Sabayon x JAMPA Four-Hands Dinner at EQ

Kuala Lumpur’s culinary scene is set for a remarkable event as Sabayon, the acclaimed fine-dining restaurant at EQ, joins forces with Phuket’s JAMPA for an extraordinary four-hands dinner on 26 April 2025. This collaborative effort, presented by EQ and Kita Food Festival, will feature Sabayon’s Chef de Cuisine Steve Ariffin working alongside JAMPA’s Executive Chef Rick Dingen to create a dining experience focused on sustainability and local ingredients.

The exclusive one-night event will offer diners a seven-course menu priced at RM650 nett per person, showcasing innovative Malaysian produce including local T’lur brand caviar and the fragrant harumanis mango. The chefs will also incorporate exotic ingredients like bael fruit, known as Bengal quince or wood apple, challenging traditional fine dining conventions.

“In many fine-dining restaurants it is considered bragging rights to serve up produce that has been flown thousands of kilometres from their origins. It has fed the perception that food products should only be valued because of their limited availability. This collaboration between Sabayon and JAMPA will help present the new thinking that palatability of food is as reliant on the mastery of the chefs as it is in the foods’ perceived value. Chefs Steve and Rick are maestros in their own rights and I can guarantee an eye-opening, appetite-inducing meal as a result of their collaboration. Of course, this will be heightened by the environment it will be served in, with Sabayon’s famed city views, and the Twin Towers front and centre.”

Gerard Walker, General Manager of EQ

Both chefs aim to highlight Southeast Asian ingredients to change diners’ perceptions about value and creativity while promoting local sourcing. Chef Dingen, originally from Eindhoven, Netherlands, brings extensive experience from Michelin-starred Dutch restaurants including La Rive and De Heer Kocken. His journey toward sustainable cuisine began as Sous Chef at De Kas in the Netherlands and continued through his work at Thailand’s Michelin-starred restaurants Savelberg and Haoma, the latter recognised with a Michelin Green Star for sustainability.

JAMPA has built a reputation throughout Thailand for combining live-fire cooking with sustainable gastronomy, creating sophisticated dishes that celebrate seasonal ingredients. The restaurant maintains its own organic farm to reduce environmental impact while showcasing the best regional produce.

The collaboration aligns perfectly with EQ’s environmental commitments. The luxury hotel is Malaysia’s only Gold category Green Building Index-certified property, designed with sustainability features including strategic orientation to minimize solar heat gain and maximize natural light usage. These efforts have positioned EQ as an exemplar of the ASEAN Green Hotel Standard, supporting Southeast Asia’s sustainability focus in 2025.

Sabayon continues to receive prestigious recognition, including Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best for 2024 and Wine Spectator’s Two Glass certification for five consecutive years. Chef Steve Ariffin has established himself as both a technical expert and innovator during his three years at the restaurant, creating acclaimed menus for influential personalities and gastronomes.

The exquisite Sabayon x JAMPA seven-course dinner is presented in partnership with Kita Food Festival, an initiative that celebrates Southeast Asian cuisine through curated events while providing opportunities for culinary professionals. Malaysian Michelin-starred chef Darren Teoh, owner of Dewakan restaurant, serves as one of the festival’s founders and directors.

To book a seat, head over to https://www.eqkualalumpur.equatorial.com/promotions/a-culinary-symphony-of-sustainability-and-innovation/

EQ Hosts the Prestigious Paneristi Annual Gathering, P-Day 2024

For the first time in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur’s luxury hotel EQ played host to the prestigious Paneristi Annual Gathering, P-Day 2024, marking the event’s return to Asia after a nine-year hiatus. The exclusive gathering brought together over 200 dedicated Panerai watch enthusiasts from around the world, cementing Malaysia’s position on the global luxury timepiece map.

The highlight of the evening was the grand unveiling of the limited edition PAM02025 Luminor Venticinque, a special timepiece created to commemorate the Paneristi community’s 25th anniversary in 2025. The design, influenced by input from the community itself, generated significant excitement among attendees.

Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué addressed the assembled collectors in EQ’s grand ballroom, providing exclusive insights into the brand’s recent developments and offering a preview of upcoming releases—a privilege extended exclusively to the Paneristi community.

The celebration also featured the presentation of the coveted Paner-Eye award, recognizing the year’s most successful Panerai-related social media post. Winners received the distinctive trophy shaped like Panerai’s iconic Luminor crown guard, a highly prized symbol within the community.

As the evening progressed, guests enjoyed fine dining and entertainment at the hotel’s Sky51 rooftop bar, with panoramic views of Kuala Lumpur’s skyline. Many attendees brought their Panerai ‘passports’—collector’s books used to document special events—to receive the exclusive P-Day 2024 stamp, which was destroyed after the event to ensure its exclusivity.

The successful hosting of this international gathering further enhances EQ’s reputation as a premier luxury venue. The hotel, celebrating its fifth decade in the hospitality industry, has been recognised as Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific’s #1 Hotel in Malaysia from 2022 to 2024 and ranked #35 in Travel + Leisure Readers’ 100 Favourite Hotels in the World for 2023.