From ovens with the chameleon-like ability to blend into their surroundings to fridges with air purification systems designed for NASA, Sub-Zero and Wolf's cooking & cooling appliances help make delicious things happen at Dewakan
Sporting a 1950s pixie cut popularised by Audrey Hepburn, the lovely Karen Gonzago is quite beyond herself. Perfectly circular 'coins' of rice bread disappear down her gullet as she gushes with pleasure. While hunger is indefinitely the best sauce, Sub-Zero and Wolf's director of marketing and communications will prove to be Dewakan's most ardent cheerleader past the initial bread basket and well into dessert.
"Everything is so interesting," says the Singaporean, thinking out loud. "But it's still familiar on a deeper level." Given Malaysia and Singapore's shared eating culture, it isn't surprising that tonight's spread is relatable to our collective.
First of all, there's the new format: if you had the privilege of dining at the old Dewakan in Shah Alam, you may recall how some 20 dishes were brought out one by one. Now, however, anywhere between three to six bites are served all at once.
"Many restaurants and chefs feel compelled to follow the usual fine dining format, but it doesn't mirror the Malaysian way," explains Darren Teoh, chef-patron of Dewakan.
Whether you have banana leaf rice or chap fun, variety is something Malaysians greatly look forward to.
In the first wave of dishes, we are bombarded by bite-sized snacks: Black Banana Sambal; Sardines cured in Kuaci Miso; Dried Root Vegetables; Salted Mackeral & Mushroom; and Smoked Tapai Ubi. The love child of charcoal and casava, the last of these was steeped in smoked oil and blowtorched under blue flames.