Neighbourhood watering hole The Locker & Loft is concealed behind a heavy set of rusty, industrial lockers in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya in Selangor.
One of the city’s first speakeasies, it opened in 2016 and maintains a minimalist decor with a gleaming, copper-topped bar.
Food is priced between RM20 and RM60 while cocktail prices hover around the RM35 mark.
Among the new menu items is Lamb Char Siew.
“Sticky” and “gnarly” best describe the very tender meat.
It sits on a bed of umami pumpkin and barley flanked by crunchy lotus root chips to elevate the entire dish.
Karaage Rempah comes highly recommended – Japanese-style deep-fried, crunchy chicken served with an interesting tomato chutney hummus.
The establishment’s co-owners Deepak Gill and Paul Dass want Locker & Loft to be a space known for its bold plates and creative cocktails.
“Our focus is supporting our local suppliers,” Dass said.
The fish, particularly catfish, is sourced from Dass’ own Green Streets aquaponic farm in Kelana Jaya, where he also grows organic vegetables.
Catfish has a bad reputation for tasting like cheap muddy fish but Dass revealed it also has Omega 3, 6 and 9, like the more expensive salmon.
“A good environment and feed make the difference,” he said, while recommending the Shirayaki Sambal.
Shirayaki is a Japanese style of grilling without any sauce.
The basa belly, flame-roasted eggplant with ikan bakar sambal and barley is definitely another must-try that can make catfish avoiders change their minds.
For dessert, the Lemon Semolina Cake is worth an order.
Topped with crumble, yoghurt and honey foam, it hits all the right notes.
“You should try our Liquid Nasi Lemak,” suggested Deepak.
Why turn Malaysia’s beloved dish into a beverage?
“We serve nasi lemak for supper on Friday and Saturday nights, so we thought, why not make a drink of it?” Deepak explained.
It is peachy coloured, topped with a skewered cucumber ribbon and a side of toasted peanuts, anchovies and a smidgen of sambal on a small banana leaf.
The taste reminds me of a refreshing gazpacho (Spanish cold soup).
The gin-based concoction has the award-winning Gin Malaya, coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass, cucumber, pandan syrup and of course, sambal.
Gin Malaya, founded by Deepak and his business partner Paul Dass, is produced by Crossbill Distillery of Glasgow in Scotland.
The Liquid Nasi Lemak certainly succeeds in revving up my appetite.
One of Locker & Loft’s other cocktails, The Torch, reaffirms my love for torch ginger (bunga kantan).
It is muddled with gin, Aperol, lemon, egg white and pandan syrup to make a delicious, floral concoction that is memorable.
THE LOCKER & LOFT,
No.40A, First Floor, Jalan SS 20/10, Damansara Kim,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
(WhatsApp: 017-377 3766)
Business hours: 5pm to 1am (Tuesday-Thursday), 5pm to 2am (Friday and Saturday), 4pm to 1am (Sunday).
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
