On 31 July & 1 August 2026, The Gastronomy Series brings Akar—one of KL’s most celebrated kitchens—to Kayuputi at The St. Regis Langkawi for a celebration of Malaysian terroir, heralding Merdeka season.
Kayuputi has been a reason to visit Langkawi since The St. Regis Langkawi opened, its overwater dining room designed by Bill Bensley with Dutch embassy doors and teak inlaid with Indian camel bone. On 31 July and 1 August, it hosts a collaboration that gives returning guests a fresh reason to book a table: Chef Aidan Low of MICHELIN-Starred Akar joins Kayuputi’s Chef de Cuisine Marco Portal for a seven-course menu built around Malaysian terroir.
Two Roots, Two Routes
Akar translates to root in Malay. Aidan Low named his Taman Tun Dr Ismail restaurant for a single idea: everything on the plate traces back to a part of Malaysia. Tucked into a modest shop lot between a burger joint and an air-conditioning contractor, the restaurant has never needed a luxurious address to earn its reputation—its unadorned, wood-panelled dining room is a setting built to let the food speak first. Since opening in 2020, Akar has become one of the country’s most celebrated dining addresses, earning its first MICHELIN Star in 2026. Chef Aidan sources exclusively from local farms and foragers, and his skilled team performs in full view of the dining room, proof that understanding deepens appreciation, and appreciation is earned through proximity.
Chef Marco Portal’s route to Malaysian cuisine ran through some of the region’s most demanding kitchens. He trained under Jason Atherton and Tristin Farmer at Marina Social Dubai, then sharpened his command of local ingredient and technique at Potager and Raymond Tham’s Skillet in Kuala Lumpur. He arrived at Kayuputi as Chef de Cuisine in March 2026, taking on The St. Regis Langkawi’s iconic overwater dining room and a decade of culinary reputation to build on. His asam pedas risotto has already become a signature guests return for.
Chef Aidan trained internationally before returning home, choosing to root Akar in the food of his own childhood and his grandmother’s kitchen marrying it with what he had learned abroad. Chef Marco built his understanding of Malaysian cuisine by arriving at it from everywhere else—Dubai, then Kuala Lumpur, then Langkawi. This two-night special has both routes converging at the table, letting guests experience cuisine defined from within, and cuisine arrived at from everywhere else.
On the Table
The exclusive four-hands dinner will see French techniques and Japanese precision through Malaysia abundance of biodiversity, reimagined in both chefs’ contemporary lenses. Scallop Ceviche opens with Jambu Air Ice Crudo and jicama. Giant Bamboo follows, paired with Kaviari caviar and sea prawn where local ingredient and imported luxury are treated as equals. By the hand of Chef Marco, Kayuputi’s Dry-Aged Duck is glazed in port wine then finished with miso caramel. Similarly, transplanted from Akar’s Mekar tasting menu, Trader’s Rice is layered with abalone and lauk pauk—a direct nod to home-style Malaysian flavour that invites elevation to the ordinary. Dessert closes on Banana and Jackfruit Mousse, finished with hazelnut praline, marshmallow fluff, and caramel sauce.
Each course can be paired with bespoke cocktails featuring RAKSASA Gin crafted just for this collaboration. Raksasa translates to monster or beast, and the spirit was inspired by Chinese folklore of the Nian beast—a creature whose arrival was met with celebration, warding off misfortune and heralding new beginnings. RAKSASA is gin distilled from Asiatic rice wine, in the same lineage as Sabah’s Montoku, traditionally distilled from the rice lees of lihing by the Kadazan-Dusun community. At Kayuputi, it finds itself as a third voice at the table.
A Homecoming Celebration
The dinner lands as Malaysia enters its Merdeka season. A Malaysian chef brings his most personal restaurant to a Malaysian resort, paired with a Malaysian spirit, ahead of the country’s independence celebrations. The timing speaks for itself.
The Gastronomy Series has built its reputation collaboration by collaboration, and the eight installment only extends it. The St. Regis Langkawi General Manager Derek Gomez calls it a continuation of what the series set out to do from its first edition: pair extraordinary culinary voices with Kayuputi’s own, rooted in both tradition and reinvention. Pairing with a name like Akar—MICHELIN-Starred, singularly Malaysian—says as much about Kayuputi’s stance as it does about the dinner itself.
Chapter Eight of The Gastronomy Series takes place on 31 July and 1 August 2026 at Kayuputi, The St. Regis Langkawi. Priced at MYR 700 nett per person, or MYR 900 nett with cocktail pairing.
Reservations at kayuputilangkawi.com or dining.langkawi@stregis.com.
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