When it comes to cuisine, Sharon Lam can talk at length about the subject.
“A dish is the final outcome of the combination of many ingredients coming well together. This includes sourcing for produce and experimenting with it to create flavour through infusion, smoking and other techniques.
“It’s an interesting process to discover the revelation of smells and taste through different stages. And then to incorporate that into the dish,” says the youthful-looking 40-something.
Lam is the owner of GLASS Tartines & Tipples, located along the trendy Jalan Tengah strip in Kuala Lumpur. The loosely-inspired French restaurant is located on the ground floor of St Mary Residences.
Formerly a freelance photographer, Lam studied fine art photography at Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia. “Having had no F&B experience, everything was initially a challenge. This involved sourcing for suppliers to understanding what would fill the gap on this strip.”
As GLASS approaches its third year, Lam has overcome the earlier obstacles. Still, staffing remains a big issue. “Our biggest challenge is to find dedicated staff who want to learn and who see this job as more than just transit employment.”
From Mondays to Fridays, GLASS offers value-for-money set lunches. “We always have a pasta and a tartine option. Our set lunch includes a drink and dessert at a reasonable price (RM22+).”
Lam adds that GLASS is open to hosting private events. With an intimate, minimalist décor, it can accommodate up to 60 diners; there is inside seating as well as an outside dining area.
“I am interested in the process of firstly making interesting ingredients in food. We make our own salts, rubs, syrups and alcohol infusions, using mainly local produce.”
She adds: “Our menu is quite varied – it has something for everyone. From the dressings to soup bases, dips and meatballs, we make everything that we can ourselves. We believe that one should eat well – and that translates into the ingredients that we select and use.”
At GLASS, one of the bestsellers is the Asian meat platter. Served on a wooden platter, it includes char siew chicken with house made chili sauce, peppered oxtail and chicken ball bites with crisp sesame cucumber noodles.
An all-time favourite is the coffee rubbed Australian ribeye, which sees freshly ground coffee gently rubbed on a good cut of steak served with gorgonzola sauce. “It sounds like such a strange combination but it works deliciously well,” she enthuses.
When it comes to food creations, Lam says: “We mainly start from the ingredient that we’d like to include in a dish or even in a drink. I discuss with the chef how to incorporate a certain flavour, herb or texture, whether it’s subtle or strong.
“Sometimes we try to reinvent a sauce that’s fairly common – like our char siew chicken chilli sauce – it may be basic but we’ve put our own spin on it. We make our own syrups too and our coolers such as pandan and mint include the old time local favourite biji selasih (basil seeds).”
- GLASS Tartines & Tipples
A-0-6 Ground Floor, St Mary Residences, No 1 Jalan Tengah, off Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. - For reservations, call 03-2022 1477.
