The Datai Langkawi Chef Series with Chef Nelly Robinson

The Datai Langkawi Chef Series with Chef Nelly Robinson

Last month, we were at The Datai Langkawi for the Chef Series with Chef Nelly Robinson.  The signature experience with London born Chef Nelly Robinson was from 30 August to 1 September 2019 inviting guests to experience and indulge in his culinary masterpiece in the resort. The chef series has welcomed other chefs include the legendary Michel and Sébastien Bras, invites Michelin-starred chefs from around the globe to showcase their extraordinary skill and talent to guests staying at the resort.

We flew to Langkawi from Kuala Lumpur and this is our first visit to The Datai Langkawi. We requested the private transfer from the airport to the resort. It takes around 40 minutes to reach The Datai Langkawi.

We stayed in the Rainforest Villa and the room is huge. You can check out the video for the room walkthrough after the recent refurbishment.

You can spend the entire week at the Rainforest Villa, it feels like a small apartment in the middle of the rainforest. There are benches at the balcony facing the rainforest. Even for locals like us, we seldom experience the tranquillity like this.

We had a little chat with Chef Nelly Robinson before dinner on his experiences and challenges sourcing local produce for his dinner. He loves Malaysia and he enjoys the food, the culture and of course, the resort.

Nelly began his career at the tender age of 14 at Michelin-starred restaurant Northcote Manor in England, where he trained under Chef Patron, Nigel Hawoth.   He went on to open his first restaurant, nel. in Australia, pioneering a globally-inspired culinary scene in Sydney that is widely celebrated for its unique dining experience. nel. was voted best restaurant in Australia by Timeout Magazine and named #1 best restaurant in Australia by Tripadvisor in 2016. Notably, Nelly was previously nominated for the Gault Millau Chef of the Year award back in 2016 and again in 2017.

As part of this series in partnership with Sidewood Wines each dining experience will give guests the option to wine-pair from the largest eco-sustainable winery in the Adelaide Hills. Founded in 2004, Sidewood Wines was born out of the vision and passion of owners Owen and Cassandra Inglis for creating beautifully balanced, elegant, award-winning wines accredited with Five Red Star from prolific Australian wine critic James Halliday. 

Let us show you the dinner prepared by Chef Nelly Robinson using local produce and paired with Sidewood Wines.

Degustation by Chef Nelly Robinson

Reception

Sidewood Estate, Chloe Cuvee, Adelaide Hills 2014

Splash, Spice & Shot

Thai style green curry with spiced prawns served with rice and coconut water shot

Sidewood Estate Mappinga Fume Blanc, Adelaide Hills 2015

Sea Mates

Handpicked crab with macadamia puree, pickled carrot and mint

Sidewood Estate Mappinga Fume Blanc, Adelaide Hills 2015

Double Surfin’

24 hour marinated mackerel served with smoked yogurt, pickled cucumber and lobster

Sidewood Estate, Mappinga Chardonay, Adelaide Hills 2016

The Classique

Slow cooked beef short rib with back garlic, braised onions and fat sauce

Sidewood Estate, Mappinga Shiraz, Adelaide Hills 2015

Peter Rabbit’s Garden

Carrot and mandarin served with yogurt and edible soil

Sidewood estate, Pear Cider, Adelaide Hills

Chocolate Forest

Peppermint log served with chocolate ganache and mint sorbet

Sidewood Estate, Apple Cider, Adelaide Hills

The dinner by Chef Nelly Robinson is amazing. The chef brings us through a journey of culinary experience and techniques as he explains the ingredients and the taste of each dishes. We love the presentations of the dishes, the cooking method and technique used to make the dishes, we were impressed. We enjoyed the Sea Mates and the The Classique, the beef short ribs were really tasty and flavourful.  You get the different textures and taste for Peter Rabbit’s Garden and the Sidewood Estate wines are fantastic!

Overall, the food is amazing and it complements well with the selected of Sidewood Wines.  You can check out the short video on Youtube we took for this dinner.

The brainchild of General Manager Arnaud Girdon, the Chef Series will bring celebrated chefs from around the globe to the heart of the Malaysian rainforest.  By celebrating the very best in hospitality and gastronomy, the series will play a key role in cementing the position of The Datai Langkawi as one of the leading luxury resorts in Asia.

If you are interested to check more upcoming promotions by The Datai Langkawi, do visit their website at https://www.thedatai.com/ and if you are a frequent guest using Agoda, you can check out their rates at https://www.agoda.com/the-datai-langkawi/hotel/langkawi-my.html?cid=1538606