At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, newbie chefs Lee Zhe Xi and Soh Yong Zhi opened a little restaurant in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
The progressive Malaysian eatery, Eat and Cook, quickly became successful, even landing on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants extended list in 2021 within just a few months of opening.
After that, the duo and their partners – brothers Steve and Harry Lee – opened Bar.Kar in central KL, a restaurant focused on wood-fired cooking. Bar.Kar was an instant hit and is still typically fully booked today.
A few months ago, the partners recalibrated once again, shuttering Eat and Cook (it will reopen soon) and opening their latest venture, Sun and Moon, in KL’s Jalan Delima.
Sun and Moon marks a sharp departure from the chefs’ usual ambitious, progressive fare. Here, the focus is entirely hinged on comfort.
“With Sun and Moon, we wanted an easier restaurant that served good food in a good environment. So that’s the reason why we opted for such a huge space,” says Zhe Xi.
Size is certainly something the restaurant is not short of. The land itself is around 1,400sq m and as a result, the space is expansive – allowing for a neutral canvas, foliage interspersed throughout and sunlight glinting in winks and nooks throughout the eatery.
At the restaurant, every single component is made from scratch – from the yoghurt to the sauces, breads and pastry.
The beverage programme meanwhile is managed by Zhe Xi’s brother, Zax Lee Zhe Ren, a former fashion designer and coffee aficionado who uses his creative flair to churn out all sorts of interesting drinks.
Though the menu and the space focus on creating a comfort-based social experience, Zhe Xi says that most of their customers remember the experimental fusion fare from Eat and Cook and as a result, they have received many requests to include some of the Malaysian elements that made that restaurant so successful.
“Originally, we wanted this new place to be more classical – a reflection of what we learnt in culinary school. But people wanted to see more of the identity that they remembered from Eat and Cook.
“So now we are looking at tweaking some of our recipes,” says Zhe Xi.
The menu is incredibly extensive so make sure to come hungry. If you’re here for breakfast or brunch, look at indulging in the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict (RM28).
Made up of smoked salmon on homemade sourdough bread, layered with tomato jam, an onsen egg and Hollandaise sauce, this is a gold standard rendition of this ubiquitous breakfast dish.
Here, the success of the dish hinges on the freshness of the eggs, which are sourced from a free-range poultry farm in Kampar, Perak.
Zhe Xi and his team visited the farm and were very impressed with what they saw, which is why they continue to serve it on the menu, even though it costs them RM1.30 for a single egg!
In any case, the eggs allow for runny, gooey goodness and an unfiltered, clean albumen quality that then segues into the aquatic brine of the salmon and the chewy yet firm structural underpinnings of the bread.
It’s a fabulous way to start your day – guaranteed to keep any prospect of a bad mood away.
For something lighter and less satiating, the eatery’s best-selling Mixed Berry Bowl (RM38) is just the ticket. Made out of house-made yoghurt, an assortment of berries, handmade granola and a honey dressing – this seemingly simplistic affair is secretly a power-packed star.
The yoghurt in this configuration is the stealthy, sleeper hit here, yielding a creamy, slightly tangy profile that quietly asserts itself. The berries add fruity notes while the granola provides crunch. It’s a dish that demonstrates what a good cheerleading team can do to aid a team effort.
The Honey Duck & Velvet Egg Sandwich (RM28) meanwhile features smoked duck slices over scrambled eggs laden atop tiny slices of sourdough bread. The duck is sturdy yet pliant and the overt umami notes of this water fowl are countenanced by the velvety scrambled eggs that have a fluffy, cloud-like quality.
The sourdough bread meanwhile soaks up all the flavours of the dish and is the stoic wind-beneath-the-wings of this entire assemblage.
Then there is the Sun and Moon Fried Chicken (RM29), which Zhe Xi devised in ode to his love of KFC.
Here, the chicken has a cayenne-coated batter that lends itself to thick, indulgently crispy skin that succumbs to flesh that is juicy and succulent.
The honey mustard sauce served on the side meanwhile delivers a punchy, potent kick to the gut that really awakens your senses to fullest effect.
The restaurant’s Fish & Chips (RM48) deviates from the usual aquatic suspects like haddock and cod and instead highlights the natural attributes of Malaysian sea bream.
The fish is coated in a thick, crunchy batter that segues into flesh that is chunky and flaky to the touch.
If you’ve never had your fish and chips with sea bream, you’ll find this to be a surprisingly good local twist on a British classic.
From the pasta selection, opt for the Tiger Prawn & Tomato Risotto (RM48) which features a risotto cooked in a prawn stock (simmered for eight hours) and tomato base, topped with tiger prawns sauteed with garlic, chilli and parsley.
The risotto is instantly charming – its beauty both external and internal. The rice has been cooked to a delicate tenderness and is coated in an intensely flavoured, creamy seafood sauce that is addictively good. The fat, fluffy prawns meanwhile are the icing on this sensual Italian cake.
End your meal with a sweet temptress in the form of the Crème Caramel (RM12) which is essentially a Madagascar vanilla custard with a salted caramel sauce.
The highlight of this dessert is the wobbly, silken texture of the pudding, which is lightly sweet and oh-so satisfying.
From the drinks menu, Zhe Ren has put together an impressive line-up, including a Signature Dirty Latte (RM20) and a Matcha Strawberry (RM25).
The dirty latte showcases Sun and Moon’s house coffee blend featuring beans from Ethiopia, Colombia and Brazil.
Here, the house espresso is layered over freeze-distilled milk, offering a hedonistic, brutally cold caffeinated delight.
The matcha stawberry meanwhile highlights ceremonial grade matcha, strawberry puree and fresh milk in what proves to be a tannic, fruity drink that has a very alluring pull.
Sun and Moon does exactly what Zhe Xi hoped it would – serve good food in a pretty space.
The key takeaway here is that all the things that made Eat and Cook successful have been applied in principle here.
There are no shortcuts in the processes and procedures; ingredients continue to be sourced from the best farmers and fishermen, and everything is crafted from the ground-up with care and affection.
It may seem unimportant but the final outcome always reflects what is poured into it. In this case, the time, labour and love really show in the end products.
