One of the main new features of the restaurant is the stunning glasshouse. The ingenious team at Skillet have cleverly repurposed the now-defunct al fresco smoking area into an intimate dining area suitable for leisurely lunch, cosy events or private dining.
Christmas is in the air, with the restaurant decked in festive splendor. Alex Cheah, one of the owners of Skillet at 163, explains that with every changing season, the restaurant would be decorated accordingly to give diners the ultimate seasonal dining experience.
Dining at Skillet has always been a joy for me; with every new menu, Chef Raymond Tham introduces new flavours, often injecting them with his unique interpretations. In the Autumn/Winter 2019 menu, there is a clear focus on seasonal ingredients such as cep mushrooms, apples, pomegranates, pumpkin, celery, cranberries, beetroot and more. Regional specialties from Europe will also be highlighted. For lunch, there will be a 2 or 3-course set lunch (priced at RM55 and RM70 respectively) while for dinner, guests can choose either the 3-course menu (RM128) or the 7-course degustation menu (RM400).
To start, we were served a duo of light bites - the Potato Salad with ikura and Bidor duck prosciutto tart. For the potato salad, Russet potato is salt-baked and dressed with creme fraiche and chives for a light finish. The ikura (salmon roe) topping gives it an umami burst. The Bidor duck prosciutto is something quite special - local duck sourced from Bidor, Perak is cured for 150 days in-house, thinly sliced and served with chargrilled endives, walnut croquant, orange marmalade and pomegranate in a light, crisp tart case. To complete this, a couple of drops of the delightfully fruity, rich 25-year old aged balsamic from renowned Giuseppe Giusti is added to the prosciutto.
Mocktail: orange with roselle tea
Next is the Lobster, an absolutely flawless dish, both in terms of presentation and flavours. Extremely pleasing to the eye, the butter poached lobster is embellished with celery, apple, edible flowers and rutabaga (swede) with mascarpone. To go with the lobster, a sauce made from fermented apples with fish broth is poured tableside, finished with a few drops of kombu oil. Beautiful, delicate flavours.. loved it!
Pierogi are dumplings of Central and Eastern European origin, with either a sweet or savoury filling. Chef Raymond's version is interestingly filled with vegan meat, which despite being mock meat, manages to make the dumpling taste very "meaty" and tasty. The dumpling is served with baked pumpkin, pumpkin puree, pickled kombu and cheese foam, which complements it beautifully.
The Mushroom features cep mushrooms in three different forms; sauteed mushrooms at the base, followed by cep foam and cep powder. A mushroom delight!
Our Venison main course arrived at the table in style, on a shiny brass food trolley. Plating takes place tableside, with the server first cutting into the pithivier, revealing the juicy venison within. A pithivier is a traditional French pie, also known as Galettes des Rois, or King Cake. The venison is layered with mushroom duxelle as well as daun kaduk (betel leaves) and encased within buttery, flaky puff pastry. Along with the accompaniments of chargrilled brussel sprouts, fermented cranberries and jus, we were definitely feeling the Christmas vibes with this dish.
The Cod Fish is perfect for those who want a lighter main course. Pan fried cod is served with homemade spaetzle, a type of German noodles and a clear umami broth, made using the cold drip method.
Two seasonal ingredients, prunes (dried plums) and beetroot are the star of the first dessert we sampled at Skillet. The tartness from the prune granite, with the earthy sweetness of the beetroot and savory cream cheese espuma is a marriage in heaven.
Beetroot & Prune
And of course, a visit to Skillet is never complete without tasting and experiencing the Signature Texture of Chocolate dessert. For the Christmas 2019 edition, Chef Raymond uses single origin Venezuela 72% chocolate, blonde chocolate, cocoa soil, spiced, fermented butternut squash and liquid nitrogen to create the magic.
Petit fours
The dining area upstairs has also been refreshed, bringing the restaurant capacity up to 90 pax.
Opening times: Mon - Sun (12.00pm - 3.00pm & 6.00pm - 11.00pm).
Location: Skillet at 163, Fraser Place, 10 Jalan Perak, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Parking Mon-Fri RM4 for 1st hour, RM3 for subsequent hour; Sat-Sun RM3 for 1st hour, RM2 for subsequent hour).
Tel: 03-2181 2426
Website: https://www.skilletat163.com/
GPS Coordinates: 3.154174, 101.708805
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If they had fine linen tablecloth, this would be one real classy place. Love the presentation, that 2019 chocolate Christmas edition.
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