Chef Nulek Impresses With Her Knife-Wielding And Juggling Acts

Eating Out
By PRIYA MENON


IT IS not every day that you get to see a knife-wielding and utensil-juggling female chef at work, so it was truly a pleasure to see chef Vareenaun Eakwat (chef Nulek to many) from Thailand in action at the Sagano Japanese restaurant in Renaissance Hotel recently.

The 28-year-old Nulek is from Nami, the famous teppanyaki restaurant in JW Marriot Hotel, Bangkok and she would be at Sagano until March 29.

Teppanyaki is a Japanese cooking style where the meal is prepared on a hot iron griddle by chefs, who make it interesting by displaying special skills using knives and other kitchen utensil during preparation.


Skillful: The talented chef Nulek.

According to Nulek she was the first female chef at Nami and she had to train very hard to master the teppanyaki cooking skills.

For Nulek, skills like throwing knives and juggling eggs are a great way to make the dining experience more memorable and enjoyable for the diners.

Nulek introduced a variety of teppanaki appetisers in conjunction with the hotel’s latest promotion that also featured two elaborate eight-course menu namely the Seafood combination and the Seafood and Beef combination.


Healthy meal: Fresh sauteed vegetables with butter.

Both combinations had the creamy miso soup, green salad with chilli and carrot dressing as well as the deep fried soft shell crab with spicy chilli and mango sauce.

Unlike other miso soups, which were clear and made with miso paste, dried fish stock and vegetables, Nulek added whipping cream to her miso for a richer texture.

The beef dishes came with Korean Miso sauce and the Thai sauce called Stabina while the seafood dishes were accompanied by the American sun dried tomatoes and the unique Japanese Spicy Mayonnaise sauce.


Creamy: The miso soup with whipped cream for a more richer texture.

The Seafood and Beef combination had two main dishes, one was the Paper Wrapped Salmon with two types of seafood sauce and the sauteed wagyu beef and mushroom with two types of original beef sauce.

According to Nulek, the salmon dish was a healthy dish especially for those on a diet.

For the seafood combination, diners could enjoy sauteed lobster with two types of nami seafood sauce, which were made of tomatoes and spicy mayonnaise sauce.

The other dish in the combination was the snow fish served with vegetables and same type of sauce.

Both dishes came with sauteed vegetables and fried rice with garlic and shibazuke (Japanese cucumbers).


Fresh: Green salad with chilli and carrot.

The highlight of Nulek’s cooking was the egg juggling act where she threw the egg in the air, let it fall and it neatly broke in half.

As always the best part of any meal is the dessert and Nulek made it more exciting with her fruit flambe with vanilla ice cream.

Made from seasonal fruits, vanilla ice cream and butter, the ingredients were sauteed on the hot iron griddle and set on fire before served with a fresh scoop of ice cream.

The Seafood and beef combination is priced at RM 228 ++ while the Seafood combination is priced at RM 288 ++ including service charge and service tax.

> SAGANO JAPANESE RESTAU-RANT, First floor, Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel. (Tel: 21622233). Business hours: noon to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 11.00pm daily.