Refining rustic Southeast Asian recipes, Damansara Heights' new Oolam is a distinctive destination whose inspirations span Indonesian urap to Laotian larb, Cambodian amok trei to Thai massaman curry to Vietnamese chao tom and bo la lot.
With Jakarta-based band Deredia playing soothingly on the speakers, Oolam is a ravishing restaurant with welcoming warmth - true to the name, dinner should start with ulam, packing perky panache in the Urap Pucuk Paku (local ferns with pennywort, lemongrass, galangal and garlic) and Fish Larb (fried red tilapia layered with lime leaves, cucumber, dill, and shallots).
Creamy red curries prove robustly irresistible, showcasing meticulously hand-peeled mud crabs with two flesh-filled crustaceans per serving, steamed with coconut milk, lemon basil and betel leaves, or coconut husk-smoked duck with mangosteens, lychee, Charleston peppers, apple eggplant and in-season tropical fruits, paired with Thai Hom Mali red rice.
Possibly the town's most tender beef short ribs, Oolam's rendition is slow-cooked for 48 hours, smoked over burnt coconut husks and served with scallion oil and peanuts. Other sultry choices include Thai gai yang-style chicken barbecued with wild ginger and charcoal flame-grilled king prawns with Vietnamese mint and Thai nam jim jaew dipping sauce.
Dessert is a decadent delight for devotees of unique ice cream - Oolam's own ginger torch ice cream with lychee mint jelly and caramel shards, plus smoked coconut ice cream with golden bananas, caramelised palm sugar and white sesame.
