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The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Spotlight on leadership at hospitality festival
Participants were treated to a dynamic events line-up that included keynote addresses, expert panels, workshops and group chats. OVER 120 hospitality professionals from South-East Asia, Japan and China met in George Town, Penang, to be a part of global growth in the sector. They attended the three-day Ascott Learning Festival 2025 held at Ascott Gurney Penang, which was designed to foster leadership, innovation and professional growth. The festival, in its second edition, was themed 'Grow with Us, Lead Our Future'. It showcased a forward- thinking agenda with keynote addresses, expert panels, workshops and group chats. Organised by The Ascott Limited (Ascott), it aimed to deepen regional collaboration and strengthen lifelong learning across the Ascott network. Participants were treated to a dynamic events line-up that included a food innovation session led by acclaimed chef Darren Teoh of Malaysia's sole two Michelin star-restaurant Dewakan. Lim (second from left) posing for a photo with (from left) ascott learningand development director reuben Chen yong Soon, ascott GurneyPenang general manager Chan Kuok-Pin and Citadines ConnectGeorgetown Penang general manager Lee Boon Kae during the festival. Teoh explored the contrasts and commonalities between street food and hotel dining. In a lighter segment titled 'Ask Me Anything', popular Malaysian stand-up comedian Douglas Lim charmed the crowd. When asked what career he might have pursued had he not become a comedian, Lim quipped, 'I actually studied to be a teacher but then I realised it wouldn't suit me, mainly because I hate children.' The laughter Lim elicited brought a fun twist to the festival's otherwise intensive programme and allowed attendees to connect through shared humour. Ascott Malaysia country general manager Mondi Mecja, in his speech at the event, said the festival was more than just a corporate training event. 'It's a platform for our people to be inspired by the best in the business, from culinary innovators to thought leaders in AI (artificial intelligence) and wellness,' he added. The festival nurtured attendees with sessions covering digital marketing trends, financial literacy, mindfulness and adaptive leadership. The final day focused on strategic thinking and featured a live-streamed dialogue with CapitaLand Group chairman Wong Kan Seng and CapitaLand Investment (CLI) chairman Miguel Ko. Participants also enjoyed cultural immersion activities, adding local flavour to the festival. Since launching Asia-Pacific's first international-class serviced residence in 1984, Ascott has become a leading global hospitality company. Headquartered in Singapore, it has over 950 properties in over 230 cities across more than 40 countries. Among its range of accommodations are serviced residences, hotels and senior living under brands like Ascott, Citadines and Lyf. As a wholly-owned unit of CLI, Ascott leverages its expertise and network in hospitality, and investment management.
Malay Mail
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Foong Hew Whye and Chan Min See of Restaurant Jie on working at Robuchon au Dôme, ‘asam laksa' and chicken rice, and the challenge of ‘borderless Chinese' cuisine
KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — 'It is, at its core, a Chinese restaurant, but one that borrows freely from the chefs (sic) many experiences... There is no dogma here, no rigid adherence to an imagined past. And in that way, it feels true.' In February, just five months after Restaurant Jie opened, Darren Teoh, chef-patron of two-Michelin-starred Dewakan, featured it in a long, occasionally meandering Instagram post reflecting on authenticity in cooking. Teoh's post, part rumination on authenticity and part unexpected endorsement, thrust the then-largely unheard-of restaurant, the latest venture from the Tinkermen Collective, into the sights of KL's fine-dining circles. 'We're full tonight,' said Wong. 'Actually, we've been pretty busy lately — fully booked most nights.' Wong Yin How, founder of the Tinkermen Collective, was standing in the middle of Jie's dining room. The serial restaurateur had popped in to check on things before rushing off to one of Tinkermen's 16 other outlets. The Japanese yellowtail dish being plated. — Picture by Choo Choy May At the kitchen counter, chefs Foong Hew Whye and Chan Min See moved quietly through the final stages of plating the Japanese yellowtail dish. It's a refined, deliberate composition: a short, circular mound of yellowtail tartare sits at the bottom of the plate, flecked with fine bits of mint, pineapple, chilli and onion — the classic garnishes of asam laksa — along with the juicy flesh of Tambun pomelo. An intricate tuile separates the tartare from a dollop of caviar, meant to be broken off and eaten in composed bites. Visually, the dish is an evolution of a salmon and pomelo number from their first menu, a riff on Chinese New Year yee sang. But here, the inspiration is firmly asam laksa, says Foong. 'The condiments in asam laksa are very refreshing, very green and aromatic,' she said. 