Chateau Dionne's cold angel hair capellini with squid, ikura and ponzu is on the menu during KL Restaurant Week. Photos: HANDOUTS
Following two successful editions in Kuala Lumpur, Restaurant Week is returning yet again for the third year running from now to 27 October 2024. This year, there will be 37 participating restaurants in the Klang Valley.
What is Restaurant Week? Restaurant Week originated in New York in 1992, offering diners in the city the chance to try the food at top-tier restaurants without breaking the bank. The initial endeavour was a huge success and has since sparked numerous editions around the world.
In Asia, Malaysia is the third country after China, Hong Kong and Singapore – to initiate Restaurant Week. The name Restaurant Week is a bit of a misnomer though as the limited-time initiative has different timelines in different parts of the world.
In the Kuala Lumpur edition, you can expect to indulge in culinary experiences that start at RM58 per guest for lunch and RM78 per guest for dinner at some of KL’s swankiest restaurants.
Expect to indulge in an array of fabulous meals from restaurants across the city like the Michelin Selected Kayra.
Participating restaurants include illustrious Michelin Selected eateries like Kayra, Sushi Masa and Tenmasa as well as popular eateries like Amazonas, Kenny Hills Bistro, Chateau Dionne, Sushi Ryu, The Attic Bar, Niku 29, Raw at Else Kuala Lumpur, Fritz at Troika Sky Dining and Locus.
There is plenty to whet the appetite throughout the period and if you’re new to Restaurant Week, you could opt to start with a meal at the charming but laid-back Raw at Else Kuala Lumpur.
For Restaurant Week, Raw is offering a lunch menu, priced at RM78 per person and a dinner menu, priced at RM98 per person (the menu prices reflect a cost savings of RM80 per person during Restaurant Week). The dinner menu includes a starter, mains, sides and a dessert.
Highlights from the dinner menu include the starter of Crispy Eggplant and Mascarpone, a dish that positions luscious eggplant against a cheesy backdrop – it is a lovely, comforting vegetarian ensemble cast that paves the way for the rest of the meal.
From the mains, look at indulging in the Black Mamba, which features tiger prawns, fermented chilli sambal, squid ink rice and egg yolk. This is an interesting East-West interplay that dances to the rhythm of a local tune, boosted by the sambal, while still alluding to Western nuances, courtesy of the squid ink rice.
Raw's Black Mamba, essential black squid ink rice juxtaposed against huge prawns and a black of sambal is an interesting nod to an East-meets-West confluence.
The Roasted Broccoli side meanwhile offers large lightly char-grilled broccoli florets juxtaposed against fermented black bean chilli crisp, herb labneh, pomegranate and fatty raisins. It is a very pleasant configuration bolstered around the broccoli’s cruciferous strengths.
One of the key components of KL Restaurant Week is that it levels the paying field (pun intended) on the diner front, ensuring that at least for a short while, higher-end restaurants cast a wider net, enabling more consumers the opportunity to sample meals at some of the city’s best eateries.
Bookings for KL Restaurant Week can be made here.
