Fuego

The flourishing duo behind Troika Sky Dining have added yet another feather to their cap: Fuego, a restaurant and bar that overlooks KL’s original duo, the Twin Towers. Eddie Chew and Christian Bauer expand their reign of the Troika quarter with their trademark whiz and bang, and it’s difficult to imagine them doing it any other way.

Named after the Spanish word for ‘fire’, Fuego claims to focus on South American flavours. Most dishes are presented with a great sense of theatre, such as the smoked snails in a jar, grilled watermelon with fried haloumi, smoked quail eggs, and salted cod croquettes. Smoking is a heavily used technique here, and manager Rick Joore acknowledges Fuego’s bias towards flamed, grilled and smoked tones. The chaos is dialled down in the mains, in which large slabs of grilled beef cuts or chicken are thrown onto wooden boards next to miniature jars of sauces. And if your sweet tooth so desires it, churros with salted caramel espuma are ever so present on the menu.

It’s also worth mentioning that Fuego employs a team of guacamole chefs – headed by a serious white-jacketed bloke who makes guacamole all night. It’s not surprising then that the guacamole entries alone take the humble avocado to rock star levels. Besides the classic iteration, there’s one with salmon roe, a spicy version with cili padi, and a favourite of ours: guacamole with anchovies, sundried tomatoes and preserved lemons.

Fuego’s clincher is undoubtedly the space in which it sits. The sky-high floor of a KL building never before provided a view of the Towers as resplendent as this one – whether at sunset or after hours, the view is a sparkling panorama. Meanwhile, none of the grandiosity of Cantaloupe or Claret Wine Bar is present at Fuego; it’s a wildcard Troika Sky Dining project for the everyman. For proof, soak in the eclectic Talavera-style tiles, breezy alfresco vibe and casual canteen-style benches on a weeknight.