King Crab Tempura Sweet Pepper Sauce has a flavour local diners will find familiar.
KL fine dining restaurant uses artisanal produce in unusual ways to enhance elegant courses
WHILE Malaysian cuisine has gained international recognition, local ingredient craftsmanship is often overlooked.
Japanese-Peruvian fine dining restaurant Nobu Kuala Lumpur is presenting a menu that celebrates the essence of Malaysian ingredient craftsmanship through collaborations with four local food producers.
Oo Edo Tofu and Mu Artisan Soy Sauce use organic, non-genetically engineered soybeans to produce their respective range of products – Japanese tofu and naturally brewed soy sauce.
A Little Farm On The Hill grows and supplies organic herbs and vegetables to shops and restaurants in the city while Amani Vanilla Temerloh cultivates vanilla and has an on-site cafe serving vanilla-based desserts.
Mu Artisan Soy Sauce founder Shirley Chia said she was pleasantly surprised that soy sauce could be incorporated in a dessert.
Nobu KL head sushi chef Renante Dominguez (left) and Leong (centre) with representatives of the four artisan producers (from second left) Ejima, Chia, A Little Farm On The Hill co-owners Lisa Ngan and Teo, and Mohamad Feisal.
“The incorporation of Mu’s Light Organic Soy in the Peruvian Soy Sauce Rice Pudding was a surprising yet enjoyable combination.
“It gave a savoury balance to what I believe is a sweet dessert.
“The King Crab Tempura Sweet Pepper Sauce was a very refined dish, yet it had the familiar taste of a local dish, stir-fried mantis prawn.”
Chia described the Four Collaborations Menu as thoughtful.
She said it featured a good representation of her company’s products, such as the Gula Melaka Soy Sauce and First-Drawn Soy Sauce.
Oo Edo Tofu’s chief executive officer Mariko Ejima was impressed with the range of dishes in the menu and particularly with how her company’s tofu products were presented.
Botan Ebi with Ceviche Granita is a refreshing cold dish.
“Tofu products such as yuba (tofu skin) and momen (firm tofu) are typically served with dips such as soy sauce.
“This is the first time I am seeing them presented as main dishes,” she said, referring to the Yuba New Style with Uni and Yuba Tiradito with Caviar.
Although Oo Edo Tofu is a Nobu supplier, Ejima said she was hopeful that the limited-duration menu would lead to the development of more tofu-based dishes at the restaurant.
Amani Vanilla Temerloh founder Mohamad Feisal Norawi said he enjoyed the Chutoro Carpaccio with Vanilla Soy Broth, a cold dish featuring his brand’s hand-cultivated beans.
“I was surprised with how the tuna dish turned out.
“Although it was infused with soy sauce, I could still taste the aroma of the vanilla essence,” he said.
Another standout was the Scallop Vanilla Miso, with the vanilla essence enhancing the scallop’s buttery flavour.
Kabocha Bingka pays homage to a local ‘kuih’.
A Little Farm On The Hill co-owner Pete Teo described the Four Collaborations Menu as “fantastic”, noting that it was an opportunity to infuse Nobu classics with high quality, local ingredients.
“It is good to see high-end restaurants such as Nobu and those headed by younger chefs showcasing quality, local produce in their dishes, as an endorsement of high-quality Malaysian ingredients.”
The Four Collaborations Menu continues Nobu KL’s mission of supporting local enterprises while demonstrating how homegrown ingredients can be incorporated into fine dining courses.
It also reflects the restaurant’s broader commitment to responsible sourcing, authenticity and celebrating the stories behind what people eat.
Nobu KL executive chef Philip Leong said the menu featured a selection of cold and hot dishes as well as desserts, which complement the restaurant’s existing menu.
“Botan Ebi with Ceviche Granita is a refreshing cold dish that tastes similar to asam boi, while the greens in the Kanpachi Tataki Herbal Salad enhance the flavour of the kanpachi (amberjack fish).
Steamed Chilean Seabass Tatami Iwashi Sauce is inspired by a dish crafted by the restaurant’s founder chef Matsuhisa.
“The King Crab Tempura Sweet Pepper Sauce is likely to do well with diners, since it has a flavour that would be familiar to them.”
Leong said the Steamed Chilean Seabass Tatami Iwashi Sauce was inspired by a dish crafted by the restaurant’s founder chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
The fish has a melt-in-the-mouth texture and features the Nobu restaurant logo stamped on its yuba wrap.
For dessert, Nobu KL pays homage to a local kuih, giving it a modern twist.
Kabocha Bingka features kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) presented as a miniature kuih bingka, served with creamy vanilla ice cream and a pineapple-vanilla syrup.
Leong said there was potential for long-term collaboration to produce something exclusive for Nobu, using ingredients such as Japanese miso by Mu Artisan.
The Four Collaborations Menu is available for lunch and dinner until July 31.
NOBU KUALA LUMPUR, L4A-05, Level 4A Shoppes at Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur, No.145, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. (Tel: 03-2380 0028). Business hours: 11.45am-2pm, 6pm-10.30pm. Pork-free.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
