Breaking fast at the Islamic Arts Museum
REVIEW BY ALICE CHINGTHE Islamic Arts Museum may be the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, but I’ll bet there are still many Malaysians who have yet to set foot in this spectacular building.
I had no inkling about the place either and so got lost en route to the Museum Restaurant and Café – and to think it’s just near the National Mosque. Danny Ng, the food and beverage manager of the Museum Restaurant and Café must have been quite relieved when we finally showed up.
As we ascended the white marble staircase, we were really impressed with the museum’s magnificent interior, especially the marvellous inverted dome. Protruding majestically from the high ceiling, this breathtaking masterpiece in white cut-glass with gold trimming was produced by Uzbekistan craftsmen.
The restaurant is brightly lit and exudes a cheery ambience despite its stark, white walls. The columns and walls of Arabesque cut-glass are all painstakingly created by Iranian craftsmen. Beautiful Moroccan glass lanterns and metallic panels inscribed with the logo of the Islamic Arts Museum gave the place elegance. While the walls currently look a little bare, Ng assured us that more artefacts and decorative items would be arriving soon.
We were introduced to Chef Ayman Ibrahim, an affable Egyptian who once served as personal chef to the Jordanian royalty and other Middle-Eastern dignitaries. Upon inspection, the buffet is like a mini tour of the Middle East – I noted about 70 different dishes, comprising a good selection of Syrian, Libyan, Tunisian, Moroccan, Jordanian and Lebanese delicacies.
Commencing with appetisers, I chose some plump honey dates, Labna (filtered yoghurt with olive oil, spices, sesame seeds and green and black olives), Lebanese Bread and Fatous (Lebanese bread salad).
The tart and sour labna went wonderfully well with the soft Lebanese bread and fatous. Other appetisers to sample include Hummus (chickpea purée), Baba Ganoush (puréed eggplant, sesame seed paste, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic), Makdous (eggplant pickle stuffed with bell pepper and nuts), Mokhalil (Middle-Eastern mixed pickles) and a whole steamed salmon with Middle-Eastern herbs.
Local appetisers such as Rojak Buah (local fruit salad), Tauhu Sumbat (stuffed bean curd) and Bubur Lambuk (a type of rice porridge) are also served. The bubur lambuk here is highly recommended for its rich and flavourful taste, derived from the spices, chickpeas, minced chicken, diced carrots and potatoes, and chopped spring onions.
Although there were numerous local dishes incorporated into the buffet, we decided to focus solely on the Middle-Eastern specialties. You cannot go wrong with Makhloube or Jordanian-styled chicken rice. According to Chef Ayman, a large Middle-Eastern clay pot is used to cook the Basmati rice layered with sliced eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes and a mixture of herbs and spices. The rice was fluffy without being oily and delicious on its own.
When it comes to lamb, Middle-Easterners are certainly adept. We sampled Dawood Bashah, lamb meatballs with tomato concassé. The dish comprised minced lean lamb meat flavoured with lots of herbs and spices. Shaped into oval meatballs, these are then cooked with roughly chopped tomatoes. The lamb meatballs we had were somewhat dry but I liked the muted herbal taste, and the tomato concassé provided a nice sourish contrast to the rich, gamey meat.
We found the Molokhia Bil Lahmah, chunks of lamb cooked in herbs, really intriguing, as the lamb had the distinctive flavour of the dried molokhia leaves. Chef Ayman explained that this traditional herb has to be specially imported, and the closest description he managed was that it was a cross between spinach and mint. Later, I discovered this herb is also known as Jew’s mallow and is used in certain Egyptian/African dishes.
Dajaj mashwe or grilled chicken with Middle-Eastern spices was another tempting creation. Despite much persuasion, Chef Ayman would not reveal exactly what Middle-Eastern spices were used to marinate the chicken pieces. Also enjoyable was Mandy Rice, a Yemeni specialty of baked rice with a touch of saffron.
The desserts were superb too. Before I tried the bakhlava, I never understood why my friends had such high regard for it. It would be a gross understatement to rate Chef Ayman’s Bakhlava as good – it was spectacular! I was totally bewitched after sinking my teeth into the light-as-air, crispy layers of fresh filo pastry filled with coarsely chopped mixed nuts and drizzled with clear syrup. This is one dish certainly worth returning for.
Another winner was Keshkul, a rather unusual almond pudding. Made from a blend of almonds, eggs, sugar and fresh milk, the pudding yielded a soft, curd-like texture that was smooth, creamy and sweet.
We concluded our evening with two other equally memorable desserts – Kenafah Mabromah, made of finely chopped nuts rolled in shredded pastry known as kataifi, and Shirin, a sweet milky broth cooked with pumpkin and raisins.
The restaurant’s veritable Ramadan spread is served daily from 6.30pm to 10 pm. Priced at RM55 nett per adult and RM28 nett per child (age five and above), a token sum of RM2 from the buffet price will be donated to a selected orphanage.
The restaurant has a seating capacity of 200 persons and a private dining room that can seat 10 persons. It is a popular venue
for corporate companies to host their Hari Raya rumah terbuka (open house) functions while outside catering services are also available.
Islamic Arts Museum
Jalan Lembah Perdana
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (03) 2270 5188 or
2274 2020 ext 331
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm (except during Ramadan).
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