Now Reading: Chef Hari Nayak Brings Coastal Indian Cuisine To KL With Jhol
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Chef Hari Nayak Brings Coastal Indian Cuisine To KL With Jhol
Acclaimed chef Hari Nayak returns to his roots with Jhol Kuala Lumpur, a refined new outpost dedicated to the rich, regional flavours of India’s coastal states.
Growing up in a household where his grandfather ran a local restaurant in Udupi, India’s southwestern coast, Chef Hari Nayak was surrounded by stories steeped in spice and flavour. Though his father chose a different path, tales of the family’s culinary legacy shaped Chef Nayak’s earliest memories. “The first time I stepped into a kitchen, that was the moment I fell in love—I knew I was going to be a chef,” says Chef Nayak.
Now an acclaimed chef with global experience—from working under culinary icons like French chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud to publishing the groundbreaking book, Modern Indian Cooking, Chef Nayak has spent the last 25 years reimagining Indian cuisine. At first, he tried to escape it. “When I moved to the U.S. to study at the Culinary Institute of America, I wanted to cook everything but Indian food,” he laughs. “My early experiences in Indian kitchens weren’t great. Peeling 50kg of onions isn’t exactly inspiring.”
But eventually, his roots caught up with him. After years in fine dining Western kitchens, Chef Nayak returned to the cuisine of his homeland—not to modernise it, but to honour it. “Indian food doesn’t need to be reinvented. It just needs to be presented with care and clarity.”
That ethos shines through at Jhol Kuala Lumpur, his newest restaurant in collaboration with Clifftop Group Asia. An extension of his beloved Bangkok outlet, Jhol Kuala Lumpur celebrates coastal Indian cuisine—from Tamil Nadu and Kerala to Odisha and Goa—offering diners a regionally rich, spice-forward experience that’s both grounded and unexpected.
The menu dances between homage and innovation. Highlights include the ‘Calicut Pepper Crab’, a fiery crab toast brightened with garlic-yoghurt pachadi, and ‘Masala Muska Buns’, a riff on Bangalore’s bakery favourite, filled with spicy potato and served with pav bhaji and curry leaf butters. Then there’s the ‘BerhampurFried Chicken’—deboned, double-fried wings dressed in hot sauce and chutney, crisped to perfection and royal in indulgence.
Other standouts include the ‘Surti Anda Ghotala’, a chilli cheese toast topped with truffle, and the ’KundapuraGhee Roast Chicken’, slow-cooked and served with a crisp cone dosa and coconut chutney. The ‘Alleppey Fish Curry’, paired with tapioca (kappa) and matta rice, is a tangy, creamy finale before dessert—’Tender Coconut Payasam’ with jaggery sesame snap and mango sorbet.
Jhol Kuala Lumpur is where coastal nostalgia meets culinary craft, with each plate telling a story. “If I wouldn’t eat it twice a month myself, it doesn’t go on the menu,” Chef Nayak says with a smile. With dishes this vibrant, we suspect diners will be back more than twice.
Dive into Chef Hari Nayak’s Unfiltered interview below.
