ADEEB Pali’s ability to turn a lean chicken into a choice confit has us marvelling at his ingenuity. The chef is proud of his Black Silkie Chicken Confit, as he stays true to his local-driven casual dining theme at Anon.kl in Petaling Jaya.

Adeeb presents a private dinner in Ground Coffee – a cafe in Uptown that turns into Anon.kl at night – every Saturday. The Black Silkie Chicken Confit was the main meal in a five-course dinner recently.

The chicken thigh served together with a crispy chicken mousse ball breaded with black rice and purple carrot puree made for a textural delight.

The chicken was aromatic, crispy and rich. As we know, a confit is a dish where duck or other meat is slow-cooked in its own fat.

Adeeb brined the chicken with aromatic herbs and vegetables, then slowly cooked it in canola oil with coriander, garlic, thyme, and lemon and orange zest. He completed the dish with a subtle coffee chicken jus, made using his favourite coffee beans from Ground Coffee.

“I want to champion our local products, and this is a gem of a chicken,” said the chef.

Traditionally, the black chicken is double-boiled with Chinese herbs to boost blood and immunity.

For starters, we had the Spelt Sourdough, Eggplant and Za’atar – a soft, toasted slice of sourdough bread dipped in baba ghanoush, which is a creamy and smoky blend of eggplant, mayonnaise and za’atar (Mediterranean herbs and spices).

A generous portion of the bread –which I loved – and eggplant dip was served, and you can even ask for a refill.

Next, a French onion soup with balsamic and parmesan tuile was set out. The soup was naturally sweet, and the salty parmesan tuile balanced the dish.

For entrees, we enjoyed a plate of octopus, almond, arugula and orange. The dish, consisting tender octopus atop almond cream, surrounded by arugula, and garnished with orange and almond flakes, offered a delectable ensemble.

The octopus, which had been sous vide for five hours, was put on a hot plate and weighed down to be seared all over until crispy. It was delicious. The dish was completed with the irresistible almond cream, sherry vinaigrette on arugula and tangy orange.

We sipped on a refreshing concoction of soda, mint and strawberry to quench our thirst. This mix is part of the menu.

Dessert came in the form of coconut, sweet crumble and tropical fruit – coconut panna cotta, mango and passion fruit foam and crust crumble on dulce de leche (caramelised milk). The dish is a harmonious blend of different textures.

This five-course meal costs just RM98.

Adeeb said: “We want to change the menu as much as we can and feature more local seafood, such as sea bass from Kuala Selangor, and latok or sea grapes (a kind of seaweed).”

He said he would love to play around with new ingredients to give a surprise element to dining.

Pan-fried sea bass with barley risotto, tobiko cream sauce, cauliflower puree and sea grapes will be on the menu this week.

Adeeb holds a degree in culinary arts and food service management from both Taylor’s University and Toulouse University, France. He was an apprentice at a Michelin-star restaurant in Carcassonne, France, and has worked under Daniel Boulud in his flagship restaurant, Boulud Sud, in New York, the United States.

His last post was as culinary instructor at Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts Malaysia.

“My proudest moment was competing in the Bocuse d’or Malaysia selection recently,” said the chef.

Anon.kl is at Ground Coffee, 27 Jalan SS21/34, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. For reservations, please call 010-514-2395. – November 20, 2021.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.