Month: August 2025

Omakase at FooTori

Omakase at FooTori

A first for me as I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Japanese yakitori omakase. FooTori did a good job as every skewer had its own distinct flavour and texture. Hidden away on the ground floor of Plaza Kelana Jaya near the 

Mid-Autumn Festival with Four Seasons KL

Mid-Autumn Festival with Four Seasons KL

For this coming Mid-Autumn Festival, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur offers a selection of artisanal creations by chef Ng Meng Loong, dim sum and dessert maestro at Yun House, the Hotel’s Michelin-selected Cantonese restaurant. This year’s mooncake gift box features a specially commissioned design by 

Chalet at EQ KL returns

Chalet at EQ KL returns

Revisiting a cherished chapter in Malaysia’s fine dining history, EQ brings back Chalet, once regarded the pinnacle of fine dining during the early days of Malaysia’s culinary history.

Returning as a limited edition dining experience hosted at The Conservatory, Level 3, a visit to Chalet is a walk down memory lane for those who remember, and a celebration of European culinary refinement.

First established at the original Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur, Chalet was the mainstay of elegant dining from the 1970s through the early 2000s, you can expect signature favourites like raclette, flambé dishes, and the unforgettable ritual of Canard à la Presse.

The pop-up brings back Chalet’s classic menu, guided by the rich culinary heritage of Switzerland and the regional dishes that define it. At the heart of the experience are ingredients that evoke taste memories of the Alps — cheese, cream, game, and brandy.

Among the signatures is the Raclette Valaisanne, a staple of Swiss alpine kitchens where molten raclette cheese is served tableside over new potatoes and cornichon pickles. Fondue au Fromage — Chalet’s classic cheese fondue — is offered with truffle and served for two, convivial centrepiece perfect for sharing.

Raclette
Fondue

Main courses reflect the culinary traditions of Geneva, Zurich with dishes like Émincé de Veau à la Zurichoise, a Zurich-style sliced veal with mushroom cream and rösti potatoes, Filet de Boeuf Wagyu crowned with foie gras and shaved black truffle, accompanied by pommes dauphine and seasonal vegetables. Seafood lovers will appreciate the Homard Thermidor, a Maine lobster dish that balances richness with freshness. The famed Canard à la Presse — whole roasted duck presented on a gleaming silver press — returns as Chalet’s centrepiece. The rare art of pressing the bird tableside, then finishing it with a rich sauce made from its juices, is performed with ceremony and precision, creating a meal as much about experience as flavour. This signature dish is available by pre-order and is best enjoyed by two diners.

Roast lamb

Starters include delicacies such as Viande des Grisons (Swiss air-dried beef), steak tartare, and foie gras de canard. Chalet’s wild mushroom soup, served in a hollowed bread roll.

Foie gras de canard
Mushroom soup

Desserts are a nod to old-world charm, where liqueur, fire, and indulgence meet in gentle harmony. The Crêpes Suzette, flambéed at the table, and the Hot Strawberry Soufflé are both nostalgic and satisfying. For a theatrical finish, there’s Chalet’s specialty coffees — laced with brandy or liqueur and topped with whipped cream.

Crepe suzette
Dessert trolley

While the setting may be different, the spirit remains unchanged. The Chalet Pop-Up runs from 14 – 30 August, available for dinner only.

For enquiries, contact dineateqkl@kul.equatorial.com or call +60 3 2789 7839

Or WhatsApp +60 12 583 5319.

Ayam Brand reinvents baked beans Malaysian style

Ayam Brand reinvents baked beans Malaysian style

Ayam Brand is giving baked beans a bold new image in Malaysian kitchens, and rediscovering how local flavours and creativity can transform a humble pantry staple into a brand new dish. Long associated with Western cuisine, baked beans are now being reinterpreted with distinctly local 

Four Seasons raises close to RM90k for cancer research

Four Seasons raises close to RM90k for cancer research

Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur and Four Seasons Resort Langkawi has successfully raised RM89,520 for Terry Fox Run held on May 18 in Kl, and June 14 in Langkawi, in support of cancer research.  “We are honoured to support the Terry Fox Run and its mission 

Please, may I have 1 More Pizza!

Please, may I have 1 More Pizza!

By sheer luck, I managed to get 1 free pizza, which was part of 1MORE Pizza’s opening promo. Top-tier toppings on 72-hour fermented pizza dough and you get light, crisp pizzas, baked in a brick oven for 90 seconds, seasoned with Grana Padano, pecorino and Sarawak black pepper – a nod to the Bornean homestead. Hailing from  Brunei, this pizzeria in Taman Paramount is its first branch in the Peninsular, sporting clean lines that hark to the once popular industrial look with the brick oven right up front. 

