This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 23, 2016.

One of the first thing patrons to Mama San Kuala Lumpur may notice, as they walk into the outlet, is the large image of a cheongsam-clad woman on the wall. It paints a ubiquitous picture of Mama San, the muse behind the concept of this restaurant, benevolently looking down at her diners. “That’s pretty much how I see myself, I am here keeping the authenticity of the cuisine culture in the restaurants I manage and I do that by learning from women across the region, who are willing to pass on their knowledge,” chef Will Meyrick explains. 

Mama San Kuala Lumpur, located adjacent to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) park and fountain area, opened its doors for business sometime around the end of last year and is the brainchild of chef Meyrick and the second international outpost after Mama San Hong Kong. Accompanied by his long-term partner in crime, chef Palm Amatawet, the retro-inspired restaurant serves cuisine inspired by the local street food scene of various Asian countries like India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand — all of which are distinctive to its country of origin despite sharing a lot in common with each other. 

The Bali-based chef tells us that he strives to remain as hands-on as possible with the operations of each restaurant, and is constantly on the move between the various outlets around the world. Last week, Meyrick was in Mama San Kuala Lumpur once again and spent the morning introducing some of the restaurant’s signature dishes. 

For starters, we sampled the chicken pomelo salad, soft shell crab rujak salad and crispy sotong. The pomelo salad is a fresh and slightly tangy dish, and the coral mushroom and sesame seeds add a crunchy hint to it. The rujak salad, on the other hand, was a contrast to the first dish owing to the strong flavours of the tamarind chilli sauce while the otherwise conventional deep-fried squid with batter was customised with Mama San’s very own, home-made chilli jam, a pleasant combination of spicy and sweet. 

The selection of main dishes at Mama San is extensive, with a menu that includes seafood, meat and poultry. For sides, we were served stir-fried kalian and braised eggplant. Patrons who would like to have some crabs to complement their meal like me, or to soak up all the gravy goodness of these dishes, can opt between the fragrant steamed rice or garlic naan. 

The Dendeng Balado was a hit at the table. Chunks of beef short rib pieces, cooked with kaffir lime, chilli and lemon basil, had a sweet, caramelised outer layer that melts in the mouth. The lemongrass chicken was another favourite — crispy yet succulent fried chicken is served with green papaya salad on the side, with kaffir lime sweet chilli sauce as a dip. The creamy Mamasan fish curry with okra, tomato and tamarind was only slightly spicy and went well with the garlic naan. 

The meal ended on a sweet note with three types of desserts. The first was condensed milk ice cream with coconut, a treat to the palate after a heavy, spice-laden meal. The second dessert we sampled was the every well-presented Nutella pak boi, which is served on a serving plate that resembles a dim sum container. It is recommended that the vanilla ice-cream that comes with this dessert be drizzled with the Kintamani espresso served with it. The coffee is strong and the ice cream dissolves quickly in the hot beverage, leaving a creamy-textured concoction to be scooped up with a piece of the Nutella-filled pak boi buns. Lastly, we tried durian pannacotta, which had a very thin durian flavoured layer on the top of the tall glass. Most durian fans would probably appreciate a stronger hint of durian in this dessert.   

The menu offered at Mama San Kuala Lumpur is a reflection of the philosophy that the restaurant is founded upon — the best of authentic Asian cuisine served with passion — and the chefs and staff at Mama San go the extra mile to ensure every patron has a pleasurable culinary experience when dining here. 

Mama San Kuala Lumpur is located at Lot 46, Ground Floor, Suria KLCC. E-mail [email protected] for reservations or visit www.mamasankualalumpur.com for more.