Plate Culture, Kelly Siew Cooks, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Underground supper clubs, or restaurantes de puertas cerradas (closed door restaurants) have been mysteriously hip establishments in Latin America for many years. The trend, of the anti-restaurant, where basically a home dinner party is opened up to paying outside guests, has recently hit North America and Europe. Often advertised on Facebook or through word of mouth, you generally need to “know someone” to get a seat.

Mimicking the trend of the guerilla kitchen, Plate Culture facilitates this experience for both diners and hosts in Malaysia.

Diners get to sample authentic home cooked dishes, often for a fraction of the cost of a restaurant. An intimate environment where you can talk with the chef and share possibly a culture other than your own is another huge draw card. With a huge pot of options to choose from, KLites are spoilt for choice: Lithuanian, Mauritian, Jungle Dining, Chinese, Indian, Healthy, Brunch, Grandma’s Recipes… the list goes on.

Hosts get to share their culinary and hospitality skills without the costly risk and set up of a restaurant. People who enjoy cooking, but don’t want the commitment of their own business, can make a little money from their passion and get the satisfaction of having an audience for their talents.  

Off to an incredibly successful start, Plate Culture has filled a niche in Kuala Lumpur. Only beginning in April, with the webpage launched in June, the platform already has 25 home chefs hosting meals in their residences.

We were fortunate to be hosted in the apartment of the lovely, Kelly Siew. This multi-talented lady is a doctor by degree, musician by trade and a master chef in her own kitchen. She offers both a Chinese Dinnerand a Weekend Brunch.

It was the Teochew and Foochow fusion cuisine that caught our eye, so we booked a dinner date with Kelly. She describes her dishes as ‘comfort’ food, recipes that she grew up eating cooked by her mum and grandmother. Originally from Sarawak, she’s also happy to whip up a bowl of piping hot Sarawak Laksa or Kolok Mee if you let her know in advance.

Here’s what we ate in Kelly’s home:

Steamed Fish (Gold Pomfret) - was another Teochew recipe. Light with a tasty covering of vegetables and meaty mushrooms, this too had no leftovers. 

  

Plate Culture’s tagline is “Homemade Happiness,” and after our dinner party with Kelly Siew, we’d have to agree.

Reason to visit:  authentic home cooked meals, excellent value, a friendly homey experience

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

+6 014 223 2635