Quirky pizza names such as Lucy in the Sky, Smoke On The Water and Toast to our Differences beckon, and they are all scrumptious! 

We had a free Lucy – whipped ricotta, gorgonzola, mixed mushroom, sliced garlic, fior de latte (flower of milk/fresh milk mozzarella) – harmonious pairing of cheeses, not overwhelming at all (like classic 4-cheese sometimes). 

Beyond the Sea had plenty of spicy prawns, baby spinach, fior di latte, given a lift with fresh pesto oil and browned butter while Kiss from a Rose was San Marzano tomato, beef bresaola, rocket peach and fior di latte. This one had us stumped for a while as we looked for the peach. What a joke as it turned out to be Rocket Peach and not the fruit! Enjoyed this. 

We also ordered  neapolitan meatballs, deep-fried calamari and cauliflower and rocket mint salad, all on point and delicious. 

The crust is quite different, chewy, kinda fluffy, and you can’t lift a piece like normal hard crust pizza. A friend said it was like chapati with toppings!

Try for yourself to see if you would want 1More pizza!

Add: 34, Jalan 21/12, Sea Park, Petaling Jaya. hp: 010-915 6388

Ibu Ruby’s Indonesian fare delights KL folk

Ibu Ruby’s Indonesian fare delights KL folk

Permanently closed A welcome addition to Lucky Garden in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Ibu Ruby’s offers Malay/Indonesian street food, dishes that owner Muhammad Imran Abdullah (one of the co-founders of the Muslim-friendly Italian restaurant Positano Risto) grew up eating. Sitting right at the corner lot of 

Say Oh Yeah to Sang Har Meen

Say Oh Yeah to Sang Har Meen

Had intended to go somewhere else but since  SS2 was jammed packed that day, no thanks to the durian season, we ended up at Oh Yeah Kopitiam on the perimeter of the SS2 square. Every table had a plate or two, so it made sense 

The tradition of liquor in Chinese cuisine by Oriental Group

The tradition of liquor in Chinese cuisine by Oriental Group

The much anticipated annual Grand Banquet Series is back at Oriental Group across 12 of its restaurants, and this year’s theme is ‘The tradition of liquor in Chinese cuisine’. Paying homage to the rich culture and culinary legacy of pairing and infusing liquors into gourmet food, this exclusively curated menu is beyond exquisite, showcasing not only how liquor elevates the flavours but the extraordinary prowess of the chefs. Nothing short of amazing, the memory of the wonderful dishes linger on long after the dining experience. 

At the top of my list was the XO infused duck with whole abalone, stuffed with fin and meat, simmered down over hours of cooking. The rich gravy itself was a joy to the senses, layered with flavours of the various ingredients. The wild Sultan fish steamed with shao hsing wine was huge, and surprisingly, left to cook in its own juices rather than doused in sauce. There was a natural sweetness to the flesh, done just about right, that gave the fish a firm, almost chewy texture. I’ve never had fish tasting like this before and was totally smitten by the unique preparation. 

Extreme care to detail has been meted out from the simple starters – the plum wine infused radish to the old fashioned drunken chicken, and my fav, spring roll wrapped in a unique layer of fat netting, reminiscent of nyonya kean – down to the flaky taro puff. Kudos to the chefs who conjured a truly unforgettable meal. 

Apart from the starters, duck and fish, the 10-course menu also includes chilled Japanese sake sea clams, stuffed prawns on morel mushroom with homemade dried scallop sauce – simple but no less tasty, suckling pig with ‘mei kui lu’ glutinous rice rolls and cinnamon whisky braised pork – another amazing creation, a different take on a traditional dish with a play on textures and flavours, red bean paste with Guangzhou old tangerine peel in coconut – I generally don’t like red beans but this I finished every last drop and their award-winning Teochew taro puff.

The team of talented featured chefs include chef Wong Chin Leong, senior executive chef, Noble House; chef Paul Lee Kim Yew, senior executive chef, Oriental Pavilion and Noble Mansion; chef Jay Chan Meng Heng, executive chef , Oriental Treasure and Han Room; chef Vincent Ong Chee Sin, executive chef, The Ming Room and Ruyi; and chef Kent Yam Kean Boon, BBQ chef, Oriental Pavilion.

Have a taste of this intricate harmony between food and spirit for yourself. At 2,988 ++ /10pax, this limited menu will be available till end Sept. For reservations, call +6012-811 8812.

Sabayon x Oria

Sabayon x Oria

Martín Berasategui is Spain’s most celebrated chef with 12 Michelin stars across 7 restaurants, helmed by chefs who have worked extensively with Berasategui and achieved fame through their own body of work. Chef Xabier Goikoetxea from famed Oria Restaurant (one Michelin-starred) at the prestigious Monument Hotel