Playte, Bukit Damansara

• 

[Pork-free] We checked out fresh-faced Playte at the refurbished Republik F&B enclave in Damansara Heights.

Helmed by three chefs who met at Le Cordon Bleu: Playte showcases local ingredients done in contemporary and European cooking techniques.

Star local ingredients include Bario rice, pomelo, belimbing, and jicama. Dishes here are meant to be shared in small plates.

We took a dish each from the four categories: raw, small, mains, and dessert.

• 

First up was Mackerel from the Raw category: morsels of fresh mackerel flesh served with starfruit and calamansi-based sauce, dill oil, pomelo, pickled cucumber and fried broccoli. The result was a refreshing  and acidic starter to set us up for the evening.

• 

Next up was the popular Ox Tongue (from the Small section). This was truly exceptional: tenderly-braised ox tongue topped with cured yolk(!) in XO sauce was perfectly balanced with the sharpness of the pickled onions and salsa verde. We enjoyed this very much.

• 

For Mains, we settled on the Chicken to complete the trinity of fish, beef and chicken. The poultry dish features a duo of poached chicken breast and thigh – the former was super tender and juicy while the thigh was slightly seared to give that extra crispiness and added texture. Protein was served in shaoxing wine buerre blanc, and topped with clams, braised daikon, and deep-fried kailan leaves.

• 

Gula Melaka ice-cream immediately called out to us from the Sweet section: we love the caramelised gelato served with cookie crumbs and topped with  candied nuts. A perfect bittersweet finish for the night.

Top points for service – granted it was a quiet Tuesday night, but we appreciated the attention we received from the chefs behind and front of the kitchen counter. We also had the best seats at the counter as we watched the kitchen whip their magic!

Highly recommended – we really enjoy places like these who aim to showcase local ingredients through contemporary techniques.

• 

• 

Playte Contemporary Dining
Address: G.01, Republik, Jalan Medan Setia, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 11.30am-3pm, 6.30pm-11pm Daily
Closed on Sunday
Phone: 011-2698 5562
Reservations: https://letsumai.com/widget/playte
Website: https://playte.my/