Mandarin Grill and MO Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

MO Bar (photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur)

When it comes to fine dining at Mandarin Oriental, our instinctive reaction is to exclaim that the food is overpriced, even before trying it. This leads to the next question, that is, whether or not the quality and experience justifies the high prices. The proliferation of loyalty/membership cards at hotels have enabled us to enjoy food at hotels at more modest prices, but this then begs the question, would we pay full price for the meal if we did not have the card? It is precisely this issue which will be a struggle for Pacifica and Mandarin Grill (and for that matter, any other restaurant based in a hotel of a similar standard) which hopes to be a dining destination not only for the upper crust but also for the pervasive middle class in Kuala Lumpur.

With such preconceived notions of prices, Mandarin Grill‘s boast and drawing power will have to be the quality and exclusivity of the food. Granted that, due to certain restrictions on halal meat in Malaysia, the best may still not be able to rival that of our neighbours, Mandarin Grill still has an impressive selection of beef, from Master Kobe Grade 10 to USDA Prime 80% Angus and 1824 Australia in various cuts. Much has been said on the blogs about the 1824 beef, a prime aged beef with robust flavour, and indeed, it was very good and tender in a moderately fatty piece of ribeye, which I had medium rare. The 1824 1kg T-bone, which our host Christophe Mousset ordered, came to the table whole, and was subsequently carved in elaborate fashion and served. Incidentally, and here’s where I inject some useful trivia, the blood that you see in your rare or medium rare steak isn’t really blood but myoglobin, a type of protein. This eventually oxidises when it is cooked, resulting in a grey shade. Wiki it for more information.

Two additional notable things that set Mandarin Grill apart from its competitors are, interestingly enough, the cutlery and oven. The oven is a Spanish oven that allows the meat to be cooked evenly and retains the moisture, and the knives are exclusive Le Thiers knives from France, presented to the dinner guest in a wooden box, wherein the guest selects the knife of his choice and proceeds to use it. Far from a novelty, the knife cuts through meat like butter and is a pleasure to use.

If you are a fan of pumpkin soup, you will be bowled over by the pumpkin veloute which has a texture akin to a dense foam rather than a traditional soup, a recipe which Chef de Cuisine, Cedric Darthial, is very proud of. The lobster bisque with armagnac is robust in flavour, making each mouthful extremely gratifying. The foie gras au torchon, which is probably the best way to eat foie gras as it allows the least amount of fat loss in the cooking/poaching process, was excellent and had a lovely buttery texture. The black angus steak tartare is only for those who can stomach raw meat with egg. To me, it was not only a work of art, but also very flavourful and paired wonderfully with the accompanying sourdough bread. Aside from grill items, there is also a selection of seafood on the menu including whole dover sole meuniere. If you have room for desserts, try the hazelnut creme brulee with blueberry compote which has a perfectly crisp surface and lovely custardy centre, and which is probably one of the best I’ve had in KL.

For after dinner drinks, the MO Bar is situated alongside the Mandarin Grill and offers an impressive array of single malt whiskies, from the Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, Islay and Campbeltown & Scottish Isles. These include Quinta Ruban, Glenmorangie and Highland Park from the Highlands, Auchentoshan from the Lowlands, Laphroaig, Ardberg and Quarter Cask from Islay, Aberfeldy, Glenfiddich and Macallan from Speyside and Springbank from Campbeltown. All these are served by the glass, and thus enables one to sample a wider variety at any one time. The atmosphere at the MO Bar is cozy and relaxed, with an interior of oak and dark wood.

Mandarin Grill, on the other hand, has a contemporary feel about it and has a relatively more casual approach to it as opposed to Pacifica, which is more formal. The decor is charming, with LED lights suspended from the ceiling to resemble modern-day chandeliers and paper animal sculptures scattered all over. I expected more of the service, where orders got mixed up along the way, and hopefully things have improved since my visit several weeks back. For a three course meal (without wine), prices approximate RM300 per person (before tax, on average).

Thank you to our hosts, Christophe Mousset (Executive Asst Manager, Food & Beverage, MO) and Nicole Andres (Public Relations, MO), for inviting us to Mandarin Grill and MO Bar, and gracing us with your delightful company. It was a lovely, fun-filled evening, and we look forward to meeting both of you again!

Mandarin Grill
Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 – 2179 8960

Breads

Amuse bouche – Duck in puff pastry

Foie Gras Au Torchon

Black Angus Steak Tartare

Pumpkin Veloute

Lobster Bisque with Armagnac

1824 Grain fed 120 days 1kg T-bone

Grill

Le Thiers knives

Manjari Chocolate Ganache with Coffee Anglaise and Chocolate Sorbet

Hazelnut Creme Brulee with Blueberry Compote

Ice cream

MO Bar

Mandarin Grill (photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur)

The Last Polka Ice Cream

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

Here’s some useless trivia. Bald Eagle used to develop and sell ice cream and I was his guinea pig. Thankfully, I’ve lived to tell my tale. It was a looooong time ago, but he still proclaims to be a connoisseur of sorts. I’m not one to dispute that, seeing that I’m married to him and all, but I do think that my loyalty to him (and his excellent taste) is not totally misplaced. As a result of his history in the ice cream business and his affinity to this creamy concoction, it is not surprising that we frequently end our meal at home with a scoop or two of good ice cream or gelato.

Here’s some more useless trivia. I do some of my best thinking in the toilet. There’s sufficient literature in my toilet to ensure that my time is not wasted, and the materials range from cookbooks (yes, really) to magazines. So during one of my inspired moments, I was reading KLue, and voila, an article on The Last Polka stared me in the face. Women, I must insist, are excellent at multitasking and compartmentalising, so I had no qualms drooling over its description while depositing my own…err…confectionary.

