GLORIOUS MALAYA OMAKASE & LUNAR FORTUNE AT NOBU KL

Gear up for a double celebration at Nobu Kuala Lumpur. Executive Chef Philip Leong and his Nobu KL team have put their creative culinary prowess to proffer a 7-course omakase set to commemorate Malaysia’s 62^nd Merdeka Day with local ingredients and Japanese-Peruvian flavours.

Simultaneously, a selection of Lunar Fortune Mooncakes takes centrestage for the coming Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, from now until 13 September 2019.

Paying homage to Malaysia’s bounty of local ingredients, the Nobu KL team has incorporated palm sugar, tamarind, coconut and monk fruit into the Glorious Malaya Omakase (RM500++ per person). Available until 31 August 2019, the opening volley of Seared Toro with Caviar & Tamarind Sauce is an uplifting appetiser to savour.

Dollops of caviar and refreshing pineapple salsa alongside charred fern tips lend invigorating interest to fatty slices of raw tuna. The palm sugar and tamarind sauce tempers the fish’s inherent richness, making this dish a noteworthy curtain-raiser.

The gastronomic parade continues with Nobu Style Sushi — a sumptuous quartet of handcrafted sushi with choice toppings of tuna with chopped truffle, kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) with chopped yuzu & jalapeno, yellowtail with fresh jalapeno, and snow crab. This artful composition is an apt distillation of the Japanese-Peruvian influences Nobu is famous for.

Slices of fresh apple, cucumber and pear complemented by baby spinach and kataifi bits serve as a healthy, wholesome canvas to showcase the Scallop Salad with Peanut Den Miso Dressing. The flavourful clincher for this seemingly simple dish is den miso — a Japanese sweet-salty cooked paste created by founder Nobu Matsuhisa blended with peanuts.

Crushed local vegetable keropok (cracker) makes the main course of Artic Char Wasabi Palm Sugar the show-stopper of this celebratory menu. The crunchy crust atop the artic char fillet together with sweetish, tart and zingy wasabi zuke pickles and palm sugar sauce left us singing praises of the delicious dish.

Melt-in-the-mouth slices of Wagyu with Nori Cream continues the charm offensive.

Accompanied by creamy rich seaweed sauce and savoury mounds of chickpeas and lentils, the buttery beef is an indulgent treat no discerning gourmand will fault.

Then a glassful of silky Somen with Watercress Soup is entrusted to ensure a clean sweep of an amply flavour-satiated palate; an ingenious way to stave off any cloying aftertaste from the earlier meat course.

Bringing the epicurean menu to its final flourish is Monk Fruit Mousse with Coconut Ice Cream, Vanilla Sponge & Monk Fruit Jelly. Again, this dessert masterpiece ticks all the right boxes: visually pleasing, texturally exciting and tastefully balanced so you won’t walk away feeling guilt-ridden but exhilarated from such a wonderful dining experience.

LUNAR FORTUNE MOONCAKES

 

Drawing from its distinct culinary approach, Nobu KL has unveiled Miso (fermented soya bean paste) Yolk, Wasabi Yolk, Green Tea and Black Sesame fillings for its range of baked, Shanghai-style or snowskin mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

Presented in beautiful lacquer boxes with wood finish inspired by the interior décor of Nobu KL, each Lunar Fortune gift box comes adorned with a miniature gold or silver koi — a symbol of good luck, prosperity and fortune in the Japanese and Chinese culture.

Guests can enjoy 10% discount for purchases of 5 boxes above and 15% for 10 boxes above. The Lunar Fortune Mooncakes will be available until 13 September 2019 at Nobu KL and a special kiosk at Pavilion KL from 23 August to 12 September 2019.

For inquiries or reservations at Nobu Kuala Lumpur, please call tel: 03-2164 5084 or WhatsApp 019-389 5085.

TIME TO MEAT THE PORKERS

An interesting 'hook'. A compelling story. That's what every restaurant should have if it wants to stand out and pull in the crowd. Enterprising restaurateur Herukh Jethwani is savvy enough to know that and he's proven it with his newest eatery, Meat The Porkers.

Having set the local resto scene abuzz with his Fierce Curry House in Bangsar and Fiercer in Solaris Dutamas, Herukh is now hitting paydirt with Meat The Porkers and Siew Yoke Biryani (RM28) as its raison d'être.

