The Sabah clams with white asparagus draws the strengths of the ingredients together in one successful dish. — Photos: BRASA
There's been a quiet renaissance in place at Brasa in Kuala Lumpur’s Damansara Heights, bolstered by the singular talents of Spanish chef Lenin Busquet.
For three months – starting from December and culminating at the end of February – Busquet is stewarding the ship at the charcoal-grill focused eatery, mentoring the kitchen team and introducing new dishes that reflect his style and technique. Once he leaves, his recipes will remain a mainstay at the restaurant.
In many ways, Busquet has had an unexpected trajectory in the restaurant world. As a child growing up in Spain, he confesses that he wasn’t interested in cooking at all.
“I am a macaroni lover, so I only used to cook pasta, you know,” he says, laughing.
As a young adult, he studied pharmacy and then ended up in England where he was actually meant to be studying English. To make ends meet, he worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant there and slowly, covertly, he began to understand how to cook food well.
From those innocuous beginnings, he rose up the ranks, eventually making his way to Annua, where he helped the restaurant maintain two Michelin stars for four years. At Ment by Oscar Calleja, he was instrumental in the restaurant attaining a Michelin star in a record six months!
Busquet has a varied Michelin-starred background and will be in KL until the end of February.
Although he has reached for – and attained – stars, Busquet remains level-headed and committed to his craft. In terms of developing the new menu at Brasa, he says his approach is simply to use as much local produce as possible while infusing his own techniques and cooking styles to the food.
“It’s a big challenge for me, because it’s the first time that I am cooking in Asia on my own.
“But my philosophy here is to go through the local produce and to show the real flavours of the ingredients through my cooking techniques. I am still discovering the produce, but I feel they are very powerful,” he says.
The new menu now trawls through the rich bounty of what’s available on soil and sea in Malaysia and traverses everything from herbs like daun kesum and spring onions to vegetables like kacang botol (four-angled bean), sea creatures in the form of Sabah clams and wild-caught fish, as well as condiments.
The char-grilling that Brasa is so famed for is still used widely in the restaurant, so you can expect a lick of heat and smoke with some of your meals.
To begin, try the starter: Salt-Cured Foie Gras (RM76) which features Spanish foie gras with Maldon sea salt and parsnip quince jelly, served alongside sourdough bread.
Who would have thought that salt-cured foie gras and parsnip jelly would make the best sort of luxury sandwich spread?
To eat this, you are meant to slather a layer of jelly atop the bread, then top this with the foie gras. The foie gras has been infused with sea salt, dried fish and dried fish oil and is an unctuous, silken temptress. Pair this with the crunch and doughy softness of the bread and the sweetness of the jelly and this is the ultimate luxurious sandwich spread. It’s a meal whose core value is in how memorable it is – something you’ll quickly cotton on to and savour slowly to make the experience last longer.
Move on to the charms of the Sabah Clams with White Asparagus (RM76). Here, you’ll discover a clam-based velouté (savoury sauce made from a roux and a light stock), clams, white asparagus and a mountainous spray of herbs and greens in the form of four-angled beans, daun kesum, bunga kantan and spring onions.
This is a light, vivacious offering that plunges the depths of the sea-faring briny qualities of the clams and juxtaposes this against the buttery, earthy disposition of the asparagus. This is tied together by rich velouté and the floral, herbaceous herbs in a configuration that shows how diametric opposites can result in sleeper hits.
Next, take an odyssey through hedonism with the Steak Tartare with Charred Wagyu Bone Marrow on Bread (RM138). The steak tartare (composed of black Angus tenderloin) has been infused with chilli and whole grain mustard and topped with a quail’s egg. Stir everything together until the egg has been fully absorbed into this amalgamation. Then take a slice of bread and layer the steak tartare over this. Add some of the charred wagyu bone marrow atop this, then sit back and enjoy a revelatory experience.
The steak tartare has a stealthy presence, almost like a back-up singer, mostly because the charred Wagyu bone marrow is the clear diva of this constellation. The marrow is oleaginous, soaked in umami flavours and is the dictionary definition of “opulent”.
If you’re after a starter from the seafood family, the Squid in Ink with Green Herb Oil (RM58) will be just the ticket. This is a simple dish that relies on the freshness of local produce, in this instance, a large Sabah squid. The squid has been charcoal-grilled and is accompanied by mashed potatoes infused with squid ink as well as a green herb oil.
The barramundi is a scene-stealer that has been char-grilled to perfection and retains a crisp skin.
The overall flavours are delightful – the char and smokiness from the squid comes through, but the cephalopod still retains a plump, bouncy spring. The mashed potatoes are silken smooth and have an aquatic undertone while the herb oil imbues the squid with fresh, tropical notes. It’s a meal that successfully harnesses the richness of the sea without diluting it with too many other components.
From the mains on offer, order the Barramundi with Pisto Manchego and Herb Mayonnaise (RM116). This has become a best-seller since it was introduced on the menu and it’s not hard to see why.
The fish is incredible – very, very fresh and supple and countenanced by a crisp char-grilled skin that has a hint of smokiness permeating throughout.
The pisto Manchego (which is made with slow-cooked red peppers, tomatoes, onions and pine nuts) offers sweet nuances to the meal while the mayonnaise completes this assemblage with a foliage-riddled sojourn.
It’s a journey that takes you through underwater territory, the wonders of the soil and the richness of local herbs and that narrative comes through from plate to palate.
Brasa’s steaks have become hits with diners with carnivorous leanings, so you might want to try the Wagyu Striploin (RM138). The Australian Wagyu with a marbling score of 8 (one of the highest scores for the beef) has been lightly grilled and retains a great char on the surface that yields to meat that is still pleasantly pink in the middle.
This is accentuated by the mushroom bits on the side and the jus but the clear star of this show is the striploin, which is incredibly succulent, has a solid chew and bite and a lovely melt-in-the-mouth quality.
The flan features a cloud-soft egg custard saturated in sweet, sublime caramel.
Finish your meal on a sweet high with the Flan (RM48) which is essentially an egg custard drenched with dark sugarcane caramel. The dessert is very, very good – the custard is smooth and velvety to the touch while the caramel lends a satisfying, euphoric sweetness to the dish that will be the perfect denouement to a meal here.
Moving forward, Busquet says that after his stint here, he is headed to the United States where he will be opening a Spanish restaurant. However by the time he leaves, he will have spent three months training the kitchen team at Brasa and giving them all the necessary tips and tricks to nailing his recipes, so he is confident that they will be able to replicate them with ease.
“I am only setting things up for them, they will carry on with the menu and continue using my recipes,” he says.
Brasa
50-G, Plaza Damansara
Jalan Medan Setia 2
Bukit Damansara
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 011-5110 2857
Open Monday to Thursday: 5pm to 10.30pm; Friday to Sunday: 12pm to 3pm; 5pm to 10.30pm
