Grouper and cacao make for surprisingly amiable bedfellows in this show of creativity. — Molina KL
When Molina Kuala Lumpur first opened nearly two years ago, head chef Guillaume Depoortere was slowly but eagerly finding his footing.
At the time, Depoortere was in entirely new territory – he was only 26 and had forged his career exclusively in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe. He had never worked in Asia before, but uprooted and came to Malaysia. New adventures beckoned and Depoortere was up for the challenge.
Not even a year into its opening – Molina – which is a collaboration between local owner Datuk Alex Tan and chef Sidney Schutte, who is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands – earned its first Michelin star.
That naturally attracted a flood of diners, which meant the restaurant was booked out for five months straight after it catapulted into the starred list. The exposure and attention helped the restaurant, but behind-the-scenes, Depoortere has also been quietly gaining confidence and growing as a chef.
“I’d never worked for Sidney before. So I had to find my way with him and develop my own cooking style as well – which worked out very well.
“And then we had to make sure the quality kept improving. Most of the staff here have been here since the opening and know how I work as a chef and my specific needs.
“And now I also have a sous chef who's super strong – he actually used to work for Sidney in Amsterdam. So now, he can handle operational things which gives me a bit more freedom and time to create. Before, I had to do everything and stay super late nights if I wanted to test out new recipes because I had to run the kitchen as well,” says Depoortere.
Depoortere has been instrumental in driving the European cuisine at Molina. —Molina KL
Depoortere also had to discover what diners were looking for and cater to their needs. As a consequence, the restaurant went from tasting menus only to an additional a la carte menu on weekdays (Tuesday to Thursday), for those looking for quicker meals. There are also vegetarian tasting menus available.
The restaurant continues to focus on European-centric cuisine and Depoortere says although the time he has spent in Malaysia has widened his palate and lens, he has stuck to the culinary task he was given from the outset.
“For the restaurant, there was never a goal to be influenced by Asia so the owners are very clear that they want to offer a European fine-dining experience within Asia.
“The goal was always to cook European food. However, with the smallest things you taste in every country, there’s different textures and flavour pairings. So as a chef, your horizons get better, I would say,” explains Depoortere.
When coming up with new menus, Depoortere is a firm believer in changing a menu dish by dish. His aim is to perfect a dish, put it on the menu and then work on getting the next new dish added to it.
Molina’s tasting menus run from five to nine courses, depending on your budget and appetite. If you’re looking for a taster of what the restaurant offers, opt for the five-course menu, priced at RM688.
Tomato and goat's cheese make for a particularly memorable flavour combination. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star
Highlights include the Tomato with Buckwheat, Goat Cheese and Geranium. The tomato shield is filled with goat cheese and this is complemented by a sauce fashioned out of geranium and green beans.
On the palate, this is light and refreshing but this feathery, fairy lightness is given substantial heft and weight, courtesy of the goat cheese filling, which adds creamy richness and a hint of funk to this lovely little opener.
From the day it opened, the restaurant has served a buttered brioche bread, which is worth mentioning because it is perfectly executed – buttery to its core, soft and fluffy – the ultimate in indulgence personified.
Then there is the Red Coral Grouper with Oyster, Olive and Cacao which sounds... utterly crazy. Who would think to pair fish with cacao? As it turns out, a mad genius of sorts.
Depoortere explains that this dish was at first his Achilles heel and then subsequently, once he figured out how to make it work – it became one of his proudest culinary masterpieces.
Grouper and cacao make for surprisingly amiable bedfellows in this show of creativity. — Molina KL
“We were stuck a bit and then I spoke to Sidney and he was like, 'You know, I think cacao could work'. And then we tried that and it was really like the glue to make the whole dish complete,” he says.
The dish’s highest point is its textural beauty – this is a piece of fish that has been dried for four days and then aged in shio koji (Japanese fermented seasoning), mimicking a Japanese technique for tender fish.
As a result, the fish here is supple and almost silken on the palate. It sits prettily somewhere between sashimi and cooked fish, in that sweet middle that is oh-so hard to nail.
The oyster in this configuration adds a burst of plump, velvety brininess to the meal and the cacao is a stealthy operator whose charms are felt covertly in this meal, as opposed to overtly.
The Anjou pigeon highlights the supple tenderness of the bird and the mole sauce that helps it soar to whole new levels. — ABIRAMI DURAI/The Star
Next, tuck into the Anjou Pigeon with Maitake, Mole, Almond and Pink Pepper. The French pigeon is grilled on a barbecue and served alongside a Mexican mole sauce.
This is accentuated by an almond ponzu marinated maitake mushroom with pink pepper dressing. The dish is finished off with a bit of jus.
This is a power-packed performance if ever there was one. The pigeon is bird-like in its tenderness – as befitting the animal it came from.
This suppleness is given a feisty lift-off, via the mole sauce while the maitake mushroom adds both woody, rustic notes as well as a bit of acidity to the meal.
It’s a clever meal that combines multiple elements that somehow all work together masterfully under Depoortere’s conductorship.
The sunchoke dessert highlights Depoortere's predilection for inserting vegetables in his sweet endings. — Molina KL
For a sweet finish, indulge in the Sunchoke, Dark Chocolate, Coffee, Calamansi. It may all sound so strange – sunchoke isn’t traditionally something associated with dessert, yet in this area, Depoortere has a lot of experience.
Ever since Molina opened, many of his desserts have flirted with the usage of vegetables in either supporting or star roles.
Here, the sunchoke ice cream is anchored by the strength of the dark chocolate and the coffee. It’s a sweet treat that isn’t actually too sweet – ideal for those looking for an elegant, understated finish to their meal.
Moving forward, Depoortere says his next goal is to earn another Michelin star and hopefully put Molina on the international map.
“I think we would love to be internationally recognised. Restaurants like KL’s Dewakan and Odette in Singapore are quite known. When I was living in Europe, I knew about them.
“So I think one of our goals is to get as good as all these other places and have people travelling to KL to eat at Molina. Because international recognition is important for a restaurant like this to be full all year,” says Depoortere.
