Flirting with Italy at The CKT Supperclub

Chef Andy Choy (Chateau Dionne) said the theme for The CKT Supper club this month was ‘Italy’ and not Italian, otherwise we would be better off at a true blue Italian resto. He’s being honest, and frankly, it did feel more like Malaysian fusion with the teeny bits of Italian accents, what with Wagyu with rendang sauce, and roti tissue inspired paper thin bread with Western ‘dhall’ made with split peas instead of chuck peas, and all.

But theme aside, regardless what was being served, chef Andy cannot be faulted for his flawless creations as everything he does taste exquisite and sumptuous, well, at least to me anyway. Heck, in the hands of a pro like Andy, he’d probably be able to make even plain cream crackers into classy haute cuisine. 

Most of the diners drooled over the Wagyu, which was delish as it was perfectly executed in terms of texture and tenderness, but it was a bit too rendang-ish for me. I much preferred the spring chicken with sausage stuffing, a mixture of chicken, beef and duck meat and herbs – this was love at first bite. 

Caprese salad took the form of a refreshing fruit salad with burrata, drizzled with reduced balsamic sauce which mimicked our local rojak sauce. The grilled calamari, toasty and fragrant, was given a Malaysian spin, stuffed with fried rice. Maybe if it was stuffed with a different grain eg. quinoa, would it have been more ‘Italy’? But this was probably the only carbo during the meal, apart from the bread at the start, so maybe that’s why Andy wanted to include rice in his menu.

What was Italian was the delightful limoncello (could easily have had another one.. or five), housemade pasta (could be more el dente) with reduced prawn broth and aioli (bit on the salty side), traditional gelato, almost like a soft serve, and creamy decadent tiramisu. Oh yes, and the lovely concentrated minestrone accompanied by Japanese fish Izaki, kinmedai and tai (sea bream) instead of the usual beef chunks.

The whole idea of a supper club was to experiment with flavours and ideas, and that we did, coupled with generous drinks with a bunch of familiar faces (we didn’t make prior arrangements but just turned out that way), made it a thoroughly enjoyable night. Till we eat again, salute! 

Some quick background: Chef Andy Choy has close to 20 years’ experience and worked with Michelin-starred restaurants by Guy Savoy and Gordon Ramsay in Paris, London and Dubai. He also spent 8 years in China before returning to helm Chateau Dionne, together with partner David Lim. He started The CKT Supperclub early this year, with just a select few seats each time, eagerly snapped up by diners who were willing to experiment with him. At the time of posting, next month’s theme hadn’t been decided but since then, Andy declared Hong Kong to the next destination and all seats haven been taken up. Perhaps if there are cancellations … stay tuned, yeah!

Add: Add: 24G, Jalan Medan Setia 2, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. tel: 018-318 8199