A tropical oasis of a restaurant in Malaysia's main airport, offering a remarkable range of recipes that reflect the country's rich culinary legacy: Kitchen by OpenHouse is KLIA 1's most distinctive dining destination, well worth travelling to even if we're not flying out.
In recent years, Kitchen by OpenHouse's founders have worked with Malaysia's Department of National Heritage to help champion local dishes and delicacies that have endured through the generations.
Kitchen by OpenHouse's inspirations span peninsular Malaysia to Borneo, a tapestry of time-honoured preparations and traditional produce, from Kelantan's kuzi curry and Perak's rendang tok to Pahang's kulim oil and Sabah's tuhau wild ginger.
We're instantly smitten by Kitchen by OpenHouse's setting, a calm retreat in this bustling hub on Level 5 of the Main Terminal Building's Departure Hall - lined with local wood furnishings and bathed in natural sunshine, a leafy space for captivatingly sumptuous sustenance.
The Set Warisan (RM78) is the ideal introduction: A rice base of nasi kulim is made earthy with kulim fruit oil, complemented by sambal belacan and three intensely tasty triumphs - ayam sambal tuhau (boneless chicken in sharp, spicy sambal), kambing kuzi (lamb slow-braised for three hours, robust with raisins, yoghurt and chillies) and salmon asam pedas (Norwegian salmon for a smooth flourish to a familiar favourite, cooked with tamarind, ginger flower and edible kernel oil that takes 40 days to process for potent aromatics).
For an east coast classic, check out the Nasi Kerabu (RM49), comprising butterfly pea rice with percik chicken, fish keropok, solok lada and chopped vegetables.
Every part is painstakingly perfected - the whole chicken leg is basted with budu anchovy sauce and percik sauce, then grilled to soak up the subtly fermented flavours of the budu, which lends an umami punch to the smokiness of the percik sauce.
Even the solok lada is something special - Kitchen by OpenHouse uses sweeter Charleston peppers instead of conventional green chillies, with a mixed filling of fish, coconut and sugar.
Also proudly representing Kelantan and Terengganu, Chicken Kerutuk (RM55) is a one-bowl wonder of poultry pleasure, thick and creamy with coconut milk, cut through with the tang of tamarind. Fantastic kampung flavours in KLIA!
The northern state of Perak seizes the spotlight with Rendang Tok (RM108), elevating a kenduri feast staple with grass-fed beef tenderloin, slow-stewed on low heat for four hours, infused with nearly a dozen local spices.
Seafood also surfaces as a star: Pais Barramundi (RM80) is an excellent envoy for Pahang - firm and full-bodied, fresh and flaky barramundi wrapped in lerek leaves, rounded out with turmeric sauce, tapioca shoots and kerisik, punched up with pickled garlic. A stellar showcase of a classic fish dish with contemporary finesse.
Chargrilled Squid (RM85) is mouthwatering from the first bite to the final chew, marinated deeply, delightful with coriander, green chillies, torch ginger, palm sugar and shrimp paste, topped with sambal tuhau and garlic pickle to intertwine sea and land in satisfying synergy.
A favourite for travellers is the revitalising Smoky Rojak Paku Salad (RM35), tossing a bountiful harvest of pucuk paku with prawns, cockles, shallots and sambal, subtly sultry for a flavourful take on ulam-ulaman, elevated by elegantly crisp young fiddlehead fern shoots.
For a decadent dessert with a fruity Malaysian finish, the Cempedak Cheesecake (RM32) is layered with ripe, pulpy cempedak, imbuing a unique luxuriousness to a cheat-day indulgence.
The 67 Merdeka Salad (RM23 a la carte, RM50 in a combo) heralds the 67th year of independence since 1957 - this vegan-friendly ensemble of pucuk paku with lettuce, mixed herbs, quinoa and sunflower seeds is made exuberantly lively with a dressing of hibiscus and citrus juices, vinegar and shallots. Fabulous for fans of tangy, zesty salads.
Even the dessert and drink channel the wholesomeness of hibiscus.
The Panna Cotta (RM20) is beautifully balanced; its lusciousness is pierced by the perkiness of hibiscus gel and pickle, contrasting with the crunch of a pani puri shell and apple crumble.
The Honeyed Hibiscus Passionfruit (RM16) is bright and buoyant, fizzy, floral and fruity - a nicely nectarous antidote to heat and humidity.
Kitchen by OpenHouse
Level 5, Departure Hall, Main Terminal Building, Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1, 64000 Sepang, Selangor.
Daily, 6am-10pm. Tel: 012-660-2865