Malaysia Unique Flavour Fine Dining - Asia Reinterpretation @ Copper Bar & Restaurant, Armenian Street

"Familiar food in unfamiliar flavor" is what we felt after a wonderful gastronomy experience trying the Asia Reinterpretation fine dining menu at the newly minted Copper Bar & Restaurant in Armenian Street Penang.

While classic fine dining concept revolves around Western-French cuisine, Copper Bar & Restaurant took a bold step in twisting fine dining cuisine by using flavour that were acquainted to us - Malaysian ingredients. You can spot some familiar dishes to Penangites on the menu, such as Juhu Char, Crab Omelette, Tau Eu Mushroom and etc, but rest assured these usual dishes will offer a brand new refreshing taste that poised to impress you. Coupled with the colonial building ambiance, Copper Bar & Restaurants offers an upscale dining environment which is suitable for couple dining, social gathering or business discussion. Currently, there are 2 different menu featuring 8-course dinner, priced at RM 269 and RM 289 for two persons.

The first dinner set (RM 269 for two) comes in below dishes:

• Juhu Char SSAM
• Roasted Mushroom Scallops
• Soft Shell Crab Omelette
• Couscous Ulam
• Claypot Prawns
• Snow
• Petit Four
• Tea or Coffee

The appetizer features a common dish in Nyonya cuisine yet in an elevated version - Juhu Char SSAM (stir fried Jicama and cuttlefish in wrap). By wrapping 5 different ingredients - bang kwang char, squid with lemon zest, mint leave and chicken floss, pickled spring onions and ginger, pickled cucumber and a touch of kimchi puree in a single vegetable leaf, it gives an unique flavour by fusing Peranakan and Korean elements in a single bite. A slight acidity contributed by the kimchi puree and pickled cucumbers helped to stimulate the appetizer for later dishes.

Next up is a dish that has presentation resembles scallops but in a more earthy setting - Roasted Mushroom Scallops. The Eringy mushroom is lightly baked, adding a more solid body to its juicy texture. Then it is served with a small quantity of torched tao cheo (fermented soy bean paste), mushroom leather and a dollop of mushroom puree, creating a balanced taste of salty and sweet that lifted the natural flavour of Eringy mushroom. 

After getting our taste buds flirted with 2 different small bites, it is time to get a more solid main. First up is Soft Shell Crab Omelette, a twist from Penang conventional hawker fare oyster omelette. Instead of a classic starch base, the soft shell crab omelette's base is made from mee suah, potatoes and chili, yielding a stronger fragrant along with the tempura battered soft shell crab. At the meantime, we were quite enjoying the slight tingling sensation contributed by the chili.

Creativity in cuisine continues to brim in Copper Bar & Restaurant in the next dish - Couscous Ulam. The Mediterranean dish had its tiny durum wheat pasta cooked in tomyam broth, then further spiced up with an assortment of ulam herbs - kafir lime leaves, mint, coriander, tumeric leave, kantan flower. The entire dish is appetizing, as we can taste the fine grains of couscous and sporadically striked by the flavourful kantan flower taste.   

• Seaweed Kerabu
• Beef and Pumpkin
• Tau Eu Mushroom
• Chicken Wings
• Australian Short Ribs
• Pumpkin Tarts
• Petit Four
• Tea or Coffee

At first glance, the Kerabu Seaweed looks like classic hors d’œuvre - canapes served during standing cocktail session. First, the presentation of the dish is impeccable. As we look into details, we see radish, shallots, pickled garlic, pomelo and peanuts, then it come to our realization it is Kerabu. Interaction between the different elements of the kerabu gave a very clean and light taste. At times, we can feel the light acidity derived from the Umeboshi dressing. The idea of using tempura battered seaweed taco shell to host the kerabu is a noble idea too as it introduces crunchiness to this light appetizer. 

Next up is a dish with peculiar combination that worked miraculously well - Beef and Pumpkin. It has Australian rump of beef, which is lightly sealed and smoked in house, then seasoned with mui choy, spring onion and macademia oil and topped with compressed pumpkin. The beef offers the texture akin to steak tartare, albeit in a more solidified texture with a very strong Asian traits - mui choy. Its umami flavour is well absorbed into the rooms between the beef, while the compressed pumpkin added a different texture layering to the moist rump of beef. 

Classic Peranakan dish - Tau Eu Bak (braised pork in dark soy sauce) has underwent a real twist here and became Tau Eu Mushroom. It has braised tau eu mushroom and braised water chestnut with water and coconut cream, then lightly garnished with petai. Given a choice, I would go for this Tau Eu Mushroom instead of Tau Eu Bak. This is due to the overall flavour is cleaner with less greasiness, and the mushroom offers an enjoyable juicy texture.

Chicken Wings may seem too common to appear in the fine dining menu here, but rest assured the chicken wings here is different in taste. The chicken wings are roasted into perfection with slight crisp skin, and well coated with an aromatic buttery and sesame scent. 

Next up is a precious slab of protein - Australian Short Ribs. The protein has been braised for 15 hours, rendering a very soft texture that almost melt upon came into contact to your tongue. It uses roselle glaze, roselle beef jus, cashew nuts crumbs and aubergine puree with buak keluak, which give arise a very local taste that paired well with the protein. 

Overall, the 8 Course Asia Reinterpretation Fine Dining Menu showcased such a high level of finesse to incorporate local flavours into fine dining dishes. The chef showcased in depth usage of the ingredients, and make every single elements contributed significantly to the overall dish. Furthermore, the price fall in affordable range for fine dining menu that should be welcoming to those who wish to try fine dining.