Cover PRIVATE is a white tablecloth experience that unfolds in a hotel room (Photo: The Chow Kit)

Boutique hotel The Chow Kit has converted 10 of its guest rooms on the first floor into private dining rooms to give dine-in customers better privacy

Because 'one metre apart' might mean a different thing from one person to the next, the ingenuity of The Chow Kit's new dine-in concept is of no small magnitude. The award-winning hotel by the Ormond Group is reducing the risk of spread by separating and allocating different groups of diners to individual hotel rooms—a total of 10. Now before you get any cheeky ideas, such as sneaking in a siesta during lunch hour, know that each room's bed has been replaced by a dining table seating up to six pax.

TATLER TIP: Bigger parties can be accommodated in The Library and The Chow Kit's two meetings rooms.

See also: Lavish Boutique Hotels You Would Want To Stay At In Kuala Lumpur

The food: homey family recipes by Chef Ell

In all honesty, it was sheer curiosity that prompted us to accept The Chow Kit's invitation to review PRIVATE, but an hour into the experience was enough to make acolytes of us. No matter the novelty, any eatery's worth boils down to one factor: the food.

With ingredients sourced from the closest wet market and a seasoned chef overseeing the stoves, PRIVATE's Malaysian menu is fit for royalty, but homey enough to be appreciated by the everyday bloke. Chef Juwahir "Ell" Mustafa, who has called the kitchen his second home since the age of 17, veers between tradition and inspiration, as seen in the likes of The Chow Kit Nachos, Kambing Kuzi, Rendang Daging, Ikan Assam Pedas, Sambal Udang and, our personal favourite, the Gulai Pisang, which stars unripe bananas more akin to starchy plantains. The Chow Kit is also honouring the British tradition of roasts by offering a separate Western menu for all PRIVATE bookings on Sundays.

ICYMI: The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar Celebrates Malaysian Roots With New Localised Menu

The drinks: an award-winning bartender's touch

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Photo 1 of 2 Low-ABV and zero-proof cocktails are available as part of The Chow Kit x Mizukami collaboration
Photo 2 of 2 Kasturi Verano with red wine, calamansi, assamboi and soda

Not like any room service we know, PRIVATE at The Chow Kit also offers guests the choice of pairing their food with cocktails and/or mocktails. The optional drinks pairing is an extension of The Chow Kit x Mizukami, which brings award-winning mixologist Shawn Chong's beverages to the boutique hotel.

From a deeply delicious red wine cocktail dubbed the Kasturi Verano to a Garibaldi made for day-time drinking, Chong's creations for The Chow Kit are what he calls "twisted riffs" of classics. "We felt this concept best complements the proudly local concept and identity of The Chow Kit Hotel," he explains.

Related: Shiso Dining's Five Concepts Under One Roof

Tatler Asia
Above Special requests, such as fresh flowers or champagne, can be made for special occasions

To Book

Telephone +603-2778 6688 or email hello@thechowkit.com

The Chow Kit | 1012, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Chow Kit, 50100 Kuala Lumpur | +603-2778 6666

 

Credits

Photography  

The Chow Kit

Photography  

Bar Mizukami

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