Food + Drink

Akar 2.0’s refreshed direction and space breathes new life into its refined cuisine

A new era

22.07.2024

By Amanda Fung

FEATURED IMAGES: Akar 2.0
Akar 2.0’s refreshed direction and space breathes new life into its refined cuisine

After a brief hiatus, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail’s Akar and its team have returned with a renewed identity (now known as Akar 2.0) and a revamped space. As part of its renewed direction, Chef Aidan Low and his team have shifted their culinary focus to a more Japanese-leaning cooking style that still incorporates Malaysian flavours. This move is an ode to Low’s time in Japan, where he trained in both Japanese and French techniques. While its technical foundations may have altered, diners can still expect the team’s meticulous attention to detail and tasteful incorporation of local produce. 

 

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On the design front, the restaurant is completely unrecognisable from what it was prior to its renovation work. Though it maintains its address, the space has taken on a completely new look to embrace a more cosy and refined ambience. Along with all the reintroductions, the restaurant also unveiled its new logo, a combination of the letters in its name positioned to resemble a blossom flower. During our meal, we got acquainted with the team’s new mission and learned all about the thought put into its new look as well as the menu. 

* Menu items and details are subject to change as tweaks are made to the recipes to better fit the produce of the day.

 

THE SPACE

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

Akar 2.0’s fresh space was designed as a nod to nature as well as Low’s youth. Studio TCH—led by founder and designer Tan Chee Ho—designed every corner of the restaurant, executing the vision to a tee. During the ideation process, Tan even sifted through photo albums with old photographs of Low’s childhood home. The result is an inviting and refined space, decked out in neutral tones as well as natural materials.

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 reviewUpon entering the oxidised steel sliding door, I immediately felt a sense of warmth that I once thought could only exude out of someone’s home. The restaurant’s waiting area, known as the Rumah Anjung, is embellished with hand-cut terracotta tiled floors, adding to its rustic yet welcoming allure. After being greeted, we then ventured through a hallway lined with black and white photos from the restaurant’s beginnings—a tribute to the team and their work.

As we stepped into the dining area, it was clear that the restaurant before us wasn’t what it was just two months ago. Now with custom-made wooden furniture, an open show kitchen with terracotta tiles, and fabric screens, Akar 2.0’s space is something I would want my future home to look like. 

 

STARTING BITES

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

Nowadays, most menus at restaurants such as Akar 2.0 are left vague to keep things interesting with each course only defined by one or two core ingredients. This Mekar menu was no different, with each line offering no clues as to what one can expect. The first three courses were labeled as such: X-Dairy Cow, Prawn Pais, and breadfruit—all of which piqued my interest. 

The first of the trio was a dainty, bright pink kuih pai tee, flled with cubes of retired dairy cow meat that were coated in a beef fat emulsion. On top of the morsel was a picture perfect hemisphere of Caviar Colony’s Amur caviar. The contrast of textures between the shell and beef was pure delight. Better yet, the salinity from the creamy caviar tied the entire mouthful together, kicking off the meal on a strong start. 

Next came the Prawn Pais and breadfruit courses, presented as a pair. The former was an expert combination of big head prawns with glutinous rice, wrapped in a mulberry leaf and served alongside a bold tempoyak tapai hot sauce. Meanwhile, the latter was a warm squid ink fried bun, filled with salted duck egg jam and topped with duck serunding. Perfectly savoury and comforting, this bread course ticked all the right boxes. 

 

SQUID

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

Of all the different seafood that can be eaten raw, squid comes close to the top of the list in my books. In this Mekar menu, Akar does the tender ingredient justice by serving it sliced thinly in passion fruit jelly along with drops of kesom oil, julienned cucumber, and local finger lime. While the oil left a delightful herby aroma with each bite, the tangy passion fruit jelly and finger lime both complemented the mild and sweet squid perfectly. As a whole, it was a refreshing and bright add to the menu that ended up being one of my favourites in the meal. 

 

OYSTER AND CHAYOTE

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

Inspired by a dish the team introduced during its month-long stint at Ed.ju Omakase in April, this course took what you know about ice cream and blew it out of the water. Made with fresh Hiroshima oysters, this “dessert” was a pleasant surprise to my palate. The savoury ice cream was layered with lacto-fermented green sambal and lactic lemongrass before being topped with latok (sea grapes) for some extra texture. 

 

SLIPPER LOBSTER AND PUMPKIN

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

Continuing the seafood streak was a brilliant two-component course: slipper lobster and pumpkin. In a chawanmushi-sized bowl was a serving of the grilled crustacean topped with an earthy and sweet pumpkin espuma. This half of the dish was also finished with a drizzle of rose syrup and rose oil for some extra floral notes to complement the deep tones from the slipper lobster. A crispy cucur udang with pumpkin and onion on the side—served with a fragrant garlic and daun sup aioli—offered a much-appreciated savoury crunch to the overall course. 

