There’s no doubt that Malaysians hold food extremely close to their hearts. Having said that, they’re always open to trying something new, and that’s exactly what the culinary team at Nook, Aloft KL Sentral is offering. Under the wing of Executive Chef Phoebe Donko-Hanson, Nook has developed bold flavours for its new menu which highlights Ethnic-inspired cuisine.
Originally from Ghana, Chef Phoebe often draws flavours from her rich memories of being with friends of different cultural backgrounds and sampling one another’s food. This ultimately inspired her to inject various ethnic influences and global traditions in her cooking, and throughout her career, she’s served various world-class hotels and restaurants worldwide.
Although many crowd favourites – like the popular Chicken Rice – have been retained, Chef Phoebe has added many Ethnic-inspired gastronomical delights to the menu at Nook so that Malaysians can further explore their broad palate. We recently sampled some of Chef Phoebe’s unique offerings, and would love to share with you some of our favourites.
Pink Pomelo Salad (RM28) – Consisting of marinated prawns, pomelo, mint leaf, coriander, bean sprouts, carrots, cucumber and cashews, then topped off with rojak vinaigrette, this salad tasted a little flat for our liking. With that being said, we liked the refreshing mix of ingredients used, and balance of different textures.
Watermelon Mosaic (RM22) – An appetising dish and wonderful union of flavours, this sweet and savoury combo was simple yet delicious. With every sweet watermelon cube, we tasted the tanginess from the picked onion, saltiness from the olives, and the pungent, creamy feta cheese.
Beef Carpaccio (RM33) – This rustic Italian dish is kept plain and simple at Nook. The thinly sliced beef is of premium quality, and the meat served with capers, onions, gherkins, whole grain mustard, rocket as well as a little shaved parmesan. We enjoyed every bit of it.
Seared Scallops (RM32) – We thoroughly savoured the seared fresh scallops which had a nice amount of char and flavour, but the risotto was a bit of a letdown. It lacked fragrance, and tasted rather uninteresting.
Miso Baked Eggplant (RM38) – It’s safe to say that this is one of the BEST vegan dishes we’ve ever tried. The quinoa was very lovely mixed with the fried tofu, vegetables and almond flakes. The highlight of this dish had to be the eggplant, which is cooked with miso and was full of flavour. This dish totally knocked our socks off.
Bouillabaisse Deconstruct (RM52) – Emulating the amalgamation that goes into the forming of a traditional seafood stew, Chef Phoebe has put similar ingredients on a plate – a red snapper fillet, scallops, tiger prawn and mussels, topped with spring onion, broccoli, mash potatoes and an actual bouillabaisse reduction. The seafood was fresh and enjoyable, but the bouillabaisse dressing wasn’t feisty enough and the mash potatoes was uneventful.
Braised Beef Short Rib Sandwich (RM38) – This dish deserves a ton of credit and it’s surely on par with the delicious Miso Baked Eggplant. Served with a side salad and thick cut fries, the monstrous sandwich has a tender braised beef filling that’s topped off with gruyere cheese, red cabbage and carrot slaw, a chilli mayo and pickle. It was finger-licking good, and the thickly sliced yet light and fluffy bread was reminiscent of a Hainan-style toast. It’s an absolute must-try!
Sago Gula Melaka (RM18) – We love sago gula Melaka and were a little skeptical when we saw that Nook’s version was served with jackfruit and pomegranate, but it was surprisingly pleasing. The fruits added character to the otherwise modest dessert, and the novelty value of the dish that came in the form of giant syringes filled with coconut milk and gula Melaka kept us entertained.
Although it’s a hit or miss when it comes to the various offerings at Nook, some of these items are such standouts that our mouths are watering as we speak. Do give Nook a visit and let us know if there are any other items from the menu we should try!
No, 5, Jalan Stesen Sentral,
Kuala Lumpur Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.
