On 13 December 2022, gastronomic history was made as the MICHELIN Guide was launched for the first time in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. As part of the ceremony's highlights, a gala dinner with six courses was served, with each dish highlighting the flavours of Malaysia.
MICHELIN restaurants that participated in the preparation of this dinner were Dewakan (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Saint Pierre (Singapore), Robuchon au Dôme (Macau), Kebaya Dining Room (Penang, Malaysia), Pertinence (Paris, France), and Eat and Cook (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), respectively.
From the flavours of foraged herbs to memory-driven dishes that are distinctly Malaysian in heritage, here's what the chefs of these MICHELIN restaurants put together.
First Course: Cured Coral Trout, Cold Starfruit Soup, Wild Herbs and Blossoms
Dewakan
One MICHELIN Star
MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur and Penang 2023
Making history as one of the newly-minted MICHELIN-Starred restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, Dewakan means “food from God,” and its chef, Darren Teoh, gives thanks to God with a dining experience that is truly Malaysian in every sense. According to our MICHELIN Guide inspectors, every ingredient in the restaurant is sustainably and locally sourced; even the dinnerware is handmade by local artists. There is only one prix fixe tasting menu. Dishes feature many items that are fermented or dry-aged in-house, alongside seasonal fruits and herbs. The shrimp head chocolate petit fours are one of their signatures.
Focusing on indigenous produce from Malaysia, Dewakan's dish of Cured Coral Trout, Cold Starfruit Soup, Wild Herbs, and Blossoms is a testament to the restaurant's ethos.
"The dish we created for the MICHELIN Guide Gala Dinner is inspired by foliage, really," says Teoh. "We were looking at an interesting way to put different flavour profiles of herbs that are really very different from what European herbs are known for," he shares.
The herbs are put together with a briny, saline fish and a cold soup made from one of the herbs and reduced starfruit juice. "A lot of heart has gone into this dish," adds Teoh.
Second Course: Marron, Pandan, Lassi
Saint Pierre
Two MICHELIN Stars
MICHELIN Guide Singapore 2022
Sixteen-year-old Emmanuel Stroobant, chef-owner of two-MICHELIN-Starred Saint Pierre in Singapore, was well on his way to realising his childhood dream of becoming a lawyer, when a stint at one of Belgium’s best restaurants sparked off a lifelong passion for the culinary arts. Drawn to the hustle and bustle of kitchen life, Stroobant subsequently learned the ropes from maestros from MICHELIN-Starred restaurants and has shuttled his culinary life between Europe and Asia.
"What we have prepared for our dinner course is marron, which is Saint Pierre's signature dish," says Stroobant. "We have had many renditions over the years, but today we will be doing something very specific for Malaysia, because we are going to add a little bit of local flavour, which is pandan."
The marron is first poached just shortly to be able to remove the shell, and then it is paired with pandan and a touch of lassi to lend a bit of acidity.
Third Course: Black Cod Miso, Black Garlic Emulsion, Coconut Clouds
Robuchon au Dôme
Three MICHELIN Stars
MICHELIN Guide Macau 2022
Robuchon au Dôme is described by the MICHELIN Guide inspectors to have dishes that are intricate, beautifully plated, and packed with an array of intense flavours; and for the third course of the evening, Julien Tongourian of the three-MICHELIN-Starred post prepared a dish of Black Cod Miso, Black Garlic Emulsion, and Coconut Clouds.
"The inspiration of this dish is, really, my travels with Mr. Robuchon," shares Tongourian. "One time, we went to Japan, and we tried this cod. The fish was marinated in miso, and it was unforgettable," he fondly remembers. "We loved that dish, and we tried to reproduce it with some French spirit and today, with a special Malaysian touch in the form of coconut that adds a sweet balance to the umami."
Fourth Course: Seared Australian Ribeye, Puffed Quinoa and Confit Mustard Green Shoots, Buah Keluak Jam, Jungle Herb Salad with Smoky Sambal Belacan
Kebaya Dining Room
MICHELIN Selected
MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur and Penang 2023
Helmed by Zachary Choong, Kebaya Dining Room in Penang is praised by the MICHELIN Guide Inspectors for its concise menu that showcases a good selection of Peranakan cooking alongside some vegetarian offerings. "At Kebaya Dining Room, our philosophy centres on a reinterpretation of northern Peranakan cuisine. We try to incorporate a lot of techniques from around the world, with using as much from our local terroir as possible," says Choong.
For the fourth course of the evening Choong presents a dish loaded with Malaysian flavours that are resonant of his Peranakan heritage. "The dish we have prepared is pan-seared rib-eye with buah keluak chilli jam, confit mustard greens, puffed quinoa, and spiced jungle herb salad. The inspiration for this dish comes from buah keluak, and we are using it with our philosophies in mind."
Indigenous to countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, raw buah keluak is known to possess cyanide and could be poisonous if not prepared the right way.
"Buah keluak is mostly found in the jungle, and in this dish, we are using ingredients that can be found alongside it when it's harvested," explains Choong. "Those other ingredients are fern shoots and pennywort. We also use some sambal belacan and get it to encapsulate all the flavours together."
Fifth Course: Tourte de Canette
Pertinence
One MICHELIN Star
MICHELIN Guide France 2023
Born in Kuala Lumpur, chef and co-owner of Pertinence, Kwen Liew, never thought that she would become a chef. After interning at a few restaurants, she finally returned to Paris after being persuaded by a former colleague named Ryunosuke Naito.
After 18 months of conceptualising, Liew and Naito opened Pertinence, an intimate 14-seater restaurant in Paris. Within the first year of opening, Pertinence was recognised with one MICHELIN Star in February 2018.
"For our course, we have prepared a Tourte de Canette (Duck Pie), It's our specialty in the winter season. Basically, you'll find puff pastry on the outside and duck stuffed on the inside with black truffles," she explains.
The Malaysian touch comes in the sauce, which makes use of hibiscus flowers. "Hibiscus is Malaysia's national flower, and it has a very beautiful acidity that pairs well with the dish," says Liew.
Last Course: Crispy Peanut Tuile, Fermented Sugar Sponge Cake, Local White Corn Purée and Corn Silk, Red Corn, Century Egg Kaya
Eat and Cook
MICHELIN Selected
MICHELIN Guide Kuala Lumpur and Penang 2023
Tucked in a district, far from the city centre, Eat and Cook is owned by two young, accomplished chefs, Lee Zhi Xi and Soh Yong Zhi. The set menu features local ingredients, and it changes every three to four months to introduce a new chapter. While the seasonality of Malaysian cuisine may not be obvious, it affects the variety of seafood and vegetables. Each new chapter reveals the characteristics of that season. The counter seats, known as The Stage, have an intimate view of the kitchen team in action.
"For dessert, what we've prepared is a dish that's with the Malaysians' memory — apam balik, which is similar to a peanut pancake; a mini dessert that can be found in every Malaysian night market," shares Lee.
"What we've done is to basically deconstruct it. We are highlighting some fermented rice cake, paired with a custard kaya dip, made by interesting century egg. We changed out some peanuts and palm sugar tuile, paired with a touch of nitro corn and also, butter," he explains.
All images are from the MICHELIN Guide unless otherwise stated.
Watch the livestream of the MICHELIN Star Revelation Ceremony and other highlights on the official MICHELIN Guide Singapore Facebook page and the MICHELIN Guide Asia YouTube channel.
