Lunch at ChoCha
A Malaysian food concept rooted in tradition and build out of the act of sharing. ChoCha is all about simplicity and connection where local sourced ingredients are crafted into small plates and drinks for people to share. Fresh, simple and full of flavour.
THE STORY
Tucked inside an old red light hostel with dim lights and many secrets, Chocha reimagined the building - not to erase the past, but to honour it. “Chocha” translates to “sit down and drink” in Hakka, an invitation into a time capsule to share new stories.
THE AMBIENCE
Walking into Chocha it feels like walking into a time capsule. The original structure, tiled floors and fading paint on the walls still remained from the past mixed up with modern elements such as the red wood benches, wooden tables and contemporary ceramics. What I absolutely loved were the plants all around that made the place absolutely alive as if they were there all along when abandoned. We went outside of normal lunch hours, so we didn't really got to experience the place filled with human energy. But we are sure this only adds up to the already amazing feeling charm of the building & interior.
THE MENU
Subtle, unassuming, yet deeply tied to the essence of Malaysian kitchens. ChoCha's seasonal menus carries their local aromas to a higher level. As I wasn't familiar with the Malaysian cuisine as I never travelled to Malaysia before. So I was eager to try out typical Malaysian food this trip. While Jaouad went over to the mosque around the corner, I already started off with one of their homemade beverages:
Upon his return, we went all the way. We started off with the Ulam Lemang, with an explosion of flavours in one bite: fluffy rice, chopped kaolin stems, zucchini, carrots and culantro, covered in sweet potato leaves, served with a Bambangan wild mango sauce on the side. Followed by the Borneo’'s version of ceviche, as I couldn’'t had enough of all the ceviches in Indonesia, I gave the ‘‘Umai’’ a try. A citrus-cured snapper marinated in Sarawak Iaksa paste with peanuts, sesame seeds, shrimp paste, spices and aromatics. Last but not least we tried ‘‘The Banana Blossom’’’, which was in my opinion the most delicious, it was pickled and deep-fried in tempura butter, served with a shrimp paste tomato sambal leaving a surprising taste on your tongue.
EXPERIENCE
Overall this restaurant absolutely surprised me! It was such a good experience for my first taste of Malaysian cuisine, I would definitely come back. Honestly I was confused of the tastes, I guess its so out of my comfort zone that I am not sure if its my kind of taste. But I absolutely loved the environment, the experimental tastings, the plating and warmth of Malaysian hospitality.
OPEN DAILY
LUNCH | 12:00 - 5:00 PM
DINER | 5:00 - Midnight
