Have you been to Dewakan? The brainchild of Chef Darren Teoh, the restaurant sits somewhere in the KDU building in Glenmarie, where said chef also lectures in the science of molecular gastronomy.

Comfortable lounge while waiting for your table

A semi fine-dining restaurant in the middle of a private college in the middle of nowhere? Speaks volumes of a man’s peculiarity, doesn’t it? To embrace local ingredients long taken for granted and hold them up as muses to a chef’s culinary artistry, it’s nothing short of ambition and lofty aspirations, much like the unnecessary complex structure of this sentence.

Tables spread out generously with a clear view of the kitchen

For my birthday this year, I asked my sisters to dine at Dewakan with me. As the restaurant operates on limited days and tables, we could only get a reservation on a weekday. Not a problem! 10-course tasting menu, here we come!

We had such a good time that I want to share my Dewakan experience.

Complimentary snacks to start you off

We started with freshly baked bread served with butter and complimentary appetisers. First, edible twigs of fried dough served with budu mayonaise, a crazy delicious refreshing dip that sets the tone of what is to come.

Fried cucur (fritters) topped with spinach, coconut slivers (kerisik) and shaved duck breast. The cucur by itself was bland, took on bold flavours when paired with the toppings and a touch of the budu mayonaise.

Then we were served a light, whipped frothy mango and curry foam to cleanse the palate. On with the 10 courses.

You’d never had razor clams this way before

Razor Clams from Pulau Ketam, Rose Apples, Cashew Nuts, Tenggek Burung and Rose Apple Snow
Mindblowing! It felt like eating seafood on shaved ice – chewy, light and crunchy. Then you get the occasional sharp taste of the ‘tenggek burung’ herb (En: melicopes).

Roast King Oyster Mushroom, Green Curry Paste, Yogurt and Dried Mackerel Flakes
We sampled this dish at MIGF, where Dewakan was a participant. It was an ‘okay’ at the festival, but as its own dish at the restaurant, the meaty shrooms sprang to life with the accompanying herbs.

Half the fun was marveling at the edible flowers and herbs used. Doesn’t the above reminds you of ‘daun putri malu’, a shy plant that closes up its leaves when you touch it?

But when in doubt, the waiters in training at Dewakan are always on hand, eager to help.

Next, an inception was introduced to our table with a flourish. It turned out to be a prep for a mushroom broth for our next course. The broth was heated on the spot to take on flavours of aromatics, garlic, mushroom stems and orange peel.

They named this Forbidden Porridge. Come ask me about an adult joke I could make offline.

Black Glutinous Rice Congee, Thinly Sliced Tender Ox Tongue, Choy Tum, Soft Boiled Egg Yolk served with Mushroom Broth
The infused broth poured over the glutinous rice was fragrant, resulting in a rich yet odd combination of ingredients. It was over complicated for me as a whole, yet there was no fault to individual ingredients.

This is so prawny

Local Red Prawn with Prawn Tartar, Fiddlehead Ferns, Pegaga and Bunga Telang Oil
The tartar, mixed with the prawn head’s own juice was fresh and appetizing. The cooked prawn was juicy and luscious, just right for a firm bite. Perfect prawnfest!

Sometimes I lay at night and wonder if the inspiration came from caterpillars. Just sometimes.

Charcoal Roasted Corn Fed Chicken Breast, Chicken Ragout Wrapped in Kaduk and Kailan Puree
The meat was flawlessly prepared. Crispy skin with moist, tender flesh. I was not a fan of the buah keluak sauce and kailan puree, it reminded me of chicken essence. However my sisters thoroughly enjoyed this dish with the sauce. The chicken liver was invitingly soft and flavourful, much love.

I can’t believe it’s not cod. Actually I can. But I ran out of accompanying lines for photos.

Steamed Pomfret over Tumeric Leaf, Chrysanthemum Garland, Water Chesnut, Salted Egg Yolk and Sweet Potato Crisps
Pomfret is typically unsexy, like the obligatory fish course fourth in line at Chinese banquets. However at Dewakan, the fish is a star! Beautifully steamed, didn’t lose its texture, topped with a light water chestnut foam that did not overwhelm the fish’s delicate taste.

Plus the aesthetically pleasant side of paper-thin sweet potato crisps, salted egg yolk and ulam! Much props to the chef and his team’s presentation skills.

Mary had a little lamb, guess where it went?

Confit of Lamb Breast, Spring Onion, Marsala and Onion Puree
We had this at MIGF which sealed the deal for me, made me want to try out Dewakan’s entire offerings. The meat; tender, fatty, juicy and insanely tasty is lamb heaven for lamb lovers! Also enjoyed the candied purple spinach.

At first glance, we thought it was a cake.

Then came dessert, at which point we were absolutely stuffed but determined to complete all courses.

Fro-yo, Rosselle Syrup and Daun Selom Oil left a crisp taste in our tongues, its light sourness doubled as a palate cleanser.

A stand-out dessert

Pulut Ice Cream, Gula Melaka Marquise, Sour Meringue
If you had to try only one of Chef Darren’s desserts, let it be this. The teardrop meringue was lovely to look at, melts in your mouth and held the combination of the ice-cream and marquise well.

Dewakan is a heaven for dessert lovers

Smoked Chocolate Chantilly, Fried Banana Ice Cream, Nutmeg Syrup and Dill
As tropical as it gets. The rich Asian taste of this dessert was unique; how often do you get to taste ‘pisang goreng’ ice cream?

Refreshing ice lollies to end our meal

Then a final complimentary dessert to complete our gluttony drive, ice lollies of pineapple and raspberries.

We were happily stuffed. There was no room left in our stomach for even dust. Though we did not meet the Chef (who was very busy in the kitchen), we were absolutely in awe at his creations, and how well he presented Malaysian ingredients in a modern light. I believe it’s the first of its kind in Malaysia, and I hope he is encouraged by the reception to carry on for a long time.

What of the price? It must be costly? Heck no! A 10-course dinner for one was RM207. It is relatively inexpensive for the dining experience. In fact, we wondered throughout dinner if they end up making any money off this venture, and decided that they do not.

To put it bluntly, this is a project of passion, and not of laughing all the way to the bank.

Dewakan has just changed its menu, which I’ll experience this December. They are open for lunch on weekdays, with options of 3 (RM80) or 4 (RM133) courses. Dinner is available from Thursday to Saturday, with options of 5 (RM164) or 10 (RM207) courses.

Dewakan Restaurant
KDU University College, Utropolis Glenmarie
Jalan Kontraktor U1/14, Seksyen U1
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor.
Tel: +603 5565 0767

Lunch: Monday to Friday, 12pm to 2.30pm
Dinner: Thursday to Saturday, 7pm to 9pm
Closed on Sundays and certain public holidays.

For info & reservation, go to Dewakan.my.