PASSAGES OF SPRING AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL KL

Passages of Spring, a gastronomic showcase celebrating the finesse of Chinese culinary artistry, brings together the talents of master chefs across the region. This year, Yun House at the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur joins 13 other Four Seasons Chinese restaurants across Asia Pacific in this initiative, running from 15 March to 15 May.

From 23 to 25 April, Yun House elevates the experience with a refined four-hands collaboration featuring Chef Neal Zeng of the Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at Hangzhou Centre. Together with Chef Jimmy Wong, they present a multi-course menu rooted in the delicate, understated elegance of Ningbo cuisine.

 
Priced at RM668 per person, the dinner begins on an impressive note with Chilled South African Abalone with Premium Sturgeon Caviar and Fermented Grains. The abalone proffers a gentle chew, with the fermented grains lending a nuanced umami-laced depth. Each bite is lifted by the saline pop of caviar, its briny richness unfolding in fleeting, luxurious bursts.

 
A contrasting note arrives with the Chilled Bamboo Clams, where the cool, silky flesh is enlivened by a wasabi aioli. The condiment introduces a clean, grassy heat that blooms across our palate, accentuating the clam’s natural sweetness and slippery succulence.

 
The Aromatic Fish Broth with Fresh Crab Claw, Yellow Fungus and Herbal Essence follows, offering a moment of quiet refinement. Light yet deeply comforting, the pure, clean, and delicately sweet broth is the perfect foil to showcase the ethereal crab claw softness, while the yellow fungus adds a pleasing, gelatinous texture.

 
Equally memorable is the Steamed Coral Grouper with Pickled Vegetables. The fish arrives impeccably tender, its natural sweetness beautifully offset by the bright, tangy crunch of pickled vegetables that cuts through the richness and brings balance to the dish.

 
Indulgence takes centre stage with the Golden Butter Lobster with Salted Egg Yolk, Cereal and Egg Floss. Lightly cloaked in a savoury and irresistibly moreish salted egg yolk sauce, the lobster has a light crunch from the cereal flakes and a delicate, feathery finish thanks to the egg floss.

 
In contrast, the Hangzhou-Style Seafood Noodles with Pickled Radish offer a gentler expression of flavour. The noodles, springy and comforting, are subtly infused with seafood sweetness, while the pickled radish introduces a mild tang that quietly enhances rather than dominates.

 
Dessert arrives as a duo, thoughtfully composed to end the meal on a soothing note. The Double-Boiled Winter Melon served in Snow Pear is delicate and hydrating, its mellow sweetness clean and restorative.

Alongside it, the Snow Skin Dumpling with Bird’s Nest and Coconut Milk provides a soft, yielding texture with a delightfully rounded, creamy sweetness.

 
Beyond this collaboration, diners can explore the Passages of Spring seasonal menu by Chef Jimmy until 15 May. Showcasing the season’s finest produce such as fragrant chive blossoms, tender luffa melon, vibrant asparagus, and silky bamboo pith, the menu leans towards lighter, more nuanced creations.

Highlights include Wok-Fried Dried Shrimp, gently perfumed with chive blossoms and punctuated by the crunch of wood ear fungus, and Pan-Seared Scallops, where sweet, plump scallops are paired with crisp asparagus and a deeply savoury house-made scallop sauce.

 
For reservations or enquiries, please contact Yun House, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03-2382 8602.
 
 

A TASTE OF MACAO AT YUN HOUSE

When Michelin-starred guest chef Anthony Ho of Zi Yat Heen, Four Seasons Macao joins forces with Chef Jimmy Wong of Yun House in Kuala Lumpur, the result is more than a collaborative menu—it’s a culinary dialogue, rich in technique, memory, and homage.

 
Held from 3 to 6 July to mark Yun House’s seventh anniversary, the four-hands menu (RM668 per person) is a study in refinement. A medley of traditional flavours refracted through a modern lens, each dish is carefully composed to honour the past with whispers of the future.

Chef Ho, a son of Hong Kong steeped in two decades of experience, begins with a poetic overture: Fresh Crab Meat with Japanese Pine Needles and Caviar. 

