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Having led the way in authentic Malay cuisine for 4 years, Songket now has new offerings like butter prawns and sotong masak kunyit.
Songket Restaurant has long led the way in introducing deliciously authentic Malay cuisine to locals and foreigners alike in our city. Having been in the industry for an illustrious 4 years, it remains strong in being one of the best Malay food specialists around.
To celebrate the milestone, it has introduced new items to its menu, each with an unmistakable Songket touch without straying too far from its original intended recipe.
Live Satay
No local Malay eatery can call itself truly local without satay on its menu. Songket’s satay doesn’t only shine in taste but also in terms of presentation. It comes served with a small coal pit, over which you grill your own skewers. Tender chunks of pre-cooked meat will take only 3 minutes each to grill to perfection, after which you can eat literally hot off the grill for a highly memorable experience.
The skewered slivers of meat, marinated overnight, prove lean yet tender, flavoursome yet natural and all-around delicious with a smokiness you can see and taste.
Butter Prawns
A dish typically associated with Chinese cooking, buttered prawns is also actually quite the staple in Malay cooking. Unlike the Chinese recipe however, where the prawns are stir-fried until dry, the Malay recipe sees a runnier base with a thick, rich butter sauce.
This gets the sauce well infused into the prawns for bites that are juicy, creamy and full of flavour. Small cherry tomatoes add a small nice tangyness to the dish, saving it from dangerously becoming cloying.
Sotong Masak Kunyit
Most places prepare squid in heavy sauces that unfortunately drown out its natural sweetness. Songket cooks its squid with only a dash of turmeric so it lends it a nice herbal dimension with a slight spice, while letting diners taste the freshness of the squid.
The skill of the chef is illustrated through the perfect texture of the squid – not limp which signals at it being undercooked, nor rubbery, a sign of it being overcooked. Long beans and slices of carrots add a nice crunch to the dish that is sweet, savoury and only slightly spicy in all the best ways.
Ayam Percik
Ayam percik is one of the hardest Malay dishes to perfect, due to the grilling over open fire required to cook the dish. Most ayam percik result in tough, dry chunks of chicken with charred skin that tastes too much of smoke.
Songket’s ayam percik comes off at the prod of our forks like steamed chicken would – in succulent chunks with juices flowing. The outer skin boasts a light shade of char, enough to give it its signature smoky flavour without completely overtaking the whole dish. Its winning points lie in its marinade – flavoursome from a generous mix of spice, it demonstrates the best of the dynamic Malay recipe.
Ikan Bakar
Songket’s ikan bakar is as perfect as ikan bakar gets. Its top skin is crisp and only lightly salted for a nice pleasant crunch at first bite. Underneath, fluffy, white flesh goes mouthwateringly well with a spritz of lime juice and a smearing of sambal belachan. It comes served with a side of fresh ulam for those wanting a crunch to complement the experience.
Assam Pedas
Songket’s assam pedas comes as a surprise – its curry is thick and creamy, as opposed to the runny version we’re used to when it comes to assam pedas. However, the richness is well balanced out with enough tartness, courtesy of the use of assam belimbing slices in its cooking. The rare ingredient not only provides an intense enough sour kick to the dish, it does so with a small element of sweetness that really opens up the flavour of the curry.
Thick blocks of fish lend the curry the bulk of its savoury body. This is one dish that makes asking for extra rice inevitable.
Goreng Pisang
Dessert at Songket is unapologetically traditional. A local favourite, the goreng pisang, makes for a startlingly satisfying meal cap. Songket’s comes served topped with dessicated coconut and side servings of coconut ice cream and gula Melaka syrup.
Underneath the nice crisp coat of batter, the banana is sweet and creamy. Dessicated coconut work together with coconut ice cream and gula Melaka syrup to add a nice cold and sweet element to the dish, wrapping the whole dish up nicely.
Songket is located at 29, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Kuala Lumpur. For more information or reservation enquiries, please call 03 - 2161 3331.
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