Two Spicy Nights: Michelin-Selected Nadodi Teams Up With Bangkok’s One-Michelin-Starred 80/20

For two nights only in September, Kuala Lumpur’s Michelin-Selected favourite Nadodi shared its kitchen with Chef Thav Phouthavong (Thav) of Bangkok’s 80/20, a one-Michelin-starred address built on 80 per cent Thai ingredients, 20 per cent chef personality, and creative flair. The result was new registers of heat and restraint, with fish and shellfish threading through the courses.

Chef Thav’s Oyster Jeow Som was a strong opening act: a gently poached, plump Brittany oyster presented true to tradition on a half-shell over crushed ice. Its velvety richness was met by a fiery Laotian jeow som sauce, a nod to Chef Thav’s roots. Traditionally served with grilled meats, it was repurposed here as a high-acid counterpoint, sliced through with the tanginess of belimbing buluh and an airy coriander foam reminiscent of sea spray.

Nadodi‘s crowd-pleasing starters, usually presented as a trio, shared the plate this time. The mainstays were the playful sakura ebi hopper crowned with a mini ‘egg’ and the refined, breadcrumbed idli topped with cured sea bream. Completing the trio was Chef Thav’s Plaa Scallop, which reinterprets the classic herb-and-citrus Thai salad using Hokkaido scallop coated in sweet chilli jam, topped with caviar and served on a crispy nori cracker.

At Chef Yavhin’s insistence, his personal favourite from 80/20 made it onto the menu: a thick-cut amberjack ceviche made for dipping into a sinus-clearing yellow spur chilli sauce, its punch tempered by a bed of bursting pomelo. Feedback on the spice level was met with a sly smile from Chef Thav: “We do unapologetic Thai food.”

Thankfully, Chef Yavhin’s warm egg custard (a Nadodi house favourite) offered a mellow counterpoint. It was slathered in a comforting, aged yellow vadouvan sauce—a blend of nine spices dried flat, hand-rolled, and matured in glass under cheesecloth for several months—and finished with the savoury pop of smoked ikura.

Another recent Nadodi signature featured. The Crispy Scale Coral Grouper, with its crackling skin, dry-aged for six days to concentrate flavours, met with 80/20’s hearty southern yellow curry.

The meal culminated in a family-style feast that brought together Nadodi’s Nomad’s Globe and 80/20’s samrub philosophy. Featuring Chef Yavhin’s layered crab biryani and aromatic Jaffna crab curry, alongside Chef Thav’s rich century egg salad honouring Thailand’s Teochew heritage and a succulent grilled lemongrass-marinated chicken dusted with chilli flakes.

The evening closed with Chef Yavhin’s savoury-sweet miso caramel kesari, followed by 80/20’s tang yuan-inspired bua loy, Chef Thav’s ginger-free take, leaning heavily on a creamy black sesame finish.

Nadodi |80/20