'But I thought the soup would be a little boring for the customer. So I modified it into a tartare, making it a refreshing start for the customer.' Foong, 37, is the head chef at Jie. She's joined by senior sous chef Chan, who has worked with her for close to a decade, ever since they met on the opening team at Nobu Kuala Lumpur. Chan, now 32, later left for the three-Michelin-starred Robuchon au Dôme in Macau — an institution perched at the top of the Grand Lisboa Hotel, as much a temple to haute cuisine as it is to opulence. Foong followed her three months later. 'It was very stressful. We worked more than 14 hours a day, and sometimes we wouldn't get a break for almost three months,' Chan recalled, her eyes carrying a look of haunting admiration. 'Staff turnover was very high. But it was my first time seeing and handling a lot of new ingredients from France and Japan.' Chan, 32, was the first of the two to work at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau. — Picture by Choo Choy May Foong reflects on her time there a little differently. 'It was a totally different experience (from Nobu). Robuchon has a lot more discipline involved — it's very traditional, very classic,' she said. ' But I found the classic dishes to be the most innovative, like the tomato mille-feuille and lobster gelée. Robuchon came up with the mille-feuille dish like 10 or 15 years before then, when there was no internet to do any research, and everything came from his own mind. I think it's incredible, and I think he's a legend.' Chan also recalls a dish that blew her mind at the time. 'The Saint-Jacques — it's a type of scallop — and spaghetti dish. They use the spaghetti to create a dome — that was insane! 'No adhesives, just the starch of the spaghetti and your skill in getting it to stick. And we had to do it for a gala dinner, three days straight.' After four years of honing their craft in that exacting environment, Foong and Chan decided it was time to bring their refined skills back home. In 2019, they returned to Malaysia, settling in Foong's hometown of Ipoh, where they opened Communal Kitchen & Bar, a casual restaurant-café-bar, just a month before the pandemic hit. The venture was short-lived, but fate intervened. A chance encounter a year later with one of Wong's restaurant managers would set the stage for their return to KL. Foong had interned at one of Wong's restaurants early in her career. While on a trip to KL, she bumped into Becky — now the manager at Jie — who mentioned that Wong was looking for someone to lead a new restaurant. 'They came to Ipoh and tried the food, and he said we needed a larger market instead of staying in Ipoh,' she said. 'Otherwise, it would be a waste of what we learned in Robuchon.' One of Foong's first jobs was interning for restaurateur Wong Yin How, and by chance in 2021, their paths crossed again. — Picture by Choo Choy May In 2022, Quin opened in The Five, Bukit Damansara, with Foong and Chan at the helm. Styled as a modern French restaurant, it was the ideal platform for the duo's training and precision to shine. But what they really yearned for was much closer to home, even if the spark came from somewhere else. 'After being overseas for so many years, we were really craving Malaysian food. We were dying for it,' Chan laughed. 'When my mum used to visit me overseas, I would say, 'Please Mum, when you come, please cook and bring sambal petai udang.'' The shift came after Wong took the two chefs to WING, chef Vicky Cheng's critically acclaimed contemporary Chinese fine dining restaurant in Hong Kong. The experience opened a door. 'It was a moment of inspiration for us — why can't we do something like this in KL? Not Hong Kong Chinese, but Malaysian Chinese cuisine,' Foong said. 'That's why the first menu featured dishes like chicken wings with glutinous rice, fish curry with red snapper — we keep the soul of the dish, but we try to refine it and present something more elegant.' It hasn't been without its challenges. 'We question ourselves a lot, because a lot of diners are familiar with Chinese comfort food,' Foong explained. 'They say, 'What is the value I get from dining here?' So we pick our minds, working on how we use our European technique and ingredients, and present the food. Like the chicken wing from the previous season, we used foie gras in the filling, representing the yin and yang of Western and Chinese cultures. Everybody liked that dish.' The chicken rice course at Jie. — Picture courtesy of Restaurant Jie While some techniques like making lobster gelée now come naturally — having produced 40 portions a night at Robuchon — mastering certain Chinese ingredients has required a different kind of learning curve. 'Before it reaches the customer, we do many, many trials of research and development,' Chan said. 'It can take almost half a year for one dish.' The menu at Jie changes every three months, which means Foong and Chan are developing new ideas almost daily. 'It's our daily routine – when we're eating, whatever we're doing, anything can become an idea,' Chan said. Many of those ideas come from simple comfort food. The centrepiece of the season two menu is none other than the working man's champion: chicken rice. 'It's a free-range chicken that we dry-age for three to four days, then we grill it over charcoal. The skin ends up very different from your typical 'roast chicken' outside,' Foong explained. 