Nestled in the busy neighbourhood of Medan Damansara you’ll find a bright new gem among the multitude of restaurants on offer: check out Gin Rik Sha!
A third iteration of the restaurant – some of you may know it from its previous location in Plaza Damansara – they promise new delights to tantalise the taste buds, from Indian classical meals with a modern twist (Kerala cuisine style) to unusual and inventive cocktails.
A warm welcome at Gin Rik Sha
We were welcomed with a Japanese beer and a pranic juice gin cocktail made by mixologist Shawn Chong. A super yummy and refreshing drink and when paired with lychee cordial, lemon and gin, it’s delightful on the taste buds. Anyone who has tried pranic juice will know what I am talking about.
Efficient staff soon brought out various food canapes. A perfect way to get stuffed slowly, but surely.
The decor at Gin Rik Sha is a bit bright, but very welcoming. Think upmarket Indian restaurant with a bar and great music. One of their famous dishes is the butter chicken poutine on chips. Sadly, we did not get to try that particular dish. If it’s anything like what we tasted, we can’t wait to come back.
Modern twist to Kerala cuisine
After the appetisers, we first had some Kerala chicken biryani, with wasabi and cucumber raita. Unusual but delicious according to my better half! I am not a fan of wasabi, so it was not really my cup of tea. The warm juicy lamb in toasty, crispy, mini pooris was to die for – maybe my idea of heaven?
Another winner: four separate shot glasses housing prawn, chicken, fish and lamb cooked in a creamy tandoori sauce. The small little nuggets of tasty morsels are then placed on top of creamy cilantro crème and mango pachadi. I asked for a teaspoon, in order to get every little bit of goodness out of the glasses.
Other notables were the pan roasted mutton (melts in your mouth) on a bed of fragrant tamarind rice, the Kerala prawns on mantou (perfectly firm and very fresh), and the seabass baked in banana leaf with aubergine sambal. We were also treated to a grilled veg and paneer platter with coconut mint chutney and it didn’t disappoint either. Honestly, I am running out of adjectives to describe the amazing flavours of the food at Gin Rik Sha!
Finally, desserts came our way. The ladoo tart with crunchy pistachios (you need to try this, at least once in your life), and paneer cheesecake with figs and a crispy kind of florentine, drizzled with honey were both very pleasing to the palate.
We were treated to the smooth jazzy acoustic sounds of David Soh, (think James Blunt) but we were told that unfortunately they wouldn’t have live music on other nights.
Gin Rik Sha is located now at 132, Jalan Kasah, Medan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. You can find their location here. For reservations please call 010 243 8266.
Frangipaani is another great place with Indian cuisine in Bukit Damansara!
We were invited by Gin Rik Sha. As always, our opinions are honest and our own.
