The restaurant has a casual, easy charm. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
Perched loftily on the fourth floor of Trec KL is SanTai House. The two-storey restaurant defies conventions and labels and is juxtaposed prettily between state-of-the-art padel courts and a 20m-long swimming pool with an accompanying bar.
The restaurant marks a partnership between Karls Group, the luxury Malaysian restaurant group behind the Michelin-starred Beta, and Ascaro, a leader in premium padel and lifestyle destinations.
The convergence of two disparate entities has birthed something entirely new and uncharted: Ascaro X SanTai is probably the first space in Kuala Lumpur that fluidly blends a sporting activity with a social and lifestyle pulse, while also fuelled by a world-class restaurant.
The restaurant has a casual, easy charm. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
“There is something still missing in our restaurant group that we wanted to do for a long time, because the ‘L’ in Karls is actually supposed to represent ‘lifestyle’.
"When we met the founder of Ascaro two years ago, it was right before he started the first Ascaro club in 1Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya. They asked if we were interested in doing it together, but it was not something we really wanted to go in back then.
“We continued the discussions, though, and nearly two years ago, they said they wanted to do a second location in KL, and we wanted in," explains Kelvin Cheah, the co-founder of the Karls Group.
Chua is the seasoned chef leading the fire-focused kitchen at SanTai House. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
He and his team put a lot of thought into the restaurant, which is helmed by seasoned chef Tiki Chua who has honed her craft at legendary establishments like Singapore’s Michelin-starred Burnt Ends, and Lucky Bo, a popular KL steakhouse.
SanTai House is two-pronged. In its daytime incarnation, it serves simple food meant for nourishment and comfort. But from 5pm, a grill-focused menu appears, tethered to Chua’s flair for fire-led cooking.
The watermelon salad is a light, refreshing affair buoyed by the smokiness of the grilled watermelon. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
From the day menu, there’s plenty to whet the appetite, including the Watermelon & Lychee Salad (RM33) which features grilled watermelon, lychee, pomegranate, mint, coriander leaves, torch ginger bud and a citrus dressing.
This is a wonderfully refreshing, riotous affair anchored by the smoky overcoat cast by the grilled watermelons and the sweet, bursts of plump, juicy, fruity lychee.
It’s the perfect antidote to a hot, sunny day or an hour spent thwacking a padel ball.
Next, move on to the charms of the Sunrise Avocado (RM35) from the all-day brunch menu.
Sunrise avocado is a hearty yet healthy brunch offering that makes for a great way to start your day. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
This features avocados, scrambled eggs, homemade ricotta, salted egg bread crumb and a homemade spicy sauce on house-made sourdough bread.
This is an easy-to-love concoction that hinges on the fluffiness of the eggs, the undulating cheesy overtures of the ricotta and the creaminess of the avocados.
It’s light yet very satiating and makes for a hearty, healthy start to the day.
If you’re after something from the Asian persuasion, look to the charms of the Thunder Tea (RM33).
Derived from traditional Hakka lei cha, the thunder tea is a richly nuanced herbaceous delight. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
Derived from a traditional Hakka lei cha (soupy herbed rice), the bowl is laced with rice, French beans, sweet peas, mushrooms, chargrilled kalian and pine nuts.
This green goddess is doused with a homemade herb soup that offers even more vegetal richness.
The charms of this souper trooper are in its herbal, herbaceous interplay of clean, green layers and flavours that soothe and sate in equal measure.
From the dinner menu, fire is the name of the game. Expect smoky notes and blistered surfaces at every turn, paving the way for a night time meal that promises comfort with an infusion of char.
Smoky, sticky and sultry, the grilled pomfret is a fire-grilled star. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
From what’s on offer, definitely try the Grilled Pomfret (RM108) which features the promised pomfret alongside a green chilli chutney, crispy garlic and a herb salad.
Essentially a take on the classic ikan bakar, the fish is crisp and smoky with garlicky undertones saturated along its surface.
This gives way to firm yet gently yielding flesh that has traces of fire in its musculature. And don’t sleep on that green chilli chutney – it lurks stealthily in the background yet pounces and makes its presence felt at punctuated intervals.
Cooked sous vide for 72 hours then finished off on a grill, the Angus short ribs are sublime from start to finish. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
Next, indulge in the breakout star of the dinner menu: the Angus Short Ribs (RM258).
The ribs have been cooked sous-vide (in a temperature-controlled water bath) for 72 hours before being primed and primped on the grill over local mangrove wood, thus readying itself for its starring role on the plate.
These are ribs that are spectacularly good – skin that is burnished and glazed with an A&W glaze no less, fat that is rendered all the way through and flesh that is the epitome of the dictionary definition of the word "succulent".
End your meal with the incredible wonders of the aptly named Cookie in Pan (RM30).
Cookie in a pan lives up to its name and the associated expectation that comes with it. — MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star
Clearly designed for sharing, this chocolatey cookie arrives in a little cast iron pan and features a hardened surface that gives in easily with a little provocation from your spoon, revealing a core that is ooey-gooey with little bits of melted chocolate folded into its epicentre.
This hot-out-of-the-oven treat is enhanced with cold vanilla ice-cream for maximum “opposites attract” appeal.
The eatery also has a wide range of cocktails for those looking to imbibe. The Signature Melon Collection (RM52) features a trio of melon-inspired cocktails.
The Santai Melon – made up of dark rum, banana liqueur and rum is a stand-out, offering freshness, sweetness and bursts of melon goodness husked in a lightly reverberating alcoholic structure.
The Signature Melon Collection features a trio of melon-inspired cocktails.
A meal here is relaxed and sanguine, buoyed by the views of the neighbouring Royal Selangor Golf Club and the sprawling Merdeka 118 and TRX skyscrapers beyond.
It’s also a very different experience simply because you can also cast your eyes to people playing padel in the courts further afield.
It’s all so strange and yet so invigorating to have so many things to look at as you sit back and feast.
“I think this sort of lifestyle experiences will pick up in KL, but no matter what someone needed to kick start it in the market and since we have the right partner, we decided to do it,” says Cheah, smiling.
