Exquisite food @ Mandarin Grill, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur

Back in December last year, we went to Mandarin Grill to sample dishes from their new a la carte menu. With the arrival of the new chef, Reto Weber, the whole of the starters and mains section has been revamped with his signature dishes, except for the grill items which remain the same. Most of the food here are classic French dishes with a modern twist, and focusing on the use of fresh ingredients. Apparently, the menu will be revised again in the coming months to reflect the seasonal produce that are available. 

The most beautiful piece of cod fish we have eaten in 2011.. 

I have been here once for the MIGF review . In the evening, it is dimly lit, hence perfect for a romantic dinner with your loved one. During the day, natural light floods the restaurant thanks to the ceiling-to-floor windows with a view of KLCC park too... which makes it quite cosy and rather perfect for taking food photos. Surprisingly, the restaurant was very busy during lunch hours.. many people were enjoying the 3-course set lunch which costs approx. RM100++.

We were served two types of bread - sourdough bread and sour cream onion with black pepper bread with salted butter.

We started with a refreshing cured citrus salmon (RM56) with fennel salad and lime vinaigrette. The food presentation here is very impressive, possibly owing from the fact that the chef used to work in Michelin restaurants and other five-star restaurants before joining Mandarin Grill. I like that he uses a lot of edible herbs and garnishes to prettify the dish. I am a big fan of "beautiful AND delicious food."

Bright and delightful

On the menu, it states that the restaurant endeavours to "source local and sustainable ingredients whenever possible". An example would be the smoked duck carpaccio (RM54), whereby the duck is sourced from Seremban. It is served with a mustard honey mayo, plum chutney and brioche. The combination of the slightly salty duck carpaccio and sweet plum chutney worked very well.

The white tomato cream soup (RM28) definitely got us talking. When you think about tomato soup, you instantly think that it should be red, right? But this one's white...how does he do it? Well, the chef still uses the red tomato but he clarifies it to get the white juice and then add cream to the soup. The soup is tangy and rather refreshing, served with a zucchini ricotta tortellini.

For mains, we had the smoky pepper sauce glazed beef cheek (RM88), cooked sous vide. The beef was very tender, and was served with truffled mash potatoes and root vegetables. We also noticed that they had a pan fried foie gras dish for mains (RM160), which we have been told is a whopping 150g worth of foie. Ooo la la!

My absolute favourite dish of the afternoon was the steamed black cod fish (RM98). It looks very simple but it was very delicious. The fish was very fresh and the flesh came off in flakes, just how it should be. It was served with baby spinach and a spicy sweet corn sauce.

For dessert, we had the apple tart with vanilla ice-cream which was very good. Much better than the one at The Deli's, which I find to be too thin and sticky.

Rich cheesecake topped with strawberries

And if you order a steak here, you can choose your own Laguiole  steak knife... check out the fluorescent pink, orange, green and blue ones! Steaks here are priced between RM88 (grass fed Black Angus tenderloin) to RM185 (Master Kobe Grade 10, grain fed tenderloin).

Verdict: Beautifully presented food, which were all perfectly executed. All meat are Halal certified. 

Full set of photos available to view here. 

Pork-free.

Price: Starters start from RM28, up to RM85. Mains prices range from RM64 to RM160.

Location: Mandarin Grill, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2380 8888

GPS Coordinates: 3.155514, 101.711555