This is the first proper fine dining for Malay cuisine that I have been to as far as I can remember. And it is opened by non other than the charismatic Chef Wan.
Step into the world of De.Wan 1958 by Chef Wan and be whisked away on a modern Malaysian culinary adventure. Renowned chef and culinary ambassador Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan, brings this experience to life.
Chef Wan serves as a culinary representing Tourism Malaysia and the first Malaysian chef to have his own show. He has received prestigious international awards, authored dozens of cookbooks, and hosted numerous TV shows.
Chef Wan believes that food embodies evolution, reflecting the history of cultures, and it is through food that one discovers the bonds of friendship and respect. After spending more than two decades abroad, Chef Wan has finally returned home to Kuala Lumpur, the city where it all began.
The meal is definitely the best of Malaysian cuisine from all the different states. As this was the first time for me at this restaurant, I went for a set menu.
Starter
Ayam/ Daging/ Mix Satay | Cucur Udang
The Cucur Udang is made from fresh tiger prawns, dried shrimps, bean sprouts and chives, deep fried to crispy perfection. Perfect when dipped into their special peanut sauce that also went well with their smoky chicken and beef satays.
Kerabu Pomelo with Crispy Prawn Cheeks
We know that fish cheek — those tiny bits of meat just below the eyes of the fish — is considered a delicacy. On the other hand, shrimp cheek is simply the lower part of the shrimp’s head (each shrimp yields one “cheek”), without any of the internal organs like the brain and roe which are high in cholesterol. Deep fried and then thrown into a pomelo salad with fried shallots, red onions and a tangy sauce. I was so surprised that the pomelo was so sweet.
Soup
Sup Ketam Singgang & Homemade Roti
Next up, a bowl of hot and sour crab meat soup, flavoured with lemongrass and galangal, served with homemade roti and crispy stuffed baby crab. Think of it as Chinese shark’s fin soup without the fins combined with sweet and sour soup.
Roti Kok is buttered toasted bread with a sprinkling of white sugar on top. This snack is so old school and are can be found at some supermarkets. The homemade roti kok was over-grilled to a crisp, very buttery and without the sugar.
Main
After the starters and soup, we were almost quite full. But the food kept coming, just like you would get from your favourite Malay neighbour at Hari Raya.
Live Ikan Jenahak Steamed in Nyonya Style
Nyonya cuisine is prominent in Malacca and Penang and is a distinct flavour from Straits-born Chinese that incorporated Hokkien and Malay elements in the cuisine. Ikan Jenahak (golden snapper) was steamed and the smothered in a assam curry like sauce.
Daging Rendang Tok Wan
This is the dish that I knew Chef Wan from the TV cooking demonstration that he did when I was a child. He was doing rendang this, rendang that, and when I finally tasted it in his bistro in KLCC, it was his daging rendang (beef stewed in dried coconut paste) that really stood out. And this dish is considered by BBC as one of the 100 must eats, and this is one of the better example.
Telur Itik Dhalca
Dalcha is an Indian lentil-based stew originating from Hyderabad, India. This is used as the sauce for the deep fried telur itik (duck eggs). Duck eggs have a distinct taste and texture that were covered by the dalcha. This course was my favourite among all, surprisingly.
Sotong Sambal Petai
No Malay meal is complete without a proper sambal, and the sotong sambal petai (squid and stinky beans chilli sauce) hits the spot. I love petai, a nutty bean from the petai tree with a very pungent flavour. Petai+sotong+sambal IMHO is the perfect combination. The squid was not overcooked, the chilli was spicy, and the petai stayed with me for days (if you know what I mean).
Udang Kari Hijau Telur Asin
The salted egg (telur asin) craze hit Chef Wan! This is tiger prawns cooked in salted egg yellow curry. The sauce was fabulously rich and needed rice to go with it. The tiger prawns, however, was overcooked though.
Ayam Kampung Goreng Lengkuas
A classic fried chicken dish, blue ginger fried chicken is offered in all the different Malay restaurants in town, but they have executed it perfectly. Juicy chicken, crispy skin and the flavour of blue ginger together with sambal belachan made this a really good eat.
Peria Goreng Ikan Masin
Bitter gourd (peria) in fine dining was a surprise to me, but the result wasnt a bit bitter. The deep fried strands of salted fish (ikan basin) sprinkled on the sautéed bitter gourd and peppers were really good with the rice.
Rice
And all those main courses require some rice so that you can mix it up with the luxurious sauces that came along. Besides the steamed white jasmine rice, there’s another two flavoured basmati rice that’s free-flowing.
Nasi Telur Terengganu
Among the many scrumptious dishes served in the homes of the Terengganu royal family, nasi telur is a dish that stands out. The traditional recipe calls for dried roe from the terubok fish as a garnish which nowadays is only available if imported from Sarawak. Traditionally, the dish was served by members of the Terengganu royal family during family gatherings and grand occasions
Nasi Pandan Delima
Instead of pomegranate, they used raisin for their Nasi Pandan Delima. The result is like nasi lemak (coconut pandan rice) with sweet bits of raisins.
Dessert
The set menu came with desserts.
Fresh Tropical Fruits
When I saw the fresh tropical fruits on the menu, I frowned as we can get them in the markets ourselves. Then when it was presented, I was amazed by the quality of the produce on the platter. There’s no way I am going to get those super-sweet pineapple from Sarawak, strawberries and other fruits of very high quality that are grown in Cameroon Highlands.
Pisang Gamilan
The street food goreng pisang (banana fritters) was my favourite snack. I often save a dime (or two) to get them from the store next to my school. This version was given a significant upgrade. The pisang was wrapped with kanefe vermicelli and served with a sweet peanut caramel sauce. If they can get the consistency of the frying across all the pieces (some were obviously more burnt), this is a dessert worthy of a Michelin star.
The restaurant is a cosy place to impress your relatives as well. There are private rooms available for booking and they look very posh and perfect to host your important customers. The food is proper Malay fine dining, best shared among the table. Service was excellent, everyone was eager to make sure all the guests have a great experience.
And you can also order simple gifts to take home to extend the experience in the restaurant. Bottled sambals from the restaurant were quite delicious.
Chef Wan was diagnosed with cancer in Aug 2023 and was undergoing treatment at the writing of this post. Wish him all the best in his recovery.
De.Wan 1958 by Chef Wan @ Bangsar
F1 & F6, Level 1, Bangsar Shopping Centre, 285, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, 59000 Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Visited Oct 2023
Michelin Malaysia Guide Bib Gourmand 2023
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