TaKeEN Omakase is celebrating its first Christmas with an exploration of the essence of Kappo Omakase - this ravishing restaurant on Old Klang Road is a winter wonderland of the season's finest fare, from sumptuous seafood to succulent meat.
Led by award-winning chef Thomas Chan, the festive menu (RM588++; available lunch and dinner, 24 December 2023 to 1 January 2024) heralds the end of an exciting year for TaKeEn, which launched in January 2023.
Harnessing nearly twenty years of experience at top restaurants in Japan, Hong Kong and Shanghai, chef Thomas Chan slices and cooks ingredients in plain sight of patrons, doing justice to ingredients air-flown from across the globe.
Savour a lovely, leisurely feast that unfolds from light starters to full-bodied flavours while admiring the zen-inspired furnishing of custom-built bamboo boards and natural stone that carve out earthy, elegant textures.
Take the TaKeEn journey not only for Christmas but with daily lunch sets that start from RM238++ and dinner priced at RM488++ and above. Non-Japanese Seafood Kappo Omakase and Vegetarian Omakase are also available via advance reservations.
Chef Thomas Chan weaves together time-honoured techniques with imaginative innovation to infuse fresh possibilities into every Japanese gastronomic genre, from boiling to steaming, roasting to frying, nabemono and soup to rice and noodles.
His stylishly delicate knife skills come together with a keen eye for plating and presentation, creating multi-sensory indulgences that marry colour with flavour and fragrance.
Chef Thomas Chan's credentials are convincing - he has amassed accolades like the Hong Kong Grand Cuisine 2008 Gold Medal for the Most Creative Team, five Awards of Excellence at the Malaysian International Gourmet Festival 2009, and most recently, the HAPA Award 2023-2024 for King of Asian Cuisine and Best 30 Recommended Japanese Restaurants.
At a recent preview of the festive menu, diners were delighted with an opening salvo of Rei - “Cold” - comprising multiple uniquely different types of appetizers.
TaKeEn's artistry is evident in the Snow Crab Tofu - snow crab is blended into a broth, then transformed into a tofu with light textures and a distinctive crustacean flavour, crowned with Spanish caviar that pops with seafaring brininess.
The Unagi Sandwich layers two slices of unagi with Philadelphian cream cheese. The eel is clean-tasting with no sliminess, potently robust with the gentle crunch of biscuit crumbs and unagi sauce on the side, simple to enjoy in one mouthful.
Persimmon is a lively fruit with a sweet bite, paired with house-made wasabi mayo for an intensely pleasurable burst of heat.
The King Salmon channels poached salmon with salmon roe and salmon skin for three ways of Norwegian salmon. The poached salmon is confit-like with a melt-in-the-mouth lusciousness, contrasted with the roe and skin, enhanced with smoked oil, vinegar and yolk.
Prawn Sashimi is a standout, showcasing akashi prawn flesh wrapped in kombu for the extra umami of kelp. The sauce on the side is crafted with the prawn head, accentuating the almost fermented nuances of this dish.
The French Oyster features oysters cultivated for close to four years - it's a remarkable rendition, bringing together sweetness and crispness, served with sea water plus yuzu and shiso flowers for citrusy zestiness.
The next course is Jun - “Pure”: Japanese Amela Tomato Consomme, simmered over low heat to create a clear soup. This varietal of tomatoes is naturally sweet, but its tang is emphasised in this preparation, poured over avocado bundled with snow crab meat, green apples, mountain yam and chive flowers for a pristine medley of the sea and the land.
Tagayasu - “Harvest” - shines the spotlight on French Foie Gras, miso-marinated for two hours, then grilled for a remarkable richness, buoyed and balanced with house-made plum cracker and ripe, nectarous pear.
For the protein powerhouse course, customers can sink their teeth into the succulence of the Tajima Wagyu - “black hair wagyu” - with wonderful A5 Miyazaki Wagyu tenderloin, seared and served medium, accompanied by aromatic autumn truffle slices (selected to suit the season) and Japanese nameko mushrooms We love the butteriness of the wagyu beef with its luxurious nuances, courtesy of its exquisite marbling.
As a non-beef alternative to the Tajima Wagyu, customers can choose the French Blue Lobster, springy and bouncy with a mellow sweetness, rounded out with chive oil, top-tier white asparagus and a gorgeous uni glaze.
Kamado - “pot dish” - highlights Ume Soba, a bright noodle ensemble with a beautiful fruitiness, built with Kyushu-sourced plum soba that's served chilled with babylon shell sea snails that evoke the deep flavour of seaweed, cleansing the palate with apple sauce splashes.
End on an ecstatic note: Tanoshi - “Happy” - conveys a crowd-pleasing Chocolate Petit with bittersweet 64% Valrhona dark chocolate, punched up with a peanut cracker on top to make this festive season even merrier.
Private rooms are also available, accommodating up to 16-30 patrons.
TaKeEn Omakase also boasts these other menus:
Lunch Menu: RM238 and above
Dinner Menu: RM488 and above
Vegetarian Menu: RM388 and above
Wine Pairing Menu available upon request with minimum 10 pax and above, priced at RM688 and above
TaKeEn Omakase
Lot 5-G, Wisma Elken, Lorong 4/137c, Bedford Business Park, 58200 Kuala Lumpur.
Open daily, 12pm-2:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm.
