KCH

A modern Malaysian eatery that fires up classic hawker fare and lesser-known regional dishes.

Beef brisket, braised seemingly forever in a spiced broth, joins tendon, tripe, thin slices of

beef so tender it makes a virtue of indolence, and springy noodles in a reimagined childhood favourite from chef Calvin Chong. The dish is gu bak mee, a hyperlocal beef-noodle dish from Kuching, Malaysia, that occasionally makes an appearance on the menu at KCH as a weekend special; and it’s just one of the ways Chong celebrates his family’s heritage.

Chicken rice is fragrant and brightened with housemade chilli sauce, while a tangle of skinny rice noodles and egg strips in a curry laksa provide a satisfying mix of slipperiness and give.

While weekends favour Kuching food that you simply won’t find elsewhere, the North Perth eatery’s everyday menu is dotted with classic hawker dishes made with care. Chicken rice is fragrant and brightened with housemade chilli sauce, while a tangle of skinny rice noodles and egg strips in a curry laksa provide a satisfying mix of slipperiness and give. Chong family recipes, like Grandma’s meat roll – a delicious deep-fried parcel of five-spice pork and prawn encased in crisp beancurd skin – also make the menu.

An eye on details is kept outside of the kitchen, too. Sharp staff zip across the modern yet simplistic dining room while diners bop to good-time tunes and a BYO policy that pairs nicely with the well-equipped bottleshop across the road.