It’s a dish of startling clarity: the delicate sweetness of crab imbued by ephemeral herbaceousness of pine needles juxtaposed against the saline pop of caviar. An ode to the purity of good produce in the confident and deft hands of Ho.

Another masterful composition is his Teochew-style Marinated Mackerel and Chilled Razor Clams, a distillation of the restrained elegance of Teochew banquets. The mackerel, cured just so, sings with refined subtlety, accented by a tiny dollop of fermented bean sauce.

 
Partnering it are slivers of delicious razor clams, served chilled with scallion oil and a glimmer of ice plant. The succulent coolness a seductive textural contrast that delights.

Veteran chef Jimmy Wong, known for his contemporary finesse, responds with an enticingly comforting dish: Braised Fish Maw in Millet Broth with Black Truffle. Simmered for six hours, the broth is deeply nourishing—savoury, complexly flavourful and edged with the aroma of truffle. Each spoonful is a revelation; the gelatinous fish maw and tiny orbs of millet speak of the chef’s time-honoured and masterful techniques.

Ho’s unforgettable Wok-fried Lobster with Dried Shallots and Macanese Black Olives is a conversation-stopper. Here, the brininess of the olives—brought in specially from Macao—mingles with the sweetness of shellfish in a lush umami crescendo.

The Stuffed Chicken Wing with Foie Gras, Abalone and Glutinous Rice is at once nostalgic and daring. Channelling the spirit of classic banquet dishes, the stuffing of foie gras melded with sticky rice adds richness, depth and a touch of indulgence. The luxurious chew of abalone elevates the mosaic of texture.

 
Dessert arrives in two thoughtful creations. First, a Chilled Pumpkin Soup with Nostoc Pearls—a soothing, lightly sweet elixir, its texture lifted by the surprising presence of nostoc, a rare cyanobacteria prized in traditional Chinese medicine. Rich in protein and Vitamin C, this anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory element casts the dessert broth in new light.

 

The final flourish: a golden and delicate Baked Egg Tart with Bird’s Nest and Saffron highlights saffron-scented custard with a topping of bird’s nest. It’s a befitting dessert exuding a sense of luxury without excess, a final flourish paying homage to a splendid set menu composed with world-class skills and a wealth of experience.

For reservations, please call Yun House, Four Seasons Hotel KL, tel: 03 2382 8602 or email: diningreservations.kualalumpur@fourseasons.com

SUSTAINABLE FINE-DINING AWAITS AT EQ'S SABAYON X JAMPA DINNER

A four-hands, one-night only dinner partnering Sabayon’s Chef de Cuisine, Steve Ariffin at EQ with JAMPA’s Executive Chef, Rick Dingen from Phuket will be held on 26 April.
 
Billed as a sustainable seven-course menu (RM650 nett per person), the dinner will showcase T’lur – Malaysia’s own local caviar, the vaunted Harumanis mango and exotic ingredient like bael, known as the Bengal quince or wood apple.

The two culinary creatives hope to reframe diners’ perceptions of value, creativity and promote the advantages of sourcing and using local ingredients.
 
Chef and Netherlands native Dingen has chalked up stints at Michelin-starred Dutch restaurants: La Rive and De Heer Kocken. Dingen’s Chef de Cuisine phase at celebrated Bangkok restaurant Savelberg saw the restaurant awarded a Michelin star.
 
He then proceeded to the one Michelin starred and Michelin Green Star Haoma which espoused sustainable, seasonal, local ingredients sourced from farmers, breeders, fisherfolk and the restaurant’s own garden. A subsequent stint at Madison Steak Avenue, Anantara Bangkok prepared him for JAMPA in Phuket.
 
At this one-of-a-kind dining destination, Dingen assimilated his fine dining restaurant experience with the use of local produce and woodfire cooking skills, elevating JAMPA’s fame throughout Thailand where live-fire cooking and sustainable gastronomy result in sophisticated dishes that celebrate the ever-changing seasons of nature. JAMPA also owns an organic farm, reducing their environmental impact while enabling the culinary team to showcase the best from the land and sea.
 

Back on homeground, Chef Steve Ariffin’s three-year tenure at Sabayon has cemented his reputation as a technical innovator. Conceiving and curating menus for some of Malaysia’s most influential personalities, historic wineries and gastronomes, Chef Steve Ariffin will work hand-in-hand with JAMPA’s Dingen, bringing the exclusive dinner to stellar heights.

