This is going to be one of the best things to happen on the Malaysian food
scene this year! The inaugural Kuala Lumpur Restaurant Week will run from
October 4-11 2013 and promises to give lots of bang for very little buck.
A bit of history on Restaurant Week: it began in New York in 1992. Targeted
to lunch diners, it was designed to introduce new restaurants to people by
enticing them to try out a special menu which was priced much lower, or offered
more than the usual. It was run only over the lunch period at first, because
lunch crowds were smaller than dinner crowds, and the finite amount of time
allowed for lunch ensured there would be a quicker turnover for dinner. Over
time the idea caught on and New York Restaurant Week began to happen twice a
year, in winter and summer. In 2013 the lunch menus for all participating restaurants
were fixed at US$25 for lunch and US$38 for dinner. If you've ever tried to
dine in an upscale restaurant in New York, you'll know this is a steal, because
the nett price usually includes an appetizer, main and dessert.
Kuala Lumpur's first Restaurant Week will not follow the exact price format,
meaning that different restaurants will offer different set menu prices for
both lunch and dinner. However, what remains is the soul of the idea, which is
to get people excited about new places, new dishes and new flavours.
There are 45 restaurants participating in the inaugural Kuala Lumpur
Restaurant Week and they cover a gamut of tastes, styles, traditions and
atmospheres. These include La Risata (I love this chain, having dined at their
outlets in Ampang and Damansara since the Nineties), Rama V, Tanzini (located
in Malaysia's first fully green-certified hotel, G Tower, it is worth the trip
just to enjoy the architecture and design), Bijan, Daily Grind (possibly the
mother of all gourmet burger joints, though halal), Gobo, Chinoz On The Park,
Cibo and Hakka Republic (amazing Chinese cuisine!). For a full listing, check
out http://klrestaurantweek.com/restaurants/.
At a preview event a selected group of restaurants were invited to showcase
part of their menus with tasting portions which made up a full lunch. Held in
the ballroom of Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur, the event was a feast of both eyes and taste
buds, with participating restaurants showcasing their menus in really creative
ways. Even those restaurants not included in the final menu presented for
review made an effort to make their food look super palatable.
 |
| Si Chuan Dou Hua: double-boiled toadstool morel, mini superior shark's fin |
We were presented with dishes from nine of the 45 participating restaurants.
Our starter was an East Meets West trio. Si Chuan Dou Hua at Parkroyal Kuala
Lumpur offered up a double-boiled toadstool morel, mini superior shark's fin
(yeah, I know, I know, WHO serves shark's fin anymore?!) with fish maw and dry
scallops in young coconut. It was an excellent way to begin. The soup was very
fragrant, with a clear, sweetness from the infused coconut. The fungi was soft,
the scallops perfectly shredded. A hit all round the table.
 |
| Hakka Republic: marinated tuna tartare. |
The marinated tuna tartare with green tea, cold soba and Japanese citrus
dressing from Hakka Republic was too salty, but the flavours were good.
 |
| Cibo: prawn melanzana baba ghanouj |
The
chickpea mousse and tahina dip, prawn melanzana baba ghanouj from Cibo
Ristorante Italiano, Holiday Villa Hotel, Subang was well spiced, aromatic and
vary flavourful, but it tasted more Arabic than Italian.
 |
| Tanzini: pan-seared barramundi. |
There were three mains, and the glutton in me rejoiced. Tanzini, GTower
Hotel offered a pan-seared barramundi which was fresh, with a crisp skin and
really refreshing capsicum puree.
 |
| Gobo: seared Wagyu striploin. |
The seared Wagyu striploin from Gobo Upstairs
Lounge & Grill, Trader's Hotel Kuala Lumpur was delish, perfectly done,
with a rich, fragrant, creamy carrot cumin puree and baby vegetables.
 |
| Chinoz: Slow cooked Australian lamb shoulder. |
Chinoz's slow cooked Australian lamb shoulder with asparagus, sweet potato
mash (which tasted like pumpkin) and cumin sauce was also good, being perfectly
cooked.
I have always believed desserts should be big, for the largesse and the
bounty. And this time I was right! Because the desserts were so small, they
lacked flavour and presence. The cannoli from La Risata was a pale shadow of
itself. Having had full portions (and more than one of them) at the restaurant,
I can vouch that they taste much better in their normal size, when the pastry
and ricotta cream balance each other out, as opposed to fighting for
prominence.
 |
| Fa Ying: sticky rice with jackfruit. |
The jackfruit with sticky rich from Fa Ying by Rama V was aromatic and
presented in the right way - that being with the glutinous rice served with a
little salt as well as sugar, but again, it felt small. I also wished for a
larger portion of the pralinosa semifreddo from T@ste 6, Swiss Garden Hotel
& Residences, Kuala Lumpur, which was the best of the desserts.
 |
| T@ste 6: pralinosa semifreddo. |
Shortcomings aside, the good outweighed the poor by far, and I am delighted
that the Average Joe will be able to enjoy some new food experiences with these
menus and selections.
If you are interested to eat your way around Kuala Lumpur, you need to log
on to the official Kuala Lumpur Restaurant Week site for reservations as there
are only limited number of set meals per meal, per outlet each day. Lunch sets
range from RM20, RM38 and RM58 nett. Dinner begins at RM50, RM78 and RM98.
A booking fee of RM2 is charged for reservations. Click on each restaurant's
name to view the menu and reserve seats. For more information,
enquiry@klrestaurantweek.com or ring +603 2202 2289.
