One of this month's most promising new restaurants, Ru Di Fook represents the vision of three Malaysian culinary comrades - executive chefs Rudy Wee & Peter Pang (returning home following stints in Singapore's Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel & PS.Cafe respectively) & managing director Ken Wong (who co-founded Sri Petaling's 103 Coffee Workshop) offer an observant menu with inventive East Asian touches that try to tickle the taste buds from start to finish.
Soul food, bowl food: Wantan mee is the cornerstone of Ru Di Fook's repertoire - noodles with three fried pork wantans, three boiled wantans in a beautifully sweet scallop soup, half an onsen egg & kailan clock in at RM15.80 for a well-executed meal with a tasty kitchen-made chilli sauce. But if you prefer rice, the serving with three-cup ground pork, Thai basil & a crispy-frilled fried egg (RM17.80) supplies warm, satisfyingly hearty comfort too.
The team pays equally meticulous attention to side dishes; char siew & siew yok take on a few twists, with both the barbecued & roast pork (RM9 each) showcasing contemporary presentations & dipping combinations. The Kung Fu Mushrooms, a crunchy duet of the shimeji & oyster varieties with plum aioli, is addictive indeed (RM10.80), while the tomatoes & wolfberry herb chicken roulade convey pleasant nuances of liquor, the former of umeshu, the latter a little brandy (RM9.80 & RM10.80).
Desserts here shine with pure imagination: The Milo Pie & Horlicks Banana Crumble (RM20.80 each) are meant to channel the cherished flavours of Malaysian childhood - the first features vanilla ice cream, Milo, Ping Pong chocolate, salted ganache & whipped cream, while the second is even more delightful, the malt ice cream playing deliciously off an elaborately concocted ensemble of Horlicks crumble, torched bananas & condensed milk. We also like the Lucky 909, a layered guillingao with osmanthus honey jelly & goji berries (RM12.80), & the Tian Mimi 'Chawanmushi,' with soy custard, barley, gingko & fuchuk (RM12.80), making whimsical use of Chinese & Japanese inspirations. Tea, coffee & sodas are capably crafted here, but what we're looking forward to later this month are signature cocktails that combine, say, sake with chrysanthemum & Pu Er syrup.
Ru Di Fook Noodle Bar
2, Jalan PJU 5/4, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Open 11am-10pm, except Mondays. Tel: 03-7496-7103
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