The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi is set to launch a new culinary series this August with the arrival of Taz Sarhane, Head Chef of London’s one Michelin-starred Cycene. Taking place from 6 to 7 August 2026, the two-day takeover will introduce Threads of Taste, a dining series created to explore the global influences, histories and cultural exchanges that have shaped Malaysian cuisine.
Set on the southwest coast of Langkawi, Malaysia’s Jewel of Kedah, The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi provides a fitting backdrop for the series. Surrounded by ancient rainforest and overlooking the Andaman Sea, the resort has long drawn inspiration from its natural setting and the multicultural food traditions of the wider region.
Threads of Taste will look at Malaysian cuisine as a kind of culinary time capsule, shaped over centuries by migration, trade and shared knowledge. From Peranakan traditions to the influences of China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East, the series will consider how ingredients, techniques and food stories have travelled, adapted and become part of Malaysia’s richly layered gastronomic identity.
For its opening edition, Sarhane will curate two exclusive dinner events at the resort, bringing together Cycene’s immersive dining philosophy with the coastal bounty, tropical produce and food heritage of Langkawi. Guests will be able to experience an intimate chef’s table dinner at the resort’s Beach Grill, whose design is inspired by traditional Malay ‘Bubu’ fish traps, as well as a limited-seat evening at Langkawi Kitchen.
The settings themselves form part of the story. Beach Grill sits on the shore of the Andaman Sea, while Langkawi Kitchen stands on 30-foot stilts, flanked by ancient rainforest and inspired by the longhouses of Bornean tribes. Together, they offer two very different stages for Sarhane’s cooking: one shaped by the coast, the other by the deep green drama of the island’s interior.
Created exclusively for The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, the menus will draw on ingredients sourced from local fishermen, growers, artisans and the resort’s own Nibong Garden. As at Cycene, Sarhane’s cooking will be guided by place, memory and seasonality, with an element of spontaneity woven throughout. Certain dishes will shift according to the day’s catch, foraged ingredients and the best produce available at the time.
Across both menus, guests can expect a considered progression of flavours, balancing refinement with a sense of discovery. Dishes such as raw chopped prawn with shredded green mango, crab rendang with coconut and peppercorn, and lobster with lemongrass will reference regional ingredients while introducing unexpected techniques, including smoked hay and contemporary storytelling. Desserts will continue the journey with calamansi, toasted rice, mango and kefir lime, celebrating the tropical flavours closely associated with Langkawi and the wider region.
For the more intimate dining event, Sarhane will develop the narrative further through a multi-course menu that highlights his interest in preservation, fermentation and fire-led cooking. From savoury green banana custard and lobster smoked tableside to coal-cooked beef with coffee and cucumber sauce, each course will create a dialogue between British culinary craftsmanship and the ingredients, flavours and traditions of Malaysia.
At Cycene in London, Sarhane has become known for a deeply personal and immersive approach to fine dining. The restaurant, whose name means “kitchen” in Old English, sits within Blue Mountain School, the multidisciplinary space in Shoreditch, and is designed to feel more like a private home than a conventional restaurant. There, Sarhane is both chef and host, guiding guests through a tasting menu that connects contemporary precision with older, more instinctive forms of British culinary practice.
His cooking is also shaped by his British-Moroccan heritage and by early memories of time spent with family in North Africa. Born and raised in South East London to English-Moroccan parents, Sarhane developed a love of food and nature through foraging trips in the Atlas Mountains, visits to local markets and meals shared with friends and family. Those experiences instilled in him a lasting interest in the connection between ingredients, origin and the sense of togetherness that comes from preparing and eating food with others.
At Cycene, that philosophy is expressed through foraging, fermentation, pickling, dry-ageing and preservation, techniques used to “capture moments in time”. It is a way of cooking that feels especially suited to Threads of Taste, where the focus is not only on flavour but on the histories and relationships carried through food.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi’s own culinary offering is rooted in the region’s multicultural lineage and Nyonya influences, making the resort a natural home for a series of this kind. Nestled within Malaysia’s 10-million-year-old rainforest and set in the shadow of Mount Machinchang, the property offers guests a chance to experience Malaysian cuisine in close conversation with the landscape that shapes it.
Through Threads of Taste, the resort aims to bring together world-class chefs and global perspectives while honouring the stories, traditions and exchanges that continue to define Malaysian food today. With Sarhane leading its first edition, the series begins with a thoughtful meeting of place, memory, craft and cultural connection.
To find out more about The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi and book, visit the links below:
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
PT 313, Jalan Pantai Kok
Teluk Nibung 07000
Langkawi, Kedah
Malaysia
Web: ritzcarlton.com/Langkawi
Tel: +60 4-9524888
Instagram: @ritzcarltonlangkawi