Mixed and match: A cocktail bar and a supper club work together on a unique menu

A unique collaboration between supper club Super Secret Social (SSS) and cocktail bar Triptyk results in an eye-opening food and cocktail pairing. – Photos: MICHAEL CHEANG/The Star

There were two things I was looking forward to when I was invited to the 'Waste Not, Want Not' food and drink collaboration between popular supper club Super Secret Social (SSS) and cocktail bar Triptyk. One, to try some really good food, of course. Two, I was curious to see just how well a proper collaboration between cocktails and food can work. (Hey, I do write a drinks column after all.)

Anyway, both SSS and Triptyk are known for the sustainable nature of their operations. SSS is a farm-to-table supper club helmed by chef Jonathan Sebastian, which puts a lot of emphasis on using local ingredients that are sustainably produced. Triptyk is a relatively new cocktail bar that specialises in low- and zero-proof drinks and operates under a zero-waste philosophy.

King prawn served with black garlic emulsion and seafood gel and marigold leaf, paired with a cocktail made with shochu, salted mandarin, and orange bitters.

That made the 'Waste Not, Want Not' menu quite a unique one. It is a “closed loop” menu, which means there is minimal to no waste produced throughout the process. Almost every element of each ingredient the chefs and bartenders use for the menu is put to use, from the silk from the corn, to the skin of the bananas, and even the shells of the crabs.

The collaboration, which runs from May 18, 20, 25 and 26 (all 7.30pm as well as May 27 (1pm), features Super Secret Social’s latest menu, The Experiment 007, and is paired with specially curated cocktails from Triptyk.

If you don't drink alcoholic beverages, don't worry – you also have a choice of zero-proof drinks that are also specially concocted to pair with the menu as well. The event costs RM450 with cocktail pairing and RM360 for the zero-proof version.

The first dish and drink combo was the king prawn served with black garlic emulsion and seafood gel and marigold leaf, which was paired with a cocktail made with shochu, salted mandarin, and orange bitters.

According to Triptyk co-founder Angel Ng, they chose a drink with shochu to start the meal because it is a lighter spirit, and perfect for easing the guests into the menu.

Sure enough, the shochu and salted mandarin combo made for a lovely pairing with the savoury notes of the black garlic and the seafood notes from the prawns and coriander notes.

In case you didn't down the entire cocktail at once during the first course (it is very light and way too easy to drink after all), it also goes well with the second dish, even though it wasn't specifically paired with it.

Local beef tenderloin tartare, paired with a drink made with japanese whisky, mushroom rojo vermouth and sweet malt tea syrup.

This was a seven-day aged golden pomfret with cold ulam, lantana and Thai basil oil, a dish that reminded me a little of Hakka lei cha, and the more herbacious notes of the ulam sauce actually formed a nice balance with the salted mandarin notes in the cocktail.

The next pairing was an interesting one though. Chef Jonny served up a local beef tenderloin tartare sourced from a local farm that rears its cows on corn and pineapple.

This was served with fermented green chilli and spring onion, vudu, kulim and a cured duck egg yolk that lent a little saltiness to the mix, and a side of sweet potato keropok and a lovely warming broth made with beef bones boiled for 36 hours (they did say that nothing goes to waste in this menu).

The drink though, was arguably my favourite of the night, made with japanese whisky, mushroom rojo vermouth and sweet malt tea syrup. According to Angel, the idea behind this drink was to highlight the earthy tones of the beef with the alcohol brightness of Japanese whisky, and the umami notes from the shitake mushroom-infused vermouth.

Speaking of favourites, the next course was mine in terms of the food menu – a bamboo-cooked white corn with caraway burnt butter and jicama. Remember when I said that almost every part of the ingredient is used? Well, here, we were even served the corn silk that we usually discard at home.

According to Chef Jonny, not many people know that the silk is actually edible. It turned out to be a sweet little treat that served as a precursor to the wonderfully creamy, savoury, sweet main dish itself.

Bamboo-cooked white corn with caraway burnt butter and jicama.

After that, we got another food and cocktail pairing – a flower crab ravioli with Bentong ginger oil, that comes swimming in a delicious crab shell 'bah kut teh' soup that was made by caramelising the flesh from the crab's body with the claws.

This was paired with a refreshing sake highball that also has the spicy notes of star anise, and the sweetness of lychee and topped with chrysanthemum soda.

Ng said that this cocktail was more unique in the sense that it is meant to wash down rather than complement the dish – true enough, sipping the drink after each bite of the crab ravioli really does cleanse your palate nicely so you can savour that seafood goodness of both the ravioli and broth afresh

Banana Wellington served with crackers made from banana skin, sago gula Melaka, and Fiore de Latte ice creampaied with corn cob-infused gin mixed with elderflower, and topped with chamomile tonic.

To be honest, after the last two strong dishes, the subsequent pumpkin-centric course (pumpkin porridge, pickled pumpkin pumpkin seed oil) was a little underwhelming, but it was redeemed by a most delicious black sambal belimbing that really enhanced the dish.

Dessert was another unique one – a banana Wellington served with crackers made from banana skin, sago gula Melaka, and Fiore de Latte ice cream. For the drink, we saw yet another example of an oft-discarded part of an ingredient being used – corn cob, which is infused in a gin and mixed with elderflower, and topped with chamomile tonic.

As far as the drinks go, this was arguably the least of my favourites, but only because I'm not a big fan of elderflower in the first place.

Before the meal ended, there was time for one last treat – temiah tapai fermented cacao, cacao husk and cacao waste – which tastes a lot better than it sounds, trust me.

All in all, the Waste Not Want Not menu is a pretty eye-opening experience. I've had food and drink pairings before, but this is arguably one of the better ones in which the chef and bartender are working in tandem.

Michael Cheang is not done with his food and drink experiences yet. Watch this space, or follow him on Facebook (fb.com/mytipsyturvy) and Instagram (@MyTipsyTurvy).