The Experiment 007

The Experiment 007 – SSS

Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Rich Callahan

Seems the gentlemen behind Super Secret Social, Jonathan Sebastian and Nicolas Grisé, are unstoppable. Currently running the seventh rendition of their Super Secret Social menu, The Experiment 007, the terrific twosome pair creative recipes showcasing local ingredients with a fantastic selection of boutique wines.

It’s hard to resist a good 007 reference, but I promise to Live and Let Die allusions to the charismatic secret agent. Although, you might say these two have A View to Kill the private dining scene, shaking (not stirring) up the culinary landscape, with their latest For Your Eyes Only menu. Okay. Enough. Promise.

Private Dining Kuala Lumpur — The Experiment 007 Super Secret Social Menu

Super Secret Social is a private dining experience, with the location only available upon booking (for practicality purposes, though, it’s in the Bukit Damansara area to help you plan ahead). The joyous celebration of local produce and boutique winemakers is a consistent thread through SSS’s cuisine. Seven menus since its inception, The Experiment 007 has come full circle, yet grown and refined, sharpening the focus on food provenance and telling the narrative of ingredients.

King Prawn

The menu kicks off with a beautiful, bouncy, wild-caught tiger prawn marinated in Shaoxing wine sided with its deep-fried head. The prawn’s texture is springy to the touch and accompanied by a mysterious-looking black garlic emulsion made with guinea fowl eggs, gel and sauces. There’s much to take in here, but the showstopper is the black garlic emulsion. Left to ferment for 30 days, the white cloves turn black, taking the harsh edge off the bulb and converting the flavours to sweet and umami, with a slight tang at the end. We want some of this to take home! Don’t dismiss the garnishes of marigold leaves and lemon peel confit, either – they’re more than just pretty toppings.

Sebastien Riffault “Akmèniné” 2018, Sancerre, France

Nico presents a trio of wines for the meal. He is passionate about honouring artisanal producers and telling their stories. The first comes from Sebastien Riffault, a renowned winemaker from the Sancerre region in France. The sauvignon blanc, Akmèniné 2018, is grown in limestone-rich soil, producing a distinctive profile featuring citrus, green apple, and mineral notes. It offers vibrant acidity, which is balanced by a full-bodied and round texture. Ageing in barriques and a further 12 months on yeasts adds a subtle but noticeable layer of complexity and depth. The wine’s crispy acidity goes well with the prawn, and the earthy notes mirror the black garlic.

7-day Aged Golden Pomfret

The following recipe is a twirl of prettiness topped with wild lantana flowers. Underneath the tiny pink blossoms lies slices of 7-day-aged golden pomfret. The aging of the fish creates a creamier texture and more complex flavour. A deep-green tea made from seven different ulam (a mix of local leaves) is poured over table-side. We’re encouraged to taste the fish before it’s added and then with the tea. A few drops of Thai basil oil unite the ingredients, and the Sancerre does well with this course, too.

Local Beef Tenderloin

In the following dish, we commence with a sip of bone broth. Beef bones have been boiled with organic spices – star anise, coriander seeds and cinnamon – for 36 hours, generating a beautifully round soup. The spices emerge first, and then the beef smoothes over the palate.

Shadowing the soup is a brave and successful attempt at tartare with local beef tenderloin. Public perception of local beef is not generally one of high quality. The meat tends to be relegated to stews or dishes with lots of gravy. However, these cows have been fed nothing but corn and pineapple, and the flesh is surprisingly tender. It’s quite an innovative preparation with pungency from freshly shaved kulim, spring onions, budu (fermented anchovy sauce) and a fantastic line of heat from lacto-fermented green chilli. It tickles the roof of the mouth and is bitey and addictive in all the right ways.

White Corn Lemang – The Experiment 007

Chitose white corn is used in its entirety for the next course. The corn has been soaked in coconut milk, which helps it caramelise in the bamboo cooking tube. It’s an ancient cooking technique used by nomadic people to preserve food for several days. (You often see lemang rice smoking on roadside stalls around certain holidays in Malaysia.) Corn silk is edible when its good quality and is placed on top in a hairy tangle. Underneath there’s a caraway seed burnt whipped butter and a thick slice of slow-roasted jicama. The whole thing comes together with a single micro sprout. It’s the corn when it first emerges from the soil, and it’s what we’re instructed to eat first. We put the entire stick in our mouths. At first, it’s nothing. Then as it’s broken down, a wild sweet corn flavour explodes in the mouth. It’s extraordinarily sweet and surprising.

The Experiment 007 Super Secret Social Menu — White Corn Lemang – The Experiment 007

Flower Crab Ravioli

Jonny has been perfecting his handmade pasta prowess and shows off his talent with ravioli packets stuffed with white radish and shredded flower crab. They combine with Bentong ginger oil, amaranth and the most amazing bak kut teh broth. Caramelised crab shell forms the foundation of the broth, and it’s elegant and delicately seasoned with star anise and garlic.

Patrick Bouju “R” 2020, Alsace, France – The Experiment 007

The light texture of the wine mate, Patrick Bouju “R” 2020, complements the elegance of the crab broth. Slightly cloudy in the glass, this natural Riesling from Alsace, France, is produced biodynamically, so no synthetic chemicals are used in the vineyard or during winemaking. It’s bright and refreshing with notes of citrus and white flowers, the hint of lime doing nicely with the seafood.

Biodynamic Black Rice Porridge

Biodynamic black rice porridge is enigmatic in appearance, brooding quietly at the bottom of the bowl. It’s livened with strips of pickled butternut pumpkin, ulam raja petals and salt-roasted pumpkin seed oil. I love this dark rice veggie dish, but the Sambal hitam Pahang is the showstopper. Its labour-intensive process makes it hard to find, taking up to seven hours to prepare. Belimbing buluh (like starfruit) is cooked with anchovies, chillies and shallots, creating a fruity, salty and spicy companion. It’s recommended to begin with the rice on its own, then gradually introduce the sambal.

Chinati Vergano “Americano” NV, Piemonte, Italy

With dessert comes a change in wine, a deep-pink-hued Chinati Vergano “Americano” from Piemonte, Italy. Chinati Vergano “Americano” NV is a unique and complex vermouth, an artisanal spirit crafted with meticulous attention to detail. The aromas are complex and enticing, with notes of bitter orange, cinnamon, and a subtle hint of vanilla. On the palate, the flavours are equally complex, with a slightly bitter edge that is well-balanced by a sweetness that lingers long after the last sip. We have it over ice as part of the Experiment 007 menu, but I imagine trying this in a cocktail, perhaps playing around with a beloved Negroni.

Banana “Wellington” – The Experiment 007

A clever play on a trending tradition, Jonny’s Banana “Wellington” uses four types of banana – even one from the backyard – and both the fruit and the skin. The filling of the cooked banana is wrapped in puff pastry and capped with a nut Florentine made from banana skin. The snow-white scoop of fior di latte ice cream (just cream, milk and sugar) furnishes a welcome cool contrast without taking away from the natural banana flavour. Lastly, gula Melaka soy sauce caramel contributes the final bit of decadence.

Temiah Fermented Cacao & Tapai

The Experiment 007 menu concludes with Temiah Fermented Cacao (in collaboration with the ethnic population in Pahang) and Tapai. From renowned local chocolate producer Chocolate Concierge, the 70% dark chocolate is combined with cacao husk tea, making a light, earthy, bitter-sweet ending. The fermented glutinous rice, on the other hand, is a mouthful of punchy flavour. Wrapped in rubber leaves, the rice is left to ferment for several days producing a sweet and sour taste, something we’re not likely to forget for some time.