'It has a smoky aroma, and if you pay attention, the skin is a little bit like the skin on roast pork. It's very crunchy, breaks easily.' 'A lot of people say, 'Why am I paying so much for chicken rice?' but once they try it, it's a different story,' Foong remarked. 'In the end, people kept asking for refills.' Foong is now working on something inspired by coconut chicken soup. 'We haven't run any trials yet; we also just learned some dim sum techniques recently, so we're going to try and have dim sum in our next menu or the one after that.' Recognition matters to all restaurants, but in the age of paid influencer posts and agency-managed buzz, Jie seems to have found something rarer: organic, word-of-mouth momentum. Foong and Chan emphasise that how the customer feels is ultimately the most important part of a restaurant experience. — Picture by Choo Choy May One man's pontification is another's endorsement. Chan described Teoh as iconic; Foong said she was 'touched' by his feedback. 'He's trying to bring up Malaysian ingredients and Malaysian culture, which is what you see at Dewakan. We're trying to bring up Chinese culture in Malaysia, so the starting point is similar. We're both trying to bring up Malaysian culture.' For Foong and Chan, though, what matters most is how the customer feels dining at Jie. 'As humbly as we can, we want the customer to feel that our food is sincere. I think that is the most important thing,' Chan said. Foong echoes that sentiment when it comes to defining success. 'I think most people immediately think of Michelin or other awards, right? Of course, we're happy if we get it, but it is not our goal. My goal is for the guest to leave happy, satisfied. The rest is a bonus.' Restaurant Jie73-M, Jalan Setia Bakti Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur Open Tuesday to Saturday, 6-11pm Tel: 012-325 0885Instagram: @ * Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems. * Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more musings on food and mildly self-deprecating attempts at humour.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
6 dishes to try in Kuala Lumpur
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). The dining scene in Kuala Lumpur has long reflected Malaysia's rich cultural tapestry, with traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisines as staples. And now, the city is embracing culinary innovation, too. From elevated street food to avant-garde fine dining, chefs are pushing boundaries with fusion dishes and unique ingredients. Here are the best places to experience the Malaysian capital's ever-evolving food landscape. This dish epitomises chef Darren Teoh's commitment to celebrating local, indigenous and traditional ingredients through creative, experimental cooking. Part of the restaurant's tasting menu, it centres around crackers made from native Malaysian belinjau nuts, crafted to resemble an origami frog. The crackers have a creamy yet mildly crunchy texture and earthy flavour, while a topping of oil from the perah nut, also native to Malaysia, adds depth and richness. A final flourish of caviar represents the female frog's eggs during mating season. Michelin-starred modern Malaysian restaurant Beta KL puts a contemporary fine-dining spin on humble, rustic dishes, using European and Japanese techniques. The restaurant is best known for its A5 Miyazaki wagyu beef, served in a dark, rich Sarawakian masak hitam sauce made from caramelised shallots, garlic, soy sauce and spices including coriander and cumin. The top-grade beef belies the traditional reputation of masak hitam dishes for being tough and overdone. Casual dining spot Hai Kah Lang has two locations in Kuala Lumpur — one of which has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The focus is on using fresh, high-quality ingredients to make the smart seafood dishes it's become known for. Chefs work directly with fishermen in nearby Kuala Selangor to source prawns, clams and squid for the rice-based seafood porridge, or congee. Cooked over a charcoal fire, the result is a hearty, soothing broth with the flavour of coriander and a subtle smokiness, where the naturally sweet seafood flavours come to the fore. eka Bar's innovative cocktails earned it a spot on Asia's 50 Best Bars list for 2024, while the sleek, low-lit interiors ushered it into the top three of 50 Best's Bareksten Best Bar Design Award. But the ebi katsu ube sando is another reason to visit, with succulent prawn katsu encased between slices of soft — vibrant purple — ube milk loaf. It's also packed with caramelised cabbage, okonomiyaki sauce and creamy mayonnaise, with a sprinkle of furikake seasoning and pistachio dust for extra texture. The result is a satisfying, umami-packed sandwich. This bar and restaurant, on the 57th floor of the Petronas Towers, is known for its views of Kuala Lumpur's skyline, but the contemporary Italian menu is equally memorable. The caviar tiramisu is an opulent twist on the classic dessert, made using molecular gastronomy techniques. Velvety mascarpone is layered with espresso-soaked ladyfinger biscuits and crowned with a generous layer of coffee 'caviar', made using a spherification method, with the coffee held in by a thin gel membrane that bursts in the mouth. The dessert is finished with flashes of gold leaf.
