
Sitka’s story is only beginning; expect to see and hear much more about this place in the months ahead, as folks steadily familiarise themselves with the restaurant’s logo of the Sitka spruce tree that’s part of the landscape in Scotland and elsewhere.