We know that Folklore is no longer helmed by Damian D'Silva (he's set up Kin at Straits Clan which opens end October and will have some tables available to the public), but we still gathered there for a farewell dinner for K and M who're moving to another city a little way up north.
Folklore's menu has changed slightly, and I think it's for the better. We didn't have many things to nitpick about the food. The wing bean salad has lowered its spice levels without compromising anything else. The flavors were still rich. The babi pongteh and beef cheek rendang were delicious. In fact, we enjoyed the itek tim so much that we ordered two portions- sufficient to feed all of us each 1.5 bowls of soup.
It's tough for a chef with ideals to acquiesce being a heritage restaurant in a hotel lobby, especially not when it's a shared space for hotel-style daily buffet breakfasts, and acts as a coffee lounge and meeting space for guests. The food will not go down well if the menu doesn't offer safe international favorites. That chilli and spice level in many dishes will just kill a lot of tastebuds.
As much as I love Damian D'Silva's food, I'm very open to other iterations by competent chefs. He has got his visions and ideas, but I can never agree with his sambal belachan. LOL His version is too dry. And his food leans way-too-spicy, even for me. My tolerance chilli and pepper is high. But I'm not interested in a singular flavor or first hit. I want layers in my food that the spices don't kill. It's a fine balance between spicy-enough and too spicy. To me, fiery spices are not always necessary to be sprinkled too liberally; it doesn't emphasize on the flavors of a dish. Sometimes, less is more. If someone else trained and enthusiastic can whip up decent hati babi bungkus (fried liver balls), I'm all game to eat it.
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