Dancing Fish offers an exquisite Malay-Indo dining experience with a well-defined local identity. Established in Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur since 2010, the restaurant serves a variety of classic Malay-Indo fare with authentic and unadulterated flavours. Subtle Indonesian nuances are reflected in the modern and chic decor.
Kudos to the friendly wait staff for their prompt and attentive service, which in our opinion, was exceptional and one of the best we’ve encountered in a long while.
The signature dish here, of course, is the fish which was expertly fried with its tender flesh enveloped in crunchy batter, accompanied by delicious sambal and soy sauce.
Its meticulous cooking methods, without any MSG or added preservatives, bank on only the freshest and quality ingredients. This attention to detail was acknowledged when it garnered the 2023 Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award.
For our review, we had the Dancing Fish Tease Feast set course recommended for four to six people at RM439.
Going by the tagline “Eat & Travel Responsibly”. Ben Hor hosts a food and travel blog. Recognised by Google as Local Guide Level 8, he and his wife started their foodie journey in Penang before relocating to Kuala Lumpur. His food tales can be found at iambenhor.com
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Dancing Fish with Gulai Keluak. The pièce de résistance of the night — deep-fried and beautifully presented like a dancing fish. Crisp and crackling, yet the flesh was moist inside. Gulai keluak made a perfect combo as it was thick and full of spices. — Photos: BEN HOR
Bebek Goreng with Duo Sambal – deep-fried crispy duck marinated in tonnes of herbs and spices, very aromatic. The fatty layers between the skin and meat were heavenly, though some parts of the lean meat was quite dry. Overall, a great dish.
Udang Sambal Petai. Anything with sambal petai (stinky bean) is great fun! Overall, it had a tangy yet pungent flavour from the petai, and alongside the fresh prawns, absolutely delish!
Tahu Telur was deep-fried egg tofu in a tower form. Nicely crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside. The tangy sambal sauce went perfectly with the tofu.
Chicken Satay with Belimbing Ikan Masin. This was a well-grilled satay, offering very balanced flavours, nicely charred and the juiciness of the meat still intact. This was sweetish with a clear taste of kicap manis. The peanut sauce was tasty, but we would have preferred to have chunkier peanut bits to crunch on.
Gulai Pucuk Paku with Deep-fried Salted Fish. The curry was mild and creamy with coconut milk, a great pairing with the fried salted fish.
Inside the restaurant, there are wood artworks, an array of spices on the shelf and famous Malay-Indo batik patterns exhibited on the wall.
