"I'm very honoured to be in the realm of restaurateurs and it's not easy post-pandemic. There's a very long journey ahead for us and this award will inspire us to do even better this year. I'm very humbled to be given this." – Ken Ng, founder of Ultime Atelier & Boulangerie.

OpenHouse fills the void of places to showcase Malaysian food in a nice setting to friends from abroad. The place is decked out stylishly with three different themes and some tables overlook the KLCC park which brings in lots of natural light during the day. Bringing his wealth of international experience to the restaurant's kitchen is Chef Azli Ahmad, who spent time working in Cape Town, South Africa. At OpenHouse, he champions traditional Malaysian flavours based on recipes handed down by mothers and grandmothers in promoting Malaysia's heritage foods.

While traditional, OpenHouse's menu boasts food that has been elevated with higher quality ingredients. One particular highlight is the Venison Rendang Minan, if only because it's rare to enjoy this traditional Malaysian dish with deer meat. Its signature dishes–Pais Barramundi, Malaysian Satay, Kulim Rice–are plated beautifully, a feast for the eyes and tastebuds. The cherry, or rather, garnishing on top? Polite service that makes the whole experience a wonderful one.

Don't miss: OpenHouse Serves Up Tunku Abdul Rahman's Favourite Recipes For Malaysia Day

"I'm so super proud that there's recognition for this award because, at the end of the day, local Malaysian cuisine has been so underrated and misunderstood for so long. They think it's just char koay teow, roti canai, and nasi lemak–but it's not. Malaysian food is very complex and there are a lot of complexities in it. It's as good as fine dining and for Tatler Dining Malaysia to recognise this, I'm so happy for my team because they worked so hard for it. I really want all of Malaysia and the world to know that Malay cuisine is so complex. There's so much depth in it so take your time and effort and come and try it. You'll be mindblown!" – OpenHouse co-founder Andrew Wong.

It takes a lot to stand out in the buzzing hub of Petaling Street (otherwise known as Chinatown), one of Kuala Lumpur's most design-forward spaces, but Small Shifting Space's (SSS) silver facade is what sets it apart from others–or at least it's one of the things that do. Housed in a two-storey heritage shophouse, the establishment and its size, small, as its name alludes to, celebrates fluidity over fixedness. Not one to use the same approach to Kuala Lumpur's restaurants and cafes, SSS identifies as a coffee and wine bar with an ever-evolving menu of inventive dishes and intentionally crafted cocktails and natural wines.

Constantly wanting to give their guests a sense of adventure, mysticism, and wonder, SSS strives to make food fun and exciting, from the moment food arrives on the table to the moment the guest eats. Their goal is to transport them to different countries through food, with a familiarity that's only found in Malaysia. The highlights here are the mushroom tortellini–a punchy mushroom filling wrapped within paper-thin pasta, nestled in a bath of tangy, umami consomme–and the beef tartare. For drinks, you can't go wrong taking a gander through their intriguing, purposefully crafted cocktail menu, or go for one of their natural wine recommendations.

Read more: Small Shifting Space Is a Reflection of Petaling Street's Evolving Landscape

"I'm deeply humbled, I've been in the industry for a couple of years now constantly learning new skills, techniques, ingredients and flavours and to win the Most Innovative Concept Award that fits SSS as a place that's constantly shifting and trying out new things makes me proud of the kitchen team as well as the front of house for always pushing and keeping up the with the change. I'm also very excited to show what else we can do after being validated by such a prestigious company as Tatler. Now I feel the drive to push it even further to show that we here at SSS will give our guests an experience that people will always come back to enjoy a constantly innovative menu and dining experience." – Small Shifting Space executive chef Stephen Francis Klassen.

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