Every once in a while, I come across a restaurant that feels too special for me to put into words. It feels as though no amount of words could properly capture the gastronomical experience—but I’ll attempt to do so. 圭 K, or K, or K Kuala Lumpur is a Japanese kaiseki style restaurant located on the 37th floor of Menara Ilham. As you take the lift up and try to get over your ears popping, the doors open to reveal a hushed silence. A staff member will greet you by the lifts and escort you into the restaurant. Like me, you’ll notice the restaurant is expansive, quietly elegant, and filled with luxurious art pieces. Oh, yes.
A bronzed monster statue greets you in the corner, an unusual piece by Indonesian artist Yunizar, while antique Chinese furniture pieces adorn the space—a fine juxtaposition of new and old art. It’s a little bit like the menu at 圭 K (pronounced simply as ‘kei’): traditional kaiseki practices of making the best out of the local provenance while incorporating modern techniques. It is why you will find familiar flavours and ingredients here. Chef Hideichi Seki insists upon Malaysian ingredients, staying true to the essence of kaiseki cuisine: taking ingredients at the peak of their freshness and allowing the true flavours of each ingredient to shine through. It’s also why 圭 K has their very own forager to provide fresh herbs and vegetables on the daily. The menu will change according to the availability of these ingredients—so no two visits will be the same for you.
You may request to sit at the chef’s table like we did, but don’t come expecting showy theatrics in the open kitchen. You won’t see much by way of cooking other than the simple yet significant act of preparing and plating, because the bulk of the work creating the dishes has been done way, way ahead by Chef Seki. His extensive prep work before the restaurant doors open is a sacred ritual, bringing out the potential of every ingredient he incorporates into his cooking. There is a quiet strength exuding from the dishes that we will try from the tasting menu; a theme we keep seeing throughout our dining experience here. Seasonings are kept to a minimum and the true flavours of each produce shine through—not loudly, but subtly—asking you to take a moment to savour every sip and bite.
Take the Turmeric Buds Porridge, for instance. Made from indigenous Bario rice, it is steeped in clam stock for a richer mouthfeel and flavour. As I opened the lid, a sharp, tangy green smell hits me. Was it the turmeric buds? Nonetheless, the porridge—a unique first dish to serve in a long tasting menu—is green, zingy, and minty, with the oceanic aftertaste of clam stock. This is followed by Fig. The fig fruit itself is harvested from Kuala Langat, its sweet jamminess made savoury with a miso and soy marinade. Meanwhile, the tofu it sits upon was whipped into this rich, creamy texture while retaining its fresh, nutty soy flavour. While these first two dishes were excellent plant-forward executions, it was the next dish that really sold it. Vegetables & Herbs, Chicken Liver, Gooseberry, is a medley of different vegetables cooked with different methods—deep-fried, raw, sauteed—surrounding a chicken liver at the heart of it, dressed with gooseberry sauce. It’s a fun dish that is pretty to look at and tastes great, but what it really showcased was the chef and forager’s prowess at foraging and combining the right greens with the right treatment. Every piece I picked up tasted different yet cohesive, and it was refreshing yet rich thanks to the liver.
Chef Seki also brings to the table some Chinese culinary influences from his time working in Hong Kong as well as his father’s Cantonese restaurant growing up. The Guinea Fowl Soup is a reflection of that: a light, Cantonese-style soup with tea leaves and subtle nuances of fish maw and dried scallops. The tea leaves add a fresh hint at the tail end of every sip I take, challenging everything I know about Cantonese-style soups. The dishes following this go swimmingly on the seafood path while still retaining principles of light cooking, light seasoning, and authenticity in the ingredients’ flavours. From the Coral Lobster soaked in shaoxing wine, wrapped in kombu, then lightly grilled, to the Squid dish where squid sashimi is served with two different toppings, and then the Sawara, a darker fish served tataki style with red mizuna and grated horseradish.
But every now and then, I am taken by surprise with a cooking execution that seems a little out of character for 圭 K. When the Oyster Cracker was placed in front of me, I could not immediately understand what it was—until I picked it up. It was, in fact, Vietnamese rice paper shaped and deep-fried to look like an oyster shell. In place of the actual oyster was a scoop of French oyster ice cream topped with seaweed powder. It tasted exactly like eating an oyster, but cold. In fact, the ice cream had a pate-like texture, which heightened the experience. There’s also the Corn, which I was told is a crowd favourite dish. The humble corn (did you know that botanists classify it as a fruit, just like the tomato?) has been prepared several ways and layered with many things, one of which is a century egg. It’s layers and layers of different things—I thought it would be a sweet dish, but the century egg stole the show, adding a creamy, savoury element to the dish. It was interesting, artful, and inventive—which goes to show that you don’t need an expensive ingredient to win the hearts of the people.
For once, I’m not thinking of a wine or drink pairing when I’m dining at 圭 K—although I do hear that the tea pairing menu is excellent, as Chef Seki takes great pride in brewing his teas the right way. Every dish is magnificent and deserves to be tasted as is, without the need for a drink. Some may say that the food at 圭 K errs on the side of bland, but it takes a discerning palate to appreciate that not everything needs to pack a punch in the flavour department. There is a time and place for strong flavours—just not at 圭 K.
Address: Level 37, ILHAM Tower, 8, Jln Binjai, Kuala Lumpur, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.
Make a booking here.
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