Takeaway:
Looks dingy but don’t be fooled – prepare yourself for some culinary delights here. Sebastian’s brings South America to Malaysia in a delicious manner, and it’s one of our favourite little finds.
Sebastian’s sits unassumingly down the row from the more famous occupants of Persiaran Ampang. The facade is a glass and wood affair, inviting patrons to look beyond the rather modest surface. Having arrived a little before 7 in the evening on a Thursday, the shutters were half-closed. A quick query to the waitress inside informed us that Sebastian’s operates a rather interesting set of opening hours from 7pm to 3am. After a short wait, we finally step inside.
The first impressions of the decor might strike one as dingy, what with the narrow layout. All that soon fades as a vague comfort replaces our initial misgivings. A wood-paneled bar is the centrepiece and base of operations, regulars sitting up familiarly against it. For most part, the decor stays relatively in line with the facade, lending the bar a rustic air. Hints of Latin America dot the otherwise old-timey landscape. A Venezuelan flag hangs in the corner above from a piano in a show of patriotism. The left wall is a display of contemporary art, all bold brush patterns and vivid colours. Eccentric pieces of art catch the eye as it pours over the landscape. The contrast somehow meshes together old and new, giving a quirky personality to the place. Jazzy tunes from South America play over the speaker, with the occasional diversion into more rock-n-roll territory.
Sebastian’s is the brainchild of 3 Venezuelan brothers: the eponymous head honcho and founder, Sebastian; Memo, bartender and front-of-house; and Vladimir, the man in the kitchen. Memo approaches our table with the menu. Thursday, he tells us, is Empanada Night. For those who have not had the pleasure of eating these delicious things, Empanadas are pretty much the Latin cousin of the curry puff with crusts made from either wheat, plantain, cassava or corn. Every Thursday, Venezuelan celebrity chef Tamara Rodriguez plans a gastronomic trek across South America through regional varieties of stuffed pastry. The journey, may I say, is quite exhilarating.
These are not your auntie’s curry puffs. A basket of 5 empanadas lands on our table, each an ambassador of a South American locale. Tamara rotates the selection week to week, so one can always find a different diplomat to schmooze with. Their entourage comes in the form of a trio of dipping sauces: a creamy avacado mayonnaise, a peanut sauce with a great textural crunch (our personal fave) and a chili oil like sauce, intense in flavour.
Firstly, we start with the Argentinean empanada. Filled with ground beef, boiled egg and olive, the earthy beefiness and umami is tempered well by the heat of the chilli oil. Colombia follows in the form of a cassava-based crust, starchy with a hint of sweet, in which a molten centre of cheese hides. Chef Tamara tells us that traditionally they would use a Colombian queso instead of the standard cheeses. Nonetheless, it is excellent. Next up, Venezuela is all chicken and avacado mayo, a creamy savoury delight. Not to be outdone, Peru gives us a stunner of aji di gallina and tiger’s milk, a blend of traditional Peruvian chicken stew and the milky citrus marinade used in ceviche. Rounding things off, we return to Argentina, where the cheekily named Maradonna greets us in a cheesy pool of corn and brisket. Wonderful, heart-warming wholesome food.
A beverage related aside: The house pouring for the night is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Excellent value at RM21 for a generous glass, full bodied with a slight hint of acidity. Easy on the palate with a surprising complexity, we could have had a bottle. By we, I mean me and my potential descent into full-on alcoholism. But I digress.
The regular menu is concise, with an offering of bar snacks and appetisers followed by about a half-dozen mains. The pork loin with raspberry sauce catches our eye. As does the stingray lasagna, which is no combination we’ve ever heard of, making it a must order. Alas, as the kitchen are in the midst of rolling out a new menu, both were out of stock.
Instead, this traditional Venezuelan dish filled the void. A ubiquitous rice and beans dish some consider the national dish of Venezuela, this was served with pulled beef and a side of fried plantains (tajadas). The rice itself is excellent, each grain separate with a good al-dente bite. Butter coats each grain, rendering it a sinful, pillowy comfort. Black beans come well-cooked, not too mushy, with an earthiness to bring you back down from the buttery ecstasy. But, the star of the dish is clearly the fried plantains. There’s just something in the frying process that extracts such an intense savoury sweetness from the fruit, an utterly beguiling and addictive snack. Shame they aren’t offered as a bar snack. Unfortunately, the beef while well-seasoned was dry, almost crying out for an extra sauce element.
And onto the next one! A lightly battered white fish was excellently cooked, the flesh still moist and flaky. Accompanied again by that pillowy heaven of rice (take that, mediocre briyani everywhere) this time with a fresh salad providing counterpoint. The fresh, bright juiciness of the tomatoes lifted the salad even higher. But, let’s get to the point: this dish is all about that sauce. Ah, the sauce. Look at how it glistens. Pieces of shrimp and mussels lay atop the fish, almost like a garnish, no doubt used to infuse the sauce with its deep, briny oceanic flavour. The silken, velvety texture is enough to make one enact a musical rendition of the Little Mermaid. Leftover rice from the Pabellon provided a perfect vehicle for mopping up the last dregs of this intense liquid. Delicious.
We skipped dessert, mostly due to us feeling like we were in our third trimester.
All in all, Persiaran Ampang may have the heavyweights like La Risata, Las Carretas and the more recent addition of Flint but overlook Sebastian’s at your own risk. A cozy little bar where you can walk in for a quiet drink or five with a friend accompanied by some of the brave flavours of South America. Yes, there’s nothing wrong with sticking to the regular old Italian favourites or Mexican standards. But to skip out on a relative rarity in Malaysian’s restaurant scene? It’s your loss, mi pana.
Sebastian’s Gastro Bar
32, Persiaran Ampang Hilir,
Taman U Thant 55000
Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 7pm to 3am daily
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