East and West fusion of flavours

The Star

23-06-2025

DUTCH chef Joeri Timmermans' vision of a fusion between East and West cuisines is about bringing a distinctive touch of European flavours to Japanese, and Chinese dishes.
This innovative approach was evident in his deep-fried Transatlantic Cod served with pink-hued taramasalata cream, nestled in seaweed butter.
The umami from the fish and sauces was enhanced by a generous sprinkling of spices like furikake and togarashi.
'The crispiness and silkiness of the fish, paired with the buttery sauce gives it a savoury finish,' Timmermans said.
The 2 Ways Prawn.
The dish is a highlight of the seven-course East Meets West Omakase – a contemporary menu crafted for a limited time by Timmermans and master chefs of Oriental Group.
The dinner takes place in a comfortable, casual, no-frills setting.
'The chefs and I put a lot of thought into preparing the menu. Most of our ingredients are locally sourced.
'Guests can also expect a strong Japanese influence in the dishes,' he said.
The meal started off with Tomatina Crab.
Tomatina Crab.
With Cameron Highlands' tomatoes in a starring role, the creme fraiche-filled fruit was set in a pool of dashi stock infused with yuzu kosho.
Sitting atop the tomato were shiny and briny caviar pearls.
Local tomatoes lend mild acidity, giving room for the crab's natural sweetness to shine.
Against the mild tasting tomato, the dashi stock exuded subtle yuzu fragrance offering a refreshing twist on the palate.
For the Golden Silk Chawanmushi, the chefs leveraged on the richness of freshwater prawn tomalley to impart a concentrated savouriness to the soft and delicate egg custard.
The Golden Silk Chawanmushi.
The deep orange tomalley was sinfully rich, giving the dish a delightful seafood essence.
Meanwhile, the 2 Ways Prawn presented cheese-baked prawn and prawn ball.
Here, the savoury edge of melted cheese offered a creamy, velvety mouthfeel to the prawn.
The prawn ball, though small, was firm and a lot going on texture-and-taste wise.
For the main course, guests had the unenviable choice of choosing between Transatlantic Cod and Australian Wagyu.
Timmermans weaves intricate flavours of Japanese and Chinese dishes with a distinctive touch of Western fare. While the cod was an unforgettable dish, the beautifully marbled beef, served with burnt carrot slices, shiitake mushrooms and dinosaur kale in tamari, was equally memorable.
'The vegetables are grilled over a Japanese Konro grill until slightly charred for added texture to the dish.
'The use of mangrove charcoal gives a lovely smoky, char flavour that elevates the taste further,' Timmermans said.
The kale, having absorbed much of the smoke from the charcoal, turned out to be the right pairing alongside the succulent beef.
Of course, a Chinese course meal is incomplete without rice.
Pan-seared foie gras, with its caramelised goodness, brings sweet, earthy and butter-like flavours to the garlic fried rice.
An Oriental touch to the dish was the slight drizzle of barbecue sauce.
The meal concluded with a duet of desserts featuring Sake Sorbet and Mangosteen.
The Mangosteen dessert.
The sorbet, drizzled with sake and served with yuzu, grapes, meringue and mulberry yoghurt, is a tangy treat for the taste buds.
The Mangosteen, on the other hand, featured a pastry shell baked to resemble the fruit.
It was filled with smooth and creamy coconut cream filling.
The dinner is priced at RM328++ per person.
Guests keen to savour the dishes can head to Oriental Group restaurants namely Ruyi (June 30), Oriental Treasure (July 1), Yu (July 2) and Oriental Sun (July 4).
ORIENTAL PAVILION, P1-04, Level 1 Podium, PJ 33, 3, Jalan Professor Khoo Kay Kim, Seksyen 13, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. (Tel: [phone] or 012-811 8812) Business hours: 11am-3pm and 6pm-11pm (weekdays), 10am-3pm and 6pm-11pm (weekends and public holidays). Non-halal.
This is the writer's personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.