Inside Off Menu KL 2023, Tatler Dining’s annual food festival

Our lineup was half Singaporean and half Malaysian, marking the first time Off Menu KL featured chefs from abroad. From Singapore, we welcomed Nicolas Tam from Willow, Mark Tai from Cloudstreet, Maxine Ngooi from Tigerlily Patisserie, Petrina Loh from Morsels, and Marvas Ng from Path. Meanwhile, Shaun Ng from Hide, Yavhin Siri from Nadodi, Loi Ming Ai from Voilà Patisserie, Su Kim Hock from Un Poco Loco, and Satoshi Uehara from Ushi made up the Malaysian half of the roster. 

The chefs were tasked with championing ancient ingredients from the Silk Road in recipes and dishes that made the route what it was. Each chef pairing, which consisted of one chef from Singapore and Malaysia respectively, worked together to exchange ideas and expertise before each chef created their own dish. 

The Sentul Depot space was divided into two parts: the dining room and the chefs’ booths. Each pairing was allocated a large booth to prep, plate, and serve their creations, allowing our guests to interact with the festival stars first-hand.

In classic Tatler Dining festival style, guests were handed a passport when checking in to keep track of which booths they had visited. Throughout the festival, our guests marvelled at the skill and speed of the lineup and their respective teams, who churned out close to a thousand dishes each throughout the weekend.

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The menu was a hit with the crowd, showcasing flavour combinations and innovative techniques that all made for a delectable journey through the festival. From Hide and Path, our guests indulged in Chinese cuisine-inspired dishes, with the former’s modern take on a smashed cucumber salad with chicken and the latter’s fish maw with beurre blanc dish, both of which were thoroughly enjoyed.

Ushi presented its signature premium Ozaki beef atop lightly toasted bread with chestnut purée. At the same time, its partner Morsels served an aromatic, modern dolma mahshi with betel leaf and vinegared mackerel, hake, cod, and prawns. In the booth next to them, the teams from Un Poco Loco and Willow always entertained a queue with its Unconventional Falafel tacos and lion’s mane mushroom karaage, respectively.

Over at Nadodi and Cloudstreet’s busy booth, the flavours of India took centre stage with Nadodi’s pulao rice with young jackfruit chutney and poached sea grouper served alongside aerated curry, and Cloudstreet’s confit chicken and celeriac curry with toasted coconut and sea coconut archaru. 

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Once the time for dessert hit, the crowd flocked to Voilà Patisserie and Tigerlily Patisserie’s booth for their last course of a pistachio baklava puff pastry creation and a mango lassi dessert with red chillis and pickled green mangoes from the respective booths. 

On the drinks front, guests were kept cool and hydrated with a range of libations from our beverage partners. Complementing the meals in its still and sparkling forms was Spritzer with its natural mineral water, sparkling water, and lemon-flavoured sparkling water. Minuty kept our wine lovers happy with its vibrant and crisp Minuty Prestige, while fans of bubbly could rely on Chandon’s refreshing Garden Spritz.

Uncle Jeff Kombucha’s gut healthy creations were also a sensation, especially its special luo han guo flavour. Cognac lovers looked to Hennessy’s booth for its take on an Old Fashioned, made with Hennessy V.S.O.P. For coffee, we were joined by Costa Coffee and its travelling coffee truck for the first two sessions of the weekend, with the brand offering our guests their caffeine fixes and other ice-blended delights.

Over the weekend, we welcomed an army of foodies and industry peers, including our friends from Sephora, who took over the first session, which made our event a great success. It was a convivial celebration of all things gourmand with reunions and gatherings on our guests’ and chefs’ parts, rounding off yet another successful Off Menu KL.

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