Chef Steve Chou brings flavoursome finesses to Genting Highlands
Chef Steve Chou would not look out of place in an East Asian boyband, with his slicked hair and twinkly eyes. But instead of crooning and grooving, he is instead deftly cooking and grilling in the kitchen of The Olive in Resorts World Genting Highlands. Cooking may not have been his first love – “My mum’s food was just too good so I never took to it as a kid” – though you would not have guessed from his dishes.
Taiwanese-born and New York City-raised, Chef Chou started out in front service, where his cheeky grin proved useful. Curiosity then turned his head towards the kitchen, leading to a stint at Vong, Jean-George Vongerichten’s restaurant in Manhattan. From there, he moved to Gabriel Kreauther’s The Modern, also in Manhattan, then across the ocean to Bungalow in Hong Kong and finally to the cool environs of Genting.
That background of trans-continentalism, trans-national influences his dishes; French-rooted, internationally-inspired. “I take insight from my surroundings; trying to use as many local ingredients and inspirations as possible,” he says. Case in point, a dessert simply described as Compressed Melon – on the tongue, the arrangement of sweet potato crystals and coconut broth reveals itself to be a deconstructed bubur cha-cha – evoking the simple pleasures of the Malaysian street dessert in a beautifully refined form.
That same form of ingenuity is present in The Olive’s current set menu. paired with wines selected by sommelier Kevin Yee (RM410 nett). The Ricotta Cavatelli with cashew pesto and carrot bolognese is delightfully fresh, followed by a punchy steamed grouper crusted with mustard. The spiced lamb belly is decadently complex, and the intense flourish of Strawberry Farm is just perfect with the glass of M. Chapoutier Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2011. Delightful, and definitively delicious.
