The Ultimate Weekend Desaru Coast Yellow Fin Horse

The Ultimate Weekend – Ombak Festival, Desaru Coast

The Ultimate Weekend – Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse

Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Peter Tan

Ombak Festival will rock Desaru Coast from 13-15 September this year! Alongside 27 international artists, headliners are Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Grace Jones, The Cardigans, Macy Gray, and Quantic. However, this three-day extravaganza is more than a music lover’s paradise. With food, art, children’s activities, and stay packages, it’s set to be The Ultimate Weekend.

While the stage presents a star-studded line-up, we think the eatertainment will be just as enticing. Besides a Festival Village acting as a temporary home to some of Kuala Lumpur’s most delicious food and beverage outlets, there’ll also be kitchen takeovers such as those by Chocha Foodstore and Carbon, as well as ticketed events. Today, we get a preview of the Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse.

The Ultimate Weekend Desaru Coast Yellow Fin Horse
Yellow Fin Horse – Else Hotel

The Ultimate Weekend – The Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse

The Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse (RM 350 per person) will kick off the gourmet offerings at the festival on Friday evening at 9:30 pm on September 13, 2024. The casual but stylish, open-walled, beach-side restaurant, Sea. Fire. Salt. at Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas will host the kitchen team, the artists and guests.

The Ultimate Weekend Desaru Coast Yellow Fin Horse Chef Jun Wong
Chef Jun Wong
The Ultimate Weekend Desaru Coast Yellow Fin Horse
Yellow Fin Horse

Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse

Open-fire. Ingredient-driven. Seafood-centric. This is the foundation of Yellow Fin Horse’s menu. Primitive preparation is the name of the game, with techniques such as curing, fermenting, aging and flame-grilling at its core. Led by chef Jun Wong, the team will bring their style to Sea.Fire.Salt, while still remaining true to the sourcing of local ingredients. In collaboration with Chef Jaffery Othman, executive chef of Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, local produce, most coming from within a five-kilometre radius of the resort, will be used for many of the dishes.

Sea.Fire.Salt. Anantara Desaru Coast
Sea.Fire.Salt. – Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas

The Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse will be similar to a cocktail event with pass-around canapes and a grazing table. The concept is to encourage diners to mix and mingle with the musicians and artists – no hogging of the stars like if you happened to be seated next to one at a sit-down dinner. Everyone gets a chance to shine in the spotlight of a headliner.

While we don’t see the whole grazing table in KL, we do get a small taste of one of the items that will be in the line-up – grilled crimson plums with burrata. The soft, creamy cheese has been tossed in a salted plum and raspberry vinaigrette with sliced almonds and mint oil. It’s a lovely fresh mix, surprisingly savoury in profile.

Grazing Table Dish
Grazing Table Dish

Besides the grazing table, canapes and cocktails will also be passed around.

Note: The portions pictured here are from Yellow Fin Horse’s a la carte menu. During the festival, they’ll be in canape portions, allowing guests to juggle eating and mingling.

The smoked Tasmanian Petuna ocean trout was made famous by celebrity Chef Tetsuya Wakuda in Australia. It’s been claimed as the most photographed dish in the world! It’s a beautiful deep pink and can be mistaken as raw if judged solely by appearance. However, it’s been smoked long and slow, giving a confit-like texture that melts in the mouth. It’s paired with fresh and crisp granny smith apple cubes, slightly bitter and spicy watercress, shaved radish, toasted walnuts, and a sherry vinegar dressing. On the side, there’s a spoonful of wasabi mayo and red shiso powder. It’s not really necessary, but it adds a different dimension and creaminess to the profile.

The Ultimate Weekend Desaru Coast Yellow Fin Horse  Tasmanian Petuna ocean trout
Tasmanian Petuna ocean trout

The melted leeks beignets have been created exclusively for The Ombak Festival. Mini doughnuts are stuffed with smoked cream cheese and leek fondue. They sit on a savoury and tangy scallion relish. The combo of deep-fried, melty cheese and acidity in the relish is superb. They’re the perfect finger food.

Melted Leeks Beignets
Melted Leeks Beignets

An interesting take on crème brulee is found alongside the lightly seared Hokkaido scallop. Plump pan-seared scallops are partnered with charred orange segments and a fascinating eggless and sugar-free brulee. The pumpkin makes a velvety smooth base, while the caramelized orange gifts a natural sweetness.

Seared Hokkaido Scallops
Seared Hokkaido Scallops

Our last sampler from The Ultimate Weekend Ombak Supper Club menu is potato blini. Of course, they’re made from scratch, just like everything else in Yellow Fin Horse’s kitchen. The delicate blinis are not made from buckwheat like tradition, but rather potato. With a parmesan potato mousseline topping, it’s potato on potato. They’re warm and comforting.

Potato Blini
Potato Blini

Cocktails for The Ombak Supper Club

Yellow Fin Horse’s mixologist, Alif, has curated a mocktail and a cocktail, especially for The Ombak Supper Club. The Yu-so-pine is elegant in a coupe glass garnished with a dried rosebud. The blend of rosebud tea, pineapple, yuzu, cinnamon syrup and aquafaba foam is light and refreshing. For those who prefer a boozy beverage, the Goji has a bittersweet profile based on gin infused with goji berries, Campari, passionfruit, grapefruit juice and sugar syrup. It’s served over a cube of ice in a rocks glass and sprinkled with some dried goji berries on top. The team at Sea.Fire.Salt. will also be serving red and white house wines.

Yu-so-pine
Yu-so-pine
Goji Cocktail
Goji

Festival Passes

If you’re only interested in the music and some on-site food and beverage options get your Day Passes (1-Day: RM550+, 2-Days: RM990+) for access to the Main Stage, shops, and delicious food on Sept 14 & 15 at Ticketmelon or SISTIC. Kids 12 and under enter FREE with an adult.

However, if you want to truly live the experience, family-friendly Stay Packages (starting from RM3,500) offer the perfect festival getaway. Stay at Hard Rock Hotel, The Westin, Anantara, or One&Only Desaru Coast and enjoy resort dining and exclusive events only available to guests staying on-site.

Stay Packages include:

  • Accommodation for two adults (with a free child’s stay!)
  • Breakfast
  • Festival access (Opening Party, Weekend Passes, Village, Ombak Kids, Waterpark)
  • Access to hotel kitchen take-overs and special ticketed events such as The Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse

Skip the porta-potties and public showers, and book your Stay Package at OmbakFestival.com

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