Beloved Malaysian pop-up Duda Diner wrapped up its long-running residency at Nunhead’s Goodcup last month – and soon it’ll be on the move again. From September 17, it’s taking over the kitchen at The Pilgrm in Paddington, the latest in the hotel’s chef incubator series. It’ll bring a slate of old favourites, as well as some new heavy-hitters that riff on the family-style dishes its founders Hakeem and Zura Ahmad grew up on.
“[It’s] inspired by the food that raised us; our mum’s cooking, roadside stall favourites, late-night bites from night markets and the generous spreads of a Melayu wedding feast, where the table is always full and nobody leaves hungry,” the couple tells Broadsheet.
Leaving hungry seems unlikely. The Ahmads will be serving new dishes like sotong sumbat (squid stuffed with otak-otak – steamed fish cake – paste) and their spin on sup oxtail Kelantan, an oxtail soup humming with spices like star anise, cinnamon and cloves that originates in the north-eastern Malaysian state of Kelantan, where Hakeem’s family is from. “Guests can also expect Hakeem to have fun with some of Malaysia’s most adventurous ingredients,” the Ahmads say. “From ikan masin (salted fish), petai (stink beans) and budu (fermented anchovy sauce) to other bold flavours that deserve a bigger spotlight.”
Returning classics will include the tempoyak oyster – oysters spiked with durian, resulting in a complex, salty flavour – as well as the Duda Burger, which is Duda’s take on Malaysia’s street burgers: two smashed beef patties, cheese and a fried egg topped with Sarawak peppercorn chilli sauce for punchy flavour and warmth.
Stir-fries, whole grilled fish dishes and salads will change with the seasons, but diners might find Duda’s take on ikan bakar (seabream with laksa beurre blanc, XO chilli and pickled tuhau, which is like a wild ginger that’s found in Sabah-Borneo), and a salad of bitter leaves with a ginger-lime dressing and candied nuts. For dessert, Duda’s beloved pandan cheesecake and a cake loaded with chantilly and strawberry-elderflower syrup.
The Ahmads were inspired to launch Duda Diner during the pandemic, when they binged Midnight Diner, the Japanese TV series about a chef who hears his customers’ life stories over food in his late-night restaurant. Duda has since popped up in various spots in and around London, leaning on its founders’ desire to tell stories and share history and heritage through cooking.
Duda Diner opens at The Pilgrm in Paddington from September 17 until the end of December, from Wednesday to Saturday, 5.30pm–9.30pm.
