The Creative Mind Behind Shangri-La KL’s Dining Landscape

Newly appointed Executive Chef Eric Fettke oversees the kitchens behind Shangri-La KL’s favourites like Shang Palace, Zipangu, and Arthur’s Bar.

We all have that restaurant where the server already knows your order, and the beef bourguignon somehow ends up on your table every Sunday without fail. Yet, for all the dishes we obsess over, we rarely stop to think about the chef orchestrating it all from behind the pass.

The same goes for hotel dining. Take Shangri-La KL, for instance. Between its Chinese, Japanese, European, and Malaysian restaurants, the hotel has long built a reputation for serving some of the city’s most dependable plates. But who’s the person tying all those flavours together?

To find out, we sat down with newly appointed Executive Chef Eric Fettke, the man overseeing the kitchens behind Lemon Garden, Shang Palace, Zipangu, Garden Room, and Arthur’s Bar.

Raised in a German–South African household, Chef Fettke’s career has taken him across Germany, the Middle East, and Africa before eventually leading him to Southeast Asia, where he immersed himself in Vietnamese flavours and techniques. Now in KL, he brings those influences together with a cooking style shaped by seasonality, sustainability, and a strong farm-to-table mindset.

“This experience has guided my creative approach while deepening my respect for culinary heritage. As I take on this role, I look forward to building on the strong legacy of the hotel,” he says.

Still, the real introduction came through the food. Rather than a standard tasting menu, dinner unfolded like a travel diary told through plates. It began with Vietnamese Rice Paper Caviar Pillows filled with Nước Mắm crème, alongside salmon tucked into charcoal cones that vanished in a bite.

Then came the heavier hitters: Vietnamese Hamachi Crudo, Seared Scallops, Cured Duck Breast with Foie Gras, and Sauerbraten-style Beef that nodded to his European roots without feeling weighed down by them. Dessert arrived as a Frankincense Cheesecake, surprisingly aromatic and unusual enough to keep you thinking about it afterwards.

By the end of the evening, we walked away understanding the chef quietly steering the hotel’s dining scene, and with a growing appetite to keep eating our way through his story.

Photo courtesy of Shangri-La KL