Chocha Foodstore - Asian Fusion Restaurant @ Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia]

The mosaic-tiled facade screamed of nostalgia and if not for the label on the glass door that indicated "restoran"; I wouldn't have thought we had arrived at our dinner venue that was recommended by a local Malaysian! 

Stepping in; my first thought was "this is a restaurant"?! How come the decor looked so rundown, almost like the operator decided halfway that his/her renovation budget had burst and he/she would have to make do with a partially completed project.

Proof as per above photos! Nevertheless, it was a refreshing sight and appeared to be a deliberate fusion between the modern and the dated; appropriate given that this is a Asian fusion restaurant. Name was a bit strange though; Chocha Foodstore. 

Even though it was a Saturday, the restaurant wasn't crowded and we managed to secure a table for three in no time. Without further ado, let's start with our food review! 

Acqua Panna Still Water - when a waiter / waitress asks if you prefer still / sparkling, just respond if there is tap since the former two drinks can cost a lot more than your typical bottle of mineral / distilled water. The above bottle cost us RM 28.00. 

CFC 3.0 - in case you are wondering if CFC refers to the chemical compound, I am guessing it refers to crispy fried chicken, version 3.0 

Said to be brined before deep fried, the chicken was said to be free range. Freshly fried, the chicken meat had that interestingly salty yet delicious flavor although I personally didn't like the batter. p.s. the crunchy pickled papaya was so yummy; I wish I could buy a bottle home! 

Banana Blossom - To be frank, I am only interested in the word "banana". The menu indicated pickled, tempura so you can't blame me for assuming this would be deep fried banana! The waitress was kind enough to highlight it's not the banana I thought it was.

Encased within the fried banana batter was actually banana flower! So how it tasted like? I would say it's kind of like deep fried vegetables but the flower itself had not much of an impressionable flavor. 

 

Baked Fish in Banana Leaves - A wild caught flower grouper under a bed of ginger flower; the fish was alright but tasted like freshwater fish, albeit with no bones. I do like the ginger flowers which tasted similar to the chinchalok relish from Ikan Bakar Tampin. p.s. I didn't enjoy the accompanying paste; like thickened spicy assam curry. 

Dry Aged Duck Breast - weirdly, this tasted like steak with crisp duck skin but as the dish cooled, the duck gaminess kicked in, making it less of an appeal for us. So eat it while it's "hot"! Loving more the marinated sweet potato leaves that underneath the bed of fried leaves. 

 

Tapai - I find it hard to describe this dessert; accompanied by coconut jelly, this was best described as a fermented yogurt ice cream that had a strange, powdery texture. I guess you need to have an acquired taste for it. 

Jackfruit - said to be the signature, it's literally black pulut custard beside pieces of jackfruit topped with puffed rice and flower petals. It was nice although I believe I would have the same nice feeling if I am eating jackfruit on its own. 

Sour Plum Drink - complimentary, and utterly nutritional as it had that unmistakable touches of herbal sour plum drink from traditional Chinese medicinal halls. 

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The bill came up to be over RM 440.00, which wasn't too bad for fusion food. However, I have higher expectations given that it's generally accepted that Malaysia is supposed to have better food than Singapore. 

Address

156, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, 

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Acqua Panna Still Water - RM 28.00

CFC 3.0 - RM 38.00

Banana Blossom - RM 20.00

Baked Fish in Banana Leaves - RM 92.00

Dry Aged Duck Breast - RM 118.00

Tapai - RM 30.00

Jackfruit - RM 28.00

(Subject to Service Charge and Tax)