Dewakan
Gooseberry Kombucha with Tomato Consome
Hot smoked sturgeon from Tanjung Malim in a cold button mangosteen soup with sea grapes
Slightly cured crayfish skewered with aromatic twigs with yeast sauce
Thinly sliced cuttlefish and crab roe in a reduced guava juice dressing
Rice tempeh dumpling filled with clams in an egg soup
Mulberry and Berries
Adan rice steamed in a mahang leaf served with venison, sturgeon caviar and kerdas
Lacto-fermented star fruit juice with mango vinegar
Greens on a breadfruit crisp
Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing – belinjau, labu siam, keranji
Tea with Lychee, torch ginger, orange peel
Braised cock’s crest and stone crab seasoned with salted litsea
Rose tea with Balsamic vinegar
Retired dairy cow plate – loin, tongue, tempura brain with snake fruit and grilled greens
A hot broth before some sweet dishes
Perah ice cream with candied bidara and tropical chestnut
Coconut jelly with mulberry and bambangan juice
Fermented cocoa husk tea
Cacao-less chocolate made with dabai, served with rose fudge in a heart of palm and keluak tart shell
Toddy Butter Cake, palm wine
Located on the 48th floor of Naza Tower a visit to Dewakan begins with one of the most lengthy kitchen tours one will find, Chef Darren Teoh’s love for Malaysian flavors immediately evident in a space roughly translated as “food from God.”
The son of a culinary family, Darren’s childhood frequently spent in markets where his grandmother sold sun-dried Herbs and Spices, guests at Dewakan exit an elevator to all-smiles as staff tell a story of childhood memories, forgotten Ingredients and a Chef who seeks to bring both into a new future.
Boasting stunning views through floor-to-ceiling windows, the Kuala Lumpur skyline transitioning from dusk to glittering lights across 2.5 hours, it is from a well-informed staff that twelve courses come paired to housemade juices or fermentations with each sip and bite steeped in tradition.
The recent recipient of it’s second Michelin Star plus Green Star recognition, the former Malaysia’s only, dinner begins with three nibbles including stunning smoked Sturgeon in Mangosteen Soup followed by housemade Tempeh filled with Clams in a creamy Egg Foam.
Story-teller cuisine with a purpose, from a Chef proud of his heritage and Ingredients hardly ever seen in fine dining, Caviar next finds itself atop Venison with Kerdas Fruit as Tartare before a delicate stack of Breadfruit Chips and Greens.
Not forgetting the pairing, Teoh’s fascination with fermentation evidenced by jars of Garum and Kombucha in the kitchen, assertive Tea follows an Instagram-friendly “Butterfly” of Chayote and Velvet Tamarind before Cock’s Crest is married to Crab with Berries that are simultaneously acidic and earthy.
Sourcing retired Dairy Cows instead ubiquitous Wagyu, an exploration of flavors including fried Brain acting as Dewakan’s main course, it is after cleansing Broth that sweets continue to tell a tale of Jungles, Farms and Fields including Ice Cream of Elateriospermum Seeds and delicate Coconut Jelly.
Consciously using Cocoa Husks for the last Beverage, a faultless pairing to the “Cacao-less chocolate” Tart, dinner wraps with Toddy Butter Cakes that are light but moist with a distinct hint of alcohol offset by dipping Cream reminiscing Baba au Rhum.
www.dewakan.my