Sizzling street food satay at a street food market in Singapore
Cover Satay (Photo: Getty Images)

Here are the restaurants ready to dazzle us with their culinary inventiveness at In The Mood For Food, Tatler Dining's first street food festival

Come join us on August 28, 2022 as we celebrate the best of beloved Malaysian street food in partnership with Sime Darby Property and Sime Darby Motors. Eight restaurants will show off their culinary mastery, creatively elevating street staples at In The Mood For Food. These exclusive dishes range from savoury snacks such as rojak and satay to desserts like bubur cha cha and sweet appam.

Read on to learn more about the restaurants and their contributions to the dining scene here.  

See also: In the Mood for Food: Celebrating the Best of Malaysian Street Food

Aliyaa

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Aliyaa

One of Tatler Dining’s Top 20 Restaurants three years in a row (2020 to 2022), Aliyaa is famed for exquisite Sri Lankan dishes. In true Malaysian spirit, Aliyaa showcases soulful recipes. Think savoury crab curries and fluffy sweet appams that draw from recipes passed down from generations of home cooks.

See also: Digital Artist YongL Celebrates Malaysian Food Through 'Foodscapes'

Beta KL

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Beta KL

Led by Chef Raymond Tham and his seasoned team, Beta KL's dishes reflect the diversity and richness of Malaysian cuisine. Describing its food as ‘quasi-authentic, exquisite and under-represented at times’, Beta KL draws from regional specialities and heritage recipes while also redefining Malaysian food. The gastronomic experience offered by the team takes diners on a journey through different regions of Malaysia while injecting modern flavours and techniques. Here, you get the chance to experience Malaysian cuisine in a new light, elevated to a new level.

See also: Ask a Chef: How Do These Chefs Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival?

Bijan Bar & Restaurant

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Bijan Bar & Restaurant

Bijan Bar & Restaurant pairs traditional Malay recipes with modern ingredients to deliver an unforgettable dining experience. Established in 2003, the team at Bijan Bar & Restaurant prides itself on creativity while remaining true to authentic roots, serving recipes handed down over generations as well as innovative renditions of familiar dishes using techniques not usually associated with Malay food.

Concubine KL

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Concubine KL

Located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown, Concubine evokes nostalgia with an interior design that takes inspiration from the surrounding street art and the area's glory days in the '60s. It takes a similar approach for its menu comprising small, contemporary plates that put an elevated spin on the street food Chinatown is well-known for. 

See also: Mid-Autumn Festival 2022: The Ultimate Guide To Mooncakes

Jawi House

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Jawi House

Located in Lebuh Armenian in George Town, Penang, Jawi House was founded by conservation anthropologist Dr Wazir Jahan Karim and her son Nurilkarim Razha, who is also the chef at the establishment. Nurilkarim has worked alongside many celebrated chefs in the world, most recently completing an internship at Michelin-starred Gaa in Bangkok, listed as one of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.

Originally a gallery displaying art, Jawi House now showcases authentic Jawi Peranakan recipes. Celebrating the rich culinary history of Malaysia, the restaurant shares the story of how Jawi Peranakan cuisine has evolved over time while promoting traditional Malay and Peranakan heritage dishes.

Siti Li Dining

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Siti Li Dining

Siti Li Dining was founded by Siti Kader and Shareen Ramli who wanted to preserve the generosity and hospitality associated with classic Malay dining. In line with this ethos, it is not uncommon for Siti and Shareen to personally greet guests at the restaurant. Siti Li has been serving artisanal Malay cooking since 2018, using intricate cooking methods to present traditional local fare. Shareen tells Tatler Malaysia that “food as our culture is a phenomenon Malaysians feel deep in our hearts."

Siti adds that the “most appealing and precious thing about Malaysians and food is the love of sharing”. As true blue Malaysians ourselves, we couldn't agree more. 

See also: The Ultimate Sushi Cheatsheet: Nigiri vs Hosomaki vs Gunkan and More

The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar

Designed to replicate the spirit of Malaysian open houses, The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar is a space for intimate dining. The food here celebrates the multiculturalism of northern and southern cuisines. Using local produce in its contemporary dishes, it makes good on its promise to replicate the feeling of a homecooked meal in its elegant interior. The restaurant was also one of CNN’s 20 Best New Asia-Pacific Restaurants To Try in 2020.

The Regent Chinese Cuisine

Tatler Asia
Above Photo: The Regent Chinese Cuisine

Since opening three years ago, The Regent Chinese Cuisine has received much acclaim for its authentic Cantonese cuisine. One of Tatler Dining’s Top 20 Restaurants in Malaysia in both 2021 and 2022, The Regent Chinese Cuisine is known for its signature chicken rice, which is made with free range chicken fed with only horse grass and corn to enhance the sweetness and aroma of the meat. With this dish, The Regent Chinese Cuisine showcases how nourishing and familiar comfort food such as chicken rice can be elevated and refined.

See also: On the Pass with Timothy Wang, the New Head Chef of Willow KL

Apart from one-of-a-kind dishes, guests at In the Mood for Food will also be entitled to custom cocktails by Bombay Sapphire and beverages from Carlsberg Malaysia, Langkawi Pure, Uncle Jeff Drinks and Honlynn Distillery’s Kaban Tuak, while enjoying the scented ambiance created by 3Rituals. 

The food festival will be held over August 26-28 weekend, with the first two nights reserved for our main partners Sime Darby Property and Sime Darby Motors. Tickets are available for public sale for August 28. 

  • Date: August 28, 2022
  • Time: 7pm-11pm
  • Venue: Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club
  • ThemeIn the Mood for Love, Hong Kong circa 1960s
  • Price: RM350 per ticket

In The Mood For Food is strictly by reservations only. Places are limited so book early here.

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