The best cooking classes in KL

Founded in 1985 in Japan, ABC Cooking Studio now operates over 100 studios across the world, including Hong Kong, Korea and Thailand. ABC takes cooking seriously, and the sleek and modern studio in KL's Pavilion Elite is a budding cook's dream.

There are five standard courses available for members – cake, bread, cooking, wagashi and kids. To start a course here is to commit to at least six lessons (for the most basic programme) over a few months. The classes are intentionally kept small to ensure sufficient attention from the teachers. If you’re unsure, sign up for a trial lesson (held seasonally; RM95) or participate in their one-time lessons (also held seasonally; from RM220 depending on ingredients).  

Trial lesson, RM95; one-off class, from RM220 depending on course.

Unlike other culinary arts schools, classes here are intentionally kept small and conducted hands-on in a home kitchen environment using recipes which can be easily re-created at home. Headed by culinary instructors like Chef Khairil Anwar Ahmad (chef lecturer and co-author of ‘Lost Recipes of Malaysia’) and Sapna Anand (author of ‘New Indian Kitchen’), the studio is well-equipped to teach the fundamentals of cooking a wide range of cuisines.

Their regular Beginner’s Guide classes have seen students making Melaka Nyonya desserts and baking sweet pastries, with June’s session taking novices through the steps of cooking classic Nyonya food like ayam pongteh, acar koh and gerang assam. This month there’s also a Food Science for Kids programme – teaching young chefs the science behind making butter, melting chocolate and freezing water – and a Father’s Day Special where you’ll learn how to prepare a full meal for dad.

From RM190 per class.

Translating to ‘ABC’ in traditional Japanese, Iloha welcomes anyone eager to learn about Asian cultures, languages and cooking. Cooking classes last between three and four hours, at the end of which you’ll know how to whip up at least two or three dishes on your own – not a bad way to spend the afternoon. For June, you can expect a Korean-themed class which focuses on making kimchi mandu, dakgangjeong (Koreanstyle popcorn chicken) and gyeran mari (Korean egg roll); a tempura and home-made udon class; and a dessert workshop making matcha strawberry roll cake and dorayaki.

From RM130 per class.

Tucked away in a corner of Ben’s Independent Grocer in Publika is a full-fledged kitchen that hosts BIG’s Masak-Masak cooking classes. As its playful name suggests, the classes here are meant to be inclusive and fun – there are even classes for kids priced under RM100 – while being instructive across a wide variety of cooking styles and cuisines.

Led by BIG’s resident Chef Christine Lee, a former recipe developer and culinary instructor with Universiti Putra Malaysia, Masak-Masak’s classes change from month to month, with June featuring traditional Malay cooking classes to coincide with Hari Raya. Join their Raya series, which includes kuih Raya classes, Raya cookies classes, and an ‘Iftar with Arabic Cuisine’ session teaching how to make hummus, chicken kabsa and om ali (an Egyptian bread pudding).

From RM150 per session.