Drink: The Indo-Chinese experience

2010/01/08

ANUSHA K.
anusha@nst.com.my

ANUSHA K. sips cocktails from one of the hottest places in Kuala Lumpur’s night life.

COCHINE restaurant and Bar SaVanh looks set to take Kuala Lumpur’s night life by storm.

Housed in a beautiful colonial building at Jalan Doraisamy, IndoChine’s bar-cum-restaurant’s sexy interior, with coffee-coloured walls, is adorned with Thai-silk opium beds and ethnic Sukothai artefacts.

You are greeted by the calming sounds of trickling water from the many water fountains while the warm tea lights put you at ease, promising you a night of indulgence in a visual and gastronomic feast.

Besides numerous outlets around the world, IndoChine has two outlets in our capital city.

CoChine Restaurant and Bar SaVanh is at Asian Heritage Row, 64, Jalan Doraisamy, off Jalan Sultan Ismail and CoChine Bistro + Alfresco, Bar SaVanh Too at D.0G.04 Plaza Mont Kiara, No. 2, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara.

Both outlets have an extensive food and drink menu to choose from, where you can experience the diverse culinary worlds of Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian.

A must-try at the CoChine restaurant is the IndoChine platter which is a variety of finger food: Vietnamese spring rolls, baby squids, chicken wings, sausages and rice paper prawn rolls. They’re delicious and pair well with the refreshing cocktails available.

If you have a tad too many drinks for the night, I suggest you then go easy with Lychee Refresher. It comes in a shooter glass, is a tad sweet but blended with mint leaves, helps you avoid the morning-after hangover.

It is priced at RM10 for one shooter while all cocktails featured below is priced at RM18 nett until Jan 31 at both outlets. For more information on these outlets, visit www. IndoChina-group.com.

Redneck

This mocktail is best to drink if you had too many parties to attend and much booze, as it’s apparently good for body cleansing. No surprise, as it’s made with ginger and pineapple juice. I like the little pineapple cubes inside, which reminded me of a punch. It is refreshing and makes for a great non-alcoholic drink for house parties.

Get together:

½ can of ginger ale

60ml pineapple juice

2 slices of pineapple

Blend and serve in a Gilberta Collins glass with freshly-cut pineapple cubes.

Mojito

My favourite, the Mojito is minty and doesn’t really taste like a cocktail. Some places do it well, while others don’t. Bar Savanh has got it just right, I must say. The fresh lime is muddled with brown sugar and mint leaves, so you taste it in all its potency.

It is minty, sweet, refreshing and addictive. It’s great as a cocktail-starter as it doesn’t kick in right away.

Get together:

30ml Bacardi carta blanc rum

15ml lime cordial

30ml soda water

1 sugar cube

Blend the rum with the fresh lime muddled with ice cubes, brown sugar and mint leaves. Top up with soda water. Garnish with a slice of lime and mint leaves and serve in a Gliberta tumbler glass.

Love Bite

The colour palate of dark red, yellow and green is beautiful. It’s a burst of all things refreshing from the moment you see it. The orange juice and melon liqueur awakens your senses, while the red wine keeps you all warm and fuzzy.

Go slow with this drink because it’s a little strong at first. But it gradually grows on you — just like a love bite!

Get together:

30ml Smirrnoff vodka

30ml Midori melon

60ml orange juice

30ml Imbizo red wine

Blend together and then top up with the red wine and some ice cubes. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and red cherries. Serve in a poco grande glass.

Banana Boat Cruise

I’d recommend this any day as an after-dinner drink. Skip dessert and have this instead. It’s more of a milkshake and dessert in one. It has a strong taste of banana and the creamy taste of milk. It’s a banana milkshake with alcohol. The beautiful, pale yellow colour of this cocktail makes for a “pretty” drink.

Get together:

30ml Bailey’s Irish Cream

15ml Butterscotch liqueur

15ml banana flavoured liqueur

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream

Mix all in a blender and serve in a poco grande glass. Garnish with some whipped cream and a slice of banana. Drink slowly to enjoy every sip!

Red Smooth Demon

An improvised version of Long Island Tea, it’s a girl’s drink all right. It’s sweet, chilly and smells and tastes of all things strawberry. It can be a tad sourish, but is nevertheless easy on the palate. This had to be my all-time favourite for its sweetness from the lychee liqueur and strawberries.

Get together:

30ml Smirrnoff vodka

30ml Beefeater gin

15ml Framboise liqueur

5ml lychee liqueur

1 strawberry

Blend all ingredients with crushed ice. Serve in a magarita glass and garnish with strawberries.