SHOOK RESTAURANT,
Feast Village, Starhill Gallery,
181, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2719 8535 /8536
Business hours: 6.00am–1.00am daily.
WITH due respect to chef Moshik Roth, the Amalfi Coast course served during his segment of the Midsummer Night Feast at Shook Restaurant in Starhill Gallery bore a strong resemblance to worms.
It was because the strands of spaghetti were dark red in colour, instead of the usual pale yellow.
But of course, it tasted far from disgusting. It boasted a pleasant tomato flavour although the spaghetti was not laden with tomato sauce.
“There is no flour or eggs in this pasta. It is made using the extract of datterino tomatoes from the Amalfi Coast in Italy with a freeze-drying technique,” the 39-year-old chef said.
Because of the scientific cooking process involved, Roth’s creations are often branded as molecular gastronomy but the burly-built and friendly chef preferred to label them as “cuisine created with innovative techniques.”
Once in awhile, he leaves his two-Michelin-starred Restaurant ‘T Brouweskolje in Overween, The Netherlands, to his trusted team and travels around the globe to show off his culinary skills.
The restaurant manager-turned-chef was in town recently on the invitation of Starhill Gallery to be part of its gourmet festival themed “Master Chefs of the Five Elements” held recently.
The event showcased different culinary concepts every night, namely earth, water, air, fire and space.
Roth’s theme was “Land of Omniscient Water”, which suited him nicely since he is an avid diver.
Cutting-edge technique : Coral featuring seaweed, lobster and crab meat coated with the fragrance from the Jasmine rice foam.He played with the flavours and visuals creatively in all four courses.
The first course — Sea Abstract — featured abalone, sea cucumber, salty plants and sea urchin emulsion in a cocktail glass paired with Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial.
“I was inspired by nature to create this dish.
“When you dive, you see different things when you go 10m deeper.
“To enjoy Sea Abstract, dig with your spoon all the way down and then scoop up. This way, you can get to taste everything,” he said.
Moving on, Roth aimed at enacting the scene of small fishes resting on the reef through On The Rocks, with baked seabass, miso cream, mushrooms, radish, pomelo and elderflower vinegar.
The last course, Coral, was served in a warm claypot. Inside lay seaweed, lobster and crab meat coated with the fragrance from the Jasmine rice foam.
A plan to open a restaurant here is in the pipeline and Roth believed Malaysians would be receptive to his cuisine.
“I have talked to a lot of people (about having a restaurant in Malaysia). Some said yes while some said no. But I am coming.
“I am inspired by the people in Kuala Lumpur, whose hospitality and understanding gave me hope,” he said.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
