OwnselfmakeChef

Overall:
Well first of all it's not really private dining. You just ask for a table like any other restaurant, there's no pressure to find 10 friends and chope the whole place.

Apart from the great first course the food wasn't refined at all, nor where the creativity executed particularly well. Although portion sizes are definitely not something to scoff at, it's course after course of meat. I guess if you're not used to mid tier restaurants then you would really love the food here, seeing how you have generous portions. That seems to be the clientele that day anyway, a lot of people were gushing about the food.

The chef was nice to chat with though. However the place is tiny and really quiet and you're seated way too close to your neighbours. I could hear every word they said and could touch them if I stretch my hand out. It's really uncomfortable being there because everyone knows everyone can hear everyone so people werent chatting away. So it was just an awkward silence half the time for the entire duration, the other half the chef is talking to one of the tables (and everyone can hear ofc)

Ultimately it will probably be a disappointment for anyone who's been to a few somewhat fancy restaurants. At first I was relieved it's not communal dining but hey, idk maybe this is even worse with the suffocating whispers

Food:
Grilled bananas were good. Lard tart crust was quite fluffy, brown sugar meringue was pretty good but too sweet. The gula melaka ice cream tho, was not good. It tastes like milk powder, and the texture wasn't ideal either

A4 wagyu, tastes like it sounds, doesn't quite taste like A5 and needs abit more seasoning. The oyster pasta was on the soft side and doesn't rlly have oyster flavour. Soup was ok, doesnt have much character and tends to get overpowered by the fried shallots.

Overall the different elements didn't clash cos nothing had much character

The rendang dry rub was but a hint, fortunately the rempah in the rojak added abit more flavour to it. 24hr sous vide apparently wasn't good enough, the texture was not as soft and sticky as the 48hr sous vide that's much more common

Was cooked to well done, so it's terrible. Also supposed to be brined but the meat itself had no taste at all. The ikura paired well tho, and the achar was very good (taste similar to Johnson duck's)

The tiger prawn was huge but abit mushy. Lard sucked, it wasn't crunchy and wasn't flavourful. Sambal belachan was standard. The twice steamed rice tho, that's quite unique. It's very different from your normal nasi lemak rice, it's got this coconut milk sweetness to it.

The meat itself was supposed to be marinated in braising sauce but there's really no taste. The accompanying sauce had balsamic, the acidity is a innovation I guess. Breast texture was also abit chewy and not crispy at all despite being finished on the grill. Tea aroma was too mild