Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Seasonal Thai tasting menus, serious intent.
Chim By Chef Noom runs two seasonal Thai contemporary tasting menus from an office building in Imbi, using Japanese produce alongside Malaysian ingredients. At $$$$ it is one of KL's more demanding bookings, rated 4.8/5 across 137 reviews. Book at least three to four weeks out, and plan for two visits to cover both menu formats across different seasons.
Yes, and you should plan two visits. Chim By Chef Noom sits at the upper tier of Kuala Lumpur's fine dining circuit, running seasonal multicourse tasting menus built on Thai culinary tradition with enough creative distance to justify the $$$$ price point. The 4.8/5 rating across 137 Google reviews suggests consistent execution rather than occasional brilliance. If you are arriving without a reservation, adjust your expectations accordingly: this is a hard booking, and demand has not softened since the restaurant found its footing in the Imbi neighbourhood.
Chim By Chef Noom is inside an office building on Jalan Kamuning, TSLAW Tower to be specific. The setting requires no apology: the interior experience is the point. The restaurant positions itself as upmarket Thai contemporary, meaning the cooking draws directly from Thai tradition but uses a contemporary tasting menu format to present it. Chef Noom, who also operates Chim by Siam Wisdom in Bangkok, has built a menu architecture that changes with each season, so a visit in January will differ meaningfully from one in July. That is not a marketing claim, it is the structural premise of the kitchen.
Ingredients cross borders with intention here. Japanese produce sits alongside local Malaysian spices, fruit, and vegetables. The result is a flavor profile that avoids the either/or logic of most fusion cooking. The Lost Recipe, a 200-year-old tom yum variation featured on the menu, illustrates the approach: the dish is identifiably Thai in structure and character, but the balance has been refined over centuries of recipe evolution. Sourced flavors, layered acidity, and restrained heat are the defining registers of what comes out of this kitchen. For anyone coming from Thai contemporary restaurants in Bangkok, such as Baan Tepa or Wana Yook, the reference points will be familiar, though Chim By Chef Noom operates with its own sourcing logic rather than simply replicating a Bangkok model in KL.
Because the tasting menus rotate seasonally, the strongest case for a return visit is timing. Book your first visit during one season, note what stood out, and return during the following quarter to catch the updated menu. The kitchen's approach to Japanese ingredients alongside Malaysian produce means the seasonal variation reflects actual ingredient availability rather than cosmetic menu changes. Your first visit is for orientation: learn the pacing, the portion scale, and how the kitchen builds a progression. Your second visit is when you can make more deliberate choices, such as pairing timing to a season you have reason to anticipate, or requesting guidance on the menu format that leading suits your group.
Two tasting menu formats are available. The choice between them matters: if you are visiting for the first time, ask which format includes the Lost Recipe variation, as that dish is the clearest single expression of what makes this kitchen distinct from other fine dining options in KL. On a return visit, consider the other format to map the full range of the kitchen's output.
Kuala Lumpur's calendar does not impose strong seasonal logic on indoor fine dining the way a coastal or agricultural destination might, but the menu rotation schedule makes timing relevant here. Visiting at the point of a seasonal transition gives you the highest chance of encountering a menu in its freshest state rather than one that has been running for several months. Weekday evenings tend to carry less booking pressure than Friday and Saturday nights, and a quieter room generally means better service pacing. If you are planning a trip to Malaysia more broadly, our full Kuala Lumpur restaurants guide covers the wider dining scene, and there are strong regional options worth building into a longer itinerary, including Auntie Gaik Lean's Old School Eatery in George Town, Christoph's in Penang, and The Planters at The Danna in Langkawi.
Among KL's $$$$ fine dining options, Chim By Chef Noom occupies a distinct position: it is the only restaurant in the city running a Thai contemporary tasting menu format with this level of sourcing rigour and a Bangkok-based chef behind it. Dewakan is the more obvious comparison for the tasting menu format, but Dewakan is rooted in Malaysian indigenous ingredients and cuisine rather than Thai tradition. If your interest is in how a non-Malaysian culinary tradition translates through a fine dining lens with local ingredient integration, Chim is the stronger choice. If you want a deep exploration of Malaysian culinary identity at the same price tier, Dewakan is the better fit.