National Geographic
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- National Geographic
6 dishes to try in Kuala Lumpur, from seafood porridge to an ebi katsu sando
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). The dining scene in Kuala Lumpur has long reflected Malaysia's rich cultural tapestry, with traditional Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisines as staples. And now, the city is embracing culinary innovation, too. From elevated street food to avant-garde fine dining, chefs are pushing boundaries with fusion dishes and unique ingredients. Here are the best places to experience the Malaysian capital's ever-evolving food landscape. 1. Belinjau Origami Frog, Dewakan This dish epitomises chef Darren Teoh's commitment to celebrating local, indigenous and traditional ingredients through creative, experimental cooking. Part of the restaurant's tasting menu, it centres around crackers made from native Malaysian belinjau nuts, crafted to resemble an origami frog. The crackers have a creamy yet mildly crunchy texture and earthy flavour, while a topping of oil from the perah nut, also native to Malaysia, adds depth and richness. A final flourish of caviar represents the female frog's eggs during mating season. 2. A5 Miyazaki Masak Hitam, Beta KL Michelin-starred modern Malaysian restaurant Beta KL puts a contemporary fine-dining spin on humble, rustic dishes, using European and Japanese techniques. The restaurant is best known for its A5 Miyazaki wagyu beef, served in a dark, rich Sarawakian masak hitam sauce made from caramelised shallots, garlic, soy sauce and spices including coriander and cumin. The top-grade beef belies the traditional reputation of masak hitam dishes for being tough and overdone. 3. Seafood Porridge, Hai Kah Lang Casual dining spot Hai Kah Lang has two locations in Kuala Lumpur — one of which has earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The focus is on using fresh, high-quality ingredients to make the smart seafood dishes it's become known for. Chefs work directly with fishermen in nearby Kuala Selangor to source prawns, clams and squid for the rice-based seafood porridge, or congee. Cooked over a charcoal fire, the result is a hearty, soothing broth with the flavour of coriander and a subtle smokiness, where the naturally sweet seafood flavours come to the fore. 4. Ebi Katsu Ube Sando, Reka Bar eka Bar's innovative cocktails earned it a spot on Asia's 50 Best Bars list for 2024, while the sleek, low-lit interiors ushered it into the top three of 50 Best's Bareksten Best Bar Design Award. But the ebi katsu ube sando is another reason to visit, with succulent prawn katsu encased between slices of soft — vibrant purple — ube milk loaf. It's also packed with caramelised cabbage, okonomiyaki sauce and creamy mayonnaise, with a sprinkle of furikake seasoning and pistachio dust for extra texture. The result is a satisfying, umami-packed sandwich. 5. Caviar Tiramisu, Marini's On 57 This bar and restaurant, on the 57th floor of the Petronas Towers, is known for its views of Kuala Lumpur's skyline, but the contemporary Italian menu is equally memorable. The caviar tiramisu is an opulent twist on the classic dessert, made using molecular gastronomy techniques. Velvety mascarpone is layered with espresso-soaked ladyfinger biscuits and crowned with a generous layer of coffee 'caviar', made using a spherification method, with the coffee held in by a thin gel membrane that bursts in the mouth. The dessert is finished with flashes of gold leaf. Published in Issue 27 (Spring 2025) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
