Drop by this newest restaurant in the upmarket Bukit Damansara neighbourhood to savour the most delicious tapas ever.
Tucked in the cosy neighbourhood of upmarket Bukit Damansara is the newly sprung Cata restaurant that has descended and made its presence felt almost stealthily in the well-heeled crème de la crème neighbourhood.
The mood enveloping the restaurant is cosy yet charming; simple yet elegant. There’s a certain warmth to the place well balanced by a hearty sense of homeliness. Welcome to Cata, headed by majority shareholder Chef Karl Rathswohl who at 70, is also the charming restaurant’s sprightly Executive Chef.
“Following the concept of tapas, Cata in Spanish means ‘taste’. Seeing that I would like to bring Mediterranean flavours to KL, we opened Cata’s doors for business on Nov 5, 2019 with a small soft opening menu,” shares the hearty chef.
And, why Bukit Damansara? “This location is known for its many food & beverage (F&B) offerings but it did not have a nice place which features small plates and a decent place for a glass of wine,” he relates.
“It’s also close to where I live in Bangsar… Mediterranean cuisine is the trendy diet now as it’s healthy and uses lots of fresh ingredients.. People like to eat little but still want variety and so the tapas concept suits the current lifestyle very well,” he relates further.
Operating with a strong Mediterranean cuisine theme, he adds that French dishes and cuisines are also served here. And so far, Cata has been earning a good following among the crowd here.
“I have been eating around KL and Malaysia and I still find that good food is still lacking. Thus, I braved myself to come out of retirement to set this restaurant up firstly, as a showcase of good food bringing out the best out of any ingredient used.
“Secondly, I wish for this to be a platform to train young chefs and talented chefs through setting up regular ‘pop up’ restaurants featuring young budding chefs who have a desire to make it in this difficult profession but needs a place to practise and gain confidence in their food style (approach),” he discloses further.
When quizzed on famous people who have dined here thus far – he replies with a twinkle in his eye tongue in cheek manner, saying, “All my customers are famous in their own ways thus I can’t name them all!”
Those who appreciate Mediterranean cuisine and love a variety of dishes would form the restaurant’s target market. After all, Cata is a Mediterranean restaurant which brings flavours from Spain, Italy and France. It also features a gourmet wood fired oven serving up pizzas besides showcasing delectable tapas and desserts carefully crafted by veteran Chef Karl and his team of up and coming budding, young chefs to appease ones palate and all the five senses.
“Its artisan cuisine with a ‘twist’ is something to look forward to,” he says.
Commenting on his approach to cooking, he says that his secret lies in trying to have all the dishes prepared from scratch to bring out the respective flavour of each ingredient.
According to him, Cata at any one time, seats 44 diners but for a big group to sit down together would be a comfortable 40 persons while cocktails can be held inside and outside Cata for at least 70 people.
Looking back, setting up Cata has been nothing short of a labour of love.
“The idea for Cata plus how it was going to look was conceived in early 2018. For the interiors, I had quietly collected old wooden beams thrown out by owners who were renovating their houses whilst I was doing my regular morning walks and had used them to make the restaurant tables. These are weathered wood with beautiful grain detailing. Discarded iron gates of retro design now decorate the ceiling of the restaurant. Leaves from the forest which I picked up were dried and painted for decoration. Many of my collection pieces were hung as decorative pieces on the walls of Cata. Many hours of research have gone into the recipes and concept of the dishes presented just like the art of perfecting the pizza dough recipe from trying out various recipes in which we finally came out with our own which is served at Cata today,” he says in fond recollection.
Feedback he affirms has been very encouraging with Cata securing five-star ranking under Google search.
“All the diners have been very happy with the food and wine selection – commending Cata for being the best tapas place in town. Also, they love the ambiance of the restaurant which is cosy and unique which will bring one back to the Southern Europe Mediterranean feel with its rustic decor and setting,” he says with a beam.
And what food would he recommend to diners?
“All our wood fired pizzas are great. And, our duck confit and gnocchi have had rave reviews thus far,” he concludes with a grin.
For more information and to make reservations, please contact 603 20118587 or drop an email to: mho@catamsia.com