Four M’sian restaurants in KL, Penang first in country to receive Michelin stars

TONIGHT at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel, the venerable Michelin Guide – which celebrates the finest restaurants and culinary traditions from around the world – announced the first Malaysian restaurants to receive the vaunted Michelin Star, as well as the Bib Gourmand award.

The awards were presented by Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides, alongside the help of the Michelin mascot. 

32 received the honour of Bib Gourmand for quality cooking at reasonable prices, while four received 1 Michelin Star or ‘high-quality cooking, worth a stop’ – two of which are in KL, with two in Penang. In addition to that, three individuals received Michelin Special Awards. 

In Kuala Lumpur, the two restaurants to receive 1 Michelin Star were Dewakan, a restaurant presenting modern Malaysian dishes using local and indigenous produce, and DC by Darren Chin, known for French classics with regional live seafood and local produce.

Chef Darren Teoh of Dewakan, in a Q&A with members of the media after receiving the award, was in a jovial mood, letting slip that he knew he was pretty confident going in that he wouldn’t be leaving the night empty-handed.

In Penang, the two restaurants are Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery, which serves Peranakan cuisine from the titular chef’s secret recipes and quality produce, and Au Jardin, which is known for sophisticated European fare with subtle local twists. 

The three special awards were the Sommelier Award, which went to Mahabad Hafiz bin Abdullah from DC by Darren Chin; the Service Award for exceptional service to Leanne Lim of Dewakan; and the Young Chef Award to Chef Lim Yan You of  Au Jardin.

The thirty-two restaurants to receive the Bib Gourmand, which consists 20 different cuisines, including favourites like Aliyaa, De. Wan 1958, Sao Nam, and Taman Bukit Curry Mee. 

In short speeches given by awards recipients throughout the night, they voiced appreciation for the acclaim of the international award, though they were quick to point out that this was never the goal. For many, surviving the worst days of the pandemic was good enough. They all also cited the team effort required to make it this far. 

A common refrain from Poullennec was “this is just the beginning”, voicing Michelin’s plans of maintaining a presence in Malaysia, to expand beyond KL and Penang. – The Vibes, December 13, 2022