Yellow Fin Horse Kitchen Therapy series: A Culinary Antidote, with its inaugural session being a four-hands collaboration in early November for two nights only, featuring Ivan Brehm, the chef-owner of the renowned one MICHELIN-starred Nouri in Singapore.
Yellow Fin Horse is located at 145, Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur. Bookings on their website here.
Kuala Lumpur – We can only feel deep love for this collaboration that was a year in the making. Every dish was made with intent. What makes this collaboration so joyous, so profoundly cheering, is not just the great cooking, flavours which is what we’d expect from this pair.
What elevates this collaboration beyond the expected excellence in cooking and flavours is the seamless harmony that defines this singular menu, a testament to the friendship and camaraderie shared between chefs Jun Wong of Yellow Fin Horse, Kuala Lumpur, and Ivan Brehm of one MICHELIN-starred Nouri in Singapore.
Their commitment isn’t just to serve; it’s the restaurant’s job to show the diner a good time. They are determined to show you a very good time, and this 4-hands dinner did exactly that.
The journey commences with a Burnt Chitose Tomato Panzanella adorned with plum and shiso dressing, caviar, and mint oil—an inspired rendition of the classic Italian Panzanella. It was classy and compelling all at the same time.
Following suit is the Prawn Crudo, a masterpiece featuring hand-pressed creamy coconut milk, a tartare of obsiblue prawn, the depth of flavours from prawn head emulsion and served with addictive crispy sakura ebi cracker —a tantalizing precursor to the very good things lay ahead.
Brehm’s warning about the tantalizing heat of the next dish, Tortong Talong, a Filipino-inspired dish, precedes its arrival—a fresh buffalo mozzarella-stuffed eggplant, complemented by herb salad, ikan bilis ratatouille, and a black sesame dressing that expertly tempers the tingling aftertaste, a result of the dish’s intriguing interplay of flavours.
We shared the beautifully charcoal-grilled seabass, wheat bran breaded and adorned with a mosaic of sauces, akin to an artist’s chaotic palette. From smokey buttermilk, charred spring onion relish, seaweed & konbu dashi, tomato jam, zhoog, seaweed powder. It takes a leap of culinary enthusiasm to present the sauces something like that. The result? It showcased an unparalleled culinary fervor.
The Josper-grilled duck breast, paired with a seemingly unassuming carrot rice pilau infused with Halwa-inspired richness, tantalizes with its buttery rice puff and spice-laden allure, leaving us yearning for more. The accompanying clear duck consommé, a soul-soothing elixir, complements the dish exquisitely.
And then the dessert. Mont Kinabalu, a dessert that defies expectations—a pandan rice cream reminiscent of gooey starch in a good way, accompanied by sweet potato and matcha fondant, a decadent quenelle of gula Melaka ice cream, and pineapple—a symphony of flavours that evoke nostalgic cherished memories from the past and gleefully anticipating what’s to come with each spoonful.
Such dinners transcend a mere good night out; it momentarily has the extraordinary ability to uplift the world, even if just for the time it takes to savor every last bite.
