Prawns and clams form the centrepiece of this delicious arrabbiata dish which has a feisty, fiery tomato-laden heart and soul. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star
Reinvention can often feel daunting, sometimes even impossible. The fear of embracing something new and charting an unknown path is often what stops many people from pursuing their dreams.
In Victor Yap’s case though, he charged ahead full steam after realising his true calling in life was food. In the 2000s, Yap spent a decade working as an engineer in London, England while also hosting a supper club from the confines of his apartment.
About 15 years ago, Yap gave up his engineering job, came back to Kuala Lumpur and opened a cafe called Tray with his friends.
“We had a lot of regular customers because that area (Mont Kiara) was perfect for us as the diner demographic understood what we were doing. It was a lot of Western and European dishes and classics. My friends and I also did a lot of baking,” says Yap.
Tray eventually closed and Yap opened Fittie Sense in Bangsar, KL which is now going into its 10th year of operation. In 2023, he opened Peaches and Cream Brasserie in Ampang, Selangor which celebrates European comfort food.
Peaches and Cream Bistro later opened in Setapak, KL.
Yap worked as an engineer in London for a decade before returning to Malaysia.
Last year, the investors behind his restaurant wanted to explore expanding the concept. That kernel of an idea led to the birth of Apricot by Peaches and Cream, which opened late last year in MyTown Shopping Centre, also in KL.
“About two years into Peaches and Cream Brasserie, the group of investors decided to study how they could expand that and that’s basically how Apricot came to be. We wanted to expand it in a way that it’s accessible to more people and we thought the café version of it in a shopping mall was the right direction.
“So Apricot is in a way like a younger sibling of Peaches and Cream. Also, we wanted a brand where we can explore a halal menu,” explains Yap.
The restaurant has a charming outdoor area that allows for sunlight to stream in. — Apricot by Peaches and Cream
At Apricot, Yap harnesses from his years of experience in London and his travels around Europe to create a rich, diverse menu that spans a wide tapestry of influences but ultimately propagates the idea of “comfort food”.
Every recipe is his own and every element is made from scratch – something that Yap is very clear on and is part of his culinary ethos.
Yap also had to re-engineer some of his recipes in pursuit of halal certification for the brand.
This involved ensuring an entire halal supply chain as well as creating pork-free and alcohol-free variations and in some cases, rebranding dishes entirely if they deviated too much from their original structure.
The restaurant has a dedicated dessert tree piled with all kinds of tempting sweet treats.
“Our approach is ‘How do we take some of our favourite European flavours and ingredients and how do we do a halal-friendly version of it so that everybody can enjoy it?’,” says Yap.
The menu is designed to be more accessible and price- friendly to cater to a wider group of diners, including families with young kids.
From what’s on offer, start with something light like the Pumpkin, Broccoli and Avocado Salad (RM28).
The pumpkin, broccoli and avocado salad offers plenty to satiate those looking for something hearty yet wholesome. — Apricot by Peaches and Cream
This is a purely vegetarian offering that is also quite substantial. As its name implies, the salad is filled with roasted pumpkin, steamed broccoli and creamy slices of avocado, sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a honey-mustard dressing.
This is dedicated to those looking for a salad with some heft and weight, rather than those hoity-toity leafy ensembles that do little to actually fill people up. Here, every element is holistic, nutritious and completely satiating while the dressing adds a sweet-savoury slant that gives it a whole new dimension.
“We try not to treat salads like something you just sell – people can actually order this as a full meal,” says Yap.
Prawns and clams form the centrepiece of this delicious arrabbiata dish which has a feisty, fiery tomato-laden heart and soul. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star
Next, tuck into the carb-laden Prawn & Clam Arrabbiata (RM39) which is a robust tomatoey affair filled with prawns, clams, capers and dried chillies.
The soul of this offering is the tomato sauce that drenches the pasta. The sauce is hedonistically good and this is enhanced by the briny bursts of capers and the fiery nuances from the dried chilli.
The seafood in this configuration is very fresh – the prawns fat and voluptuous and the clams plump and devoid of sediments.
Ultimately, this is one of those hearty meals that you’ll long for after an arduous day at work, or look forward to simply because it promises comfort and indulgence in equal measure and delivers on those expectations.
Another pasta dish on the menu that Yap is extremely proud of is his Chicken Nduja (RM30).
The chicken nduja pasta is Yap’s pride and joy as it incorporates a homemade south Italian-style chicken sausage. — Photos: Apricot by Peaches and Cream
Here, penne pasta is smothered in a rich sauce that is concocted out of homemade spicy sausage meat, cream and capsicum sofrito (stir-fried onions, garlic and peppers).
The highlight of this constellation is the nduja itself, which is speckled throughout the dish and has a hearty, measured bite laden with a spice-riddled underbelly.
The capsicum gives the meal a soft sweetness and the penne itself soaks in all the flavours provided by this outstanding cast of characters, which means you get a riotous, fun affair that promises to infect you with a dash of party spirit.
Apricot has a range of pizzas made from scratch at its first- ever in-house pizzeria. The eatery also does kids’ size pizzas, which are great for small eaters looking for petite portions
The mushroom and truffle pizza is decadent without being overbearing. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star
Of what’s on offer, try the Mushroom & Black Truffle (RM19 for kids’ size). Here, black truffle paste is smeared all over the dough and this is enhanced by mushrooms, parmesan bechamel and Italian cow’s milk cheese.
The pizza is phenomenally good – the dough has a chewy, stretchy bite with a sizeable pull-push dynamic and the toppings are artery-busting and oh-so opulent.
The fact that the truffle paste is slathered throughout means it permeates and punctuates the musculature of the pie in an omnipresent fashion that lends the entire dish a palatial, opulent sheen.
Next, tuck into the Salmon Lemon Butter (RM46) which features a pan-roasted salmon fillet, mashed potatoes and a lemon butter caper sauce.
The salmon has been cooked to perfection here and retains both a crisp skin as well as tender, flaky flesh.
Once you’ve had the salmon with lemon butter caper sauce, it will be hard to imagine life without it. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star
This overtly aquatic quality is tempered by the sauce, which is lightly acerbic yet saturated with oleaginous temptation.
It’s a dish that defines the proverb “looks can be deceiving” because it may look simple but boy oh boy, does it deliver a complex web of flavours.
End your meal with something sweet – of which Apricot has much to offer. In fact, the restaurant has an entire dessert tree dedicated to it, all crafted by Yap.
If you’re after something both familiar and foreign, try the Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake (RM24). Essentially a take on the Black Forest cake, this rich chocolate cheesecake is topped with a cherry compote in what proves to be a marriage made in heaven.
The chocolate cheesecake with cherry compote is honestly the stuff sweet dreams are made of. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star
The cheesecake itself is squidgy, dense and rich with a potent chocolate heart and this is juxtaposed against a cherry compote that is lightly astringent and has a strong fruity finish.
Moving forward, Yap says he hopes to ultimately expand Apricot’s footprint once the brand has found its footing and attained halal certification.
“I think once we get halal certification, we will continue to study the market and then see where the opportunities are,” says Yap.
