Chiqui Don opened its doors in Sept 2019 and is probably the only kitchen and bar (that I know of) which encourages diners to submit recipes to its unique crowdsourced menu. The community-based concept takes inspiration from its diners and creates dishes based on their personal input. If your recipe is selected, you get to work with the chef to fine-tune the dish and see it get listed on the menu! How cool is that? 

Offering an interesting repertoire of local and global flavours, Chiqui Don takes up a generous space in Damansara Heights in red and orange hues with pared down brown notes. The result is a chic diner and bar that not only looks classy but delivers its promise. Invited to try the newly revamped menu, the evening started with bespoke cocktails, carefully crafted to match our current mood. No idea what Kim worked out with the bartender but it was a magical potion designed just for me. Turns out she knows my taste buds pretty well.

Easing into dinner, Shireen recommended some starters – initially big on tex-mex when it first started, the popular Oven Baked Nachos has been retained on the menu, topped with shredded mozzarella, homemade guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream (RM26). There’s an option to add chicken or beef, but the nachos were scrumptious as they were so you don’t really miss the protein. 

A spin on prawn gambas pil pil, Garlic Chilli Sea Bass featured small chunks of fish sautéed in olive oil with garlic and chilli flakes with crusty garlic bread (RM26) for dunking in the oil. Slightly on the salty side and heavy on garlic, this may not be a crowd-fav but personally, I enjoyed the simple flavours yet complex taste notes, though the fish pieces could be bigger.

We also had Chiqui Fries – perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy inside, topped with parmesan cheese – except the truffle oil was too faint and didn’t shine.

Already feeling stuffed, we politely declined carbo and opted for Grilled Lamb Rack and Seafood Trio instead. 

A note on the menu says the seafood platter consisting of sea bass fillet, tiger prawns and half shelled green mussels was Inspired by Marcello Moretti (RM39). Choosing to let the dish speak for itself, the seafood was lightly tossed in vongole sauce. The natural sweetness of the seafood was subtle yet definitive. Freshness of ingredients is key here otherwise the whole dish fails. Happy to say, this hit all the right notes.

Grilled Lamb Rack was an idea from Gabriel Thang where you get New Zealand grass-fed lamb rack chops crusted with herbs, served with mushroom sauce, homemade yogurt mint sauce, white truffle potato mash and sautéed vegetables (RM59). Loved the mash as it was creamy and rich. The lamb was nicely still pink, moist and tender, with the yogurt mint sauce giving a different spin to the usual mint sauce.

There were many other things that caught my eye on the menu – Sambal Salmon Aglio Olio, Mutton Claypot Rice, Mutton Varuval with flatbread, Piquilo Pepper Hummus … sadly I have have but one stomach, so looks like we must return!

Add: 9-G, Jalan Medan Setia 1, Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara, KL. M: 017-808 5158