Tasting three George Town restaurants celebrated by the Michelin Guide

IT should probably go without saying that Malaysians are extremely proud of many aspects of our culture, but our love of our varied and delicious food towers above all else. From acclaimed restaurants to hawker classics to hidden roadside gems, there is just no shortage of options.

When Michelin – everyone’s favourite purveyor of classy restaurant reviews and tyres – announced back in December that 97 eateries in Kuala Lumpur and Penang were being recognised for their culinary talents, the reaction was fixed. 

On one side, pride at our beloved cuisine being recognised by an international body, but also apathetic shrugs – we know we have a good thing, we don’t need a pat on the back from foreigners who don’t understand the nuances of Malaysian food. 

With all that being said, I think we can agree that it’s nice that the hard work of restaurateurs, chefs, and the staff that makes these places work get recognition and the added business that comes with it. 

“Malaysia is definitely a destination our inspection team fell in love with. We started with Kuala Lumpur and Penang and I hope that one day we will be able to expand,” said Elisabeth Boucher-Anselin, Michelin Experiences director of communications.

“There’s no cultural bias, we do want to have the same criteria and to say there is equity between all the places all around the world. There is going to be special care when it deals with national specialties and all the dishes that are really taken care of by locals. 

“But at the end, an award given by the Michelin Guide is an international award. For us, a star in Kuala Lumpur or Penang is worth the same as a star in San Francisco or Tokyo, it’s the same level of quality and the same demanding approach, whatever the type of cuisine.” 

She added that the criteria the famously anonymous Michelin Guide inspectors use are: quality of ingredients, the mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavours, personality of the chef, and consistency. 

Last month, three restaurants in Penang were singled out for special focus: Rasa Rasa, which received the Bib Gourmand award for quality cooking at reasonable prices; Bao Teck Tea House, which received the Michelin Selected recognition; and Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery, which was one of four restaurants in the country to receive one Michelin star. 

Rasa Rasa

Located in a quiet section in the northeastern part of George Town, Rasa Rasa, founded by Ooi Chong Ying, serves classic Nyonya cuisine. The highlight and centrepiece of the restaurant is the pandan nasi lemak served on a banana leaf with homemade sambal, along with all the classic sides. 

The restaurant shares its block with a collection of other cafes, arts and crafts stores, clothing stores, and cultural spaces, lending the area a sort of communal feel. It’s all very relaxing, with Rasa Rasa itself having exposed brick walls and industrial accents that play into the sense that this is a place for people to come together and spend a relaxing morning or afternoon. 

Having received the Bib Gourmand award for quality cooking at reasonable prices from Michelin, the prices here are very affordable with the most expensive thing on the menu around RM20. 

Besides the nasi lemak, another speciality at Rasa Rasa is the Siam bihun – turmeric rice noodles with shredded omelette and sauces. This should be a dish familiar to many, if not all Malaysians. However, that familiarity is a double-edged sword because when you walk into a restaurant that’s been celebrated by Michelin, you might have inflated expectations even though the dish is good. 

According to Ooi, these are family recipes, passed down from his grandmother. He himself is not a professionally trained chef, but is self-taught and speaks to the need to constantly adjust to customer likes and dislikes – making sure everything is done according to taste. 

“Cook and taste at every step of the way.”

Like many businesses, Rasa Rasa weathered the pandemic by selling through deliveries. Receiving the Michelin Bib Gourmand has helped the restaurant bounce back, as a lot more foreigners and locals have stopped by to taste what’s on offer.

Of course, that has added more pressure as more food has to be cooked and packed. For example, previously they had to prepare the sambal once a week, but now they have to prepare it three times a week to make up for the demand.

The sambal itself has a gentle heat that doesn’t overpower the other components of the dishes it comes with, playing into the gentle balance of ingredients that make for a pleasurable bite. 

Finishing off the meal with longan aloe vera and the signature kaya toast balances out the heat with some much needed refreshing sweetness. These dishes and the general easygoing atmosphere of the location, without the omnipresent humming of air conditioning, is almost like a blast from the past, a connection to a heritage that is very much alive. 

Bao Teck Tea House

Sharing a street with the equally recommended Ghost Museum and the Meowseum Museum of Cat Art and Craft, the Bao Teck Tea House – even before one even sees the food – transports you to another time and place, filled with the artistic predilections of its owner Au Meng Kit.

The restaurant is named after his father to memorialise the venerable dim sum shop he operated in Ipoh for many years. It is the place to go for an authentic yum cha experience and Cantonese dim sum.

The place has a lot of character, with all the space that’s not occupied by tables and seats taken up by a variety of arts and crafts, many of which are expressions of the owner’s hobbies, the centrepiece being a sprawling moss and water garden that you would have to be blind to miss. 

According to Au, the garden took nine months to make, as the temperature and humidity had to be balanced to create the gentle rolling fog. It’s been around now for two years and is quite stable. 

There’s also antique décor aplenty with fine details, such as marble furniture, beautiful paintings (including one of the owner’s beloved parrot, Baby), and an extensive tea cup collection.

