Bukit Jalil omakase restaurant using local ingredients – Wired PR Lifestyle Story

It is not news that the Malaysian tourism sector hit hard last year, and is only now recovering. Zhexi and Yongzhi were two such employees who also felt their influence, losing their jobs as hotel chefs during the pandemic.

But this setback did not hold them back for long. With RM10K, they established a small omakase experience in a 300-square-foot space on February 20, 2021. Eat and Cook.

At the time, it only took 12 customers a day, 6 for lunch and 6 for dinner. Since neither Zhexi nor Yongzhi knew how to market their brand, Steve and Harry sought the advice of their best friends as current directors and partners, respectively.

Together, the four were able to increase awareness and traffic to the store, and given the strength they have gained so far, they decided it was time to expand.

Now located in the city of Bukit Jalil, they are able to supply up to 30 people per night.

An homage to Malaysian memories

“The name of our restaurant sums up what we’re talking about. You get into the mood to eat and our chefs will decide what to cook in front of you, ”Steve and Zhexi repeated the philosophy to the Vulcan Post in an interview.

While Malaysian omakase options are not lacking, there is a small side to the omatase brand in Eat and Cook.

When you think of “omakase,” you usually think of Japanese cuisine, and rightly so, because that’s where the concept came from.

However, for Zhexi, Yongzhi and Steve, all of whom graduated from the same cooking school, what they wanted to take from the omasas was primarily the mystery of the menu.

They then focused on using local ingredients for their dishes.

“We’ve seen the ingredients of our homeland be neglected by our people and we actually have very great products for our herbs, seafood, and even the spices of our local farmers, Cameron Highlands, Pantai Remis, Sabah, etc.,” Steve said. Zhexik.

“When we serve customers, we also share [with them] how we prepare it, what local ingredients we are using to create the dish, as well as what the flavor is [of it] that we grow [with] as a Malaysian. ‘

The couple set an example of a popular dish that was transformed. Assam laksa is served with thick noodles and rich mackerel broth, but in Eat and Cook, the noodles are replaced with strips of tuna and the broth is changed to a light foam.

“People may not know it [what it is when] look, but when they taste it they will do so immediately [recognise] the taste of the dish, ”Steve and Zhexi said.

In a sense, it could be said that the theme of their omakase is built on the memories that Malaysians have of their favorite food, through re-imagined and transformed dishes.

Rotating in the middle of a lock

It opened and just over a month later, Eat and Cook actually had to close its doors when the government announced the COVID-19 blockade.

“It really hurt a lot because we don’t have enough sales every month to cover restaurant expenses, because we didn’t have to. [lay off] any of our employees, ”the couple shared.

“But thank God, once we opened the restaurant, most of our customers helped us so we could get back on track.”

Although they were unable to serve omakase to customers during the blockade, the Eat and Cook team did not move.

They began their work by switching from food to other styles, such as barbecue, a Don (rice dish) menu and a Home Chef Series meal kit for fans to prepare 3 sets of dishes at home for 2 people.

Since reopening, Eat and Cook has completely returned to the elegant omakase dining room. According to the group, businesses are booming: they are always full, and most guests need to book a slot 1.5 months in advance.

Eat and Cook changes its menu every 3-4 months depending on the season, and this time it offers an 11-course menu worth RM398 ++.

On their website you can find a menu that explains the ingredients you will normally enjoy, but you will have no idea what creative shape these dishes will take in the omakase spirit.

Teamwork works like a dream

With the strong support of the fans, Eat and Cook has not forgotten the people they care about most: their team. He is proud to promote a good team culture, and also highlights team members on social media to help fans understand the people behind the food.

“We would like to expand our F&B team so that all employees have the opportunity to direct, experiment, explore and be one of the shareholders in their creativity,” Steve and Zhexi stated.

“We believe that a good commission system is also very important in an organization because it motivates employees and makes them more productive, and they will feel part of those companies.”

With the right team, they aim to become one of KL’s best restaurants and be recognized as one of the top 50 restaurants in Asia to increase the brand’s visibility.

Looking ahead, Steve and Zhexi believe this will allow them to hire elite talent and create new brands.

Each brand would carry different concepts, but the team will continue to focus on mid- and high-end customers.

• You can learn more about Eat and Cook here.
• Read more of our F&B content here.

Notable image credit: Eat and Cook