Mia Bangkok Brings Its Culinary Story to Borneo

Twenty-two floors above the verdant Kota Kinabalu landscape, Mia Bangkok arrived at the Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu for an evening of masterfully curated courses.

At ON22—Hyatt Centric’s intimate yet elegant dining space—Mia’s chef patrons (Pongcharn ‘Top’ Russell and Michelle Goh) offered an unconventional takeover of the hotel’s normal menu. For three evenings, traditionally Bornean ingredients found themselves folded into a seven-course menu that was both precise and deeply personal. The dinner moved between land and sea, familiarity and surprise, with each plate carrying a little more of the chefs’ story. It was, fittingly, a taste of Mia, but one that belonged unmistakably to Sabah.

The evening began with three bites, each small enough to disappear in an instant, yet intricate enough to announce what was to come. An oyster glossed with passionfruit and pineapple, chilli cutting through its sweetness; a crisp duxelles tart softened by hollandaise; a truffle taramasalata tartlet scattered with ikura and smoked salmon. With a bubbly Billecart-Salmon Brut Le Reserve champagne in hand, the mouthfuls came in bursts of flavour without the frills. They were tiny introductions to Mia’s sensibility: detailed, layered, and quietly theatrical.

Yet, few dishes carried as much sentiment as The Signature. A warm sourdough brioche accompanied by shallot butter and a dusting of onion ash, it is a staple of the Taste of Mia experience—a quiet homage to the beginning of Top and Michelle’s relationship. The story’s starting point is Singapore, with Michelle asking Top to smell the apple juice starter she was cultivating. That same starter lives on in the bread at Mia. Fluffy and airy, it was the perfect accompaniment to the full-bodied butter.

The ensuing starter paired Hokkaido scallop and bluefin tuna with truffle ponzu and caviar, matched with the mineral brightness of a 2023 Sancerre Silex Blanc white wine. It marked the commencement of a culinary motif for the dinner. In congruence with the water motif, the Locale dish was closely followed by a brilliant expression of place—Mia’s ever-changing chawanmushi. Here, a 48-hour Sabah edition of the classic dish arrived with seafood, its delicate custard carrying flavours of the surrounding coast. Rather than imposing Mia Bangkok upon Kota Kinabalu, the dish encouraged a mouthwatering dialogue between the two regions.

The Ocean course was all controlled decadence: grilled lobster served with lobster bisque and textures of artichoke, its richness tempered by the freshness of the Vocoret Chablis Premier Cru La Forêt. Yet, the following Farm course shifted the mood entirely. The 48-hour braised grass-fed beef short rib was almost impossibly tender, accompanied by sweet potato, eggplant, and peppercorn jus. The dish drew from Top’s first experience in Sabah, when sweet potato dumplings introduced him to the local flavours that stayed with him. Even its silky puree was the product of precision, and it was the evening’s most comforting note.

Dessert then brought the evening back towards brightness. White Lady paired yoghurt ice cream with mango and finger lime, the fruit’s tropical sweetness lifted by the citrusy snap. A glass of Château Du Mayne Sauternes 2022 provided the final flourish. It was an elegant end to a dinner built on movement, particularly between Bangkok and Borneo. What lingered on the palate the longest, however, were the personal details: a chawanmushi shaped by its coastline, a sweet potato inspired by a first journey to Sabah, and a starter from Singapore still breathing life into a loaf of brioche. For one evening in Kota Kinabalu, Mia’s story found a new setting—and Sabah left its mark in return.