27 | August | 2009 | A Whiff of Lemongrass

In all my life, I’ve never met a louder bunch of people. Just one foot into the entrance of Sage, a very dignified establishment if I may add, and I was greeted by a deafening “Surprise!!” by a rambunctious crowd from the other end of the room. Warms the cockles of my heart, I tell you.

The best thing about foodies, and such a generous lot these guys are too, is that they always know the best places to eat. Sage is a favourite simply because the quality is consistently top notch. The lunch menu is a pretty good deal. For RM100, one gets a starter, main and dessert, a soft drink and a coffee or tea. The menu changes weekly.

I like the foie gras at Sage. Some restaurants screw up the preparation by overcooking it, but at Sage, the foie gras is seared such that the centre is still a little raw while the surface is crisp and clean. The quality of the foie gras is definitely superior. If you’re lucky, you’ll find braised wagyu cheeks – that gelatinous piece of heaven – in the menu. The lunch menu doesn’t offer as many options as the dinner menu. Only two choices of each (starter, main, dessert) are offered, but if you think you’ll be getting any less quality as compared to the dinner menu, you’re wrong. The preparation and presentation of each dish is as immaculate as ever, and the pairings of flavours and ingredients, like the vichyssoise of hokkaido scallop with summer truffles which includes puréed Jerusalem artichokes, is wonderful.

Seared foie gras with quail and mesclun salad