KY eats – An Evening of Fine Dining Experience at Hide KL

Hide KL, as the name suggests, is a quaint little restaurant situated somewhat hidden in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, behind a cleverly placed painting/door concoction at the concourse of Ritz Carlton Residences. (not Ritz Carlton hotel… I made that mistake)

our menu for the day

The restaurant was opened in 2020 and headed by chef Shaun, a law-degree-holder-turned-chef who somehow decided that running a restaurant is a career decision over being a lawyer, more power him!

From what I read, Shaun has spent time training his craft under Michelin starred restaurants like Le Bernardin in New York & Kato in Los Angele.

Hide KL is classy, small (slightly over a dozen diner at any time), and very intimate. The seating arrangement is such that you get a good view of the kitchen and the food preparation counter. Chefs/servers will then bring them over to explain and serve them right in front of you.

Pineapple, Rum, Campari; Ikura Mud Crab; Black Truffle, Comte

The experience is almost like a cross between seating in front a sushi chef’s bar and being hosted at a close friend’s open kitchen, very warm, friendly, and interactive.

The tasting menu we had for our meal (changes from time to time):

• Pineapple, Rum, Campari
• Ikura, Mud Crab
• Black Truffle, Comte
• Black Truffle, Uni, Dadinho (supplementary)
• Scallop, Caviar, Dashi
• Uni, Clam, Chawanmushi
• Kinmedai, Hotaruika, Meuniere
• Hokigai, Razor Clam, XO, Koshihikari
• Silver Hill Duck, Sunchoke, Savoy
• Yam, Banana, Sweet Potato
• Kaya, Horkasai, Coconut
• Petit Fours

Black Truffle, Uni, Dadinho (supplementary); Scallop, Caviar, Dashi

Right from the get-go, we were rather impressed with the amuse-bouche, a one-spoon mocktail that wakes up the senses. Their onion brioche with home made butter was sweet, warm, and made for a beautiful opening to an evening we greatly anticipated.

Uni, Clam, Chawanmushi

A trio of appetizers then greeted us, each were rather exquisite (and so were pretty much all dishes here anyway…) and provided an explosion of umami that you’d come to expect from ingredients such as caviar, crab, cheese, and black truffle.

We also had the uni (sea urchin) and black truffle supplementary that elevates the whole savory realm to another level, it was almost too much but I certainly wasn’t complaining.

More seafood followed, with clam and uni on top of a perfectly steamed chawanmushi, and then it was the first of the main dishes with kinmedai (splendid alfonsino fish) in hotaruika (firefly squid) in meunière. Well cooked and perfectly done.

Hokigai, Razor Clam, XO, Koshihikari

The next couple of dishes were culinary experiments that should definitely be encouraged more. Using ingredients without restrictions from type or origin of cuisines, this “fried rice” dish with razor clam and Japanese rice was a delight, and even spicy! A bold break from the more traditional expectation from fine dining experience.

Silver Hill Duck, Sunchoke, Savoy

For meat, we had the famed Silver Hill duck from Ireland that was dry aged and expertly prepared and served with a sauce from apple reduction. The meat were done just right, and those charred duck skin was crunchy in just the right way.

Yam, Banana, Sweet Potato; Kaya, Horkasai, Coconut; Petit Fours

Dessert were a trio of playful creations that involves sweet potato, kaya, coconut, and more. They were certainly appropriate for the occasion and provided a more than satisfying ending to a memorable night.

This made me wonder, how many lawyers are actually better skilled in kitchen than in the court?

KY, chef Shaun, Jean

Address:
Hide KL
Concourse, Ritz-Carlton Residences,
105, Jln Ampang, Kuala Lumpur,
50450 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.156628, 101.7058536
Tel: 019-222 9842