In early September, Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, welcomed the return of Kita, Southeast Asia’s leading food festival. Designed to place the region’s emerging culinary scene on the global foodie tourism map, Kita highlights visionary chefs, producers, and food innovators while inspiring the next generation. The festival offers a rich array of dining experiences, collaborative cook-ups, symposiums, and corporate social responsibility programs.
Over four days, this celebration of food delighted attendees with an exquisite array of ticketed dining experiences—from enticing four-hand dinners to expertly orchestrated kitchen takeovers. It all culminated with an epic Sunday cook-up for a broader foodie audience. A collection of aspiring local chefs displaying their grill mastery and food approach with tasty samplers.
Given global challenges like climate change and population growth, the festival also provides a platform for deeper conversations about food sustainability and consumption. These Kita Conversations are a hallmark of the festival.
Award-winning and Michelin-starred chefs from Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Australia came together for this year’s KL edition. Here are some of Kita’s 2024 dining highlights.
Potager in KL’s Bamboo Hills district was the venue for two sold-out evenings. These four-hand dinners brought together renowned exponents of Farm to Table and Nose to Tail culinary approaches. Chef Masashi Horiuchi, Tatler’s 2024 Chef of the Year, is the culinary mind behind Potager. A Japanese national, trained under top French chefs before coming to Malaysia via Singapore, he champions a nose-to-tail culinary philosophy.
Chef Jimmy Ophorst of PRU—Phuket’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, was the other chef for the Potager collaboration. As a leader of Thailand’s farm-to-table movement, Chef Ophorst also holds a Michelin Green Star, which they have maintained for the last two years. Both chefs are passionate about sustainability and local ingredients, making for a unique, exceedingly tasty and earth-conscious dining experience.
Intimate Chef’s Tables are an excellent opportunity for diners to see the kitchen theatre at close quarters while engaging directly with those creating their meals. Two talented chefs known for helming these styles of restaurants came together for two nights at Hide, a KL hidden gem. Hide’s Executive Chef Shaun Ng, who honed his skills in some of New York and LA’s most esteemed kitchens, teamed up with Chef Johnson Ebenezer of Farmlore (Bangalore, India). Chef Ebenezer’s restaurant was recognized as Best Earth-Friendly Restaurant in 2024. Together, they curated an unforgettable four-hand dinner experience for an intimate group of lucky diners.
RAW restaurant at KL’s Else Hotel was the setting for a Thai Culinary Takeover. Chef Prin Polsuk, renowned for his Southern Thai Fisherman cuisine, offered an exceptional dining experience. His Bangkok-based restaurant, Samrub Samrub Thai, holds a Michelin star and is ranked #29 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Formerly head chef under Thai food expert David Thompson, Chef Prin showcases his encyclopedic knowledge of Thai cuisine through seasonal menus.
KL’s Akar Dining was the scene for a four-hand dinner focused on the new Nusantara cuisine—an innovative fusion of Southeast Asian flavours. Jakarta’s Chef Hans Christian of August (#46 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants) teamed up with local Chef Aidan Low for two nights of exciting “new Asian” creations. Meanwhile, at Entier, one-Michelin-starred Chef Christophe Lerouy (Lerouy, Singapore) collaborated with Chef Horiuchi to present refined French cuisine with a Japanese twist.
Two Australian-based Chefs made their way to Kita 2024. Ben Devlin staged a kitchen takeover of Yellow Fin Horse restaurant at KL’s Else Hotel. Chef Devlin, whose restaurant Pipit was a finalist in the Regional Restaurant of the Year in Australia, presented a plant-and-seafood-forward tasting menu featuring native Australian bush foods. Chef Louis Tikaram of Stanley in Brisbane brought his modern take on Chinese comfort food to Fifty Tales, blending Fijian, Chinese, and global influences.
In its fourth year, Kita Food Festival is the brainchild of Darren Teoh, chef patron of Malaysia’s only two-Michelin star restaurant, Dewakan; Leisa Tyler, food journalist and owner of Malaysia-based farm to table company, Weeds & More; and Adrian Yap, a leader in food pop-up, arts and music events. Kita Food Festival’s goal is to highlight Southeast Asia’s emerging culinary scene as well as inspire a new generation of talent.
Support for the Kita Food Festival continues to grow, and with the Kuala Lumpur event wrapped, Kita is moving on to Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) and Singapore. From 8–10 November 2024, food lovers can expect a weekend of four-hand brunches, dinners, and a Big Sunday Barbecue in Kota Kinabalu. The festival will spotlight Sabah’s endemic ingredients and unique food culture.
In 2025, Singapore will host one of Kita’s most significant activations to date, with three pre-event seminars in January and February leading up to Kita Conversations. These seminars, curated with Synthesis, will focus on the Future of Food, culminating in a grand series of four-hand dinners and a Big Sunday Barbecue during the Singapore Weekender in March.
Kita Food Festival continues to showcase the region’s culinary brilliance while sparking vital discussions about the future of food in an ever-evolving global landscape. To learn more about Kita and upcoming events, visit www.kitafoodfestival.com.
Michael Cullen