Beta is the tongue-in-cheek, playful culinary playground that is the latest One-Michelin-star luminary in the MICHELIN Guide to Kuala Lumpur & Penang 2024.
An early indication of what to expect from its friendly, relaxed vibe was its entrance - none of those hoity-toity, Zen-ish 50 shades of grey set-up with a pouting Harkonnen receptionist. Instead, it looked like a cross between a kids gymboree and last century Rainforest Cafe, with its proliferation of plastic flora and neon lights. We were half expecting to see an animatronic toucan, orangutan or elephant when we were shown inside.
The spacious, high-ceilinged bar & drinks area. Turned out, they set a long table there to accommodate our 8-person dinner party, as they couldnโt fit us into the main dining room. Oh well.
The main dining area which we couldnโt sit at - wouldโve been fun to be in there and watch the kitchen in action.
๐๐ข๐ฑ๐ช๐ฐ๐ค๐ข ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ, with ๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด, ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ช ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ญ๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.
Our menu degustation:
๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ (๐๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ , ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฎ, ๐๐๐๐๐ก, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ค) - These were a trio of elaborately assembled starters, each paying homage to the states within the Malaysian federation with regards to the ingredients used. There wasnโt any attempt to link the preparation techniques of each appetiser item to the respective stateโs traditional dish item - so we werenโt any wiser. Beautifully presented, though.
๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ - ๐๐บ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ค๐ฐ๐ค๐ฐ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฐ๐ฌ;
๐๐ข๐จ๐ฐ - ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ด๐ฉ, ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ง๐ณ๐ถ๐ช๐ต;
๐๐ข๐ค๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ - ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ต, ๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ-๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ฅ.
South (Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor)
Humble Salad - Pomelo, Yam, Kulim Oil, Peanut
Jungle garlic, known as Buah Kulim, is foraged from the interiors of the rainforest. Processed then steeped in oil, the resultant condiment imparts a deep, garlicky taste and smell to everything itโs added to:
South (Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor)
Scallop - Pumpkin, Cabbage, Fermented Mustard Greens - one of the standouts for this meal - the giant scallop was beautifully cooked and served with an assertively salty-ish soup, courtesy of the fermented mustard greens which cuts into the rich, meaty scallop.
South (Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor)
Tiger Prawn - MD2 Pineapple, Prawn Sambal - the main attraction of this dish was the pineapple foam which juxtaposed well with the grilled prawns. This was one of my favourite dishes for the evening besides my chicken main dish.
Preparing our palate cleanser: Asam pedas sorbet table-side:
There is a choice of main courses. Some of us opted for:
Corn-fed Chicken - Glutinous Rice Wine, Yellow Daylily - well-executed, with the chicken still moist and perfectly-cooked. The sauce was subtle and presenting very familiar flavours to the Chinese palate.
Lamb Rack - Spices, Koji, Smoked Aubergine, Tapioca Leaf - strictly for curry-lovers, but the lamb was perfectly-cooked.
Desserts
Loyang Vol 5 - Black Sesame, Ginger - one of Betaโs claim-to-fame: the Malay โkueh loyangโ given an amazing makeover. Only the shape was retained, whilst the new incarnation was unlike anything one has ever tasted before. A must-try - it really did taste as beautifully as it looks.
Bananas - Banana Leaf Ice-cream, Banana Fibres, Preserved Banana, Kombucha - donโt think I โgetโ this dessert. I love bananas, but this dessert didnโt seem to have brought out any of the bananaโs qualities which we looked for: the aroma, the sweetness, the beautifully mellow flavours. None seemed present here.
Overall, a rather flippant, hit-and-miss journey through Malaysia-according-to-Beta. A number of dishes showed great imagination and preserved local flavors.
Service was shaky and lacked sophistication - incorrect placement of cutlery and wine glasses. That certainly needs to be improved upon.
Address
Beta
Cormar Suites, Lot 163, 10, Jalan Perak, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +6019-212 1094
Opening hours: 6pm to 10pm Tue-Sun. Closed on Mondays
