A NOD TO NOMADS

Its name translated to mean “nomad” in Tamil and Malayalam, one-year-old Nadodi is a finedining establishment that has gained a reputation for its modern interpretation of South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine.

Executive chef Johnson Ebenezer has honed his skills at some of the most prestigious hotels in India, including The Westin Chennai Velachery and Radisson Blu also in Chennai. His right-hand man, 27-year-old chef de cuisine Sricharan Venkatesh, has an equally glowing CV, having been through the kitchens of Indigo Restaurant in New Delhi, the Maya Restaurant at The Oberoi, Mumbai, and Gaggan. Both hailing from South India, the chefs have observed how the food of their homeland has transformed in other parts of the world.

In Kuala Lumpur, especially, they see a place where traditions meets modernity, where cultures and cuisines amalgamate, making it the perfect venue for their ambitious concept restaurant. The creativity is sophisticated, the cooking is precise, and the flavours are distinct, allowing diners to fully appreciate the complexity of the cuisine. At the same time, they are intriguingly modern in presentation: like a delicate plate of beetroot curry, beetroot sorbet and beetroot “glass” topped with a dollop of coconut and peanut espuma and served with pickled beets and a sprinkling of beetroot dust. “We’re completely changing the traditional way of looking at South Indian food,” says Venkatesh.