One of Kuala Lumpur's hottest restaurant openings has food lovers across the causeway excited, but has it got what it takes to satiate today's well-travelled breed of fine dining fans?
Singapore’s foodies are typically drawn to Malaysia’s capital for its smoky, ribsticking hawker fare. But of late, one fine dining restaurant has had gourmets contemplating the trek across the Causeway to partake in a gourmet meal instead. It is rather apt considering that the restaurant’s name, Nadodi, translates from Tamil and Malayalam to mean ‘nomad’ or ‘wanderer’.
At this glossy-floored establishment tucked away in an aging building in Kuala Lumpur’s city centre, four partners have come together to offer a unique cuisine rooted in the South Indian flavours typically found across Malaysia and Singapore.
Executive chef Johnson Ebenezer cut his teeth at hotel restaurants in Chennai, while chef de cuisine Sricharan Venkatesh boasts a stint at that other progressive Indian restaurant, Gaggan. Akshar Chalwadi, “India’s most promising bartender 2011” according to Bacardi, heads the beverage programme, while brand director Kartik Kumar also boasts Gaggan pedigree as its former head of operations.
Together, they have created an aspirational dining experience that tries to toe the lines between tradition, modernity, and a melting pot of influences. Their menus are coined “journeys”, with a 9-mile Journey going for MYR460++ (S$150++) and an 11-Mile Journey for MYR490 (S$164++). There is also an 11-course vegetarian option for MYR450 (S$151++).
(Related: Review: Guilt-free Pleasures At Origin Grill)