Off Menu KL 2023: Meet the 10 chefs in our star-studded lineup

Shaun Ng is chef-owner of Hide KL, Tatler Dining’s 2023 Restaurant of the Year. Upon completing his law degree in the UK, Ng changed gears and decided to pursue cooking professionally, enrolling himself at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

He professionally trained and worked in New York and Los Angeles kitchens, including the famed Le Bernardin and Kato, respectively. At Le Bernardin, Ng fell in love with the art of cooking seafood and honed his craft under the watchful eyes of his head chefs.

See also: Hide KL’s chef-owner Shaun Ng on balancing fatherhood and running a restaurant

Maxine Ngooi helms Tigerlily Patisserie opened in 2021 and is known for its European-style baked goods injected with an adventurous Asian spirit. With a deep-rooted understanding of seasonality and a dedication to quality, she tends towards approachable desserts with a local edge.

In her first professional foray into the world of pastry, Ngooi trained under renowned pastry chef Cheryl Koh, whom Ngooi subsequently worked with to launch Tarte by Cheryl Koh. Before opening Tigerlily Patisserie, Ngooi staged for three months at restaurants such as MasterChef Australia alumni Reynold Poernomo’s Koi Dessert Bar, Dan Hunter’s Brae, and Les Amis.

Award-winning pastry chef Loi Ming Ai of Voilà Patisserie began his career in a small local pastry shop. His talents lie in sculpturing, and he takes pride in reinterpreting desserts based on different cultures and food habits.

Voilà Patisserie is the culmination of Loi and his business partner, Otto Tay’s, talents as they both shared a common dream of elevating Malaysia’s contemporary pastry scene. Tay himself is an Off Menu KL alumni. Loi was part of the team that won the Coupe Du Monde De La Patisserie, also known as the World Pastry Cup, in 2019, which put Malaysia on the pastry map of the world. 

Nicolas Tam leads the young team of chefs at one Michelin-starred Willow, a contemporary Asian restaurant in Singapore known for its simple, clean cooking and celebration of Asian produce. The restaurant focuses on Japanese seafood, utilising premium seasonal ingredients and modern fine dining techniques.

Tam brings a wealth of impressive culinary experience, including time spent in the kitchens of Esora, the now-closed Joël Robuchon Restaurant, and Zén. Tam beams on his participation in this year’s Off Menu KL, “It’s our first time participating in large scale events like this, so I’m excited to meet new friends and learn new things!”

Don't miss: The best KL-style Hokkien mee in Singapore, according to local chefs

Su Kim Hock is Tatler Dining's Chef of the Year 2023 and helms one Michelin-starred Restaurant au Jardin and Un Poco Loco, both in George Town, Penang. At Un Poco Loco, Su explores the potential of Mediterranean ingredients in a fresh and fun way, presenting modern takes on Spanish tapas.

Prior to his time back in his hometown of George Town, Su spent his formative years in the United Kingdom, where he worked at a pub and was eventually on the opening team for a highly successful gastropub called The Freemasons Arms in Lancashire. He ultimately spent more time abroad in Taipei before returning home for good and opening Restaurant au Jardin.

Nadodi’s Yavhin Siriwardhana is a second-generation Malaysian with strong Sri Lankan and Malayali familial ancestry roots. At Nadodi, he leads the kitchen operations and masterfully reimagines Southern Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine to create dishes that pay homage to his heritage.

Siriwardhana holds a degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management, which kickstarted his career and passion for the field. Through his education and professional training, Siriwardhana sharpened his skills in all facets of cooking, particularly in the art of plating and presentation.

Petrina Loh is Morsels’ chef-owner and has represented Singapore globally and locally for multiple dining events over her years in the industry. She brings with her a passion for fermentation, sustainability, and a zero-waste philosophy.

Loh credits her father with being the person who taught her how to cook at a young age. However, Loh pursued a career in banking and turned to cooking as a means to destress. She eventually traded in her business professional outfits for chef whites and enrolled in the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, which runs the Le Cordon Bleu program.

Marvas Ng commands the helm at Path in Singapore, his first culinary project under his leadership. Before Path, Ng cut his teeth in kitchens abroad, including in the now-closed Hong Kong culinary institution Le Pan.

At Path, Ng presents the East Asian flavours we know and love in bold and refined ways using French techniques. “I am honoured and excited for Path to be a part of the lineup from Singapore in Off Menu KL 2023,” shares Ng. “I am very motivated by this opportunity to work closely with my partner chefs and explore various new techniques.”

Read more: Editors’ picks: The best cafes to visit in Singapore

Satoshi Uehara, Ushi’s head chef, is originally from Fukuoka, Japan. He leads the team at Ushi, ensuring every ingredient flown into Malaysia is of utmost freshness, most notably the perfectly marbled Ozaki beef.

Having worked at Ushi for the last eight years, Uehara has been fundamental in its development to be one of Kuala Lumpur’s most premium restaurants. Ushi is the only restaurant in the city to serve Ozaki beef, the name refers to beef from Wagyu cattle raised on a single farm owned and managed by Mr Muneharu Ozaki in the Miyazaki Prefecture.

The weekend-long festival will be held in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and take place at Sentul Depot in Kuala Lumpur. Free flow beverages will be pouring all weekend long, courtesy of our beverage partners Hennessy VSOP, Chandon Garden Spritz, Hennessy, and Minuty. 

The session on November 3 is completely sold out, but tickets are available for the remaining sessions on November 4 and 5. 

Date: November 3-5, 2023
Time: 2pm-5pm (November 4), 8pm-11pm (November 3, 4, and 5)
Venue: Sentul Depot, Kuala Lumpur
Theme: Souk Bazaar
Price: RM600, RM650 (at the door)

Secure your entry with an advanced ticket purchase and be part of this epicurean gathering. Get your tickets to Off Menu 2023 here and for more information on the event, click here. 

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