There’s something fabulously rarefied about the new Cultural Heritage menu at ATAS, that makes for an ideal dinner spread suited for special occasions. With its creative use of local ingredients, premium meats and the freshest seasonal produce paired with the restaurant’s laid-back wood interiors and beautifully dressed tables, ATAS serves as an alternative backdrop to traditional reunion dinners this festive season. 

The Cultural Heritage dinner is one of the three debut menus conceived by Chef Mandy Goh since taking over the kitchen of The RuMa Hotel’s signature restaurant, ATAS last November. It kicks off with starters of cucur Kapitan and mud crab sambal with delightful hints of petai, served with an innovative soya milk loaf bread with pandan butter. 

The Japanese squid kerabu with caramelised pomelo, ice plant and 48-hours salted black egg yolk is delightfully refreshing while the mentaiko otak-otak made with fresh black mackerel and aged mimolette cheese is a winning dish worthy of note. 

Elevating simple seasonal vegetables is something ATAS succeeds at tremendously and can be observed in the mains. Asam pedas gets a unique rendition in the risotto made with blue belly shrimp, sakura shrimp and paku pakis. Then, there’s the satisfying guinea fowl with cabbage, shitake roll, mustard leaf and heirloom tomatoes. Diners can also opt to “upgrade” the guinea fowl to the A5 oyster blade and cannelloni or even as an add-on to the existing menu. 

Meanwhile, the dessert sees a nod to Chef Goh’s Penang roots with a clever spin on the nutmeg in a delicately prepared dish of heirloom carrots and nutmeg ice cream, coconut cream, gula melaka and calamansi rind. This is a menu that stands out for its polished and creative take on Malaysian heritage cuisine. 

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