Celebrating Southeast Asia’s burgeoning culinary culture, the Kita Food Festival is set to return to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur from September 4 to 8.

According to a press statement by the organisers, the fourth edition of the festival will see some of the region’s finest chefs pop up in restaurants around the Klang Valley, an urban conglomeration in Malaysia, that is centred in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

The food festival aims to bring to life narratives that explore true farm-to-table relationships, modernisations of local cuisine and even the fusion of different cultures and local produce. 

The organisers say that the festival will feature a lineup of ‘four hands dinner,’ where two renowned chefs team up to create set menus together, often pairing unique flavours, ingredients and techniques they have built their names on as individuals to create a collaboration. 

The organisers say that the festival will feature a lineup of ‘four hands dinner,’ where two renowned chefs team up to create set menus together

The food carnival will also see some uniquely curated kitchen takeovers or masterclasses from world-class experts, making sure every food lover finds something for themselves, say the organisers. 

The organisers have also released the full lineup of activities to be held during the food festival. 

September 4 and 5  

Jimmy Ophorst of Pru Restaurant from Phuket in Thailand, renowned for the Michelin star that it has retained since 2018, will be doing a four-hands dinner alongside Masashi Horiuchi at fine dining restaurant Potager Kuala Lumpur. 

Ophorst continues to lead the farm-to-table movement in Thailand through PRU and was recognised for his  efforts when the restaurant was awarded a Michelin Green Star in Thailand. 

September 5 and 6 

Ben Devlin of Pipit restaurant in New South Wales, Australia, will run a  kitchen takeover at Yellow Fin Horse restaurant in  Else Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. The cross-over is set to feature native Australian bush  foods like bunya nuts, lemon myrtle, Dorrigo pepper and dried pipis cooked with Malaysian grown produce. 

Pipit was recognised as a Regional Restaurant of the Year finalist in Good Food Guide 2023 by Sydney Morning Herald, one of Australia’s largest newspapers.

The menu will be plant-forward and meat-free, with seafood used in the  garums and preserves. An optional whisky pairing for the menu on September 5 will be  available, featuring Royal Brackla core range to complement the meal. 

Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore restaurant in Bengaluru, which was recognised as ‘Best Earth Friendly Restaurant’ at the NDTV Food Awards 2024 and also named Best Restaurant in South India in 2023 by the ET Hospitality Awards, will be doing a four-hands dinner alongside Shaun Ng of Malaysian restaurant Hide. 

The menu has been designed to take guests on a culinary journey of provenance around Malaysia with each course spotlighting a high-quality ingredient from ethical producers around the nation. 

September 6 

Chef Prin Polsuk of Samrub Samrub Thai, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant located in Bangkok in Thailand, and ranked 29th on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, will also be present at the culinary festival. 

He will be bringing Southern Thai Fisherman cuisine  to Raw, a dining hall in Else Hotel. Polsuk promises to deliver a unique casual dinner that reflects the food security,  diversity and community-driven cuisine of the natives of the Southern Thai Gulf. For those wanting to add a kick to their meal can opt for the Royal Brackla whisky pairing option. 

September 6 and 7  

The organisers say that Hans Christian of August, a restaurant in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, that was ranked 46 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, will return to Kita Food Festival to spotlight the emerging trend of New Nusantara cuisine at Akâr Dining alongside Aidan Low. 

Louis Tikaram, who bagged “Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year” awarded by Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, and who is known for his innovative fusion of Fijian, Chinese and global culinary influences at Stanley Restaurant at Brisbane in Australia, will be bringing his  take on modern Chinese comfort food to Fifty Tales.

Visitors will have the option to add on a Royal Brackla whisky pairing to complement their meal, available only on September 7.  

September 7 

Masashi Horiuchi and Chef Patron Christophe Lerouy of Singapore’s one-Michelin-star Lerouy will collaborate in the kitchen at Entier, a modern French restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. 

On September 7, Kita Food Festival will debut its programme ‘A Food Affair at the Toffee’ on Jalan Raja Chulan street. 

This  full-day event will feature keynote speakers and fireside talks by regional food experts, interactive  food and wine masterclasses, as well as a vibrant marketplace with artisan products from all around  Malaysia.