Bara on Six, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Words: Matt Brown
Photos: Rich Callahan
Following renovation over the past few months, Bara on Six (formerly Gobo Upstairs Lounge & Grill) relaunched in early February as a modern steakhouse grill and oyster bar, with a wine and gin selection to match. Blending an understated sophistication with a casual vibe and boasting one of the finest views of KLCC Park and the Petronas Towers directly ahead, Bara on Six offers a wide range of options for any kind of night on the town.
To Start
As a taste of things to come (and of how more-ish so many of the dishes on the new menu are), we are served a warm and basically perfect starter dish of Sweet Potato Focaccia. I cannot overstate how excited this made our party. Whether eaten as it is, smeared with sea salt and paprika butter or in-house anchovy-free olive tapenade, this bread quite honestly blew our minds. I’m trying to operate with an acceptable word count here, so I won’t go on and on, but seriously….make sure you try this bread.
Executive Chef Unaver V. Unabia has designed a full menu that offers a tasty and fresh selection of dishes that elevate their ingredients and celebrate clean and healthy choices. The Farmed Tiger Prawn Hinava (RM35) kicks our taste buds into gear from the first bite with Borneo-style tiger prawn tartare, ginger and ginger flower, shallots, chilli, Cameron Highland chives and lime juice. It packs a punch that is tolerable even for my weak palate, possibly because it is so delicious I just wanted more of it.
I’m always a little wary of kale in salads in the event that it is too tough or bitter, but the Chef and his team have crafted a truly tasty combination of chickpeas, yard avocado, plum, Cameron cherry tomatoes and orange mustard dressing in the Hydroponic Sunway X Curly Kale Salad (RM32).
Our final appetiser was the Chargrilled Japanese Octopus (RM58), which is perfectly seasoned with a chilli rub and served with Genting parsley gremolata, chorizo ragout and yard sweet potato. These meaty bits and gorgeous colours were enough to even tempt our usually seafood-averse photographer into having a taste, which is a rare moment.
Bara on Six – From the Shell
When diners first enter Bara on Six, the airy space invites them to take a look not at the spectacular view but at the tempting oysters on ice, where they select triplets or half a dozen from Irish, Australian or French origin to be freshly shucked. There are options for your oysters on ice with a ponzu, red pepper chermoula or mignonette dressing. If your preference is for hot oysters, you may select from either a baked oyster mornay or grill beurre maitre to complete your set.
Our party ordered a triplet of Irish Gallagher Oysters (RM75) and a triplet of French Fin de Claire (RM65), choosing the ponzu dressing to compliment their fresh and oceanic natural flavours. There’s a lot to be said for enjoying the experience of freshly shucked oysters with a view like the one at Bara on Six. This is where the menu and evening choices become more apparent – a romantic dinner with drinks and the skyline, a cocktail or two with some incredible sharing dishes, a bigger celebration perhaps in their private dining room that seats ten people – there is something for everyone.
Sea & Land
Larger mains continue to feature Chef Unabia’s tributes to local ingredients and imported specialties. The Roasted Tapah Perak Free-range Chicken (RM58) is wonderfully accompanied by braised lemon olive oil French beans, Highland tomato cherry tomatoes and sits on top of a lentil ragout. The Australian Grilled Barley Lamb Loin (RM138) features a barley ragout, pumpkin purée, tomato confit and balsamic jus for a tender red meat option.
From the Cattle Farm
Across from the oysters sitting on ice, patrons will notice the special dry-age fridge, where portions of grain-fed Australian beef are aged for the kitchen. The cuts of meat from this part of the menu are all sourced from northern Queensland’s Stanbroke farms. As with the oysters, diners have a more bespoke service available here. They can select the meat from dry-aged or grass-fed cuts before choosing a side and sauce to accompany their meal.
We opted for the Dry-Aged Porterhouse T-Bone (RM158), aged 42 days. Chef was generous in giving us a few side dishes to try along with it – Honey Glazed Cameron Carrots and Lentil Ragout. For the sauce, we chose the Genting Herbs Chimichurri, and all of this was a fine match for the well-cooked steak on our plate.
Sweet Finish – Bara on Six
Yes, we were happily so full at this point. Still, everything was so good it practically demanded that we soldier on and sample some items from the dessert menu to complete the dining experience. Chokanan Mango Textures (RM22) features Almond Crumble and Marscapone with all things Mango – Sponge, Mousse, Gel and Gelato, making it an excellently fruity finish to a night of great dining.
For a different take on a deconstructed tiramisu, try the Sungai Pelek Sepang Liberica Coffee Cremeux (RM25), with soaked Sepang Liberica Coffee Finger Cookies, Whipped Mascarpone and Tiramisu Gelato – a mouthful in name and flavours!
Finally, the Longan Soya Panna Cotta (RM20) is a light and sweet combination of Sepang Longan, Cameron Berries Coulis, Tuille, and Soya Panna Cotta – Chef Unabia has been very clever in crafting an end-of-the-meal menu with enough light-as-air dishes that you can still feel guilt-free when ordering dessert after everything else you’ve consumed (or at least, I did).
Or you could skip dessert, Mon-style, and finish with a cocktail.
Drinks at Bara on Six
The selection of drinks is a wide-ranging mix of classic cocktails, well-known wines and numerous gins, with a few craft beers included for good measure. Upon viewing the wine list, guests will be delighted to see that although they make the final decision, much of the hard work has been done for them, with wines being grouped according to recommendations for pairings with meals.
We started our evening with a cocktail or two – the Pinky Gin-Tini (RM48) mixes Gin with Pomegranate Syrup and Lime Juice, resulting in a tasty and fruity blend that is not nearly as sweet as the name might suggest. All of the mixers behind the bar are sugar-free, so it’s practically in your health’s best interests to order a drink! The Negroni (RM50) is a well-made classic of only three ingredients: Gin, Campari and Rosso, and displays bartender Wan’s skills at crafting a delicious and sophisticated glass of something to sip as the lights come on around the city.
During the seafood portion of our meal, we chose to sip an Argentinian Trapiche El Molino Chardonnay (RM40 per glass), which has fresh citric notes and a strong floral aroma. As the red meat dishes were served, we switched to a bottle of Trapiche El Molino Merlot (RM188 a bottle), whose sweet earthiness complimented the dry-aged beef quite nicely.
Reasons to visit Bara on Six: the work has been done to move this restaurant and bar into a new era, and it has paid off. The staff are friendly, enthusiastic and rightly proud of what they have on offer. It would be easy to have a great night out here as a couple, small group or larger party. Normally this is the part where I would say Monica loved this and Matt scoffed that, but because the three of us were so in sync all night as we tasted everything, I will just say – book a spot and enjoy your evening.
Bara on Six
Level 6, Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
[email protected]
Bara on Six Opening Hours
Tuesday – Sunday
Lunch: 12:00pm – 2:30pm
Dinner: 6:30pm – 10:30pm
Gin Bar: 6:00pm – 12:00am
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