Cover The Dining Room at The Datai Langkawi
The Dining Room at The Datai Langkawi
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The Datai Langkawi’s senior chef de cuisine, Chai Chun Boon, on helming the kitchen of Malaysia’s most stunning rainforest resort
Running the pass of The Dining Room, The Datai Langkawi’s fine-dining restaurant, is no easy feat. At any one go, the restaurant offers up to six different menus concurrently, from extensive seasonal tasting menus to those catering to dietary requirements. At its helm is Chai Chun Boon, who carries himself with an air of confidence and grace that only comes with years of experience.
Since joining The Datai Langkawi in 2022, The Dining Room has been brought to new heights, now serving borderless cuisine, a calculated move by Chai: “With guests travelling from around the world, this ensures everyone has a memorable experience, trying ingredients and dishes that blend what is familiar with what is new,” he says.
Read more: Behind the cover of Tatler Best Malaysia 2026: The Datai Langkawi
Above Chai Chun Boon
Above Dessert at The Dining Room
Chai Chun Boon
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It was actually his late father, an architect in Kuching, Sarawak, where Chai was raised, who encouraged him to pursue his interests. Throughout his dishes, tributes can often be seen to his roots, including his inclination towards Sarawak black pepper. The first three-Michelin-starred restaurant he ever dined at was Alain Passard’s L’Arpège, known for its signature hot and cold egg; this dish left such an impression on the young Chai that his own iteration often graces the menu of The Dining Room.
Above Many ingredients come from the permaculture garden at The Datai Langkawi
Many ingredients come from the permaculture garden at The Datai Langkawi
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Many ingredients that pepper the dishes served at The Dining Room, as well as the resort’s other restaurants—The Gulai House, The Pavilion, and The Beach Club—make use of produce grown on the resort’s grounds, from the permaculture garden to the bee farm. “I love using our Thai basil, pegaga leaves, and kelulut honey,” Chai adds. Other ingredients are sourced from farmers, some on the island and some from other parts of Malaysia, promoting a healthy ecosystem for the resort.
Above Alain Roux of The Waterside Inn
Alain Roux of The Waterside Inn
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Dining offerings do not only extend to the resort—every year, acclaimed chefs from around the globe are invited to cook for The Chef Series, an annual tradition. From The Waterside Inn’s Alain Roux to celebrated Malaysian chefs, dining at the resort constantly brings something new with each visit.
It is this constant thought and effort, from ensuring every dish is produced as sustainably as possible to menus that cater to each and every allergy or preference, that truly ensures dining at the resort is above and beyond.
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About
Katelyn is the dining and travel editor of Malaysia and Indonesia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she offers readers an inside look at the movers and shakers in Asia’s growing food and beverage industry.
