Malaysian culinary leader Vijayakant “Vijay” Shamugan has been appointed as Director of Culinary at Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur, ahead of the luxury hotel’s highly anticipated debut in Malaysia.
With three decades of international experience, Vijay will oversee the hotel’s culinary operations across it’s restaurants, lounges, banqueting and special events. He will also work alongside renowned chefs Garima Arora and Jean-Georges Vongerichten to develop the hotel’s dining programme.
Raised in Kuala Selangor, Vijay built his career across a few brands, such as Hilton, Shangri-La, Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel. His career has brought him across Southeast Asia, the Maldives, Japan and India. He was also trained in Peru and worked in Michelin-starred restaurants, with experience in French, Nikkei, and garde manger cuisine.
His Michelin journey started when he was a executive sous chef under French executive chef Pierre Burgade at Raffles Singapore. And recently he was the Director of Culinary at Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, managed 11 dining venues. Vijay was also a part of Osteria Mozza Launch by chef Nancy Silverton at Hilton Singapore Orchard.
Back to Malaysia for his new role, Vijay hopes to mix his international experience with local flavours, ingredients and traditions. His goal is to help establish Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur as a dining destinations while celebrating Malaysian cuisine on a wider stage.
The hotel will have a few dining experience, one of it is Istana, which will offer modern local and international cuisine from breakfast to dinner. It’s menu will reflect KL’s multicultural foods through à la carte dishes and live culinary stations.
Another experience will be Peacock Alley, inspired by the Waldorf Astoria tradition. It will have afternoon tea and evening cocktails in a setting that combines Art Deco influences with modern design. Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur will have 268 suits, 7 culinary and cocktail experiences, a wellness centre and event spaces for intimate celebrations, weddings and larger occasions.
