Boutique hotel The Chow Kit has converted 10 of its guest rooms on the first floor into private dining rooms to give dine-in customers better privacy
Because 'one metre apart' might mean a different thing from one person to the next, the ingenuity of The Chow Kit's new dine-in concept is of no small magnitude. The award-winning hotel by the Ormond Group is reducing the risk of spread by separating and allocating different groups of diners to individual hotel rooms—a total of 10. Now before you get any cheeky ideas, such as sneaking in a siesta during lunch hour, know that each room's bed has been replaced by a dining table seating up to six pax.
TATLER TIP: Bigger parties can be accommodated in The Library and The Chow Kit's two meetings rooms.
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The food: homey family recipes by Chef Ell
In all honesty, it was sheer curiosity that prompted us to accept The Chow Kit's invitation to review PRIVATE, but an hour into the experience was enough to make acolytes of us. No matter the novelty, any eatery's worth boils down to one factor: the food.
With ingredients sourced from the closest wet market and a seasoned chef overseeing the stoves, PRIVATE's Malaysian menu is fit for royalty, but homey enough to be appreciated by the everyday bloke. Chef Juwahir "Ell" Mustafa, who has called the kitchen his second home since the age of 17, veers between tradition and inspiration, as seen in the likes of The Chow Kit Nachos, Kambing Kuzi, Rendang Daging, Ikan Assam Pedas, Sambal Udang and, our personal favourite, the Gulai Pisang, which stars unripe bananas more akin to starchy plantains. The Chow Kit is also honouring the British tradition of roasts by offering a separate Western menu for all PRIVATE bookings on Sundays.
ICYMI: The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar Celebrates Malaysian Roots With New Localised Menu