Jhol Kuala Lumpur – Coastal Indian Cuisine
Words: Jacob Weber
Photos: Han Sen Hau
There are many fine Indian restaurants in KL, but not many that focus exclusively on Indian coastal cuisine. Throw in a legendary international legacy, and you’ve now got two very good reasons to give Jhol Kuala Lumpur a visit.
Jhol Kuala Lumpur
The original Jhol is based in Bangkok and is the brainchild of New York-based veteran chef Hari Nayak, a global pioneer of modern Indian cuisine. Chef Gaurav Gupta runs the kitchen in KL with every second of his experience at Jhol Bangkok on show. Mr. Shyam Thakur, founder and CEO of the Clifftop Group Asia is the company behind bringing Jhol to KL.
Jhol Kuala Lumpur is a classy, comfortable spot just outside Solaris Mont Kiara, easy-going enough for a casual meal and elegant enough for a special occasion (speaking of which, there is a private dining room available). Sleek, modern and airy, it’s a pleasant space to spend a few hours — and after a couple of cocktails, you might spend a few more hours enjoying the shisha lounge.
The Culinary Journey
The menu is effectively a map, covering nine states and all the coastal regions of India, taking traditional ingredients and street food favourites from Gujarat to Bengal and giving them a sophisticated spin without losing any of their soul.
It’s fitting, then, that the tasting menu is called “The Culinary Journey” (RM310+/pax.) So we settle down into our plush seats and set off on our adventure.
Prelude
The ‘Prelude’ is a selection of appetisers that put the taste buds on full alert. The Bombay Bhel is a crunchy, savoury, tangy recipe of spiced potatoes, avocado espuma and ‘sev’, an Indian snack of deep-fried gram flour. The Calicut Pepper Crab offers even more contrasting textures; the smooth Malabar black-pepper-spiced crab goes beautifully on top of the crunchy milk bread and leaves a lingering heat with just a hint of citrus. The Kolkata Dim’er Devil is a stylish take on a Scotch Egg, featuring soft-cooked quail egg with caviar, shallot and onion jam, and fermented mustard. I infinitely prefer this version to the original.
Bread
Next up, the Masala Muska Bun (additional RM45+) — inspired by a bakery in Bangalore, Jhol’s version of these traditional palia buns (stuffed with a spiced potato mash) comes with pav bhaji butter and curry leaf butter, which complement the savoury bread beautifully.
Coconut Coastal
A surprise cocktail arrives, which we all get very excited about. The Coconut Coastal is a sweet, aromatic concoction featuring curry leaf, coconut water, toasted coconut, white and coconut rum, and Malibu. It’s as tropical and delicious as it sounds and goes down very smoothly (and quickly).
BFC
The BFC (Berhampur Fried Chicken) is a collective favourite. Inspired by the street food culture in this East Indian town, these boneless chicken wings are stuffed with chicken mince and served with fennel and green apple slaw and a wonderful green chilli-based hot sauce. The batter is spicy and crispy, the chicken meat is rich and tender, and the sides complement everything perfectly.
Surti Anda Ghotala
I’m also a big fan of the Surti Anda Ghotala, a classic childhood comfort food staple. Three types of eggs — creamy scrambled, egg whites with tomato curry, and grated egg yolks — are served with a delicious chilli cheese toast with a little truffle for a classy touch. These eggs are brilliant, with almost a paneer cheese-like consistency, and there’s a nice kick from the fresh green chillies.
Palate Cleanser
The Palate Cleanser is so good that it could be a dessert in itself. Pink guava sorbet – with a guava-chilli compote as the base – is topped with freeze-dried strawberries to create a brilliant balance between sharpness and spice that speaks volumes about Johl’s innovative approach and attention to detail.
The Feast
‘The Feast’ is the sharing-style main course selection. The Kundapura Ghee Roast Chicken is beautifully cooked, rich and tender, and comes with a delicious cone dosa and coconut chutney in the true taste of tradition. The Alleppey Fish Curry is my favourite; generous flaky white fish in a gloriously mouth-warming curry sauce with a coconut milk base and raw mango for a hint of sourness, served with nutritious matta rice and tapioca mash.
Monsoon Negroni
And then another surprise cocktail arrives, which we’re very happy about — especially so because it’s a Negroni. Specifically, a Monsoon Negroni, using Himalayan gin, kokam-infused Campari for a sweet-salty-sour profile, and vermouth, served in an applewood cup. It really brings out the spice in the food, and we appreciate that this version isn’t just a novelty departure from the classic recipe for the sake of it.
Dessert
Time for dessert — in fact, we’re lucky enough to try a few. The Tender Coconut Payasam features young coconut flesh, mango sorbet, sesame crisp, passionfruit jelly and blueberry gel; lovely, light and totally tropical. At the other end of the flavour spectrum, the Sticky Toffee Pudding is a rich and delicious helping of date cake, caramel ice cream and nolen gur, a traditional Bengali sweetener made from the sap of the date palm tree. And somewhere in the middle is the Baby Banana, a banana semifreddo (think frozen mousse) with coffee crumble and coffee and cardamom ice cream. It’s a playful dessert with interesting contrasts between sweet and slightly bitter. We scrape all three plates completely clean.
Petit Four
To finish, some petit fours; a lovely layered coconut-coffee-cardamom bebinca cake from Goa, and a tangy seasonal tart with mango and lemon chutney, coconut cream and kaffir lime curds. An elegant touch to an excellent meal that really has taken our taste buds on a journey around India’s coastlines. After heaping more praise on Chef Gaurav and his team, it’s time to head home — but we’ll be back. There’s plenty more on the a la carte menu to try next time …
Reasons to visit Jhol Kuala Lumpur: unique menu focusing on Indian coastal cuisine, with a great variety of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes; a sophisticated approach to street food classics that stay true to the original while elevating their ingredients; stylish, elegant space with plenty of seating to suit every occasion, whether casual meals or private events.
Jhol Kuala Lumpur
The MET Corporate Towers, 20, Jalan Dutamas 2, Kompleks Kerajaan, 51200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Link to Jhol Kuala Lumpur on Google Maps
*Vegetarian options available
**Underground parking in The Met
Jhol Kuala Lumpur Opening Hours
Daily: 12-3 pm & 6-10 pm
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