By Joon Ian Wong
KUALA LUMPUR — Edwin Yau spent 17 years developing Japanese restaurants in Malaysia and abroad, but two years ago, he was ready to quit. “I had no motivation,” he said, citing local diners’ conservative tastes. But then he came up with an idea: to diversify his restaurant concepts and introduce a new breed of restaurant to the Malaysian capital. The result is Wondermama, a design-forward diner that opened on June 25 and serves “modern Malaysian” comfort food with strong influences from Japan and Nyonya cuisine, a Malay-Chinese tradition unique to the Straits of Malacca.
The Chef: Though he has helped to launch several Japanese eateries in the city, Mr. Yau is best known as the man behind hip fusion izakaya Daikanyama, opened in 2009. His fascination with Japanese culture began with the manga comics he read as a child, and as a chef he trained under Yoshio Nogawa at Singapore’s Sushi Kaiseki Nogawa. “I spent a year just scrubbing the kitchen and washing rice there,” said Mr. Yau, who left after four years to work in Japanese restaurants in Vienna and Tokyo before returning to his native Kuala Lumpur.
The Food and Drink: The chef’s short, inventive menu reinterprets classic Malaysian fare with a healthy dose of irreverence. Take the restaurant’s “Nasi Lemak 2.0,” named for a hit political movie satire. The dish’s standard fried chicken is updated with a side of Japanese-style chicken karaage (a nod to Mr. Yau’s Japan background). Upgrade to “Nasi Lemak 2.0S” and the bird is replaced with soft-shell crab. The chef has also borrowed heavily from Nyonya fare and worked it into his creations in unexpected ways. So Malaysia’s run-of-the-mill roti bakar (toast), usually served with margarine, is elevated with garlic dip and a spread of butter and Nyonya otak-otak (steamed spiced fish paste). In keeping with the country’s Muslim-majority setting, there’s no pork on the menu, Mr. Yau says. Though beer and wine are served, the chef says all the restaurant’s dishes are strictly halal.
The Setting: Situated in Kuala Lumpur’s wealthy Bangsar district, the 464-square-meter space is spread across two levels; the upper-floor café comes with an open-air diner patio. Malaysian architect Shin Tseng’s minimalist interior is enlivened with cheerful nostalgia for ’70s and ’80s Malaysia. Framed board games from the era hang from the walls, while a deconstructed chandelier made with exposed bulbs and wiring recalls the home appliances popular at the time. A wrought-iron grill, a mainstay of Malaysian houses, separates the patio from the dining room. “The atmosphere is all about childhood memories: The houses we lived in; the games we used to play,” Mr. Shin said. Meanwhile, subtle Nyonya touches are pervasive: geometric patterns on the floors and walls are reminiscent of pared-down Nyonya floral motifs, as well as patterned plates and bowls, by Tokyo design practice Simple Society. Mr. Yau says he plans to open a design store selling Wondermama’s tableware and furniture.
Our Tip: Save room for dessert. The durian crepe with ice cream is a treat for connoisseurs of the thorny fruit, and a worthy challenge for the uninitiated. A hunk of pungent, creamy, seedless durian flesh is embedded in the whipped-cream filling, while the scoop of vanilla ice cream and its drizzle of palm sugar, cereal and nuts is refreshingly palate-cleansing. It’s a heady collision of flavors and textures that you’ll be hard pressed to find outside Malaysia.