For reservations, please contact EQ Kuala Lumpur:

https://www.eqkualalumpur.equatorial.com/guest-chefs/

A STELLAR SABAYON X ALEX DILLING SHOWCASE

 

The Sabayon x Alex Dilling showcase started on a luxurious note with a tin of Aged Kaluga Caviar with Smoked Scottish Salmon Rillette, Crème Cru and Dill.

 

TBH, this is one of the times I felt truly blessed with the perks of being a food writer and blogger. After having our appetite whetted with warm, crusty bread, Bordier butter and cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, we were gobsmacked when a whole tin of caviar prettily garnished with tiny edible flowers and gold leaves was placed on each of our plate.

According to Chef Alex Dilling, his interest in caviar developed during his two-year stint with Caviar Russe, a fine caviar house. “Since then, I’d acquired a deep appreciation for caviar and to me, caviar as a first course makes dining out special, bringing a sense of occasion to the meal.”

Who could quibble with such reasoning? Especially when we got to savour the little pearls layered with silky smooth crème cru (raw, naturally cultured sour cream) and subtly savoury salmon rillette (a preservation technique using fat and slow cooking method).

We were instructed to sample the appetiser on its own first before proceeding to enjoy the caviar and salmon rillette with the spongy-soft crumpets followed by thin slivers of pickled cucumber for textural contrast. Every mouthful was enough to induce gastro-orgasm…Dilling said he chose Kaluga caviar for its slight crunch and umami, nutty nuances. 

The London-born chef whose interest in food and cooking was attributed to his mother, gained his culinary pedigree under the legendary Alain Ducasse and another reputable chef Helene Darroze.

 

Risotto was the first dish Dilling learned to cook at 15 and his love for eating motivated him to become a chef. He soon garnered attention for his talent at turning classic European dishes on its head as exemplified by the stellar Wild Mushrooms Macaroni Gratin.

Simplicity rules in the presentation but oh, the umami ‘bomb’ we encountered upon tasting that first spoonful of tender pasta knocked our socks off. Our tastebuds were suffused with the complexity of rich, earthy flavours thanks to the attendant 36-month aged parmesan, black truffle and Vin jaune (a dry, yellow wine from eastern France) sauce.

More caviar crowned the speciality of Olive Oil Poached Black Cod. Complemented by smoked eel consommé and dices of marinated turnip, this was my favourite dish.

Personally, I reckon the delicately tender fish was sterling proof of the chef’s 2 Michelin starred stature – it’s neck-to-neck with an on-point Chinese-style steamed fish. The unexpected bursts of crisp acidity and sweetness from the diminutive turnip dices lent a nice counterpoint to the salty smoked eel consommé.

Dilling’s famed signature Hunter Chicken was indeed the show-stopper that draw epicureans to his eponymous London restaurant. Interpreted from the classic French poulet (chicken) chasseur, Dilling used a custom-made mold to shape the external layer of chicken mousse.

“We mixed some smoked duck into the mousse which we made using trimmings from the corn-fed chicken breast featured in the dish. Then we layered on the mushroom duxelles followed by a piece of chicken breast at the core.”

Glazed with enticing sauce Albuféra (a sauce of Spanish origin comprising an emulsion of chicken stock, Madeira, cream and butter), the delicious speciality were augmented by buttery, velvety pomme purée and fresh salad on the side.

We were ecstatic to finish lunch with a heavenly dessert of Tainori Chocolate with Sourdough Ice Cream, Salted Caramel and Pedro Ximénez sabayon. That judicious balance of sweet-salty accents coupled with the beguiling chocolatey bitterness and lusciousness of sabayon – a blended mixture of egg yolks, sugar and Pedro Ximenez (in place of Marsala) – made our sweet dreams came true.

The proof of the chef’s skills is in his food so hurry and make your reservations at Sabayon soonest possible. Alex Dilling will only be showcasing his curated menu until 15 June.

 

Reserve your table for the Sabayon X Alex Dilling dinner at EQ via this link:

https://www.tableapp.com/partner/sabayon-eq-kuala-lumpur#/