May’s Enak venue was a hidden gem right in the heart of Bukit Damansara’s newest mall – Pavilion Damansara Heights. Hosted by Dr. Ainie Kuntum and Pn.Rosidah Radzian, LADO is a sophisticated and elegant Malay restaurant located on the 5th floor of the mall.
The brain child of Datin Zunita, LADO was inspired by her grandfather who was a cook for the Negeri Sembilan Palace and also by the recipes from her mother. Lado Restaurant aims to recreate authentic Malay cuisine, with inspiration from Negeri Sembilan as well as other diverse Malay heritage cuisines.
Famed for their “masak lemak” dishes (which are dishes usually cooked in coconut milk) as well as their “bakar” which are dishes that are grilled over flame, 24 Enak members who had paid RM55 per person had the opportunity to experience both of these specialities. We started off with Kerabu Mangga and Ambra Ikan Bilis – which was a mango and ambra anchovy salad with chilli paste and lime dressing, followed by the masak lemak pucuk paku and keledek (fern shoots and sweet potatoes in coconut milk). Both were simply delicious although they tested the abilities of a few of our friends in terms of spice level!
The two main dishes were a grilled squid and a lemongrass skewer chicken percik both in the “bakar” style which were delicious. This was accompanied by both white rice and nasi minyak which is actually Malay ghee butter rice. This was definitely why it was so tasty and which proved to be the fan favourite! Nasi minyak is cooked with ghee, along with a mixture of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, along with some ginger, garlic and raisins. It was little wonder that it was a great complement to the dishes.
Our photographers for the event were Rosemary and Ay Ling who were tireless in ensuring they captured great memories of the food and the attendees of the event. Our group photo was in front of the restaurant, surrounding their bicycle display, and it was a great end to a lovely lunch. Ainie and Rosidah went the extra mile to try the restaurant several times to ensure that all fellow Enak members would have a truly memorable meal.
Review with many thanks to Yap Su Lin
