From a family’s rustic herb nursery in Nilai to the corridors of DC Mall: Aunty Aini's KL is a fresh offshoot of Negeri Sembilan’s two-decade-old garden cafe of the same name.
Lined with family portraits, this pop-up restaurant - slated to run for eight months - is cheerfully commanded by Aunty Aini’s eldest daughter, Merlissa, with meat smoked by their household and ulam-ulaman nurtured on their plot.
The kitchen serves with sincerity, mainly embracing Negeri Sembilan’s Minangkabau Sumatran-rooted culinary traditions.
Specialities span rendang itik salai and burung puyuh goreng kampung to kerabu pucuk and kuah tempoyak masak lemak. Each is evidence of Merlissa’s experience, with patient cooking that results in robust flavours and resonant textures.
The duck is brawny with bone-deep sultriness, penetratingly aromatic in rendang that’s more full-bodied and fragrant than fiery; the quail is joyously juicier than its petite proportions suggest, finger-licking and lip-smackingly luscious; the fiddlehead fern packs a vibrant crunch with an earthy richness; and the kuah tempoyak masak lemak is steamy and soulful, creamy but not cloying, powered by fermentation that’s potent without being punishingly pungent.