The passionate foodie cum restaurateur regaled us with how his penchant for pork led him to experiment with cooking pork Northern Indian-style. While the concept of Siew Yoke Biryani is decidedly simple, Herukh and his culinary team underwent lots of trial and error (including tapping on the expertise of his regular pork butcher and supplier) before they got it down pat.

Knowing he was in uncharted waters, Herukh decided to gauge market response by accepting takeaway orders for his siew yoke biryani through Facebook. He recalled mirthfully, "My family wasn't amused when strangers kept coming to our house to collect their siew yoke biryani orders."

Still, every pork lover has his day and Herukh finally brought Meat The Porkers to fruition last November. The pared-down, fuss-free setting is adorned simply with stacked, multi-coloured boxy shelves displaying a whimsical collection of pigs on one wall facing a long bar. It oozes casual, fun and laidback vibes that put diners immediately at ease.

He admitted he was surprised by the many new customers who are beating a path to his new resto's doors. "Right now, I daresay Meat The Porkers is the world's one and only restaurant to serve Indian-style porky dishes."

Like a daredevil stepping off a precipice, Herukh has succeeded in turning Indian cuisine on its head with his new, tasty yet familiar dishes: tandoori pork ribs, pork pakoras, pork sheekh kebabs and bacon & cheese naan.

The showstopping Siew Yoke Biryani came befittingly up to expectations. Our anticipation peaked when the dough-sealed lid was removed, releasing intensely droolworthy aroma as chunks of tender siew yoke (roast pork) were dug out from within the rice.

It was good to have the crackling crisp skin served separately, to be sprinkled onto the biryani hence lending nice crunchiness to the rice. We reckon copycat eateries would soon be jumping onto the bandwagon to offer this inventive and scrumptious speciality.

During our visit, we noticed every table invariably had a serving of Tandoori Pork Ribs (RM48). Ah, the proof was definitely in the eating the minute we sunk our teeth into the juicy, meaty ribs. The specially concocted marinade is tweaked from Gordon Ramsay's barbecue sauce recipe, infused with myriad Indian spices and rubbed onto the pork ribs. 

Baked in a traditional tandoor, the moist meat had a toothsome bite to it and boasted deep-seated flavours. To enhance the overall dining experience, sprinkle Pol Sambol (grated coconut chutney with chilli powder and lime) and Tamarind BBQ Sauce onto the ribs. The side dish of Mint Chutney also took the edge of the meaty richness. Trust us, you'd pick the bones clean.

The Pork Pakoras (RM20) was super addictive thanks to fingerlings of pork loin sheathed in light batter riffed with aromatic spices that lit up the tastebuds the more we chewed. A kid-friendly option should you have young ones in tow.

While I'm not big on the house speciality of Bacon and Cheese Naan (RM15), I think it should hit the spot for anyone who enjoy super cheesy fare. The naan came stuffed with bacon chips sautéed with garlic for greater flavour, bound together with Colby and Cheddar cheese to bestow melty and stretchy appeal.

Warm, spicy overtones (presumably ginger, green chilli, cumin, fenugreek and garam masala) were discernible in every bite of the delicious Pork Seekh Kebabs (RM28). Traditionally, this speciality is made with minced lamb but the white meat appears to work just as well. 

It took a lot of restraint on our part not to beg for plain rice when the irresistible Butter Pork (RM28) was part of our feasting fray. Rich and redolent with mouthwatering whiffs of heady Indian spices, this dish was a surefire crowd-pleaser.

Herukh's tempting pork-folio also included Pork 65 Masala (RM28). From my past encounters with the chicken 65 dish, I was told by Indian chefs the spice-marinated deep-fried boneless chicken chunks were a popular snack. At this resto, the pork pieces were rendered in thick masala gravy bursting with robust spice accents.

To fulfill our requisite veggie quota, we had supplementary dishes of Eggplant Masala and Dhal Curry. Both were excellent in the taste department; notable in the supporting role of the resto's porcine-dominant menu.

For reservations, call: 019-987 1945. Meat the Porkers is located at D1-G3-5, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur. Business hours: 12noon - 3.30pm; 6.30pm-10pm (last order 9.45pm). Closed on Tues.