RAHSIA BISTRO & WINE BAR
13, Jalan Damai
Kuala Lumpur
(03) 2142 5555, Fax: (03) 2144 5170
Website:
www.rahsia-kl.com

Pork-free

Curious about why Rahsia Bistro and Wine Bar got voted by readers of Malaysian Tatler as the country's finest restaurant for 2004, I invited three food-lovers in my family to check it out.

The terrace dining area.

One Sunday evening, we found our way there rather easily. If you are coming from Jalan Tun Razak, take the left turn just before Crown Princess Hotel, and then the following left into Jalan Damai.

Housed in a refurbished 1960s' bungalow, Rahsia's seating is cleverly designed to suit different moods and needs – casual, stylish and romantic. Take your pick. Patrons can either dine in the hall, on the terrace, garden, patio or in a private room that can seat 10 people.

As we stepped into Rahsia's compound, we felt as if we had stepped into a friend's home for a Hari Raya dinner. Dozens of oil lamps lit the pathway leading to the entrance of the restaurant.

Adding to the fairyland ambience, long plastic beads – hung from tree branches – shimmered against the garden lights. It is a novel idea that is certainly better than "wiring up" trees with fairy lights.

Being first-timers, we weren't sure how big the servings would be; so we ordered a salad and two portions of appetisers.

The Duck Breast Salad (RM19) was not too bad. We found the thin slices of grilled duck too dry for our liking, but the green lettuce went well with the Balsamico dressing – its sour taste was just right.

Since we hadn't had satay in a while, we ordered two portions. Each Satay Rahsia (RM12) came with six sticks of barbequed, marinated chicken cutlets and a small bowl of peanut sauce, a few pieces of rice cubes and some cucumber and onion slices. The satay was well marinated, but a little too burnt. The peanut sauce was heavenly, however, and made a lot of difference.

For the main course, we asked a friendly staff member for her recommendations.

She suggested Lamb Shank (RM45) for lamb-lover Dad, Secret Duck (RM37) and The Balinese Set (RM28). For the not so adventurous one in our group, an order of Spaghetti Vongole (RM25) was placed.

Dad found the lamb shank served with mashed potatoes and horseradish sauce a disappointment. He commented that although the meat was tender, the overall taste was not up to expectation.

Secret Duck, however, was our favourite. The flavourful sauce was simply delectable. Done in two styles – braised duck leg in turkey ham as well as crispy slices of pan-seared duck breast served with mashed potato and ratatouille – Secret Duck will surely win over people who don't care much for duck.

Rahsia can make your wedding that much more special.

The Balinese Set was a platter of lemongrass rice served with scrumptious chicken curry, Indonesian-styled stewed beef, pineapple chutney and Malinjo crackers with a sambal belacan dip. We wished the portions were more generous, particularly the stewed beef, which won us over.

My sister liked the Spaghetti Vongole's creamy, soupy sauce. As an added kick, there were pieces of dried chilli amongst the clam and spaghetti. She said the tinge of spiciness made the dish unique.

Since all the main courses were served in medium portions, we had some room for dessert and decided to order the two house specialties: Crumble! (RM10) with pieces of apple was rather nice with its single scoop of vanilla ice cream and cinnamon sauce on the side. Spiced Peaches (RM10) had an interesting taste as the poached peaches in syrup were served with a dash of black pepper and bay leaf to go with the vanilla ice cream.

If you plan to visit for dinner, do take up their complimentary Cosmopolitan Cocktail offer. The cocktail is a superb blend of vodka and Jim Bean, and is available from 6pm to 8pm daily.

Rahsia boasts an impressive list of red and white wines from Australia, Portugal, France and Chile, and its happy hours are from 4pm to 6pm, with offers of beer and house-pouring wine at half price.

Another plus point that I like about Rahsia is its MSG-free food. Besides offering set lunches from RM8 nett, the restaurant also plays host to small dinner parties.

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