Sneak peek: Aziamendi 88

For the first time in KL’s dining scene, KLites are given a chance to sample the offerings from a three Michelin-starred chef without leaving KL. Chef Eneko Atxa of Azurmendi in Bilbao, Spain and Aziamendi in Iniala Phuket is in town for a pop-up restaurant in Mandarin Oriental’s Mandarin Grill. For 88 days, to be exact.

Known for his cutting edge yet informed Basque culinary skills and revolutionary molecular gastronomy techniques, Chef Eneko Atxa was awarded his third Michelin star when he was 35 years old (the youngest in Spain so far).

The Aziamendi 88 experience begins with a ‘picnic’ in the VIP room, transformed into a garden complete with trimmed bushes, wooden benches and softly flickering candles. After having bite-size anchovy cream mille-feuille, mojito bon bons and caviar on corn toast from a wicker basket, you will be led to a table where a bonsai tree sits in the middle. The bonsai acts as a prop on which appetisers such as cherry tomatoes were suspended and pieces of edible ‘tree bark’ (fried sunchoke skin with sea salt) were placed. The picnic and bonsai tree theatrics are part of the experience from Azurmendi (Chef Atxa’s restaurant in Bilbao), where guests are invited to explore the eco-friendly greenhouse garden before the meal.

Following Iniala’s philosophy of combining art, gastronomy, design and philanthropy, Lim Wei Ling of Wei-Ling Gallery has curated the collection of works on display at Aziamendi 88, available for purchase during the dinner. Here are four standout dishes to look out for.