NADODI — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Title: Mixed Experience at Nadodi Kuala Lumpur

My recent dining experience at Nadodi Kuala Lumpur left me with mixed feelings, leading me to deduct one star from my review. While there were notable highlights, there were also significant shortcomings that cannot be overlooked.

First and foremost, a major issue arose when the restaurant mistakenly served fish head curry to three vegetarian guests, including myself. All three of us had religious reasons for maintaining a vegetarian diet, which made this mistake particularly distressing. As a fine dining establishment with a well-trained service team, such an oversight is simply unacceptable. It is disappointing that the importance of adhering to dietary restrictions based on religious beliefs was disregarded. Furthermore, the attempt at making light of the situation by joking about the consequences of serving the dish to a vegetarian patron was inappropriate and insensitive.

In terms of the resolution, the restaurant's gesture of offering a glass of prosecco as an apology fell short of expectations. Given the gravity of the mistake, a more sincere and substantial gesture would have been appropriate. This lack of seriousness in addressing the issue further diminished the overall dining experience.

Another aspect that contributed to the deduction of a star was the performance of the wine server. When we ordered a magnum bottle of French wine, the server initially attempted to pour it directly from the bottle, resulting in spillage on the tablecloth. It was necessary for us to suggest the use of a decanter instead. While the server cited the absence of the house sommelier as an excuse for the mishap, this explanation did little to alleviate our disappointment. Just as the absence of the head chef should not excuse subpar food quality, the absence of the sommelier should not excuse improper wine service.

These issues not only affected the overall experience at Nadodi Kuala Lumpur but also reflected poorly on the reputation of the Four Seasons, as we had assumed that Nadodi, being located within the hotel property, would uphold the same high standards. The lack of attention to detail and the seemingly dismissive approach to addressing mistakes were significant letdowns.

Despite these shortcomings, it is worth mentioning that certain aspects of the dining experience at Nadodi were commendable. The ambiance was elegant and inviting, and the menu showcased a creative fusion of flavors inspired by South India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. The attention to presentation and the flavors of the dishes were noteworthy, demonstrating the culinary expertise of the kitchen team.

In conclusion, my dining experience at Nadodi Kuala Lumpur fell short of expectations due to the unacceptable mistake of serving fish head curry to vegetarian guests, the inadequate resolution offered, and the wine service mishap. The issues raised affected the overall impression of the restaurant, particularly considering its affiliation with the Four Seasons. While there were positive aspects to the evening, the negative elements cannot be overlooked. I hope that Nadodi takes these criticisms constructively and strives for improvement...

Nadodi in Tamil, literally translates to “Nomad”.

This restaurant’s menu is a tribute to the nomads migrating through South India and Sri Lanka.

We got to taste their latest culinary masterpiece, the "Coconut Chronicles", a menu featuring coconut in every form in all their dishes.

We started with an amuse bouche before were escorted to our table.

Welcome Trio: The first course was three different starters—Chettinad chicken roulade and a pate mousse, mushroom done three ways inbetween a crispy wafer, and coconut chutney served inside a dosa.

Boston lobster uttappam: the dish has a plump poached lobster served with caviar, peanut chutney and caramelised shallots. The dish was so good that I even forgot to click a picture!

Prawnstar: This dish felt close to my heart, an idly stuffed with spicy coconut mix, served with sweet poached tiger prawn floating on a bed of sambar and yuzu foam.

Alfonsino: Next came the majestic herb crusted alfonsino fish served with sorghum a nutrient rich cereal grain, in a rosselle puli saaru, a modern take on a fried fish with rice and rasam.

Heart of hearts: Banana blossom steamed for hours to give it a meaty texture, served in a banana stem soup made with moong dal. Surprisingly the dish did not have the usual bitterness of the banana flower. This dish was a bowl of comfort food.

Rustic toddy dreams: This dessert was a palate cleanser and had ‘Elaneer’ or tender coconut sorbet covered in a toddy jelly and served with a toddy gel. This somehow felt like a match made in heaven.

Miyazaki: we started the mains with tender Japanese wagyu served with a gooseberry pickle, salt baked beetroot, truffle sauce and a sweet onion jam, the best entrant to our upcoming meaty journey.

Lamb legacy: lamb chukka and lamb brain served with carrot purè and a rich lamb bone marrow gravy. This dish literally was melting in the mouth and was one of our favourite dishes for the night.

Nadodi’s globe: No South Indian meal is complete without a good biriyani. Chicken Dum biryani made with seeraga samba rice, served with brinjal salna (gravy) and a kiwi and cucumber raitha. We knew this was a good biryani as soon as the aroma hit us and the tenderness of the meat and juicy chicken pieces validated this. The acidity of the kiwi balanced the freshness of the yogurt and cucumber in the raitha that it felt like it should be a part of this dish!

Moringa Magic: Kudos to the Chef for making a dessert heroing a savoury sothi in the form of an ice cream, served with a wafer dusted with moringa powder and a coconut cream with mashed moringa!

We also got two other desserts to end our meal—a tomato toffee and a coconut sponge cake topped with coconut cream, both delicious in their own way.

Overall we had a great meal that awakens all your senses and teases your taste buds. Special thanks to the hospitality of the team, who made us...

Indian cuisine has always been my favorite food all these years as banana leaf rice was my goto meal when I arrived home from Singapore every month. When a friend invited me to try Nadodi’s tiffin lunch, I said yes without a blink. I read about Nododi rave reviews and was looking forward for the lunch. It was a fine Saturday afternoon and we arrived at the restaurant without any traffic jam. The restaurant welcomed us with its grand and modern setting. We were seated at the window overlooking the KL skyline. After studying the menu, we decided to go for a set of vegetarian tiffin menu and another set of non vegetarian tiffin menu. We were first being served 3 types of crackers with few different sauces. I particularly liked the mint sauce. It was very yummy. Then the other dishes were served in a pretty shinny gold looking tiffin. For the non vegetarian set, it came with asparagus & jack fruit seed Sothi, spiced tiger prawn salad, pepper chicken, madras fish curry. For the non vegetarian set, it offered romanesco & moringa leaf in a tumeric sauce, chettinad potatoes, chickpeas and morel mushrooms curry. Both set were served with Rassam soup and spiced basmati rice. The prawn salad was refreshing in a simple Vinaigrette sauce. The fish curry was thick and creamy with the Sabah tiger grouper. However the peppered chicken is was a let down, the meat was dried and there was little sauce that accompanied with. The asparagus and the jack fruit seed was not impressive either. For the moringa leaf and romanesco dish, it was simple and not memorable. The potatoes dish didn’t make much impression either. The chickpeas and the morel mushrooms managed to save some grace for the vegetarian set. We were given complimentary sobert. Though sweet was very delicious. During our lunch, there were 2 waiters kept coming back to ask us if our food was fine. It was quite annoying given we were not given space to enjoy our lunch and meet in peace. I expected a lot from Nadodi but somehow this meal failed to deliver the southern Indian food I love. They took pride in their ingredients by importing many fresh produces from overseas but some times local produces may be better. The restaurant has a very nice ambience given its location and decor. They also has a bar which serves a variety of hard liquor and wines. I would suggest Nadodi focus on bringing up the best of Indian food first. Good, clean and tasty never fail to bring...