Walking into The C. Club (an offspring of The Carat Club), the first question that came to my mind was “Who the h*%$ was the I.D. guy?”  On one hand, some of the furniture were lovely.  I loved the Kartell Bubble Club armchairs by Philippe Starck (the man I’ve worshipped for over 5 years) and the droolworthy Louis Ghost chairs also by the same awesome designer, but if one wanted to carry the same polycarbonate theme throughout the restaurant, at least choose something better than the plasticky silver bamboo-like chairs and the faux marble laminated tables that not only appeared unstable, but were unstable.  Forgive me if I’m wrong, but they certainly didn’t resemble designer furniture, unlike the immediately recognisable Starck pieces.  And yet, these were still acceptable, because at the very least, they tried to comply with the overall theme.  What I couldn’t stomach were the chilli red cushions bearing the “fook” character, obviously in preparation for the coming Chinese New Year celebrations, and the unsightly pink carnations in cheap yellow vases that screamed pasar malam throughout the restaurant.    Don’t get me wrong.  I am not against CNY decorations if they are tastefully done and go with the overall theme.  Why spend so much on I.D. and then destroy the entire look by throwing around a few cushions which are completely wrong?

BUT….

I told myself that nothing would get me down.  I was going to be optimistic about the evening.  After all, I had two of my favourite friends with me, so it would take a lot to get me upset.  I looked at the menu.  I had to read it at an awkward angle as it was made of an annoyingly shiny paper with specks that reflected light at different angles.  Much like diamonds.  Except that this was just paper.  The girls said that I was getting old and that was why I couldn’t read the menu.  I say bollocks.

I slid, or rather, attempted to slide, on the cushioned seat to get nearer to Paprika.  My pants got caught on the remarkably non-slip upholstery and almost ripped off my butt.

Nope.  Nothing would get me down.

Service was amazing.  Three guys came to our table (all on separate occasions) to let us know that the food would arrive shortly.  The first came and said 40 minutes.  Five minutes later, the second dude came to say 3 minutes.  The third played safe and said it would arrive shortly.  Smart fellow.  He’ll go far.

We ordered the three mains which were recommended to us.  Boolicious had the grilled aged fillet of beef with wasabi and sea urchin butter served with wakame, broccolini (that’s not baby broccoli but a cross between a broccoli and chinese kale) and tempura shimeji mushrooms (RM59).  Quite a mouthful, but only in words.  The tenderloin had slits in it due to the supposed ageing process, while the sauce had an obvious japanese taste to it, although I wouldn’t be able to tell what sea urchin butter tasted like.  In other words, some of the flavours were subtle.  The wakame flavour came through, and there was definitely a buttery taste to the sauce.

True to my name, I had the lemongrass and rosemary marinated lamb loin with pumpkin roesti, jumbo asparagus and tomato and roasted garlic glace (RM55).   The lamb loin was cooked perfectly, a tinge of rose but not bloody, very tender and tasted lovely especially when touched lightly with the dark and intensely flavoured garlic sauce.  Too much, and the sauce overpowers the meat.  Too little, and it tastes bland.  So you, as the diner, are in control of how happy you will be at the end of the day.  Much like assembling Ikea furniture.  Screw the wrong hole, and your spouse doesn’t get that good night kiss he so longingly craves for.  The pumpkin roesti was plain and a little raw.  I ate it with the sauce for added flavour.

What turned out to be the star of the night was a dish we all kept pushing to each other as it didn’t seem appealing on paper.  Paprika was rewarded for her graciousness when she agreed to take the pan seared salmon “rossini” on oxtail stew, topped with foie gras and balsamic palm sugar glace (RM59).  That’s a little bit of fish, cow and fowl for you.  Would you have ordered this dish if no one told you it was good?  I think not.  Anyhow, the way I see it, this is a meal for the rich, simply because very little chewing is involved.  The salmon was cooked to perfection and went wonderfully with the foie gras and oxtail stew.  Paprika’s only complaint was that a few pieces of oxtail required a little more chewing.  Oh, what would I know.  I grew up poor but happy and chewed quite a bit in my lifetime.

Overall, the three dishes were just wonderful, and more than made up for the lack of taste in other areas (hint: red cushions).   I tried leaning back on those cushions, and they were actually quite comfortable.  The next time I visit, I shall have to wear dark glasses, or perhaps a filter over my spectacles to block all colours clashing with silver.  And if I’m in a really good mood, I shall knock over the yellow vase.  Because something that ugly does not deserve a place in this universe.

The C. Club
Level 6, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2141 3160