GEORGE TOWN, Jan 19 — Chutney, jam, cheese and vegetable purée eaten with soft warm grilled bread make for an explosion of flavours and textures in your mouth. And a wonderful start to a meal at the newly-opened Hutton Grill.
The British colonial-inspired menu features traditional Indian, Malay and British fare given a new twist.
And when you realise that Hutton Grill is George Town Heritage and Hotels' (GTHH) latest — and third F&B outlet after the charming Mews Cafe and elegant Kebaya Dining Room — addition, everything becomes clear.
In fact, the chefs responsible for Hutton Grill's menu are Chef Zachary Choong and Chef Tong Yuan Shen of Kebaya Dining Room.
“I used inspiration from the Spice Route and our history as part of the Straits Settlements to come up with the recipes and dishes for the menu,” Choong said.
Both the chefs who are trained in the French culinary tradition used those classical techniques to bring together seemingly disparate spices and local ingredients.
A case in point is the ulam pesto paneer where fresh Indian-style cottage cheese meets local ulam.
The starter platter is served Indian thali style; five small bowls of jam, chutney, cheese, purée and a choice of salmon or chicken are served on a large tray together with soft bread sticks.
Each dish, including the jam and cheese, is enhanced by spices and local herbs to produce a melange of sweet, sour and savoury flavours.
The bread sticks and flat bread served with the set meals are charcoal grilled instead of baked.
For the main dishes, also served on platters, the choices are Australian grain fed tri tip, chicken satay, grilled fish, smoked duck stew or lamb shoulder korma.
These come with either flat bread or rice, salad and relish.
The chicken satay is charcoal grilled and served with a spiced lentil and chickpea salad and a Eurasian salt fish pickle.
The grilled fish, topped with a unique pesto sauce, is served wth a pickled purple and white cabbage slaw and sambal that is sweet, sour and spicy from fruits and fresh spices. Yes, it is vastly different from your regular sambal.
The smoked duck stew and lamb shoulder kurma are tender and absolutely delicious. These two dishes come with a refreshing cucumber salad and the lamb comes with a tart green mango pickle which makes for a delightful contrast to the strong flavours of the lamb.
For dessert, Choong and Tong do not disappoint despite not being pastry chefs.
There are five different desserts to choose from and the Limaulicious, a spiked lime pudding with fresh goat’s milk ice cream, is a stand-out and already proving to be very popular with diners.
As its name suggest, this is a creamy confection that awakens the senses with its tartness layered with sweetness from the ice cream.
Another unique dessert to try is the rice pudding. They gave rice pudding a makeover by layering Japanese rice mousse with black sticky rice cooked in rich coconut milk and topped with puffed rice and fruits milk jelly for spoonfuls of sweetness made interesting by its layers of different textures.
Hutton Grill is only open for dinner and reservations are required.
Hutton Grill
153F, Hutton Lane, George Town.
Time: 6pm-9.30pm
Tel: 04-2189858
*A previous version of this story contained errors which have since been corrected.
