Young Malaysian chefs Lucas and Tammy put their personal spin on local flavours and textures, simultaneously paying tribute to heritage recipes while carving out a fresh, creative niche. Butter-basted ikan senangin with guava brunoise and assam laksa sauce? Cheong-fun-inspired steamed lasagna rolls with minced prawns and pork? Count us in!
Hommage's menu is still evolving, but for now, customers have more than a few intriguing choices in the evening. Pork belly and short ribs emerge with potato puree, mild cili padi pesto, garlic confit and pickled pink shallot petals (RM38) in a distinctive sacrament of succulence that was first born as a tribute to bak kut teh, while slow-braised beef shin, tendons and tripe surface with wakame, daikon and dark jus (RM42) for an ensemble that may evoke the glorious gelatinous pleasure of beef noodles.
There's much to appreciate in these offerings - each plateful of ingredients proves successful in its own right, playing on a comforting sense of familiarity but provoking new sensations of satisfaction, a credit to the skilled, patient labour of the kitchen. It's a testament to their resourceful capability that each mouthful of meat turns into a moist, tasty triumph, buoyed by thoughtful accompaniments that add subtly enjoyable nuances to the sum effect.
The Indocini might seem like a cross between Indomie and Hakka noodles, but it's no slapdash effort; Hommage makes its own fettuccine by hand, complemented here with minced pork, deep-fried lard, shallot oil and dark caramel soy sauce for unmistakable kopitiam-by-way-of-Italy inflections (RM28). European techniques are obvious across the menu, with dessert being no exception: The revised bubur cha cha (RM19) is a well-executed winner, mindfully and meticulously combining yam and sweet potatoes with shaved gula melaka and pandan coconut cream in a presentation that's clearly not our grandmother's version of bubur cha cha (but we're convinced she'd like it anyway).
With house wines starting at RM22 a glass and RM99 per bottle, Damansara Utama has a new dinner destination to definitely consider. Weekend lunches are also offered.
Hommage
21, Jalan SS 21/34, Damansara Utama Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Open Mon, Wed-Fri, 2pm-11pm; Sat-Sun, 12pm-11pm. Tel: 03-7733-2134
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