Molina and DC. by Darren Chin both operate at $$$$, but they pull from European frameworks. DC. by Darren Chin runs a French contemporary kitchen that suits diners whose reference point is European fine dining rather than Southeast Asian culinary traditions. Molina sits in the innovative category and is worth considering if you want a looser, less tradition-anchored tasting menu experience. For the $$$$ spend, Chim By Chef Noom is the most direct answer if you specifically want Thai-origin cooking treated with fine dining seriousness in KL.
Beta at $$$ is worth flagging for budget-conscious diners: it delivers Malaysian creative cooking at a lower price point and is a more accessible booking. For a complete picture of what is around Kuala Lumpur and across Malaysia, venues like Lavo and Lavo Gallery in Petaling Jaya, Bee See Heong in Seberang Perai, and The Datai Langkawi in Kedah round out a broader Malaysia dining itinerary across different price tiers and cuisine categories. Ling Long is also worth watching in the KL innovative dining space if you are building a multi-restaurant itinerary in the city.
Arrive with a reservation. The restaurant runs two seasonal multicourse tasting menus, so there is no à la carte option to fall back on; the format requires commitment to the full menu progression. The location inside TSLAW Tower on Jalan Kamuning can catch first-timers off guard, so build in a few extra minutes. The price sits at $$$$ and is consistent with other fine dining options at this level in KL. The 4.8/5 Google rating across 137 reviews indicates the kitchen performs reliably, not just on peak nights.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in the available data for this venue. Given the tasting menu format and the upmarket positioning, the experience is structured around seated dining rather than a casual bar drop-in. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm seating arrangements before planning a walk-in bar visit.
The menu is multicourse and tasting-format, so ordering is guided by the kitchen rather than individual dish selection. That said, the Lost Recipe is the standout dish in the available record: a 200-year-old variation of tom yum with layered, well-balanced flavours. When booking, ask which of the two tasting menu formats includes it. The kitchen sources Japanese ingredients alongside local Malaysian produce, so the menu reads differently from a standard Thai restaurant regardless of which format you choose.
Treat this as a hard booking and plan accordingly. At $$$$ in a city where strong fine dining options compete for a limited pool of serious diners, Chim By Chef Noom holds its bookings. Aim for at least three to four weeks out for a weekend table; weekday slots may open closer in but are not reliably available last-minute. If you are visiting KL specifically for this restaurant, lock in the reservation before arranging other travel logistics.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chim By Chef Noom | Thai contemporary | $$$$ | Hard |
| Dewakan | Malaysian | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Beta | Malaysian | $$$ | Unknown |
| Molina | Innovative | $$$$ | Unknown |
| DC. by Darren Chin | French Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Ah Hei Bak Kut Teh | Malaysian | $ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Kuala Lumpur for this tier.
The restaurant is inside an office building on Jalan Kamuning, TSLAW Tower Level 2, so do not expect a high-street frontage. The format is multicourse tasting menus only, no à la carte, with two menu options that rotate each season. Chef Noom also runs Chim by Siam Wisdom in Bangkok, and the KL kitchen draws on that same philosophy: Thai tradition reframed with Japanese-sourced ingredients and local produce. Come with an appetite and time — this is a full-evening commitment at the $$$$ price point.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in available venue data, and given the office-building setting and tasting-menu-only format, the experience is designed around seated dining rather than casual counter service. If bar access is a priority, confirm directly with the restaurant before booking. For a more flexible bar-forward option in KL's fine dining bracket, DC. by Darren Chin offers a different entry point.
There is no à la carte menu, so the choice is between the two seasonal multicourse tasting menus. The one standout dish confirmed in the record is The Lost Recipe — a 200-year-old variation of tom yum described as having well-balanced flavours. Beyond that, the menus change seasonally, so the specific dishes on any given visit will depend on timing. Ask the front-of-house which menu features the stronger savoury progression if you are undecided between the two.
Given the $$$$ positioning and tasting-menu-only format inside a low-profile office-building location, demand from informed diners tends to concentrate in advance. Book at least two to three weeks out for weekday sittings; weekend tables at this tier in KL can fill faster. If you are planning around a specific seasonal menu rotation, build in extra lead time since seasons turn over the full menu entirely — missing a window means waiting for the next cycle.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
