Restoran The Bird, Bandar Menjalara, Kepong

RESTORAN THE BIRD

By Stephen Ng

To Desmond Liew and his cousin brother, Jimmy Liew, the restaurant business is more than just satisfying the taste buds of their patrons.

Eating, in their opinion, is the whole experience of being transported into another world altogether, which explains why their restaurant in Medan Putra Business Park in Bandar Menjalara, Kepong is named after the mythical Malay water bird, the Jentayu.

Some decorations used here in the restaurant date back to the late nineteenth century, and they come mainly from his family’s own collection, which brings reminiscence of the good old days.

Besides a marriage proposal made by a young man to his sweetheart at this restaurant last year, The Bird has also become a popular place for celebrations for birthday and wedding anniversaries of senior citizens organised by their children.

The food, as well as the ambience, is ideal to allow one to embark on a nostalgic unforgettable journey into the past. “It is also educational for the younger generation,” said Desmond Liew, a Baba Nyonya descent, who hails from Melaka. “We hope our patrons will take the opportunity to share the good old times with their children using relics from the past.”

The rare and unique bric-a-brac plus old tunes further add a taste of dejavu when patrons to the restaurant stroll down memory lane while savouring Halal delicious Nyonya, Chinese and Thai delicacies.

Occasionally, just to entertain his guests, the 45-year-old Chinese actor would belt out a song or two from the good old days.

“We have put up some olden-day Shanghai posters, portrait photographs of some Eastern and Western movie actors and actresses,” he said. “Many of us would probably still remember the cinema flyers which we use now to adorn the walls.”

Notwithstanding the decorations, Desmond (Liew) said the most important factor in any restaurant business for it to sustain beyond two years is still the food.

Their signature dish, Butter King Fish has attracted patrons from as far as Port Klang and Kajang.

According to Chef Jimmy Liew, the fish is marinated with kunyit powder, salt, pepper, eggs before being deep-fried. The fish is served with wholemeal buns which go well with the gravy.

“We mix butter with milk and curry leaves to make into a special sauce,” said Jimmy, who had previously worked in New York before and seen how lobsters and scallops are prepared in the same manner and served in Nyonya-style restaurants. “Instead of lobsters and scallops, we use fish. In a way, this is a fusion between East and West, although I must admit it is more Oriental,” he said. “Nyonya food is in fact a fusion of what’s good from different cultures.”

Apart from New York, Jimmy Liew’s experience as a Chinese chef spans across four continents in major cities of New Zealand, Holland, Hong Kong and Japan.

Among those who frequently visited the restaurant is Penang-born Chinese drama TV actress, Yenn Teoh who said that she travels all the way from Shah Alam at least once or twice a month to savour the cuisines here.

“I like the Ikan Cencaru served with sambal and prepared Nyonya-style,” she said. “Having been raised in Penang, I have always enjoyed this dish. The Coffee Fried Chicken Wings are also very delicious.”

Coffee fried chicken wings are prepared by seasoning the chicken wings with coffee powder and salt, before being deep-fried and cooked with a special sauce. “To make sure that we get the right taste, we grill the chicken wings slightly,” said (Desmond) Liew.

Another of Teoh’s favourite is the Nyonya Seafood. The fish is first deboned, and cooked with squids, muscles and prawns, before being sauteed with Nyonya sauce (Penang style) and Bunga Kantan.

Combining the best of local delights, namely fish fillets with Nyonya sauce, prawns in Thai sauce, green curry chicken, vegetables cooked Chinese-style and Indian papadam, the Liews have “invented” their Nasi Muhibbah. “It is a combo meal that meets the unique tastes of Malaysians,” said Jimmy (Liew).

For those who prefer vegetables, the `Four Heavenly Kings’ is a good choice. It is so named because the dish has four different types of vegetables, namely petai, square beans, brinjal and long beans, sauted with sambal belacan.

Other favourite dishes include their Rendang Chicken, Oriental Spaghetti and Curry Fish Head. Their signature drink is “Ampula”, which is rich in Vitamin C. “It is served with some assamboi as an appetite booster,” said Jimmy. “It’s really good when taken with spicy food.”

People say birds of the same feather flock together, and here at the Bird Restaurant, a number of celebrity actors and actresses, apart from Yenn Teoh, have shown up.

Among other VIP guests who have visited the restaurant are Louisa Chong, Janet Khoo and Chui Leng from Hong Kong, and because it is “halal” restaurant, even Maria Tunku Sabri of TV3’s Jalan-jalan Cari Makan, has visited the place to try out the food.

The Bird Restaurant is located at 5 Jalan 3/62D, Medan Putra Business Centre, Bandar Menjalara, Kepong. Tel: 03-62771453. They are open: 11am – 11pm. The Bird rests on Mondays.