Tradition isn’t static. It is only what we remember in our lifetime as being traditional. Something birthed today can become traditional 50 years from now, only because someone was brave enough to try something new.
It is this spirit of both tradition and its twin flame – innovation – that birthed the kernel of an idea for the modern Malaysian multicultural fare at Kuala Lumpur’s new Jalinan.
The eatery is a creative new entrant in the local dining scene that has been brought to life by founders Aaron Khor, Aaron Phua and Bimmy Soh – the same team behind the acclaimed modern Malaysian Chinese noodle bar Fifty Tales in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Jalinan is the trio’s ode to the glory and wonder of Malaysian food – injected with bold new spins and told through their own culinary lens.
“With Fifty Tales, the area (Sea Park) sort of dictated who we needed to become, which is a Chinese restaurant. And I really like running a Malaysian Chinese restaurant but at the same time, personally I felt there was a disconnect with other Malaysians. My partners and I missed those kinds of flavours where we have Malay, Indian and Bornean cooking methods.
“So with that came about the idea of, ‘Okay, we should open a restaurant that is more diverse in flavour profiles',” says Khor.
As the idea slowly cemented itself, Khor and his partners came to the conclusion that unlike Fifty Tales, Jalinan was going to be pork-free.
“It made sense because the whole idea of Jalinan was to weave this narrative together between the Malays, Chinese, Indians and all other Malaysians, and ask ourselves: how would multiculturalism look on a plate?” says Khor.
The name "Jalinan" (which means "connection") reflects this ethos and is the team’s attempt to pay their respects to their homeland while also exploring the maritime trade and immigration that influenced and shaped modern Malaysia, as well as birthed the concept of multiculturalism.
The menu reflects this cross-cultural borrowing and intersperses multiple intrinsically local concepts into single dishes. As a result, the flavours may be familiar but the pairings mirror Khor’s attempt to build bridges to different cultures.
From what’s available on the menu, start with the Apple Kerabu (RM32) which features apples alongside local herbs and flowers like daun kesum, mint leaves and bunga telang (blue pea flower) alongside udang geragau (small dried prawns), crispy hor fun (wide, flat Chinese noodles), red chilli paste and tempeh.
This raucous offering is a crunchy, vivacious affair whose heart and soul is wound around the concept of “fun”. It’s a refreshing addition to the kerabu stable which has the Malaysian flag flying high while still maintaining a keen sense of individual identity.
Then there is the Urap Ikan (RM52) which highlights cured red snapper, toasted kelapa parut, kafir lime oil, daun kaduk and spinach fritters.
Here, the snapper is treated a little like ceviche and has been cured with salt, then paired with kerisik (toasted, grated coconut) in what proves to be a flavourful odyssey through both familiar as well as foreign territory – one that successfully elevates the fish into a leadership position where its natural attributes are allowed to shine.
The spinach fritters meanwhile prove to be crispy, hardy receptacles upon which the cured fish has a safe place to land.
It’s a well thought-out, carefully calibrated dish where every element is a team player that works hard to bring out the best features of the dish to fullest effect.
Then there is the Beef Gulai Tiga Sekawan (RM99) which sees beef tongue, Argentinian beef belly and oxtail coated in a rich gravy enlivened by coconut milk and daun semomok, an indigenous herb traditionally used by the Temuan and Semai communities.
The beef has been cooked to a point of absolute domestication – the tongue subdued till it breaks apart easily on the palate, the belly slippery and unctuous and the oxtail melt-in-the-mouth tender.
This is all brought together by the gulai which has rich spice-enhanced nuances and a heartiness that is ideal for soaking up all the bovine elements on the plate.
The Squid Noodles & Prawn Curry (RM49) is exactly what its name implies.
Here, the wok-fried squid has been cut thinly so as to mimic the quality of noodles and this is juxtaposed against mango pajeri and prawn curry in what proves to be a ridiculously addictive meal.
The allure of this dish is built around the squid, which is perky with a good amount of bounce and push-pull factor. This is further elevated by the prawn curry which is rich and creamy with aquatic leanings in its structural DNA.
From what’s available from the noodles portion of the menu, definitely look at indulging in the Dry Laksa Ulam (RM39), one of the dishes on the menu that Khor is particularly proud of.
“I like noodles, but I also love nasi ulam. So I’d like to believe that I have contributed a laksa variation of all the laksas in Peninsular Malaysia. Because I did some research and so far, there is no laksa ulam in our country,” says Khor.
Khor's dish sees white laksa (cooked with white vegetables, green chillies, galangal and ginger) interlocked with kerisik tossed in handmade noodles made deliberately thinner so it coats the sauce.
This is topped with kesum oil, mint leaves, tempeh, onions, torch ginger bud, cucumber, four-angled beans and a grilled pomfret glazed with soy sauce and gula Melaka. Rounding out this all-star cast is a lacto-fermented house-made sambal.
The final result is a noodle dish that is awash in flavour – the noodles themselves are springy with a gentle twirl while the white laksa paste that coats it has a rustic, nuanced quality to it that is given a pronounced herbaceous lift, courtesy of the cucumbers, mint leaves and four-angled beans scattered throughout.
The pomfret meanwhile is a lovely fleshy protein addition to the meal. This is a meal that celebrates local influences and flavours while still delivering something entirely new that has never been tried before.
End your meal with one of the best things to come out of Jalinan’s menu in the form of the Pineapple Doughnuts & Cucumber Raita Ice Cream (RM19).
A riff on cekodok pisang (deep-fried banana dough balls), this iteration fuses the uniquely Malay cekodok with the idea of Chinese/Peranakan pineapple tarts alongside an Indian-style cucumber raita ice cream in a dish that really showcases Jalinan’s idea of convergence and multiculturalism on a plate.
The doughnut here is fluffy and filled with tropical bursts of pineapple while the raita ice-cream is a surprise sleeper hit that provides a cool, refreshing contrast that serves as a perky, uplifting denouement to the meal.
Ultimately with Jalinan, Khor’s core idea is to pay tribute to traditional Malaysian flavours, ingredients and dishes while adding his own creative streak to it, in tandem with his own spirit of inventiveness.
“I treat heritage and tradition as art. Art has so many ways of interpretation. And the way I interpret it is very different from the way another chef interprets it. Some chefs can really stick true to tradition and for them that's art too. So for me, this is my way of expressing art,” says Khor.
