Nadodi in Kuala Lumpur has secured a place in the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants List 2021 - the second Malaysian restaurant to make the prestigious list, and the first one serving Indian cuisine.

The South Indian fine dining restaurant, situated at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, has been voted between 51st and 100th in the list, sponsored by S. Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. The list is based on votes cast by the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which in turn, is made up of over 300 leading restaurant critics, chefs, restaurateurs and gourmets across the continent, with a 50/50 gender balance.

It is learned that the full ranking will be revealed to the public via a digital announcement via the establishment's channels on Monday, March 22, just days ahead of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2021 virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, March 25.

It is worth noting that up to this point, the only Malaysian placed in the list is Dewakan, in KLCC.

Nadodi, which translates to "nomad" in several South Indian languages, serves authentic South Indian cuisine, from rasam to crab curry – the stories of which can be traced back to the root whence it came from.

It honours the journey of nomadic Indian ancestors, while taking diners on an experience through the southern lands of the Indian subcontinent, from Tamil Nadu to Kerala, and also Sri Lanka.

Nadodi, which opened in 2017, is led by restaurant brand director Kartik Kumar, mixologist/operations manager Akshar Chalwadi and chef de cuisine Sricharan Venkatesh.

Nadodi got its name after the trio noticed how the food they ate in Kuala Lumpur was very similar to what they had eaten during their journeys to various countries, away from their homeland, India.

It is a spiritual successor to the iconic Gaggan restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, where Kartik used to be operations manager, and Sricharan worked in the kitchen, under the tutelage of its owner, celebrity chef Gaggan Anand. Gaggan, which used to be frequently listed as the best in Asia and among the best in the world, closed in 2019.

This is not Nadodi's first award; it had previously won the "Most Innovate Restaurant" prize from Tourism Malaysia.


Image credit: Nadodi Facebook