 

JICAMA & ABALONE

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

Usually seen all over dining tables during Chinese New Year, abalone takes the spotlight in this dish. Served in a spring roll “sphere”, the abalone was sliced and combined with jicama, betel leaf, abalone liver sauce, and eryngii mushrooms. While the mixture within the spring roll was nothing short of luscious joy, the star of the course for me was the composition of the wrapping itself. It was slightly chewy with a bite from the crust, encasing the medley of textures and flavours within it. 

 

SARDINE & KALE

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

This dish is what happens when you take humble, everyday ingredients and turn it into something magical with exceptional knowledge and understanding of culinary practice. On my plate was a charcoal-grilled Japanese sardine, served with rice-battered kale chips, mashed Japanese turnip, and sardine liver sauce. While the sardine was tender and slightly salty, the liver sauce and kale chips both offered a touch of bitterness that balanced the entire plate. 

 

AGED DUCK

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

Aside from his proficiency in local produce, Japanese techniques, and flavour combinations, Low is particularly adept when it comes to cooking duck. Using Cherry Valley duck from up north in Penang, the dish stands as the sole entry on the menu that stars a land protein. 

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

The duck is aged for about a week to maximise tenderness and flavour before being cooked and served alongside a rice cake disc and herbs. Meanwhile, the rice cake was brushed with sand ginger marmite and doubanjiang sauce—both of which had a sweet savouriness that sang alongside the duck’s umami profile. To round off the dish, the lemon marigold, Japanese chives, and wild ginseng added some bright herbiness that lifted and brightened every mouthful. 

 

CRAB CLAYPOT

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

For our main starch course, we were presented with an Akar 2.0 signature: it’s crab claypot rice. I just know my face lit up the moment I saw the claypot being wheeled over to our table for service. Made using koshihikari rice, crustacean stock as well as cold-press engkabang oil, the dish was decadent in all the right ways. 

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

The thin crust from the blistering hot claypot, the concentrated aromas from the crustacean stock, the shiny pearls of rice, the juicy chunks of local mud crab, and the smooth house-made egg yolk noodle toppings. I loved it all. To take things up a notch, we were also asked to add some light, yet spicy crab stock to our rice bowls after tasting it sans broth beforehand. If the claypot hadn’t run empty (and I wasn’t loosening my belt), I probably would not have stopped devouring this main. 

 

PASSION FRUIT

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

To prepare our palates for the upcoming sweets, we had a pre-dessert of passionfruit curd, burnt banana leaf oil, roselle jelly, passionfruit and carrot sorbet. As a finishing touch, a heap of Oboro kombu was served alongside the sorbet for a dash of saltiness against the acidity from the passion fruit. With the contrasting flavour profiles from each component, it was hard to imagine what each mouthful would taste like. Yet, when I had my first spoonful, sparks flew. With my palate that has a penchant for masterfully done sweet and salty pairings in dishes like these, this pre-dessert was a win in my books. 

 

FIG LEAF

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

As our palates switched gears from savoury to sweet, we were ready for our main dessert. Aptly served in a bowl atop a bed of fig leaves was a scoop of none other than fig leaf ice cream. Because I was at Akar 2.0 and not my neighbourhood ice cream parlour, of course I wouldn’t expect rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips. Instead, we were treated to an ikan bilis and almond crumble and strings of guava jelly with asamboi sugar, which reminded me of the sour tape candy I grew up loving. Lastly, a swirl of banana reduction caramel tied the dessert together with its buttery sweetness. Yet again, it was another show of how savoury and sweet flavours are a match made in heaven when executed properly!

 

SWEET ENDING

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

Instead of the usual petit four one would expect after a meal like this, we were treated to a petit three alongside a pot of tea. In true Akar 2.0 fashion, we were served a trio of kuih-muih: a miniature kuih bahulu, a green mango onde-onde, and a slice of kuih sarang semut

While the kuih bahulu—paired with sansho sugar—was a delightful nostalgic bite, the green mango onde-onde was a delicious reminder of how even kuih can be elevated and modernised. Finally, my personal favourite, the kuih sarang semut was a sweet and fragrant morsel served with a dollop of jackfruit jam. As someone who doesn’t favour jackfruit even in the slightest, I was converted for the purposes of this dessert, thanks to the Akar 2.0 team’s creation. 

BURO Malaysia - Akar 2.0 review

To any gourmand living in Kuala Lumpur, Akar 2.0 should be on your list. It is a restaurant that I have been and will continue to recommend to friends, both local and visiting. Whether they’re on the look out for a date night destination, a place to celebrate a special occasion, or just something to look forward to during the week, I would point them in the direction of this very TTDI restaurant. 

Its cuisine stays curious and inviting, all while keeping diners and their palates on their toes throughout the meal. Each course is a delightful reminder of the potential that Malaysian ingredients have and the immense skill that lies within the team’s hands. A great celebration of food and flavour within our lands, Akar 2.0 is worthy of a reservation regardless of your reasons. Plus, its relatively affordable price point for a meal of this caliber is a definite bonus. 


Akar 2.0

Address: 109, Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours: 6pm to 12am (Tuesday to Thursday) | 12pm to 3pm & 6pm to 12am (Friday and Saturday) 

Contact: +6018 277 0597

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Reservations 

 

 

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