Bobo Kuala Lumpur @ Jalan Bangkung

An Extraordinary Night of Good Food & Wine, Art and Music

Hitting all the perfect notes of a fabulous evening filled with scrumptious food and wine, a passionate art collection and a gorgeous piano lounge sums up Bobo Kuala Lumpur. It’s about time too because there’s hardly any place like Bobo KL in our nation that exudes a classy ambiance coupled with a multi-sensory experience of food, art and entertainment under one roof. Owner Ed Soo and other partners, who have been successfully running their restaurants on Jalan Bangkung for years, are bringing in more joie de vivre with their latest venture of Bobo KL.

Bobo radiates a jazz bar scene popular in New York from early eras except its brought up to date with modern contemporary flair. Its concept combines the owners’ love for food, wine, art and music. Bobo occupies two levels on the famous row of shop houses in Jalan Bangkung. Enter the restaurant by its discreet side entrance next to Lucky Bo Restaurant, coincidentally also owned by the same owners.

The first level of Bobo houses the main dining space designed with modern elegance and filled with Ed’s personal art collection. The dining space is cleverly segregated into a main dining area, a casual lounge and a private section for functions. The restaurant serves modern European cuisine injected with creative twists as well as classics. Bobo also has a solid list of wines to go with its menu and is expected to grow with time.

After all that is said, why Bobo we asked Ed. Bobo, as it turns out, is Ed’s favorite huggable pet!

The name Bobo is a tickler but once you have experienced the place, you’ll find that the name does somehow lingers in your mind, reminding you of a wonderful and mesmerizing element that Bobo did with its owner.

Our group of nine shared platters of Starters and Secondos that evening coupled with house whites and reds. Kicking of the lot was golden batons of Polenta Fries (RM24) served with lemon truffle aioli. Sheer simplicity executed with precise crispiness of cornmeal fries filled with creamy deliciousness that had us craving for more.

The Foie Gras Pate (RM45) with cranberry sauce and onion marmalade was one of the best pate I have had. Silky smooth, creamy and decadent with a layer of clarified butter. The unctuous salty notes of the parfait of chicken liver is balanced by touches of tangy cranberry sauce and sweet jammy onion marmalade, all to be savored with toasted baguette. Superb!

For sharing, the Charcuterie & Cheese Board (RM39), a platter of chorizo de pavo, salchicon de pavo, cecina de vacuno, manchego, mahon and rock melon, is indeed a pretty antipasti that whets the appetite for more.

An oceanic harvest of plump, briny and sweet Fresh Irish Oysters (RM38) with extra virgin olive oil and tiny pearls of black caviar hit all the right notes of flavours and textures. Simply add a squeeze of lemon and slurp the whole aphrodisiac down for a taste of heaven…

I have always enjoyed a good arancini. Bobo’s Arancini (RM28) has all the check marks of a yummy Italian rice ball with its crispy shell, creamy and gooey saffron risotto rice with buffalo mozzarella cheese and tangy tomato sauce.

Crudo simply means raw in Italian. The Salmon Crudo (RM34) was executed to near perfection. Sublime salmon slices lightly smothered in olive oil and paired with briny salmon roes, horseradish cream and lemon curd with dill and micro herbs evoked sensations of sultry and luscious flavours. The tingling hit of horseradish elevated the salty ikura together with subtle hints of lemon.

Bobo’s Caesar Salad (RM28) was not what we all expected. Nevertheless, the dish is beautifully scrumptious in every bite. Parmesan mousse on crouton topped with shredded romaine, a wafer of baked parmesan cheese and shavings of parmesan cheese, a pungent strip of brined anchovy, creamy and tangy sauces and a sprinkle of crushed peppers summed up the dish. The whole element just worked in harmonious flavours of a Caesar salad. The wobbly mousse was perfectly set and luscious in flavours. This dish is simply marvelous in every possible way from flavours to textures and creativity.

A classic rendition of an Italian favorite was showcased through Spaghetti ala Bobo (RM42). Slurp on garlicky and spicy aglio olio pumped up with medley of prawns, scallops and squid rings. Extra points for the toasty and aromatic crumbs on the pasta.

Upon seeing the Crisp Paupiette of Barramundi (RM75), I wished I had ordered the dish. A long fillet of barramundi wrapped with thin slices of crisp baked potatoes is served with a bed of braised leeks and a red wine sauce. I managed to taste this and loved the barramundi with the crispy potato blanket. The braised leeks is creamy and sweet with a deep aroma while the red wine sauce was pretty unique.

The Moules Mariniere (RM58) came piled high on a casserole with a side of toasted baguette. Fresh Australian mussels are cooked in white wine with lots of celery, carrot, leeks and onions. The plump mussels was sweet but the sauce was less impressive as it was not seasoned enough. A adjustment of seasoning would have solve this minor thing. It’s still cooked well and our friend who ordered the dish seemed to have no issue polishing it off happily.

I had the Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb (RM75) served with grilled asparagus and dauphinoise potatoes. Succulent pink flesh lamb racks are beautifully crusted with herb crumbs, giving the lamb a crusty texture and delicious herb notes. Savor the lamb with a rich demi-glazed sauce served on the side. The potatoes and asparagus went really well with the lamb too.

After dinner, we went up through a discreetly hidden stairway leading to the second floor of Bobo. Entering the room to the lounge, a bar set with tiles and grey hues of marble top as well as walls is sure to catch one’s attention. More art piece is set as a backdrop to jazz up the bar. One can enjoy their drinks here prior to the show at the piano lounge.

The music room was designed with minimal décor and yet, it commanded an air of elegance. Working with Sean Ghazi, our very own talented artist who has been making a name for himself in America, Ed and the team has also engaged a professional to design and set up the room to achieve exceptional effects for the lighting as well as the acoustic. The venue is really intimate and perfect for a night out of good food, wine and music.

Catch David Gomes on all regular evenings (apart from Mondays and specific dates) from 9.30pm onwards at Bobo Piano lounge. David Gomes is a talented jazz pianist and an amazing singer extraordinaire. We caught him in action that evening and was simply mesmerized with his performances. I wanted the night to last forever, deeply spellbound by interpretation of many classics of jazz as well as other songs.

There are also other artists making special performances such as Sean Ghazi, Stephanie Reese, Tria Aziz, Shanthini Venugopal, Ida Mariana and more to come. It’s a great opportunity to catch our very own local talents set in such an amazing ambiance.

For diners who dine at Bobo that evening, they are entitled to enjoy David Gomes performances at no cover charge or special guest artistes’ performance at 50% off. There will be a cover charge for non-dining guests. Make sure to follow BoboKL Facebook here for the latest line-up.

BOBO KUALA LUMPUR

57-77, Jalan Bangkung,

Taman Bandaraya,

59100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 60 3-2092 5002

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BoboKualaLumpur

Business Hours:

Tue to Sun – 5pm to 12 midnight

Closed on Mondays