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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright February 2023
If you like cat fish you'll love the way Triptyk chefs prepared it on our recent anniversary, ala Indochine Fusion.
Triptyk is a "food and beverage collective"made up of three concepts: a bar and two restaurants.
The cat fish prepared for us is deep fried coated with Asian spiced corn meal some paprika, a tinge of tamarind, salt, pepper and a little gula Melaka.
It was sliced then coated with above ingredients before being deep fried with the head left whole leaving the fish looking larger than it really is.
The oil was super hot, boiling in fact, when they gently lowered the whole fish into the deep fryer for a few minutes. The chef didn't say for how long and I forgot to time it.
But the result is that the outer part of the fish is crispy but the flesh is firm, moist and succulent. Just the way we like our fish.
You could if you are adventurous enough chew on the crispy head too.
However, our daughter who invited us cautioned me against being gross in public. Anyway, I could have done it so very quietly in the privacy of my own kitchen.
The deep fried fish was accompanied by an excellent salad mostly of ulam Raja that has a slightly bitter taste almost similar to arugula and kale. But served with Thai chili sauce dressing of nam pla, gula melaka, chilies, lime salt and pepper, it was perfect.
Back to the fish then.
As we looked at a deep fried cat fish presented before us in a large tinty platter it did evoke my senses bringing back memories to the days when as a kid I fished them out of the muddy river by our kampung in Kedah.
Not many were over enthusiastic whenever I brought home a bunch of cat fish. Not many cared to eat them either. We usually salted them and grilled over open fire. Awful!
Triptyk is supposed to offer a promise of three concepts that are meant to emerge out of a pre war building to tantalise your taste buds and evoke your senses.
It's supposed to help you rekindle a feeling, memory or image in your subconscious mind.
The fish did that for me helped by the chefs from the tiny kitchen that is on your left as you enter the bar and restaurant.
Look for a sign "Corridor" above your head. You'll see chefs preparing meals through a glass window when you stand in the corridor.
Cat fish if I remember correctly was abundant when I was growing up in the 60s and they were very cheap. We gave them away because folks believed the fish feeds on wastes.
But of late it is in great demand, popular with the young as a delicacy. And pricey too! Priced RM36 ++ the fried cat fish we had that night is worth every penny.
Then there is the second promise. The zero cocktails bar that Michael Cheang of The Star describes so well in his article about Triptyk. "It is a low- to zero-proof bar, and also advocates zero waste and sustainable practices. The interior is very minimalist, meant to pay tribute to the pre-war history of the space, and true to its goal of sustainability, every "new" addition to the building is salvaged and repurposed from other renovation sites."
We spent some time at the bar sipping zero beer with fruity flavours. One tasted like lychee but was not sweet. It was beer minus the alcohol. Young adults at the bar seemed to like it. The bitter taste and the smell of lychee and other fruits left seasoned beer drinkers of old wondering "what's wrong with them!"
The third promise, the second restaurant is still a work in progress. We'll have to wait a while before that outlet on the ground floor starts receiving guests.
Meanwhile in the zero cocktail bar, a DJ was spinning some great music, a bit loud for my old ears but it didn't seem to bother the younger ones.
Everyone was laughing happily enjoying alcohol free cocktails and shouting to make sure their voices are heard in a crowded room filled with people and music playing in the background.
It was one of those happy moments that reminded me of days in a smoke filled disco in a basement of a hotel like Tin Mines of KL Hilton in 70s?
Except at Triptyk there was no smoke. The air was fresh and the room was cool reminding me of a little place at Greenwich Village in New York City I hung out to enjoy jazz by people like Herbie Hancock!
The place really evokes incredible memories!
Triptyk, is a new food collective and sustainable cocktail bar for the young urban adults founded by Angel Ng an F&B celebrated industry stalwart and Ahmed Zareh a well known architect, is located in a pre-war shop lot on Jalan Tuba, Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur.
You have to visit this bar and restaurant located in a pre war building that is unique in every way, in terms of food and drinks. You'll be glad you did. It'll bring back some old memories of years gone by.
Address: No 88 Jalan Tuba, Kampung Attap, 50460 Kuala Lumpur.
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