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| Ultimate Indo-China |
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Published:
The Edge / Options |
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Date:
The Week of July 5, 2004 |
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 The growing medley of Italian, French, Mediterranean and other assorted culinary outlets in the city proves beyond a doubt that Malaysians are willing gastronomic guinea pigs. We'll try anything once. Yet our imports have of late been limited to dishes from far away lands, brushing aside Asian fare as over the hill. Okay, so Thailand has its fair share (if not more) of restaurants scattered around the city. But not, it appears, its other Indo Chinese cousins.
From the exterior, CoChine lounge and Restaurant could easily be mistaken for yet another Thai restaurant, what with the oversized Buddha bust marking the entrance, a wooden platform foyer surrounded by tropical greens in large terracotta pots and the subtle sounds of flowing water. But like all else taken for granted, its easy to forget that Indo China shares the same history and culture as Thailand. Hence, the similar décor.
But there's something different about CoChine, which marks the start of Asian Heritage Row along Jalan Doraisamy in the city, a contemporary edge to the traditional setting.
Split into two levels with Bar SaVanh downstairs catering to leisurely drinks after hours and CoChine the fine-dining area upstairs, that marriage of traditional and contemporary styles carries through the entire building.
Glass panes add modernity to walls that have been sponged orange for a rustic effect; red velvet chairs break the obvious traditional theme; stone carvings depicting Buddhism line the walls up to a point where large squares of glass enclose an atrium that overlooks the bar below.
The heavy use of plants, coupled with a sunken water feature that dominates the floor space at the bar area, are obvious décor items these days but against the large panes of glass and strategically placed sheer lightweight curtains, the elements gel to form a space that's genuine in its attempt to promote luxury and casualness.
The soothing warmth of the décor continues upstairs where dark wood-panelled floors and ceilings are brightened by the light penetrating through glass window panes and a skylight. By night, the ambience is infinitely more romantic, especially coupled with those red-velvet chairs.
We're brought the wine list as soon as we sink into one of those chairs, which is quite extensive with the usual Australian and French offerings as well as wines from South Africa and Argentina. It also has a decent amount of sparkling and dessert wines, which explains why CoChine's corkage is a steep RM80 per bottle.
The food itself focuses solely on Indo-Chinese cuisine, with dishes from all three countries in the region. And while there's a definite similarity between such food and Thai dishes, there's also a discernible difference.
We're offered the a la carte menu, but are told of the set lunch. For RM45++ per person, lunch is a spread of a starter, a salad and a main course plus a glass of house pouring wine thrown in. Judging by the cost of individual dishes (about RM20 for most except mains), the offer seemed a bargain.
 Of the three starters on the set menu, we selected the Vietnamese Spring Roll and the Laotian Fish Cakes. The spring rolls, although deep-fried, belied the fact thanks to the absence of oiliness. While the filling of minced chicken and prawn, mushrooms and bean vermicelli was done just right, I felt that the rice-paper skins it comes wrapped in were a little undercooked. My colleague, however, had no complaints. The chilli sauce spiked with sweet mint, however, was excellent.
If the spring rolls were delicious, the fish cakes were outstanding. The four skewers of lemongrass, on which the minced fish fillet is shaped and served on, didn't seem enough. But that's greed talking. The only problem with this dish is that you have to use your fingers to pry the fish from the lemongrass. But who cares? It was gorgeous, especially accompanied by the salty chilli sauce.
While the starters were truly appetizers that left us wanting more, one of the two salads on the set menu was rather disappointing, The Green Papaya Salad needed much more chilli padi (although to be fair, CoChine claimed that the dish had to be toned down, no thanks to customers complaining of the overt spiciness) and lime juice. What it tasted like was slices of young papaya tossed with tomatoes, peanuts and a touch of lime. Absolutely no kick, but palatable.
The Indochine House Salad proved a surprise. On appearance alone, the dish would have lost marks. Pale and milky looking, it appeared very unappetizing. But one bite is enough to keep you coming for more. The salad of shredded chicken, fresh watercress, lettuce, tomato and cucumber was brought to life with an astounding egg dressing. It might not sound or look like much, but it has to be tried.
 The portions so far were huge and the main course had yet to come. Recognising that not all of us can shovel large amounts of food at one sitting, CoChine offers most of its dishes in two sizes. The service was also up to expectations of a fine-dining restaurant with waiters politely waiting until each course had been finished with and allowing a few minutes in between before serving the next dish.
Just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, the mains were served, accompanied by fragrant jasmine rice if you wished. The Cambodian Style Chilli and Basil Chicken was described as spicy on the menu but was nowhere close to being so. The meat was tender without being stringy and the sauce, interesting. It's a nice dish, one that's apparently a favourite with regular patrons here. But it needs more chilli and more seasoning.
The winner of the day was the Pepper Beef with Garlic and Butter, which was tender to the point of melting in the mouth. Sliced into sizeable chunks, the meat didn't come served in a thick coating of black pepper sauce but lightly marinated with herbs and spices and sautéed in butter. Succulent and well-marinated, the beef didn't need any accompaniment. So, imagine what it was like dipped in the sweet and sour sauce. It's worth heading here if only for this dish.
All the dishes offered on the set menu are also offered a la carte at any time of day. There were four choices of main courses including a Southern Vietnamese Duck Curry and Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup. Worth every sen of that RM45++.
But what is lunch without dessert? Especially when there's a sticky rice mango on the menu. This was just perfect with ripe slices of mango and a hunk of sticky rice not overcooked but just sticky enough and with the right amount of salty santan. Mmmm…..
All Options food reviews are done incognito. Pictures are taken and interviews done on a separate occasion.
CoChine Lounge & Restaurants
Asian Heritage Row
64 Jalan Doraisamy, KL
(03) 2697 1180
Hours: Lunch: 12 noon - 2.30pm (Mon-Fri)
Dinner : 6.30-11pm (daily)
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