17-05-2025
Petaling Jaya's new Chu is designed for meat lovers of every stripe
Ensconced in Petaling Jaya's fast-gentrifying Section 17 neighbourhood is Chu by Chef Nickt. The eatery is the brainchild of chef-owner Nicholas Thang, a passionate chef and food consultant whose knowledge of meat is unparalleled.
Thang also helms Honest Butcher – his first advent into F&B after years of helping other restaurant owners open their own restaurants. Honest Butcher started out as an online delivery steak business and eventually transitioned into a brick-and-mortar outlet in an industrial area in Sunway Damansara, where it has captured the hearts of carnivores of every stripe.
Chu meanwhile happened more organically. While Thang and his wife (who is his business partner) had been contemplating opening a second restaurant, the impetus to launch their next outlet only happened when a shoplot in Section 17 became available.
The new eatery is homey and has an instantly welcoming vibe.
'We were always like, 'Let's open another shop!' But we couldn't figure out where to open. And then this shop became available.
'We were like, okay, we could afford that. It's not too much of an investment. The rental is not too expensive. So we just jumped in.
'We paid quite a good price for all the equipment and all that. But in the end, all the equipment wasn't really working very well so we had to replace it with new ones. So it ended up not really being the bargain we thought it would be. But at least it gave us a push to open another restaurant,' says Thang, laughing.
Once the restaurant was secured, Thang ran into another roadblock. Initially Chu was meant to serve brunch by day and operate as a steakhouse at night. But just three days before the restaurant opened, Thang pored over the menu again and realised it simply wasn't good enough.
Thang is the chef-owner behind the brand new Chu, which follows in the meat-centric veins of his popular original eatery Honest Butcher.
'We scrapped everything three days before the opening. And my wife and I sat up until 4am in the morning and came up with the new menu that we are serving today. Then we woke up in the morning and went out and bought all the ingredients and put together all the meals,' he says.
Chu's current menu still tilts very heavily towards the bovine side of life, with the restaurant carrying up to 60 different steaks. You can also purchase the steaks of your choice from a chiller packed with meat-laden goodies.
Where Chu deviates slightly from the Honest Butcher is in the portion sizes, which are smaller and therefore cheaper. There is also a slight Japanese slant in the introduction of various katsu (meat or chicken breaded with panko bread crumbs and then deep-fried), which is the signature offering at the restaurant.
Sumptuous and filled with rich bovine elements, the bone marrow makes for an unforgettable meal opener. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
Start your meal at Chu with the Miso Glazed Bone Marrow (RM39), which is a take on a miso-glazed eggplant. Here, the grain-fed beef marrow is the star of this show and a spoon dipped into its core will yield buttery, velvety unctuous richness that slides smoothly on the toast slices served as part of this dish. It's a celebratory dish that makes for a memorable meal opener.
Up next, try the restaurant's signature Hokkaido tonkatsu in the form of the Angus Beef Katsu (RM89). The meal is a filling one and comes with the requisite thick-cut beef katsu, pearl rice, wafu dressing cabbage, pickle and a sauce. From April 1 onwards, hot stone grills will be provided with the meal, with the idea being that diners can grill the meat to their desired doneness.
'We cook the meats very rare and then we let diners play around with the grill and finish the cooking process. That way, everyone gets to eat based on their individual preference – plus it's more fun!' explains Thang.
Flounder fin and hot claypot rice make for the ultimate pairing.
The beef katsu is sublime – a crusty breaded outer core gives way to meat that is still juicy and tender on the inside and this fried festivity is rounded off by the fluffy rice and other condiments in this amalgamation. The sauces provided on the side, like the curry sauce, provide extra depth and dimension to the meal, lacing it with hearty attributes.
Next, dip your palate in soothing aquatic waters with the Lobster Bisque (RM29). Here, lobster heads are used to flavour the bisque, which is rich, thick, creamy and awash in sea-faring flavours. This goodness is accentuated by the plump, grilled Hokkaido scallop set adrift in the soup in what proves to be a delicious voyage through oceanic terrain.
Move on to the charms of the Engawa Aburi Hot Claypot Rice (RM79). Here, flame-seared flounder fin is paired with furikake, seaweed butter, sliced seaweed, shio kombu, spring onion, don sauce, egg yolk and pearl white rice.
The dish arrives piping hot and you'll have to quickly stir the raw egg yolk into the rice and scrape the bottom of the claypot so you can enjoy the lovely charred bits of rice at the bottom.
The cold capellini is a smooth, slick operator with a bounty of oceanic overtures.
This hedonistic delight is comfort food at its finest. The rice is incredibly flavourful and retains a slight char and smoke which permeates throughout its veins, while the engawa lends firm, slightly sweet flesh and buoyant aquatic notes to the dish. This meal is a masterclass in how applying restraint and equilibrium can result in every single component bringing their A-game to the table.
The Cold Capellini (RM69) is one of the mainstays on Thang's menu and has been a hit since it was first introduced years ago at Honest Butcher. Here, the capellini forms the foundational structure upon which ingredients like Hokkaido scallop, shoyu ikura, spring onion, bonito sesame seeds, kombu and creamy uni sauce are layered atop and around, forming a show-stopping underwater extravaganza.
The noodles are slick and smooth and this is countenanced by the silken texture of the scallop. The creamy uni sauce is addictively good and cumulatively – everything ties together beautifully, like a gift-wrapped present whose contents are as beguiling as its appearance.
The Korean x wagyu crossbreed is fabulous from start to finish.
Save the best for last and indulge in a good, old-fashioned steak – of which there are plenty to choose from. Of what's on offer, definitely look at indulging in something off-the-beaten-path, like the Korean X Wagyu Crossbreed (RM279 for 300 grams of ribeye). Currently only about eight restaurants in Malaysia serve this particular breed, so you're in rarefied company. It's also Thang's current favourite steak and given his beef pedigree, you'd do well to go with his recommendation.
The beef has been grilled to perfection and retains a sturdy charred crust that gives way to meat that is pink in the middle and incredibly tender and succulent on the palate. The Korean X Wagyu crossbreed offers the best of both worlds – it has the strong beefy, meaty overtures so prominent in Korean Hanwoo beef alongside the melt-in-the-mouth texture so desirous in Wagyu. It's a win-win that translates to pure magic.
Moving forward, Thang says he is looking at opening more outlets but is aiming to do it organically – as and when a need arises.
'It's just me and my wife – it's a small company. So we don't look for investments or investors. I always feel like when businesses expand too fast, a lot of people can't cope and that's when everything crumbles. So we are doing it slow and steady,' says Thang.
Chu by Chef Nickt
19, Jalan 17/45
Section 17
46400 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 012 517 1491
Open Wednesday to Sunday: 11.30am to 2.30pm; 5.30pm to 10pm
