A spiral staircase leads from The RuMa’s hotel lobby to Atas, the casual-chic restaurant whose name is Malay for “above” or “upstairs.” Here, executive chef Mandy Goh oversees the culinary experience from the show kitchen where her team dishes out inventive Euro-Asian cuisine. Of the two set menus served after dark, the Culinary Heritage Dinner delivers a multicourse parade of Peranakan flavors from Melaka and Penang. Notable fusion delights include the mentaiko otak-otak, which puts a Japanese twist on the local steamed fish custard with blue mackerel encased in tofu skin. Another dish to remember is the spicy-sour asam pedas risotto topped with soft shell crab–like camarón rojo and sakura shrimp. Leaving no food to waste, the dinner comes interspersed with a “second service” of smaller bites created using leftover produce from the previous course. After polishing off the guinea fowl with kiam chai (cabbage and shitake roll), you’ll be presented a confit of leg wrapped in crackling skin. It makes for a memorable snack before the sweet heirloom carrot and nutmeg ice cream reminds you of the last nutmeg juice you had in George Town. —Tan Cheng Sim

theruma.com
+60 3 2778 0763
Mezzanine Level, The RuMa Hotel and Residences, 7, Jln. Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Atas: Peranakan Flavors

Kuala Lumpur Dining

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