CHILLI CRABS FOR BUCKED OUT SEAFOOD AT GOBO CHIT CHAT

To paraphrase a famous fast food chain, it’s finger-lickin’ good. Hot, saucy and meaty Chilli Crabs are the ‘must have’ dish of Gobo Chit Chat’s Bucked Out Seafood promotion.

Although disposable gloves are provided, we reckon a first-hand experience in grappling with the saucy mud is the best way to go. The mud crabs yield a good amount of sweet meat. Deep-fried pieces of mantou buns are served, for dipping into the scrumptious sweet and sour sauce.

 

Aside from that star dish, the restaurant’s popular seafood feast is a siren’s call seafood-loving crowd in the city couldn’t resist at RM149 nett per person. 

Available every Friday and Saturday from 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm, Gobo Chit Chat touts its fresh seafood market concept with aplomb. 

 

 

Stacks of stainless steel buckets are provided for diners to pick and choose from the wide assortment of seafood: live mud crabs, langoustines, baby slipper lobsters, flower crabs, crayfish, razor clams, cherry stone clams, scallops, prawns and mussels.

 

 

Hand over your bucket of raw seafood to the chefs and they’ll cook them with your preferred sauce: coriander lime sauce, garlic cheese sauce, sambal sauce, and rendang sauce.

 

If you like adrenalin-boosting chilli heat, the coriander lime sauce will set your tastebuds ablaze. Our vote goes to the creamy garlic cheese sauce as it amplifies the inherent sweetness of the seafood. 

 

 

 

More of King Neptune’s deep-sea treasures are laid out in an international showcase of culinary styles: from Japanese and Thai to European and Scandinavian, to reel in hungry diners.

A riot of colours catches the eye from the impressive array of sashimi, sushi, maki rolls, tempura and Japanese appetisers: jelly fish, marinated seaweed and chuka idako (marinated baby octopus) while freshly made takoyaki (Osaka’s famed dough balls filled with chopped octopus) beckons nearby.

I enjoy tossing my own salads from the multitude of mixed greens, condiments and sauces laid out at the salad bar. Chilled seafood such as poached slipper lobsters, crayfish, scallops and mussels jostle for attention alongside salmon gravlax, cold cuts, smoked white fish and little shot glasses of ready-to-eat appetisers.

 

 

 

The hot main course section will leave you spoiled for choice. Noteworthy specialities to savour include grilled salmon head, seafood paella, a whole fish grilled Thai-style in salt crust, steamed red snapper with garlic, otak otak, seafood spaghetti aglio olio, grilled seabass with salsa, mussels with black beans, roasted beef brisket and breaded jalapeno with cheese among others.

 

 

If you manage to find tummy space for dessert, sweet treats such as churros with cinnamon sugar, durian crepes, banana fritters with cheese, assorted cakes and local kuih, and ice cream will leave you on a lovely high.

For every group of five paying diners, the sixth diner can dine for free at Gobo Chit Chat. Reservations are highly recommended to avoid disappointment.

For reservations, call Gobo Chit Chat, tel: 03-2332 9905. Address: Level 5, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

HIGH NOON LUNCH CHOICES AT NOBU KL

Nobody would expect a simple dish of Cauliflower Steak with Corn Salsa (RM58++) to steal the limelight at lunch. Especially at Nobu Kuala Lumpur atop Petronas Tower 3. It’s one of the unexpected gems we glean from Nobu’s Set Lunch – the subtly smoky ‘steak’ captures Nobu’s trademark philosophy of infusing Japanese and Peruvian influences into the freshest ingredients perfectly.

Depending on what catches your fancy, the Set Lunch list Grilled Chicken with Nobu Sauces (RM60++), Sushi & Sashimi (RM95++), Beef Tenderloin (RM130++), Dry Age Prime Rib Eye (RM130++) and Lobster Wasabi Pepper (RM145++) as the main course.

 

Each choice of main is accompanied by miso soup, salad, tempura, housemade Nobu biscuits and complimentary green tea – a complete meal to leave you happily replete.

Ladies and gentlemen who lunch have more than the abovementioned set lunches to look forward to with Executive Chef Philip Leong’s latest drive to elevate the ‘Noon at Nobu’ experience. The expanded midday dining selection now includes pre-fixe menus, bento boxes, cold & hot dishes in addition to soups, noodles and dessert.

Priced at RM168++, the Pre-Fixe parade inclusive of miso soup and green tea features a choice of appetiser, a main course and dessert. Among the five appetisers, the plain-looking Butter Lettuce Salad Dry Miso stands out for its palate-pleasing umami appeal.

 

Coming in a close second in the popularity stake is Seafood Ceviche, a healthy yet delicious mixture of quinoa, prawns, fish and squid with baby greens, tomato and cucumber. The Umami Chicken Kara-age is underwhelming by comparison. Both the Salmon New Style Sashimi and Yellowtail Jalapeno are distillation of Nobu’s signature dishes so no surprises there. 

Shrimp with Spicy Garlic (its zingy heat makes it a hot favourite), Snapper with Black Bean Sauce (notable), Beef Tenderloin with Wasabi Pepper, Mushroom Toban Yaki and Grilled Chicken with Truffle Teriyaki beckon in the main course options.

All the dessert choices are exceptional. I’m partial to the sublime Japanese Whisky Cappuccino which packs a nice flavour punch that left me hankering for more. Pure white and foamy, the former proves to be a revelation as the heavenly creation constitutes coffee creme brulee with cocoa crumble, vanilla ice cream and Japanese whisky foam.

The Yogurt Sub Zero pairs scoops of tangy yogurt ice cream with fresh berries, raspberry sauce and sesame crisp. A perfect pick-me-upper to cleanse the palate post-lunch.

Playful textures and delicate flavours meld wonderfully in the Chocolate Sata Andagi – dark chocolate filled Japanese doughnut with caramelised pistachios is complemented by pandan ice cream on coconut sablé.

Completing the tempting line-up are Green Tea Fiji Shave Ice – Fiji water and organic soy milk shaved ice soused with green tea syrup, red bean paste, green tea mochi and green tea tuile, and Banana Harumaki – crispy banana spring roll with dulce de leche, white sesame ice cream and passionfruit sauce.

For those who want a little of everything, the substantial Bento Box (RM175++) will tickle the tastebuds with Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing, Assorted Sushi, Rock Shrimp Tempura with Butter Ponzu, Nobu’s signature Black Cod Miso and Vegetable Spicy Garlic with Rice. A serving of miso soup is included.

Also available is Donburi, served with miso soup and salad. Of the four options listed, the Wagyu Short Rib Teriyaki Donburi (RM120++) is a heartily satisfying choice worth considering. Poached egg and assorted mushroom add to the dish’s comforting appeal.

 

Nobu Kuala Lumpur is open for lunch Monday to Friday, 12.00pm to 2.00pm.

 

For enquiries or reservations, please call NOBU KL, tel: 03-2164 5084 or WhatsApp: 019-389 5085.