Skip the scones, cast out the cucumber sandwiches: KL’s most distinctive high tea of 2020 brings an exuberant medley of Malaysian sweets and savouries to the table, served in a 13,000-square-foot setting that’s as sumptuous as this triple-tiered feast.
De.Wan by Chef Wan 1958 in The LINC KL promises a lavish late-afternoon spread that’s more remarkable than most lunches, impressively spanning the length of peninsular Malaysia with everything from Johor laksa to nostalgic treats like pulut serunding, curated with care and commitment by Chef Wan, the country's most renowned culinary ambassador, and his best-trusted lieutenants.
De.Wan 1958's picture-perfect High Tea Set stands proud and tall, ravishingly presented to channel a classically gilded bird’s cage bursting with vibrant temptations of various shapes and shades, tastes and textures. Our striking ensemble is meant for four persons (RM258++), though a more modestly portioned set for two persons is also available (RM168++). It's a princely serving, so save plenty of stomach space before heading here.
High Tea is served daily - 2:30pm-4pm Mondays to Fridays, 3pm-6pm on weekends and public holidays.
Start with a selection of Laksa Johor and Chef Wan's signature Mee Rebus Udang (four bowls for the four-person set) - each bowl brims with quality ingredients galore, freshly assembled with firm noodles, naturally lip-smacking broths and gravies, plus confidently balanced herbs and spices, topped with gently simmered mackerel and plump whole prawns for the Laksa Johor and Mee Rebus respectively. It's a true taste of tradition, elevated to cater to 21st-century customers.
Next, delve into the bounty of each tier - munch on Pulut Kuning Rendang Selangor (glutinous yellow rice with premium Australian beef cooked in coconut milk for a tender stew, laced with kerisik), crisp-to-the-bite Popiah and Karipap Kentang, as well as chunky, charcoal-grilled chicken Satay with lusciously thick peanut sauce, all served hot-from-the-kitchen.
Cherished kuih-muih fill out each level, offering an exquisite, encyclopedic exploration of time-honoured Malaysian nibbles - bubur sumsum to cucur jagung, kuih cara to kuih ketayap, plus one contemporary creation of banana crumble in deep-fried kataifi string pastry, and more, including assorted fruits and berries.
Customers have up to two choices of tea to complement their meal - pick from pots of blooming flower tea, butterfly pea, lemongrass ginger tea, dragon pearl jasmine, chamomile, green tea mint, pomegranate tea, Earl Grey Supreme, and English Breakfast.
Cold-pressed juices can be added for a surcharge, with possible combinations like orange and goji, guava and green apple, kale and green apple, watermelon and flaxseed, beetroot and red apple, or passion fruit and pineapple.
A complete Malaysian Tea Delights a la carte selection of starters and main courses is also available throughout teatime. Nasi Lemak might be ubiquitous throughout KL, but De.Wan 1958's serunding-showered rendition stands out as one of the city's most elaborate, beautifully fragrant with pandan for a lovely light-green hue, generously surrounded by prawn sambal, beef rendang, emping melinjo crackers, and ayam goreng berempah that comprises an entire chicken leg succulently marinated with cumin, turmeric, fennel and chillies. Even the essential nasi lemak accompaniments are noteworthy, including the creamy-yolked boiled egg, to make this a nasi lemak platter that's exceptional by every measure.
If you adore the petite versions of Laksa Johor and Mee Rebus Udang in the High Tea Set, you can order full servings of them. The Laksa Johor is painstakingly put together so that you can see each separate component before mixing everything together, a hearty heap of spaghetti with shredded tenggiri, aromatically nuanced with infusions of lemongrass and lime (RM32). Mee Rebus Udang is also gorgeously glorious, yellow egg noodles made irresistible with tiger prawns crowning a deep crustacean-flavoured broth for one of Chef Wan's personal favourite comfort-food dishes (RM38).
De.Wan 1958's Executive Chef Zabidi Ibrahim, who has won numerous regional awards throughout his nearly three-decade career, helmed the kitchen when we visited, ensuring that even the relatively simple-sounding Popiah is transformed into the most ideal interpretation, packed with shredded chicken, glass noodles, mushrooms, chestnuts, carrots and turnip strips, buoyed by a lively red chilli plum sauce and crisp ulam leaves (RM28). Other Tea Delight recipes range from Cucur Udang to Kerabu Mee Hoon Nyonya Bunga Telang.
All in all, our first visit to De.Wan 1958 proved memorably positive, clearly proving why it has risen to the ranks of Malaysia's most respected Malay restaurants within less than a year. Many thanks to De.Wan 1958 for having us here.
De.Wan 1958 by Chef Wan
Lot 2-2, Level 2, The LINC KL, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur.
Open Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm, 6-10pm; Sat-Sun, 11am-10pm. Tel: 010-207-0383
This post first appeared on
eatdrinkkl.com
