Elegant cuisine at Loo Loo Casual Dining

Discovered this gem of a place when looking for a place to celebrate Su’s birthday. Loo Loo Casual Dining aims to do away with fancy decor, pretty facade and fake promises, and just letting the food speak for itself. Apart from a ruby red curtain on one side of the wall, the table and chairs are kept fuss-free, and the interior design is practically stark, with the glass windowed kitchen right at the end of the dining hall.

Named after trained chef William and partner Nicole who share the same surname, they describe themselves as ‘young people who love to eat’, be it street food or Michelin grade cuisine. Which is awfully modest as William has trained under international renowned chefs such as French chef Stephane (who has worked at New York’s Daniel), Italian Giuliano and Canadian Kevin (with experience in El Bulli and Arzak in Spain). Reckon the whole point is to be able to dine on quality and classy, elegant food without paying through your nose or having to dress formally.

We started on the Scallop Gratin in green curry (RM6/each) which was wonderfully aromatic and a unique Loo Loo offering. The shellfish was still sufficiently juicy and moist, retaining the brininess of the sea, in harmony with the creamy yet subtle coconut and spices.

Loo Loo offers its own version of Momofuku’s steamed buns (RM7/each) came with smoked duck in hoisin sauce. Simple, yet clear Asian nuances, the taste was further lifted by pickled cucumbers, scallion and dill, appealing to both Western and Eastern palates.

Pasta, easiest dish to make and hardest to excel, came in the form of Tiger prawn pasta (RM28). Deceivingly simple in appearance, decorated with just a couple of seared sea prawns, the broth it seems, took 2 days to prepare and the pasta is then infused with this divinely rich, smooth, flavoursome stock. Quite a feat to get the spaghetti to absorb the goodness of the prawny gravy yet still el dente, retaining its firm springiness

The Cured Duck Leg (RM38), slow roast accompanied by carrot puree, glazed beetroot and potato mille feuille, is not so different from a duck confit. While not spectacularly unusual, a good balance of texture and bite, taste and presentation made this a happy choice. At first we weren’t sure if it was polenta or something else. Blown away by the potato mille feuille.

Having a weakness for squid ink, the paella (RM36) was a natural choice. Packed with marinated seafood, black garlic and quirkily topped with a rice cracker, the plating for this was somewhat offbeat. Bursting with flavour and pizzazz, this Spanish adapted rice dish however, scored big in terms of flavour and depth. No hesitation to order this again, despite my aversion to carbo.

Kinda stuffed but still feeling greedy, we ordered Crispy potato drizzled with truffle oil after everything. Just because we love potato. The fragrant crisp yet fluffy spud made it worth the extra calories.

The sweet finish, Dark chocolate souffle, was thankfully not too sweet yet rich, chocolatey, and paired with hazelnut gelato, capped an excellent meal. Every dish was executed with so much care and detail that we couldn’t single one out as they were all outstanding and shone in their own right.

They also serve excellent beef and lamb, and prices are kept affordable. A small, but tight menu, obviously crafted with passion.

Add: B2-7, Block B, Plaza Damas 3, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Kuala Lumpur. tel: 011-2729 7311