Kuala Lumpur – With the ethos of “constantly questioning accepted principles and rules in our search for flavour and innovation”, devoted Reka:Bar followers and new friends will be thrilled to experience the newly launched Spotlight menu, which allows them to travel to Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar without having to leave the city.
Reka:Bar staff pushes boundaries while showcasing various themes on its seasonal Spotlight menu, which is only offered for a limited time from now to mid of the year.
The Spotlight Menu 4.0: Unseen Beauty place a shine on the stories of unique, lesser-known, yet stunning cultures of the people from neighbouring countries who have made Malaysia their home. One cocktail in particular, Bor-Honey!, honours Mahbub Hasan, a founding team member of the Reka: Bar who moved to Australia.
Here, we speak to co-founder Nick Choo of Reka:Bar about the manifestation and the thought process of the menu*
*a portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting a local refugee non-profit.
The first thing we do is to identify and choose a particular theme we would like to focus on. The team spends about a month on research on theme-appropriate drink and food ideas and then it’s multiple tastings and refinements until every drink and dish is given. the final seal of approval.
Our main focus with this menu is to highlight all the beauty within every culture, particularly those of the Asian diaspora in Malaysia.
This menu is positioned as a charity menu to commemorate our first year of operations and also to honour our dear team member and friend Mahbub “Harry” Hasan, who has left us for another adventure in Australia.
We feel that these beautiful cultures, flavours and traditions are often overlooked in favour of offerings from more mainstream dominant cultures.
Bangladesh: Bor-Honey!
Ocho Blanco, Ginger-Honey, Mint Lassi, Black Salt, Calamansi.
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Mahbub Hasan otherwise known fondly as Harry is a long standing fixture in the KL bar scene, starting from his days as a junior bartender in Case Study and continuing on to various other establishments such as Birch and PS150 KL. “He was a founding team member at Reka:Bar and will be family forever. For this menu he contributed the drink Bor-Honey!”
Inspired by Harry’s favorite childhood drink on a scorching hot day, Borhani, a cold spicy salted lassi drink. “We reimagined these flavours in an elegant clarified yoghurt drink with honey, it would pass as Borhani’s little sister, an elegant clarified yogurt cocktail.”
Indonesia: “Mocha Java”
Appleton Signature Blend, Campari, Mancino Rosso, Ginger, Indonesian Coffee
Indonesia is a country well known for its coffee beans, especially in regions such as Java, Sulawesi, and Sumatra. Mocha Java is inspired by the traditional drink ‘Kopi Jahe’ which means ginger coffee, and the name is a nod to the classic “Mocha Java” blend of Indonesian coffee beans.
Myanmar: YPA “Yangon Pale Ale”
Beefeater Gin, Sandalwood, Mango Tea Cordial, Hopped Toddy
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“We were inspired by 3 iconic Burmese products and ingredients – Sandalwood, Tea and Toddy – to create a beer-like highball drink that we lovingly term “YPA”.”
Nepal: Nomadic Breakfast
Michter’s Bourbon, Kümmel, Pu’er Tea Millet, warm Butter Foam
The only warm cocktail in the menu, Normadic Breakfast is inspired by the local Nepalese Yak butter tea (milk, butter and pu’ er) and the local millet beer Tongba (grains, hot water), This concoction is fuzzy-warm, woody, nutty, aromatic and topped up with a warm butter foam. A great cocktail to cap the experience!
Philippines: Hello-Halo
Los Siete Misterios Mezcal, Matusalem Platino, Toasted Coconut, Jackfruit Shrub, Ube Horchata
Inspired by the local iconic dessert Halo-halo (Filipino iconic shaved ice dessert), this cocktail utilises coconut cream, flesh and water in its curation whilst incorporating jackfruit and purple yam, paying homage to the traditional dessert.
A shaken sweet and creamy drink bursting with tropical flavours.
Myanmar: Lahpet
The food dishes are also designed to pair with the drinks, one should be able to have all the food creations together with every drink. One standout pairing to try would be the YPA with the Jackfruit Pakora, another is the Lahpet Tohke Sea bass and the Bor-Honey. Lahpet which means “fermented tea leaf”, and “Thoke means salad”.
We hope that our guests will enjoy their experience enough to explore more of these cultures in the future.
Make your reservation at Reka:Bar here.
Reservations and for group bookings (more than 14 guests) are encouraged. Please send Reka:Bar a message via Whatsapp at +6010-287 8908, so that the team can assist you better.
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Reka:Bar operation hours are Monday to Thursday: 6pm-1am, Friday and Saturday: 6pm-2am, Sunday: 5pm to 12am
