Just in time for Ramadan, RasaNya – the first Malaysian nyonya-styled steamboat restaurant – officially opens its doors at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur shopping centre. Since November last year when it commenced operations, RasaNya has proved to be a gustatory hit among mall patrons with its unity concept of Muslim-friendly cuisine, coupled with a selection of internationally sourced seafood and choice cuts of meat.
RasaNya, fitted out across nine months and at a cost of over RM3 million, welcomes guests into an ambience which recalls a modern heritage Peranakan dining room. Here, you find wooden interiors with deep emerald accents, ornate floral wallpaper (with matching upholstery) and copper-tinged chandeliers and ceilings. A private room for up to 20 diners features a dining equipped with individual cooking surfaces for steamboat pots. This lavishly thought up private dining space includes a seating area, ensuite, private entrance and also a giant television for karaoke or presentations.
However, once seated, the cuisine will undeniably take centre stage with RasaNya’s incredible array of soup bases for family-styled feasting. The choice of signature soup bases, created by the ebullient celebrity chef Zamzani Abdul Wahab (popularly known as Chef Zam), run the gamut of nine unique flavours; Kak Nya’s signature black truffle, ox bone pot, satay celup, Sedap-Nya laksa, tom yum, mala, winter melon and herbs, tomato and the evocatively named ‘Harimau in the Laut’.
As one might expect, with the many choices for soups (which guests can also order in compartmentalised pots), the ingredients will lead the day. Japanese Miyazaki A5 wagyu, Australian Angus and lamb, and kampong chicken are among the cuts of meat on offer while seafood choices include fresh Hokkaido oysters, Canadian lobsters, dragon groupers, mini geoduck, snow crabs, tiger prawns, abalone, oysters and the show-stopping Alaskan king crabs.
For the restaurant’s chief operating officer Chris Lee, the freshness of ingredients is instrumental in RasaNya’s unique offerings: “ensuring only the finest reaches the table”. For Lee, much care is put into sourcing the best ingredients – where “premium seafood and the finest butcher’s selections, along with authentic Baba Nyonya appetisers and dishes leaves you yearning to return.”
At this all-day restaurant concept, the aforementioned Peranakan-appetisers and dishes are ideal as midday snacks or as the prelude to the steamboat. Among the key highlights; the Nya otak-otak bringing its aromatic melange of lemongrass, chillies and turmeric, as well as acar-acar, squid pancakes, jellyfish salads, satay platters and even the gado-gado – a classic nyonya salad of eggs, prawn crackers, lontong rice, long beans, cabbage, cucumber and mildly spicy peanut dip.
For Ramadan, RasaNya turned to its culinary collaborator Chef Zam who has devised a Ramadan-themed soup of slow-cooked chicken broth with fresh coconut, chilli peppers and soybeans. The Ramadhan feast (RM118 net) comprises a buffet menu as well as the customary rendang, satay, lemang among other Ramadan delicacies. The steamboat menu meanwhile, offers tender Australian lamb slices, tiger prawns, clams, and all manner of seafood, vegetables and a choice of noodles among many others. When you do decide to stop by, you would be well advised to really soak in the rich ambience and the fanciful array of culinary options – including its DIY sauce counter where you may experiment with your favourite condiments to create a myriad ways to enjoy all that RasaNya has to offer, not forgetting the some choice Peranakan desserts of pulut hitam coconut ice cream, gula Melaka cendol and the limau kasturi jelly with bird’s nest.