Before opening Bao Teck, Au ran a biscuit shop specialising in egg tarts on Armenian Street from 2008 to 2020. Baking is a precise art, and you can see how that dedication to detail has translated to the dim sum that is the restaurant’s raison d’etre.

It should be mentioned that this is a non-halal restaurant, though a halal dim sum menu is available if the tables are reserved ahead of time, as each dish has to be prepared fresh. In this case, there will be a lot of shrimp and prawn on the menu – though beware of the molten interior of the Golden Sesame Ball. 

All dim sum are freshly made and in limited quantities, so reservations are highly recommended, keeping in mind that the restaurant's operating hours are extended to 6pm on the weekends.

The recipes themselves are from his family, having been passed down over the years. Combined with Au’s interest in aesthetics, the dishes are also pleasing to look at (it’s very Insta-ready). 

As this is a tea house, each pot of tea will be made fresh on the spot by the staff, with tasting notes explaining the origins and flavour profile of the tea. It’s part of the whole package, as the atmosphere, food, and drink all come together for a cohesive experience. 

Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery

It’s all in the name when it comes to the final restaurant and the recipient of the Michelin star (one of only four restaurants in Malaysia to make the inaugural list). From the assorted memorabilia in the storefront’s windows to the limited decor, to chef Beh Gaik Lean’s time-tested Nyonya recipes, what you see is what you get – this is old school done right. 

“When I don’t feel good, the moment I see my kitchen, my stove, my everything, my heart just opens up. That is the kind of passion one must have to maintain, to sustain,” she said, at the end of a long day in the kitchen. 

The 69-year-old is filled with all sorts of hard-earned wisdom earned through years in the kitchen, with a strong respect for her Nyonya upbringing that translates into the food she prepares on a daily basis (the restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays). 

The Old School Eatery has a sprawling menu that features Authentic Nyonya Curry Kapitan Chicken, Nyonya Inchi Kabin, Jiu Hu Char, Nyonya Beef Rendang, Fish Groupa Curry Tumis, Otak Otak, Petai Octopus Sambal, Tamarind Prawns (finger licking good), Nasi Ulam, among many many more. 

“Actually in cooking there are no restrictions, it's just a lot of science, love and common sense. It is very basic, you must have time management as well. The last ingredient we put onto every dish is the love for the art,” Auntie Gaik said.

Her personal favourites on the menu are the brinjal sambal (It’s appetising, it’s easy, and it’s cheap), and the egg belanda (Comfort food, high protein, you never go wrong). Meanwhile, the nasi ulam comes from a traditional recipe, while the beef rendang, is very much the nyonya version, lacking the coconut shavings that are a big component of the Malay recipe. 

Humbled by a long career in the kitchen, Auntie Gaik came to be aware of the importance and weight of the Michelin star only after receiving it this past December. 

“Of course, I was aware of the Michelin star, but I didn’t know it was so awesome until after I got it, I started googling how one gets a Michelin star and I read how chefs go and committed suicide. I tell you that really frightened me.

“When I got this award and googled and read that this award is awarded to these fine dining chefs, chefs who spent so much money, so much patience getting the award, and me an old lady at 68 with no formal training, I was factory trained, that was my class. 

“The amount of hard work I did, the amount of effort, all the years of training really did me good.” 

Of course, the negative side effect of the Michelin star is the pressure to live up to new customers’ heightened expectations. Like with Rasa Rasa, many of these dishes are staples we have grown up with, oftentimes eating the homemade versions that have the added weight of nostalgia. 

But if you can separate yourself from that, and enjoy the meal that’s in front of you, you’ll be rewarded with a satisfying experience that’s meant to be shared with friends and loved ones. 

“Discovery Channel asked my ‘Auntie Gaik Lean, if you could sum up your cooking in a few words, what would you say?’, I would say my food is sexy. The colours, it’s very vibrant. 

“Actually we eat with our eyes first, then the rest. When you see my dishes come out, you feel ‘oh, so nice’, I have already won your heart by 50 or 60%, the rest is your tastebuds, how could I fail?” 

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The Michelin Guide updates every year, and it’s not a given that restaurants that are recognised one year, will be able to repeat the feat the following year – therein lies the pressure that comes with the acclaim. However, that also means there are opportunities for other eateries to rise up to be celebrated. 

According to Boucher-Anselin, there will be two so-called Life Updates before the next ceremony as new places are added to the list on the Michelin website and app, which will then be formally introduced. The Michelin Guide may yet expand outside of Kuala Lumpur and Penang, but news is not yet forthcoming. 

“The Michelin Guide inspectors are always looking for new places to cover. It’s true for Malaysia and for other countries because the first quality of a Michelin inspector is curiosity and open-mindedness. 

“The best meal they are going to get is the one they haven’t had yet. Finding something new is a key trigger for them. 

“We are going to find more restaurants in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, we are sure of that,” she added. – The Vibes, June 29, 2023