Gooddam
Where Art Meets Fare
By Hiranmayii Awli Mohanan
Gooddam is where artistic expression of contemporary Italian fare takes place. If you’re curious about its name, the initials of founders chef Daniel Yap and Miki Lie make ‘dam’ of Gooddam. Having perfected his craft in Piedmont, Daniel lovingly brings forth touches of Piedmontese cuisine to this restaurant.
The restaurant’s new dinner set menu granted us a peek into Chef Daniel’s culinary prowess, starting with the perfectly plated garden of bagna cauda cream in the centre to tie in the local asparagus, zucchini and pistachio which emitted a playground of textures and well- balanced flavours. We continued to whet our palates with the vibrant assemblage of Salmon Crudo, T’lur Caviar, Crispy Potato and Basil. Again, different elements and taste profiles werere brought together to provide crunchiness, saltiness from the caviar and subtle ooze of refreshing basil. Pair this with Pasqua’s Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie.
A swift change of plates and cutlery and we were ready for the mains. The first was a bright-coloured dish of grilled octopus cooked the Italian way, pumpkin risotto with raw pumpkin for texture, smoked tomato cream and cured egg yolk to garnish. While humble in appearance, there was nothing humble about this dish. Exquisitely prepared, the pomodoro sauce lent the risotto smokiness and depth.
The switch to red wine from Prestige’s Chianti signalled our second main, the 7-Day Aged Duck Breast, Truffle & Salted Bean Jus and Eryngii. We imagined this a hit with the crowd. Aged for seven days in balsamic vinegar, these tender slices peaking pinkish hue are paired with homemade truffle and black bean sauce with red berry compote with hints of asam boi and grilled king oyster mushroom. To truly enjoy the intended piquancies, apply a bit of each element onto the duck and relish!
For dessert, we were presented with Gooddam’s eye-pleasing rendition of the Tau Foo Far. In a unique glass bowl, mango compote and pandan oil were placed alongside the salted panna cotta and garnished with pink and purple edible flowers. The velvety consistency of the panna cotta simply melted in the mouth and we appreciated the Malaysian touch to this Italian dessert through mango and pandan. For dessert, the Baba Napoletano, Kelulut Honey Ice Cream and Vanilla Mousse marked the end of the dinner course and rightfully so. A yeast sweet cake is soaked in rum syrup with vanilla mousse, fresh strawberries atop for acidity and kelulut honey ice cream is again, a balancing factor. As soon as it’s in the mouth, the yeast sweet cake disintegrates and leaves a perfectly splendid aftertaste.
Address: Gooddam *Italian cuisine *Casual dining (non halal)
Lot B-G-07, The HUB SS2,
19 Sentral, Jalan Harapan, Seksyen 19,
46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
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