Champor-Champor

For those seeking a Malaysian dining experience there can be few better locations than Champor-Champor with its food and presentation drawn from a range of Asian cuisines skilfully grafted on to Malay roots in a wonderfully bohemian setting that invokes the East in compelling manner.

The menu is seasonal and may take a few liberties when it comes to ingredients, but when in the west . . . . . The meal starts with canapés and bread offering selection, followed by starters that could include water buffalo rendang murtabak; Japanese pickled ginger; dhal curry, or baked pickled salmon; spiced honey and crabmeat sauce. An in-between course can be taken for a small supplement, and could be a lemongrass and lime granita.

Main courses of stuffed boneless quail with chicken liver and Korean pepper and perchik sauce, or ostrich fillet satay with Malay peanut sauce, pulut panggang. Desserts tend to follow the Indian pattern, expect to find smoked banana, yogurt and cream brulée, or on a more western note a spiced poached pear with warm chocolate and pistachio sauce.

Champor-champor is a place not to be missed if you have the slightest inclination towards the f-word, in this case short for a fusion approach.