The interior atmosphere of Black Market@Changkat in Jalan Nagasari, Kuala Lumpur.
When it comes to evening drinks, the best seats are always at the outdoor dining area.
One can watch the sun go down with a Tequila Sunrise. Or enjoy the sight of an evening drizzle with an Aperol Spritz, thoroughly occupying one’s thoughts with the complex notes of this cocktail which are woody, bittersweet and salty, all at the same time.
Cocktails (from left) Tropical Pina Colada,Tequila Sunrise and Aperol Spritz
Since moving to its present location in March this year, the sidewalk tables in Black Market@Changkat in Kuala Lumpur, just next door to the Parkroyal Serviced Suites, have become a spot for daydreamers and a meeting point for good company to gather, catching up over a Tropical Pina Colada.
As to why this establishment has chosen such an illicit sounding moniker, assistant marketing manager Mung Chun Moi explained that it was in reference to her outlet’s best selling item – Iberico pork, which comes from corn-fed black pigs that are native to the Iberian peninsula.
It is not surprising that the place has a “pork o’clock” promotion.
This is when diners get to savour roasted pork bellies just fresh from the oven from 5pm to 8pm, where a 150g serving is priced at RM19. The a la carte price is RM28 for 200g.
The meat here is not of the Iberico variety but the selling point lies in the crunch of the skin.
A dish that came from the founder’s dream – the Messy Jamon. — Photos: MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
One can literally hear it crackle and pop with every bite. Add another RM1 to this deal and the diner gets a mug of Carlsberg.
However, its latest creation, a dish called Messy Jamon, does make use of dry cured ham made from the meat of the Iberico pig.
Story has it that restaurant founder Chris Chang, an avid cook, had a dream which saw him having sliced jamon (Spanish dry-cured ham) on toasted bread, sprinkled with diced tomatoes and freshly chopped garlic in olive oil.
The dish might sound simple enough but in order to recreate the exact sensation he experienced in his dream took months, said Mung.
“The research and development was in getting the texture combination right.
“The bread had to be of a certain thinness and had to be toasted just right so that it would not turn soggy under the heavy drizzle of olive oil.
“The jamon slices also had to be at the right thickness,” she said.
Chang had to go through 30 types of bread before he found the solution in a sourdough loaf.
For the jamon slices, the complex matured flavours of his nocturnal journey was discovered in the Spanish Iberico selection that has been aged for up to 18 months.
The effort it took to recreate this dish has put it at the forefront of the restaurant’s anniversary promotion this month.
The selections offered in the wine box are (from left) the restaurant’s parent company’s very own label in the 2020 Caffeinees, 2020 Capitor AOC Bordeaux and 2018 Château Fondarzac.
For every minimum spend of RM100, diners can enjoy this dish for half its price at RM24.
The crowd favourite here is Kronenbourg beer but for a touch of exclusivity, there are wooden wine boxes where diners can have their names engraved.
The selections offered in this wine box are the 2018 Château Fondarzac, 2020 Capitor AOC Bordeaux and the restaurant’s parent company’s very own label in the 2020 Caffeinees.
These French wines generally have strong, fruity notes. The Capitor, with its woody vanilla and coffee bean notes, is best served chilled between 16°C to 20°C.
Black Market@Changkat, Unit A-0-1 and A-0-2, One Residency Retail Lots, North Tower, 1, Jalan Nagasari, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: 012-304 2060) Business hours: 10am to midnight.
