Early Christmas Lunch @ Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, KL

Let's kick start the New Year with a post on my favorite restaurant in KL - Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar. We were here in December for an early Christmas lunch (as well as daytime dating with Hubby). Chef Daniel comes over for a chat and asks if I would like something off-menu which I would like to eat, to which I answer FOIE GRAS!

So Chef Daniel whips up one of his signature dishes for me, seared foie gras with dark grapes and red wine reduction (which you can order off the dinner a la carte menu- RM60). What a fantastic way to start the meal - luscious and rich with a nice caramelised crust. Thank you Chef Daniel!

Hubby ordered from their lunch menu, starting off with the Smoked Duck Breast with Crispy Foie Gras. The foie is placed inside ravioli-like parcels and deep fried to crispy perfection. This lies atop a few slices of smoked duck breast and mushrooms.

For mains, we both had the Black Angus Beef with Wild Rocket, Salted Kombu, and Sudachi Reduction. Chef Daniel tells us this is his new way of serving steaks - with rocket (greens) instead of mash potatoes for a healthier, lighter option. No problem for us,we just enjoy a few more slices of their warm bread with their signature basil dip. Though Sage is not a steakhouse, they do a really fantastic job with the steaks - always cooked to tender perfection. Love the salted kombu on top, which elevates the meaty flavour for us.

What enticed us to come to Sage this week was the Black Truffle Ice Cream with Shaved Black Truffle. The smooth ice cream was heavily scented and flavoured with black truffle oil, though the shaved black truffle does not add much other than visual appearance. We quite happily devoured this.

Pork-free.

For their weekly lunch menu, click here. Full a la carte menu here.

Dress code: Smart casual.

Opening hours: Lunch:Monday to Friday 12.00pm to 2.00pm; Dinner:Monday to Saturday 6.00pm to 10.30pm. Closed on Sunday.

Price: RM100 nett per person for 3-course lunch RM120 nett for 4-course. 10% off with CIMB credit card.

Location: Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, The Gardens Residences, Level 6, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2268 1328

*Children below the age of 6 are not allowed in the restaurant.


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Caprese salad canapes with basil pesto + Jamón Serrano with Rock Melon + Happy New Year 2014

Last Christmas, we decided to have a canape-style brunch with lots of small bites of our favorite food. Hubby loves caprese salad, a classic Italian salad made of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, ripe tomatoes and fresh basil and seasoned with salt and extra virgin olive oil. I decided to make some "caprese salad on sticks" for our party! The components of our "caprese salad on sticks" are cubes of mozzarella followed by a cube of juicy Momotaro tomato, half a fresh basil leaf and finally topped with some homemade basil pesto which we made earlier that morning.

Pleasurable small bites ;)

I have to say this is quite the perfect canape for Christmas. Beautiful colours of red & green and it looks so pretty on the platter! In our hot weather, the mozzarella melts quite a bit, so store in fridge until you are ready to serve it. We definitely enjoyed these tiny bites!

Caprese salad on sticks 

Another canape we made was the Jamón Serrano with rock melon. I first tasted something similar (prosciutto with melon) when Hubby and I were holidaying in Marbella, Spain - so simple but absolutely delicious. All you need to do is cut the rock melon into cubes (sweet and juicy ones, please) and then wrap the Jamón serrano ham over it. Put it in your mouth and enjoy the wonderful sweet-salty sensation of this canape.

Finally, Happy New Year and hope that 2014 will be a a super duper awesome year for all! :)

Caprese salad on sticks (Caprese salad canapes with basil pesto)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Makes 12

Ingredients
1/2 ball mozzarella, cut into small cubes
1 Momotaro tomato, cut into small cubes
Salt
3-4 tbsp homemade pesto (recipe here)
6 fresh basil leaves

1. Season the tomato with some salt. Place the mozzarella, followed by tomato, half a basil leaf and 1/4 tsp of pesto, then secure components together with a food pick.

Homemade basil pesto

Jamon Serrano with Rock Melon
1/2 packet Jamon Serrano or prosciutto, at room temperature
1/4 rock melon (cantaloupe), cut into cubes

1. Wrap each piece of rock melon with a small slice of Jamon Serrano and secure with a food pick.

I am submitting this to the "Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013" event which I am hosting. You can link your recipes here.

I am also linking this to the Little Thumbs up "Cheese" event organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Alice from I Love.I Cook.I Bake. You can link your posts here.

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