Dining with a conscience might seem like an alien concept to some but it isn’t that new. It is a principle that is held with pride by the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur and its new Executive Chef, Rolf Knecht, who helms the hotel’s Thirty8 restaurant. At a recent ‘Meet the Chef’ session, we were privileged to sit down to a satisfying dining experience with a spectacular view that the restaurant has come to be known for.
The Swiss-born chef brings with him 24 years of culinary experience including stints at Grand Hyatt Shanghai, Grand Hyatt Jakarta and Grand Hyatt Fukuoka. Chef Rolf hails from a family of accomplished chefs; he has spent most of his childhood helping out in the kitchen and experimenting with local ingredients. Something which he now incorporates into running Thirty8 as an environmentally-forward restaurant. The menu is carefully curated with sustainability in mind, in which Chef Rolf whips up new palate and dishes with locally grown and sourced ingredients where available.
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For starters, we were treated to scallop crudo with apple slices drenched in kombucha gastrique. The scallops though served raw were really appetising – thanks in part to the vinegary kombucha dressing – you could actually taste the sea as you bite into its juicy flesh. We learned that the scallops were sourced by chef from a fishing village in Japan, which he had gotten to know while working there.
Next on the menu is the seafood broth that had a clear taste. There wasn’t a hint of salt or pepper, it was clean and almost healthy if you don’t take in the tiger prawn. This seems to be the main focus of the chef as you get to savour flavours as original as nature intended it should be. For mains, Chef Rolf served us roasted beef with truffle purée potatoes and locally sourced vegetables from the hills of Cameron. The house-made steak sauce was a sweet accompaniment to the meat, which came from a sustainable source in Australia. Once again, proving Thirty8’s commitment to food that is thoughtfully chosen and prepared.
Rounding up the dessert, we had the banana semifreddo with cocoa-rice crunch that has just the right amount of sweetness. I appreciated that the “ice-cream” wasn’t too cloying. Chef Rolf was also kind enough to even prepare another dessert that is his personal favourite adapted from his grandma’s recipe – brookies and milk. Essentially, it’s a dark chocolate cookie with a creamy milky centre—simple yet homely. It was a good ending to a dinner overlooking the Petronas Twin Towers. Yup, you can be sure that Thirty8 does dining with a conscience with finesse.
To get a taste of Chef Rolf’s creations, contact Thirty8 at +603 2182 1234 (ext 2340) or email [email protected] for reservations.
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