Terra Dining KL — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

tl, dr.: Beautiful, innovative Malaysian ingredients, fine dining style

The second joint for the chef of Above Gastrobar in Ipoh, Terra Dining has served some of the best and most innovative food that I've eaten all year. Chef YC uses local ingredients ("so where did you get this from?" "Uh... TTDI markets" "the chocolate is actually from Kelantan!") and flavours (papadom shaped into delicate tart shells! Duck liver lor bak! Dry aged tilapia!) and elevates them into unexpected and novel experiences (assam pedas butter, c'mon who would've thought of that!), showing that yes, Asian food isn't just cheap, delicious street food; we can do fine dining too and still keep the essence of the food. The flavours may be familiar, but the techniques, presentation and combinations certainly aren't, and they're panty-dropping good.

Service was attentive without being stifling despite us going on their second ever service, while the wine pairings were thoughtfully well done and explained by an absolute gun of a sommelier. The chef and his brother in law sommelier took time to answer all my (too many) questions about the food, technique, and wine, which I was very grateful for.

If you have a list of must-dos, put Terra on the list. Actually, if you have taste buds, put Terra...

My family had the pleasure of dining at Terra Dining yesterday and I was impressed by the food and service.

Fine dining with Malaysian flavours and ingredients - truly a nostalgic yet unique experience executed with panache by Chef YC and his team.

Everything was delicious with desserts such as the kuih bahulu and guava/kedondong sorbets being stand outs in a strong line up of creative dishes.

It was fascinating to hear from Chef YC about his journey towards becoming a "non-chef chef" and his painstaking science-driven and innovative approach to formulating dishes.

His interest in promoting local agriculture and food products such as heritage rice strains, locally sourced vegetables, meat, seafood, coffee and chocolate is inspiring and commendable from a sustainability standpoint.

Unusually for a chef, Chef YC has a knowledge of wine stemming from his earlier days running a wine bar that enables him to personally identify wines that pair seamlessly with the food.

Service was gracious, smooth and warm from beginning to end. A special shout out to Ahmad for the warm welcome that he extended to us at the lounge at the start of the meal.

It was a memorable culinary experience which I would highly recommend.

We look forward to returning when we...

A new entry into the scene of Malaysian Fine Dining, with its compatriot (or competitor) only just down the road, this restaurant does not disappoint.

Service was impeccable and welcoming without feeling overly intrusive. The waiters and sommelier provided good description and were very helpful. The wine pairing was good, and they did have a reasonable selection of wines to choose from.

Overall, having sampled other similar Malaysian Fine Dining restaurants, this genre seems to revolve around the chef's interpretation and reinvention of local Malaysian food. Its novel to see local hawker fare like oyster omelette presented as a takoyaki ball. Food here is generally delicious and even for a Malaysian like me, I discover local produce that I never knew existed.

One comment I have would be that often, having an intimate connection with, for example, Assam Laksa or Sambal in their original form, we inadvertently compare the dish with the original. Of course nothing comes close to the original. Therefore, inevitably, there will be a sense of disappointment. However, with an open mind and with time, I am sure this "genre" of food will continue to mature and go to great heights.

Kudos to the team and I will definitely be back if there's an...