A restaurant without signage, a fine-dining without dining protocol, a meal without menu and not knowing what will be served to you (Omakase), and no-entry without a reservation (only can be done via Facebook PM). As peculiar it may sounds, there is a restaurant in Penang that runs for years using this concept. Managed by a young chef named Joe, the restaurant is named De' Secret Kitchen Private Dining in Macalister Road, serving many patrons delicate Asian fusion Omakese dining.
De' Secret Kitchen is a restaurant that packs with surprises. First thing first, you can only enter using the code given upon making a reservation. Then in the restaurant, you are totally secluded from the foreign environment, giving you an almost absolute exclusion from what is happening out there (apart from update from your mobile phones). After that, Chef Joe will decide what to cook for you by applying Omakase concept, after taking care into your allergy ingredients and prohibited items, with a full utilization of the herbs grown in the house. Another odd thing is despite fine-dining quality food are served, you can ignore all the dining protocol and just be yourself while enjoying the food. Lastly, feel free to bring your own wine as there is no corkage charges.
While you do not know what you will be served, Chef Joe will come from the kitchen and personally explain each of the dishes to you, only after you have tried it.
De' Secret Kitchen is a restaurant that packs with surprises. First thing first, you can only enter using the code given upon making a reservation. Then in the restaurant, you are totally secluded from the foreign environment, giving you an almost absolute exclusion from what is happening out there (apart from update from your mobile phones). After that, Chef Joe will decide what to cook for you by applying Omakase concept, after taking care into your allergy ingredients and prohibited items, with a full utilization of the herbs grown in the house. Another odd thing is despite fine-dining quality food are served, you can ignore all the dining protocol and just be yourself while enjoying the food. Lastly, feel free to bring your own wine as there is no corkage charges.
While you do not know what you will be served, Chef Joe will come from the kitchen and personally explain each of the dishes to you, only after you have tried it.
Thanks to De' Secret Kitchen for hosting
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| Herbs Paprika Hummus |
We were served a 8-course dinner for RM 188/pax that night. Please bear in mind that the menu will be different everyday as Chef Joe prepare the dishes based on the fresh ingredients he managed to procure during that day. Therefore, what you see in this post definitely will be different from what are you going to get in De' Secret Kitchen. All in all, Chef Joe's creative usage of ingredients and playful approach to the taste is totally mind-blowing.
Most of the French restaurants serve breads, but De' Secret Kitchen gave it a tweak by having the breads with herbs paprika hummus. The hummus is lightly smoked, giving a nice smoky flavour with herbs scent. Something light to begin the dinner with.
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| Tomyam Salmon Tartare |
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| Sous Vide Scallops |
Next up are 2 different appetizers that has contrast flavour. First is Tomyam Salmon Tartar, which had a gelatin like texture items with mild tomyam spiciness topping the raw salmon. Then, it is finished with kantan flower to give a familiar localized taste. First thing, the texture gradient of the food is being creatively played, with minced texture, followed up by a firm fish gelatin and a crunchy yet thin cucumber. Second, although it sounds like a heavy appetizer but the actual flavour is very light, with the kantan flower lightly profuse through the nostrils.
The Sous Vide Scallop is a creative mixture between Asian and Western dishes. We enjoyed the light flavour of the scallops, and the chef definitely cooked those scallops to perfection - no rubbery or over-dense texture. It is served with an unique lightly torched lyechee to give it a mild sweetness. Truth is, nobody realised it is torched lyechee until the chef told us so. It is drizzled with a mint infused sauce to give it a very refreshing taste.
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| "Chicken Wings" |
This dish may looks simple but appearance can be deceiving. At first glance, it looks like a grilled chicken wing served on top of a bunch pandan leaves. However, as you dig inside, it reveals the secret. It is actually a Cantonese style cuisine as shared by the chef, mimicking the concept of "bak zhang".Â
The so called "chicken wing" has been deboned, leaving a thin layer of flesh with grilled skin and stuffed with a high density of glutinous rice, then topped with watermelon skin. It packs with a bunch of complicated yet nice flavour, as the glutinous rice is flavorful, then paired with the smoky scent of the grilling.Â
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| Cauliflower and English Pea Soup |
Soup may be a common item in many food menu but De' Secret Kitchen definitely elevated it to a different height. It is a mixture of cauliflower soup and English pea soup, forming a "yin and yang" shape. However, we were reminded to stir the soup prior eating so the lamb fat and mountain salt seated deep inside the soup bowl can unleash its potential.
Indeed, these lamb fat and mountain salt made the difference. We forgot to stir it initially, and the soup tasted pretty bland. Then the thought to stir it suddenly struck our mind and that small gesture changes the entire taste. It was so flavourful, with a tiny briny taste derived from the mountain salt and a substantial pleasant smell from the lamb fat.Â
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| Pasta with Prawn Soup |
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| Beef Tenderloin |
Finally, chef Joe presents the main dishes of tonight, which consists of a pasta and a protein. The pasta had an unique presentation by having the pasta served in a bowl similar to fish bowl with the pasta sauce served separately. On top of that, no regular pasta noodles were involved. Chef Joe uses 5 years aged miso (wheat buck noodles) instead of pasta noodles, which gave a slightly stiff noodle texture.
Personally, we are not fan of aged miso noodle and preferred al-dente pasta noodles instead. Besides, the prawn and tomato broth had overwhelming prawn taste, stronger than Hokkien Mee. Perhaps some ardent fans of prawns would have enjoyed it. Nevertheless, the toppings, which consists of tomatoes, caviar and pegaga leaves made some real differences. It imparts a balance of sweet, briny and umami taste to the Pasta.
On the other hand, the protein - Beef Tenderloin is a masterpiece creation by Chef Joe. When every components of the dish come together as a whole - the cured yolk, roasted onion, chili mint jam and peanut sprouts, the intensity and complexity of the flavour are beyond words. It was great, and leave a lingering taste combined from a slight caramelization of roasted onion and a tad sweetness derived from the peanut sprouts.Â
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| Mango Pamelo Panna Cotta |
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| House made Makgeolli |
In between the dish, Chef Joe will serve house made Makgeolli which contains 3% alcohol. It is refreshing and helps to cleanse the complex taste that stick on your palate.Â
All in all, De' Secret Kitchen provides a real gastronomy experience. If you get tired of the usual flavour and look for elsewhere for a refreshing taste, then De' Secret Kitchen definitely worth your consideration. Furthermore, the price tag of RM 188/pax ain't that burdening if comparing to some high-end fine dining restaurants.Â
De' Secret Kitchen
Operation hours: 6pm - 12am Daily
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Check out Shirleen & Ee Pin's Instagram for more beautiful photos we have taken.
Check out Shirleen & Ee Pin's Instagram for more beautiful photos we have taken.
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