Thirty8, Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur

Thirty8 sits atop, on the 38^th floor (hence the name), of the 1-year-old Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. 

Thirty8 showcases panoramic 360 degree views of KL city.  You can see the world famous Petronas Towers at KLCC (which is within walking distance of Grand Hyatt), KLCC Park, KL Tower as well as the rest of the city skyline. 

I arrived at Thirty8, which offers all-day dining, to try out their Alaskan King Crab and Riesling promotion.  Caught in the clean, icy waters off Alaska, Alaskan King Crabs are known worldwide for their huge, satisfying chunks snow-white meat, intense sweetness, as well as clean natural brine taste.  They are hugely sought after in Japan, US and Europe.  Riesling is a dry, sweet white wine often displaying floral and fruit aroma and notes.  In terms of importance for quality wines, it is usually included in the “top three” white wine varieties together with Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc.  Riesling also happens to be my favourite white wine.  I was impressed that Grand Hyatt KL brought together such quality cuisine and wine and I was excited to taste the dishes.

My first dish was Thirty8’s highly popular signature Fried Crab Cakes (RM$60++ for 3 pcs).  I can see why they are so popular.  They are generously-sized and the inside is completely filled with delicious, sweet crab.  The crunchiness of the skin contrasts with the moist sweetness of the crab meat and is truly heaven to bite into them, to hear and enjoy the crispy crunch and then have the sweetness of the crab flesh fill your mouth.  The crunchiness of the fried skin and the protein is excellently balanced by the roasted bell pepper relish and rocket leaves on the crab cakes.  There is just a tinge of heat from the pepper on the cakes and the chefs did an excellently job in frying them as they were not oily at all.   I order a promotional Riesling wine, Dr Loosen 2011 from Mosel-Saar-Ruwer in Germany (RM$37++).  The crab cakes go excellently with the Riesling: fried vs ice; heat vs sweet.  It was an excellent first course.

Then I tried their promotional Alaskan King Crab Salad (RM$130).  I wanted something cold and simply done which shows off the freshness, natural sweetness and succulence of the crab meat.  The Alaskan King Crab Salad has cocktail sauce, avocado, passion fruit, sun dried tomatoes and mixed greens.  On first bite of the salad, the sweetness of the passion fruit and cocktail sauce hits me immediately.  It was way too sweet and there was a certain artificiality to it.  The sauce, being too sweet covers and overpowers the natural sweetness of the crab.  I tried some of the crab that has less sauce and I was able to taste the freshness, natural brine flavour of the crab meat.  The crab meat was also very firm.  With the overpoweringly sweet sauce, the avocado and tomatoes become quite essential to balancing the sweetness.  They could go lighter on the sauce to highlight better the natural flavour of the crab meat.  A Mediterranean approach (simple, light flavours) might be much better.  Moreover, the sweetness hurts the sales of the Thirty8——it induces a sense of fullness and people are less inclined to order more.  Also, the chefs can remove the translucent soft shell more thoroughly.  I found a few pieces in my salad.  With a big, international brand name like Grand Hyatt and its respective prices, people expect immaculate excellence and flawless execution.  The chefs need to remove the soft shell thoroughly to match up to expectations.    As the sauce was too sweet, it covers and overpowers the sweetness of the Riesling as well. 

For my main course, I had the Chef’s recommended Australian Wagyu Ribeye (Marbling 7) 350 g (RM$300++).  The huge steak arrives simply and elegantly presented on a white plate with caramelised onions and a grilled tomato.  The steak marks were clearly and symmetrically criss-crossed across the steak.  The steak was extremely tender and considering this is not a fine-dining restaurant or a specialised steak house (thirty8 is a hardworking all-day dining restaurant), the steak is extremely competent. 

For my dessert, I had the highly popular Thirty8 Signature Cake (RM$25++).  The Signature Cake consists of rich, creamy chocolate cake with caramel and a hint of nut, drizzled with hot thick caramel on top, and accompanied by rich and authentic Banana sorbet and raspberries.    Texture-wise, the chocolate cake is a complex creation—–there was chocolate cake, cream, thin biscuit all intricately built together.  The construction of texture was simply genius.  As befitting the star status of the dish, the presentation received diva treatment as well.   The Signature Cake is served on a raised glass platter, covered with a bell-jar with dry-ice furiously billowing out from underneath it.  When the dry-ice stops, the hot, thick caramel is dripped all over the moist chocolate cake, coating it, enveloping it, passionately engulfing it, soaking into it.  It was like sex on a plate.  The presentation is simply arresting.  The waiter tells me this is the most photographed dish of Thirty8.      

With the immaculately dressed waiters and amazing 360 view of KL, Thirty8 is an excellent place to enjoy a lunch.  I was also told there is a Sunday brunch (12pm to 3.30pm).  With luck, there would be a report soon.

The Alaskan King Crab and Riesling promotion runs till 30 Nov 2013.

Tip: Request for Tables 34, 35, or 36 for views of the imposing and majestic Petronas Towers.  Note though that these tables only seat 2 pax each.  In other words, if you arrive in a party of 6, you probably won’t get to be seated at these tables.  

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

12 Jalan Pinang

Kuala Lumpur,  Malaysia, 50450

Tel: +60 2182 1234 ext 2340

Email: thirty8.kuagh@hyatt.com