A Passionate Duet
Luca at Bangsar Shopping Centre dances a fine line between Indian and European cuisines to sweet success
It takes a thorough mastery of Indian cuisine to know which levers to pull and what buttons to press when using it as a base to mix in influences from other cuisines and create something new. Such is the premise at Luca, a restaurant that fuses elements from Indian and European cuisine to create new dishes brimming with character.
Fazil Shahreen, Luca’s head chef, pulls this off by harnessing years of working as a chef around Malaysia and assembling a team of chefs with expertise in both cuisines. Chef Fazil’s passion lies in creating a dining experience that can harmonise the diverse culinary traditions of two cuisines to craft inventive dishes that capture the essence of both worlds. So strong is Chef Fazil and his team’s dedication to ensuring its customers taste only the freshest flavours that the restaurant does its best to work with local farmers and suppliers who share the same sustainable practices.
For the most authentic dining experience at Luca, the restaurant team recommends diners savour their signature dishes that blend Indian and European flavours on the plate. Get the Papad Chutney Basket for an addictive combination of three papadum varieties with mango murabba and mint chutney. Crab Bisque is another signature, a robust soup that infuses an already flavourful crab broth with chunks of tiger prawns, crab meat and roe for a decadent and warming appetiser.
Gourmets may be surprised to hear that Luca’s Pâté goes surprisingly well with spiced meats, rotis and chutneys. It’s a fascinating flavour mash-up–pate made with chicken liver mousse, truffle onion, arugula, pickled mustard seeds, and wine jelly on one hand and spiced minced lamb cutlets served with mint chutney on the other. Seafood lovers should choose the smoked octopus leg served with smoked beetroot hummus, spicy pimiento chutney and sago crackers.
Surprisingly, European comfort foods like pizzas and pastas go so well alongside Indian comfort foods like curry and biryani. Have a glass of wine and share a margherita pizza with the table, or swap out the pizza for Chicken Chettinad and Tandoori Roti for a heartier sharing plate. The flavour combinations diners can create at Luca is its main draw. Where else can one enjoy a rich beef rib ragu pasta alongside Luca’s Butter Chicken, a signature dish of charcoal chicken tikka and burrata in makhani sauce?
If you’re feeling cheeky, order Luca’s Crêpe Suzette, which flambés Malaysian crêpes in a spiked concoction of Timah whisky, orange butter, caramelised sugar, and vanilla ice cream. It’s the perfect nightcap-cum-dessert to bookend a flavourful meal at the restaurant.