[Pork-free] Raw Kitchen Hall is a lovely new dining space in downtown KL.
Located on the ground floor of the newly-opened Else KL Hotel (which took over the Lee Rubber building), Raw Kitchen Hall offers comfort Latin-Asian dishes such as Thai-shoyu dressed ceviche and Pad Kra Pow croquettes.
Raw Kitchen Hall in KL
Raw Kitchen Hall is an extension of its sister brand, Raw Kitchen Bar, in Singapore.
Occupying most of the ground floor of the luxury hotel on Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, Raw Kitchen Hall is dressed to the nines to impress.
Faux Roman columns set the backdrop for the bar, with strokes of herringbone bricks, brass fittings, and mid-century furniture providing a lovely setting for a business lunch, romantic dinner, or a casual gathering with friends.
We loved the big windows that provide a view of the popular florists on Jalan Hang Lekir.
Raw Kitchen Hall offers Latin-Asian dishes
Helmed by chef Leong Chee Mun, Raw Kitchen Hall’s menu is playful as it fuses Latin dishes with an Asian flair.
Currently, Raw Kitchen Hall offers the same menu for both lunch and dinner.
Sharing dishes here include Creamy Ricotta (Italian whey cheese served with charred grapes, candied sunflower seeds, and tortilla) and Tuna Tartare served with herbal sauce, puffed rice, and pickled chilli.
The mains feature everything from protein (Wagyu beef brisket, duck leg, snapper) to pasta (Romesco Rigatoni) and rice (Black Mamba).
Do note that all the dishes are intended for sharing – so do let the waiting staff know if you prefer a course-by-course meal.
Service here was attentive and helpful.
Lovely ceviche and broccoli
The Snapper Ceviche (RM36) was a lovely blend of Latin and Asian. The raw snapper is sharply dressed in shoyu, with lovely piquant hits from cut shallots, chilli oil and lime zest.
The Grilled Broccoli (RM24) was a nice counterpoint to the zesty ceviche. The florets were perfectly cooked on the grill for some lovely char, but the addition of pomegranate, pomelo and nuts dressing really gave it nice creamy and juicy embellishment.
All hail to the Black Mamba
A signature dish directly lifted from its sister’s menu in Singapore, we really enjoyed the Black Mamba (RM58).
Cooked with squid ink sofrito and topped with fermented chilli sambal, the rice was very flavourful with good char and bite. The raw yolk gives some creaminess, and we liked the addition of curry leaves for some Asian flair.
However, we did wish that the prawns were served warm.
Beef brisket is tender
The Warung Wagyu Beef Brisket (RM118) is another dish we enjoyed. The beef was super tender with a lovely melt-in-the-mouth texture.
We liked that the beef was dressed in a sweet-savoury gravy that reminded us of acar or Rojak sauce. We thought it really complemented the beef as it was not “gamey” at all.
Summary
Overall, we enjoyed our meal here. We recommend the Black Mamba, ceviche and broccoli.
According to the manager, the chef is planning a revamp of the menu in February so some of the items might not be available when you visit. However, we heard that the Black Mamba and ceviche are likely to remain.
Raw Kitchen Hall
Address: Ground Floor, Else KL Hotel, 145, Jalan Tun H S Lee, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 12pm-11pm Daily
Website: https://www.elseretreats.com/raw-kitchen-hall/
Reservations: https://letsumai.com/widget/raw-kitchen-hall
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