I had to make contact.

And thus began my relationship with the ladies behind The Last Polka, with SMSes on random meeting places and hints of thong appreciation. May Yee and Ee Vee’s business is an online one and their ice cream can be picked up from various pre-determined locations around KL. I’d get texts from Ee Vee saying – meet me at J&R at 10.00am – seemingly covert in nature, but with such precious goods, one cannot be too careful.

The Last Polka‘s strength lies, not in the marketing aspect of its products, but in its contents. Its simple spiel is this: “If you’re looking for great tasting homemade ice cream in Kuala Lumpur, you’ve come to the right place. Made with 100% natural ingredients, we combine our creamy French-style ice cream with the regional Asian flavours we love.” The ice cream is free of preservatives, and thus has a shorter life span. The texture is creamy with little air. I’d stake my reputation on the Horlicks ice cream, the most addictive wonderful tasting drool-worthy ice cream in the world and currently my favourite flavour in The Last Polka‘s limited range of offerings. There is also Malt and Peanut Butter which is great if you prefer something less intense in flavour. The Mango ice cream is the current best seller, and they also have White Coffee, Green Tea and Black Sesame.

The ice cream retails at RM23 for a 500ml tub and RM35 for a 800ml tub. To make your order, hop over to The Last Polka. Don’t forget to bring a freezer bag/box when you eventually pick up the goods as the ice cream tends to melt easily.

IR1968 Indochine Restaurant & Bar at Terrace at Hock Choon, Ampang

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Lyrical Lemongrass

At first….

I thought……

she was just……

another……

pretty……

face.

.
Do not say, “It is morning,” and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a new-born child that has no name.

from Rabrindranath Tagore’s Stray Birds

We are all nomads, but I find myself gravitating to a time when we used to quote from Tagore and smile at the discovery of a new truth. The aphorisms in Stray Birds are so simple and so clear that I sometimes think that our minds are clouded with complexities that blind us. I seek joy in things of beauty, sometimes in Prada, sometimes in a newly bloomed flower in my garden of weeds, and sometimes in a friendship with a red-haired friend. All very different representations of beauty, but which serve to open my eyes and heart like a newly acquired pair of spectacles presented to me by a heart surgeon. And while I always whip off my glasses when I’m being photographed, they’re placed back on my snub nose in a jiffy so that I may see again.

************

The whitewashed tables and chairs were the first items to catch my fancy at IR1968, an Indonesian restaurant which was established in Hong Kong in 1968 (an excellent vintage year, if I may add) and which only just opened its doors in our fair land. It was refreshing to see the vibrant coloured cushions against the white background and curtains with repetitive prints of tree trunks, a far cry from the stereotype frequently associated with Indonesian restaurants.

The food is not typically Indonesian; some of the dishes have Chinese influences and some of the flavours have been dumbed down to suit certain palates, but nevertheless, I was still impressed with the offerings on the menu when I visited the restaurant last week. Among the dishes, the Gado-Gado, a quintessential Indonesian salad containing tofu, bean sprouts, cabbage, cucumber, lettuce, potato, egg and keropok, stood out. It was served with a thick and sweet peanut sauce. The Tauhu Goreng Telur – fried beancurd mashed into large chunks and fried with egg like an omelette -was fragrant and crisp and I thought it was lovely enough when eaten on its own without the peanut sauce or fried shallots.

The Rendang was tender and creamy, more like a thick curry and thus quite different from our Malay style rendang, but putting expectations aside, it was still very enjoyable. It was our first time trying Kari Buntut, an ox tail curry which was spicier but more watery compared to the Rendang. It was cooked, curiously enough, with a host of vegetables, taufu pok and beancurd sheets. Looking beyond the authenticity of this dish, it was excellent when eaten with a serving of rice.

The Sate Ayam came with succulent morsels of chicken but it lacked the requisite charred quality, and so I found myself more attracted to the chopped chilli and kechap manis sauce which was served on the side (meant to be eaten with the sliced cucumbers). Not a bad thing, especially when eaten with rice and the above two curries. The Chicken Wings, fried with shrimp paste, was highly addictive with its moderately spicy and pungent flavour.

I loved the noodle dishes. The Bakmi Goreng with Seafood in IR1968 is essentially Sang Mee (crispy noodles) topped with a delicious seafood sauce consisting of fresh, crunchy prawns and squid, and while the purists may dispute the label, I thought it was a very tasty Sang Mee dish. The Meehoon Goreng, a simple dish, was fragrant with the flavour of seafood and fried egg and sambal. An absolute must-order.

For desserts, skip the fried pineapple (which seemed to have come from a can) and try the pulut, a rich creamy concoction that will leave you quite satisfied.

Prices are a bit random. I thought the Taufu Goreng Telur expensive at RM18 considering that it contained only tofu and eggs, but the other dishes seemed more consistent in pricing. Be prepared to fork out between RM50 to RM80 per person for food, but rest assured that the ambience is warm and cozy enough that you won’t feel like you have given your pound of flesh.

For a cheaper fix, try the executive set lunches (presumably on weekdays only) priced from RM18.

IR1968
Terrace at Hock Choon
241-B, Lorong Nibong, Off Jalan Ampang
50450 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 017-209 8477

For other opinions, check out:
Eat Drink KL
Masak-Masak
The Malaysian Insider

Acknowledgements: To my BFF, A Lil Fat Monkey, for loaning me his camera for three shots used in this post, to my dear friend, Hairyberry, for sharing many moments of Tagore with me, to my red-haired friend, Msiagirl, who brought so much love and beauty into my life….thank you.

The best does not come alone. It comes with the company of the all.