Cover The all-new Bistro Léa (Photo: Bistro Léa)
The all-new Bistro Léa (Photo: Bistro Léa)
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The charming Bistro Léa is the husband-and-wife-duo’s latest venture, after Jus Resto Bar
Working together as a couple is considered taboo, but Ka Hong Lau and Celine Choong are testimony that sometimes, it can be a recipe for success. With a booking at their first restaurant, the 15-seater Atelier Binchotan, being one of the most sought-after in town, the popularity of Jus Resto Bar, and a newly opened French bistro under their wing, one cannot deny they have managed to defy the stigma.
While chef-owner Lau runs kitchen operations at the establishments, Choong, now heavily pregnant in her third trimester, operates as front-of-house. “I make decisions based on how customers feel, while [Lau] is more creatively driven, so it is only natural we sometimes fight,” she laughs.
Read more: 10 new restaurants, cafés, and bars in Malaysia to visit in October 2024
Above Ka Hong Lau
Ka Hong Lau
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The two were set up by a colleague while they were both part of the team of the now-closed Joël Robuchon Restaurant in Singapore. “After we got together, we decided to stop working in the same restaurant,” she recalls—Lau went on to cut his chops at Restaurant André and Le Bon Funk, before the duo returned to Malaysia in December 2019 to open their own space, after Choong fell pregnant with their first child.
“Atelier Binchotan was initially conceptualised as a café,” Lau recalls. “We wanted to use the charcoal grill to cook dishes like chicken chop and pasta, but customers kept asking for more, and it slowly evolved into the barbeque-led concept it is today.” The open kitchen, which has just been renovated, is set up like a theatre, specialising in faultless grills.
See also: 5 weird and wonderful cocktails to try in Kuala Lumpur
However, the dishes it is best known for are the foie gras kaya toast and the succulent pork burger. “There’s actually a funny story behind the burger,” Lau smiles. “We wanted to put sausage on the menu but didn’t have a budget for the mixer and grinder, so we just took the meat, grilled it, and served it between buns.”
While the difficulty to book a table at Atelier Binchotan is definitely testimony to its impressive barbequed proteins, it is also because the restaurant shuts from Monday through Wednesday, when Choong and Lau travel back to Johor to visit their daughter, where she lives with her grandmother.
In November 2022, the two opened their second restaurant, Jus Resto Bar in APW, which also houses the two aforementioned popular menu items, alongside other small sharing plates that pair well with the extensive list of cocktails and wine.
Above Boeuf bourguignon
Boeuf bourguignon
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However, their latest restaurant is something completely different—a charming French bistro situated in Hartamas, complete with a fountain spouting water and lace curtains. “Since I’m French trained, I decided to go back to my culinary roots,” Lau explains.
“While Atelier Binchotan and even Jus are more innovative and creative in concept, here, everything is classic and simple.” On the stripped-back menu are some lesser seen French dishes, most notably the veal sweetbread with red wine sauce, and boeuf bourguignon made with Wagyu beef cheeks and served with pearl onions.
Above Veal sweetbread
Veal sweetbread
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While it may seem to differ greatly in concept, what stays consistent is the ethos that the duo bring with them with every restaurant opening: “For all three projects, our aim remains the same—to bring good quality, affordable food and more choices to KL’s dining scene,” Lau ends.
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Images: Bistro Léa
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About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
