Kampung Contemporary Dining, Petaling Jaya

It takes a village to raise this restaurant: With family roots from Malacca, the founders of Kampung Contemporary Dining bring a heartfelt touch to hometown treasures like Nyonya Pai Tee (RM8; sprinkled with pork lard for a deep-flavoured crunch) and Pork Satay (RM16; chunky and meaty, though the cuts chosen might be too chewy).

Build your own Hainanese chicken rice platter by ordering the smooth-and-tender sous vide chicken, featuring free-range fowl sourced from Semenyih (RM22), coupled with chicken rice balls that echo Jonker Street's crowd-pleaser (80 sen per ball). Note that the menu might not mention it, but the chicken comes with Ipoh beansprouts, so it turns out there's no need to order a separate bowl (RM7) like we did.

Our favourite at Kampung is the Starfruits Assam Fish, lovingly prepared with barramundi fillets, long beans, okra and eggplant, soaked in a mellow, textured gravy made sweet and tangy with tamarind and starfruit (RM28). It's a beautiful recipe that's satisfying to the final spoonful.

The Braised Pork Pongteh (RM23), prepared with Bidor-raised pork in line with Kampung's focus on local produce, pairs well with one of Kampung's red wines, though it could benefit from more complexity in its sauce, while the Eight-Spice Fried Chicken too tastes a bit one-note in its understated flavour (RM18).

Complimentary Ang Ku Kueh, made by mom, takes the meal to a pleasant conclusion. Service is warm, with a crew that works hard to keep everything on track.

Kampung Contemporary Dining

11, Jalan 17/45, Section 17 46400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Open Thursday-Tuesday, 1130am-330pm, 6pm-10pm. Tel: 012-737-2085

This feature first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Check out the new Eat Drink KL official Facebook & Instagram pages. Follow us for the freshest updates, fun contests & more, at:

Facebook: facebook.com/eatdrinkkl

Instagram: instagram.com/eatdrinkklcom

Stay up to date: The Eat Drink KL newsletter is sent by email to subscribers every Monday; it's the Klang Valley's foremost weekly round-up of new restaurant openings, F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits. Subscribe to Eat Drink KL Weekly for free via this following link: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/5106C196432BB23