Hide — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

I had to cut down half my word count...but here's Hide KL for me.

This is love.

It’s not often that you come across a very good tasting-menu restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, let alone a decent fine dining establishment in general. For the most part, a lot of places tick-off all the boxes in terms of service, ambience and also “being instagram-able”, but…that’s about it.

Hide KL, however, in my very humble opinion, is one of the very few exceptions to the general rule. “Simple, balanced, well thought of, and perfectly executed dishes”, is the only way to sum-up an evening’s experience. From the moment you walk through the door you are transported inside the little brainchild Head Chef Shaun Ng, the mastermind behind your beautiful evening.

The first ‘bite’ is this sphere-filled spoon inspired by the Care Bears. A gentle burst of the finest bubbles dispersing over your palate, tickling your tastebuds, readying you for the adventure to come. It really does make you imagine a “Ploop!” sound, the kind you see when a bubble pops on a kids show on telly. As we all know, first impressions are always crucial and so far Hide KL sets mark with this one. Then there’s the seaweed brioche with butter. It is do die for. One bite of this will instantly make you crave for more (which you can ask for by the way), but I’d personally save my stomach for the rest of the meal.

Next a trio of tuna with crispy seaweed, salmon rillette and the lightest pillow-like beignet of truffle and comte. Perhaps I’ll ask for more in the future…I certainly wouldn’t mind paying extra for them. They’re that delicious!

Then you’re hit with a super acidic plate of Tai (Sea bream) to wake your palate up again. The texture of the fish is a bit firmer, more like ceviche than sashimi, but equally as good. Six dishes in…no complaints.

Following the Tai was a bowl mapo-tofu inspired lobster chawamushi. That’s a mouthful to say, but also a mouthful literally. The lobster portion was generous and perfectly cooked. It was like a warm hug after the palate spike from the Tai before, but bolder in flavour. Now this is where you start to see a glimpse into the kind of maestro the Chef is. I love mapo-tofu so maybe I’m partially bias to this dish, but everything about it really was superb.

The next dish, for me, takes the cake. Kinmedai. This dish was BEAUTIFUL. Super crispy skin, and a smokey finish form the binchotan, served with some baby squid on the side for texture and an elevated sauce meunière. I was lost for words and cried a bit (true story). It was perfectly cooked. Hands down the best fish dish I’ve had… in my life, and I’ve eaten in a lot of places, let alone am known to be extremely picky with fish.

Before finishing with their signature duck breast, you’ll first have the snow crab and scallop arrabbiata with tagliatelle. Everything about it is perfection. Al-dente pasta, balanced flavours and perfectly cooked seafood. It’s all heart here and you feel that with every bite.

Finally, the duck breast. Concentrated flavour, rendered down skin to peking-duck perfection and deep rose-pink meat. Served with a duck-red wine sauce that will make you ask for more of that seaweed bread to mop up with. There’s really nothing more to say. Just try it yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

As for the desserts, the pulut hitam ice cream and coffee-kaya choux highly elevate Malaysian childhood flavours and I think there was no better way to end the meal. In fact everything on the menu I had, if they were an a la carte item, would sell big time. My only regret is that I don’t have a larger stomach. Safe to say they got the portions right here too.

Shoutout to the service team as well! 10/10 for the attention to detail they give you throughout your entire experience! Hide KL has been one of the best dining-experiences I’ve had in my 29 years of living.

All in all, did I have a great time? Yes. Was the food great? It was incredible. Would I come back? Most definitely. Marco Pierre White says that ‘Perfection is little things done right’. That for...

We chose Hide following some good reports from friends.

Firstly the booking process is a mess. Initially I tried to book a month and a half ahead, but was told the June booking had not opened yet. Then when it did open I was directed to the Funnow site, which didn't allow me to book. I advised the restaurant which sent me another link, which again didn't work. All the time I was asking them to book via WhatsApp, but all the time they said they couldn't. Finally they provided me a link which worked, but the payment site would not take my Malaysian card. Then I noticed that Visa Signature cards gave a 10% discount, so I used a non-Malaysian Visa Signature card to pay, and finally got my booking. What a hassle! Then I was advised that I would not get a discount because my card was not a Malaysian one. To be fair the restaurant did provide a complimentary course by way of apology.

And the meal? Well it is a small restaurant, with minimalist (austere) decor. Aside from my wife and I there was another group of three, and the place lacked ambiance. The first course arrived and the dish was chipped so sent back for replacement. The white wine we ordered arrived at room temperature, and had to similarly be returned.

From here on things got better. The plating of the dishes is exemplary. Great care is taken to turn each course into a mini work of art, and they are served in impeccable fashion. In particular the Sea Bream, Chawanmushi and Scallop courses were superb. However overall quite a number of courses are heavy, either because of ingredients or cooking method (fried), which meant that my wife was not able to finish the meal. Furthermore, having three desserts was at least one too many.

So overall it is impressive, but with a little more attention to detail, and a better designed degustation menu, it could be great. Oh, and please sort out...

Yesterday, my husband and I dined at a restaurant, and it was fantastic - from the service to the food; everyone was exceptionally professional. The restaurant offers a set menu accompanied by wine paring. The menu, enclosed in a wax-sealed envelope, is beautifully presented.

Our culinary adventure commenced with three delightful appetizers. The standout was the scallop tartlet - a delicate blend of scallop and citrus flavors on a crisp tartlet base. Subsequently, we were served an unconventional toast, a local breakfast variation with a unique twist: a meringue toast filled with Foie gras and nut butter. It was a surprising and intriguing dish, unlike anything we had tasted before. Alongside the main menu additional, we tried a small appetizer featuring Wagyu, sea bass, and caviar - highly recommended. Moving on to the main courses: the scallop stood out for its tender texture and harmonious sauce, bringing out Asian flavors. Another favorite was the lamb dish with aromatic rice, showcasing rich and diverse flavors - truly amazing. The lamb was tender, juicy, and bursting with meaty goodness.

To conclude the evening, we savored desserts, with the standout being the chocolate mousse with ice cream. Despite its initial appearance of heavy view, the dessert surprised us with its light and delicate texture, accompanied by a vivid dark chocolate and caramel flavor interplay, blending sweet and salty notes. This dining experience was a resounding success - I highly recommend a visit to this restaurant.

Lastly, I would like to commend the young 32-year-old owner and chef Shaun NG, who, along with his team, has achieved a remarkable level of...