Carbon KL – Ombak Festival Food Line-up
Words: Karen Santosuosso
Photos: Han Sen Hau
There’s a fantastic festival coming to Desaru Coast in Johor from 13-15 September 2024. It’s promised to be The Ultimate Weekend, with a curated line-up of music, art, family fun, and renowned food and beverage options. Some of our favourite chefs will be taking over kitchens at the resorts participating in the Ombak Festival. We are paying a visit to Carbon KL, which will be represented at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort’s casual coastal dining poolside restaurant and bar, Kedidi.
Head chefs and partners David Tay and Yeoh Wei Chieh warmly welcome us into Carbon’s sleek space, which opened its doors in July 2023. Chef David explains that one of Carbon’s primary values is “flourishing” – they want to provide the space for each team member to flourish in their own way and bring their passion to the table. The kitchen is wide open for diners to see the whole culinary performance – with open fire and all. You can really see how each person plays their own part in the food and experience.
Ombak Festival September 13 – 15 Culinary Line-up – Carbon KL
The Carbon team knows their meat. On Friday, 13 September, they will be serving a trio of chicken, lamb and beef skewers at a welcome BBQ, part of the festival opening party by The Westin Desaru Coast Resort’s beachfront, together with cocktails by Reka:Bar, which was recently named to Asia’s 50 Best Bars. Each Carbon skewer is prepared by a different member of the team, with its own unique flavour profile. The skewers are tender and moist – the perfect finger food to accompany a cocktail featuring tuak infused with local ingredients. We sample the passionfruit tuak, which goes down very smoothly – quite contrary to my other experiences with tuak! The Ombak Festival opening party, along with the succulent meat skewers and carefully crafted tuak cocktails, will all be included with a festival stay package, so we recommend booking one soon.
Carbon KL’s Roast Menu at Kedidi, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort
Carbon will also be taking over the kitchen at Kedidi, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, on Saturday and Sunday, 14 and 15 September, for festival-goers to experience their Roast set menu. At RM 199 per guest, we think it’s well worth it. Guests can choose a starter, protein platter, and dessert to round out the meal.
We sample some of the starter options, and each one impresses. Carbon doesn’t just do meat—it also delivers some superb seafood starters. The Japanese Oysters and Chimichurri come beautifully presented in their shells. Chef David tells us they’ve sampled oysters from all over Japan and chosen these, which are balanced beautifully with a herbaceous chimichurri sauce. The Hokkaido Scallops are succulent and served along a refreshing winged bean salad with an umami miso sauce.
The Local Snapper Ceviche comes with fresh slices of orange and avocado and is dressed in an emulsion of June plums. The pine-apply tartness of the June plums adds some acidity while also celebrating a truly local Malaysian ingredient. It is all topped off with delicate purple radish microgreens, which make for an extra colourful plate. For non-seafood lovers, there is also a veg starter option – Charred Romaine and Gribiche. The creamy aioli and herb sauce complements the charred greens nicely.
On to the true pièce de résistance – all the Protein Platters. The Carbon team wows us with four different types of meat, all prepared with so much love and care.
The Lamb Saddle Roll is a grass-fed Australian lamb stuffed with lamb mince, toasted pistachios and jumbo raisins. It is all done via sous vide and comes out perfectly tender. The Pure Angus Beef Ribeye is also beautifully juicy and tender. At the same time, the Whole Chicken Leg’s dark meat is moist with a crispy textured skin.
My personal favourite is the Signature Aged Duck Breast. We can tell that Chefs David and Yeoh take extra good care of their ducks. They are purchased in small batches to mature at a stable pace. First, they are brined, and then a maltose mixture is showered over the skin before aging to ensure it takes on a crisp texture when it is finally grilled over charcoal. Lastly, the ducks are aged in house in their cold room. We’re told around 20-25 days is ideal. We feel special for being able to take a peek at the cold room – it seems like Carbon really does have all their ducks in a row. The result is a beautifully seared skin encasing moist and flavourful duck meat – just as good as the top Peking duck establishments I frequented in Beijing.
Each Protein Platter will be served with a side of gravy, Yorkshire puddings with butter and maple glazed carrots, and crispy duck fat triple-cooked potatoes. “These hands have probably touched more potatoes than you will see in your lifetime,” says Chef David. All that experimenting with potatoes has resulted in a consistent science of getting the ideal crispy outer layer with a mashy texture in the middle. There is no better match for all the carefully cooked meats.
While most of the savoury dishes we’ve sampled are a stellar representation of fine dining, Carbon’s delectable desserts make me feel like I’m sitting at grandma’s house. There is nostalgia and comfort found in the Warm Brownie with Ice Cream. The brownie showcases local Malaysian chocolate and is delightfully chewy and walnutty. The Tiramisu is a classic – made with Kahlua, vodka, rum, coffee, duck eggs and Italian mascarpone. It’s hard to choose which one is the winner because our team successfully wipes both plates clean.
All these will be served against the beautiful backdrop of Kedidi, located on the shores of The Westin Desaru Coast Resort’s new Muara Lagoon pool. This rainforest escape by the sea features motifs of local weaves, stone, and timber interspersed with tropical plants in beautiful pots crafted by local artisans.
Carbon KL’s À la Carte Options at Ombak Festival
Carbon KL will have all the above-mentioned dishes and more available for à la carte dining at Kedidi. There is a variety of small plates available, which are perfect for sharing tapas. We are treated to a Focaccia (RM 28) with housemade fermented chilli butter sambal. Fresh chilis are used instead of dried ones as they are more aromatic. The sambal adds a delicious bit of heat to the warm focaccia bread.
The Local Tiger Prawns (RM 88) are perfectly charred on the outside while sweet and succulent on the inside. Topped with a fresh mango and tomato salsa, the dish gives Caribbean vibes along with dollops of thick aioli for a European twist.
The Argentinian Beef Tartare (RM 58) is generous with creamy cured egg yolk and chilli bits. It is easily consumed atop crisp pieces of toast. We also sample the Large Squid (RM 75) over a bright pepperonata. The squid is satisfyingly chewy, salty, and peppery, and it is balanced well with the charred tomato and pepper sauce.
Experience Carbon at the Ombak Festival
Find Carbon at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort all weekend. They’ll be at the festival opening party on Friday evening, serving the trio of meat skewers paired with tuak-based cocktails. On Saturday and Sunday, they take over the kitchen at Kedidi. There will be two lunch seatings – the Roast menu (RM 199) will be available for the first seating from 11 am – 1 pm, while their à la carte menu will be available for the second seating from 1-3 pm. Enjoy DJ sets with disco vibes by the pool for their Slip and Swim events on both days from 4-5:30 pm, and dinner will be served from 6-10 pm à la carte.
Even if you can’t make it to the festival weekend, we still recommend heading to Carbon for a celebratory lunch or dinner in KL. Sit at the main chef’s table to experience the culinary show that dynamic duo Yeoh and David put on with their team.
Carbon KL
7 Jalan Pekaka 8/1 D, Kota Damansara, 47810
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
carbonkl.com @carbon.kl
+60 12 988 7219
Carbon KL’s Operating Hours
Lunch
Saturday and Sunday
12 pm to 3 pm
Dinner
Wednesday To Sunday
Seating Time
6 pm | 7 pm | 8 pm
Find more of the fabulous food and beverage line-up at the Ombak Festival here for The Ultimate Weekend in Desaru Coast. Stay up-to-date with the latest gourmet and travel recommendations for Malaysia with The Yum List on Facebook here and The Yum List on Instagram here.