Elevating Asian dishes with creative flourishes
Right smack along the busy hubbub of Jalan Sultan Ismail is Fook, a serene sanctum defined by dark mood lighting and an aesthetic vibe designed to evoke a smile from the get-go.

The eatery is now a few years old and is the brainchild of Tamarind Restaurants, which runs other gorgeous location-driven eateries like Tamarind Hill.

The kitchen at Fook is helmed by experienced chef Abdullah Harun, an eloquent man whose passion for cooking began when he was just a child. Abdullah or Doul as he is better known, is the youngest of 12 siblings and spent basically his entire childhood watching his mother cook.

“I was so fascinated by what my mother cooked every day. Once when I was six or seven, I even climbed on the sink to see what she was doing and ended up banging my chin and having to get stitches!

“But my mother didn’t mind my curiosity. She always tried to encourage me to help her out in a fun manner. And I could see that she cooked to make us happy. And that is what intrigued me because she got so much pleasure out of that,” says Doul.

Doul is a passionate chef whose cooking is hugely inspired by his mother as well as his own experiences.

As an adult, Doul’s passion for cooking continued to grow and after finishing culinary school, he began working in top-tier hotels in KL before being offered an opportunity to work in Melbourne, Australia where he remained for a few years. When he returned to Malaysia, he worked with a catering company and later even Food Panda, where he headed the food delivery platform’s in-house cloud kitchens.

At Fook, Doul now gets to exercise his creative muscle and play around with classic Asian meals.

“The whole concept is to try to elevate or play around with whatever has been there already from the get-go. Like nasi kerabu for instance, I mean, it comes from Kelantan, and some might say why tamper with perfection?

“So when I say modernise it – it’s not about changing the whole concept of the dish, but instead it’s trying to take components from here and there and mixing it and coming up with new things,” explains Doul.

The menu is pretty expansive and covers Malay-centric and Chinese-inspired meals with a dash of Indian-influenced dishes and some that traverse the east-meets-West terrain.

Start your meal here with a sharing platter in the form of Fook’s Platter (RM49) which consists of seared sesame tuna, chicken satay, pandan chicken and mango kerabu.

This is a medley of different components that all work well together to give you an idea of how disparate foods can come together. The seared sesame tuna is incredibly fresh and very tender and still pink in the middle. The chicken satay meanwhile is really good – there is a nice char on the skin and this is complemented by sweet, succulent meat.

The eatery is a relaxing culinary sanctuary that provides respite from the hubbub of central Kuala Lumpur. — Fook

The pandan chicken is not bad but also probably the least memorable component in this equation. On the other hand, the kerabu offers a riotous explosion of flavours that provide tanginess, textural contrast and freshness on the palate.

Up next, look at trying the Masak Hitam Stir Fried Beef (RM32). According to Doul, the dish incorporates some classic Chinese cooking techniques as he cooks the beef in a wok to get that wok hei (also known as “dragon’s breath”) before immersing the tenderloin in the soy-based sauce so popular in Malay cuisine. As a result, the beef has a hint of smokiness and char and is also very tender and this segues really well with the sweet-salty sauce in this amalgamation.

Moving on, have a go at the Smoked Duck Masak Lemak (RM35) which features smoked duck against a backdrop of a coconut-laced gravy. The duck is the centrepiece of this meal and each slice is velvety and rich smoky nuances. The masak lemak gravy itself is very delicious but a tad thin, especially if you’re used to thicker, more sumptuous iterations of this dish.

The prawns are fabulously fat and packed with flavour and the jering adds a bitter quality to the meal that actually works very well. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star

The Sambal Hijau Jering Udang (RM49) features humongous prawns set against a canvas of green chilli sambal and accompanied by jering. Jering is a traditional local fruit that is quite bitter and very pungent. In this dish, Doul has done a battle with all the elements on the plate and emerged victorious. The prawns are fat, fluffy and flavourful, the green chilli sambal has fiery nuances without overwhelming the palate and the jering proves to be a wacky, weird addition that somehow adds character and verve to this meal.

Then there is the Steamed Seabass Fillet with Lime and Asam Boi (RM43). The fish is supple and yet still holds some body to it and the sauce is astringent, tangy and provides a powerful depth to the subtle flavours of the fish.

Perhaps the most triumphant dish on the menu right now is Doul’s Tandoori Lamb Shank with Masala Congee (RM82) which features slow-cooked lamb shank seasoned with tandoori flavours against a bed of masala congee with mint yoghurt to round it off.

“I’m a fan of lamb shanks. And you know the Italian way of doing it, they braise it and then they pair it with risotto for texture.

The platter offers something to whet the appetite of all diners with stand-out dishes like satay and seared tuna. — Photos: Fook

“But when I was growing up, my mum used to make her own version of bubur lambuk. To spice it up, she would add some curry elements to it because she wanted to make it more flavourful. So we grew up with her version and that is how I realised I could localise lamb shank and risotto!” says Doul.

The dish is awe-mazing – the lamb shank is pull-apart tender and has robust tandoori flavours at its core and this is countenanced by the masala congee, which is honestly a wondrous revelation. This is the sort of meal where the spirit of invention really runs deep and showcases something new couched in something old – but done exceedingly well.

End your meal with something sinful and sweet in the form of the Pandan Panna Cotta (RM29). Served with a butter crumble and mango slices, the panna cotta is delightful - suitably wobbly and delicate with lovely tropical notes that are guaranteed to extract oohs and aahs of pleasure.

Steamed fish is given a jazzy exuberance with the addition of the lime and assam boi sauce that layer the plate.

Moving forward, Doul says that his goal at Fook is to continue to ensure that people enjoy the food that he cooks, as this is what drives his passion.

“I would like to say that I’m a creative person so therefore it drives me to be creative. The more out of the box, the better it is. And the target is always to make it work and to ensure that it works.

“Being experimental is one thing, but making sure that it works is another. And how do we do that? By our guests and customers educating us. If they like it, that means something’s right. If they don’t like it, then we have to experiment more. But I personally feel that it comes easy because I like to experiment,” he says, laughing.

Fook

19, Jalan Sultan Ismail

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2716 2737

Open Tuesday to Thursday: 6pm to 10pm; Friday to Sunday: 6pm to 11pm
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