Sage, Gardens MidValley, KL. Can Chef Daniel Hold The Fort?

(no pork served)

KL foodies were abuzz when news of Cilantro's soft opening at Micasa hit the streets and the million dollar question everyone was and is still asking now, what will happen to Sage? After all, the iconic Chef Takashi is almost synonymous with Sage, which draws both accolades and brickbats from KL foodies. Fans of Sage will go on and on about how innovative the French cuisine with a Japanese touch is, and detractors were put off by the pretentiousness and quirky results. I do not see what the fuss is all about, Ramsay started The Maze with Gallic-Asian fusion too, but the citizens in KL seem to be lapping the food up.

What usually is a quite place for me to do lunch previously has turned into a bustling hive with Tai-Tais and Gordon Geckos crowding up the place, with almost unbearable noise levels. Dinners on Fridays and Saturdays are impossible unless one books a week ahead.

So, how is the new Sage, post Takashi era? Can Daniel hold the fort? Well, Chef Takashi still overlooks the menu and there is an ongoing collaborative effort between the two Chefs. I was there for lunch and had their seafood, and back later for dinner for their poultry. And to me, there was no discernible difference, except the dishes seem to be more robust, rather than subtle.


The Mousseline of Sea Scallop with Crab Bisque came in a golden hue that tasted as good as it looked, and the bisque seemed to be more frangrant than usual and the whole dish was a treat for the senses with the creamy mousseline adding richness to the Bisque while playing with the perfect texture of the scallops.


The Almond Crusted Atlantic Cod came sitting on a bed of Porcini Mushroom which was wading it it's own Porcini sweat. This was supposed to be a new dish created by Chef Daniel. It was a fabulous play of textures again, with the crunchy, dry almond crust surrounding a piece of moist, perfectly cooked piece of Cod topped by the wonderfully aromatic broth.


And Dessert was the warm Chocolate Galette with Nougatine and Vanilla Ice cream.

As for the Dinner menu, there have been some revisions as well.


I tried their poultry for dinner, and the Confit of Duck Leg with Puy Lentlis and Olive as a starter was perfect. Beautifully smoky and gamy and tender, the condiments gave a Mediterranean zing to the duck. The dish was hearty and whet my appetite for the next course.


The Chapon came with two different cuts of meat, cooked in 2 different ways. The Thigh was grilled to perfection with a crispy skin (I usually hate chicken skin, but I devoured it with relish) and some steamed breast meat. The Morel Fricasse tossed onto the chicken was slightly sourish with shalots and some herbs (Tarragon) thrown into it which tempered down the satiety of the chicken skin. Inset is the amuse bouche.


The Almond Blanc Manger was silky smooth with a slightly bouncy consistency which came with a perfect Mango Sorbet. Beautifully light dessert for a late dinner.

Though I arrived at 10pm, the dining area was still almost full and the private dining room occupied. Will be back to try their red meats later.

Mid Valley Megamall seems to have taken up the Spirit of Christmas with a Harry Potteresque floating candles decoration. There seems to be an abundance of German Stollen cakes, available from Cold Storage. The Biscuit tin that houses some Chocolates and Gingerbread from Bahlsen looks like an open book. With all the Christmas Songs in the and so many beautiful decorations around KL, I am almost convinced that the world is a beautiful place filled with people bearing no ill will against each other... Until, I read the newspaper.


Ciao! And Merry Christmas!

A Lazy Post, with Apologies. Elegant Inn, Dim Sum, Menara Hap Seng KL. Da On Korean Food, Pavilion, KL. Sage Menu this week.

(non halal at Elegant Inn, no pork served at Da On and Sage)

Sorry for another very hasty and lazy post. Been very busy, running around in circles and finally, I have got my Identity Card, 10 years down the road. Since having the Hairy Crabs at Elegant inn, I wanted to get back there to sample their Dim Sum.

Elegant Inn
2.01, 2nd Floor, Podium Block,
Menara Hap Seng,
Jalan P.Ramlee,
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +6.03.20.70.93.99


Their Fried Yam Rolls were wonderfully crispy, crunchy and light. The ones I have had at other places were usually badly fried and very heavy and soggy. I really have to compliment the Chef at Elegant Inn for his frying technique.


The Bean Curd Rolls were filled with fish patty. Nothing outstanding. The obligatory Har Gao and Siew Mai in any Dim Sum was palatable, although the shrimp in the Har Gao was a little bit too cooked, resulting in a very tough consistency.


The Lotus Leaf wrapped rice here is a bit special. They used duck meat and shredded dried oysters and is beautiful carbo laden dish.


For dessert, I had glutinous balls with black sesame in ginger syrup. Another beautiful chinese dessert and the ginger takes away the satiety of the brunch.

Da On Fine Korean Cuisine
Lot 6.40, Level 6,
Pavilion KL
Tel: +6.03.21.41.21.00

On the same day, I had to go to Parkson at Pavilion to get finish up some shopping vouchers and by chance, landed at Da On, which is a swanky looking Korean Resturant with a cavernous interior that has somehow eluded me in the past. I had wanted to get some Thai at Celadon, but they were closed for renovation.

Photos were taken with my Mobile Phone Camera (I did not expect to be posting anything later that day).


As you have noticed, I was at nearly at the end of my meal when I hastily took some photos of the food. The Chicken BBQ was excellent and they were of course served with the little Korean Side Dishes including Kimchi, Stir Fried Vegetables, Mushroom and some pickles. The Kimchi soup (bottom left) deserves and honourable mention beacuse it was so piquant and served with slivers of beef. Dessert was some beautiful Black Sesame Ice Cream. I wmust come back and do a full meal here again.

Sage
Gardens Hotel and Residences
Tel: +6.03.22.68.13.28

This week's menu at Sage is a little bit less decadent.


The Fricasse of Foie Gras with Sweet Bread and Mushrooms. Sweet Bread is the Thymus Gland of Veal/Lamb and here, it was breaded and deep fried. It lies behind the piece of Foie. The mushroom fricasse was slightly heavy with cheese.


The mains is a rustic French/Creole Meunière of Pomfret Fillet with Crab Brisque served with Vegetables in Cocotte. The Pomfret fillet was lightly dusted with flour before being fried and them served on Prawn Bisque instead of the traditional brown butter sauce.


The vegetables were served in a separate pot and consisted of French Beans, Endamame Beans, some local sprouts and choy sum.


Dessert was a spectacular Gratinated halved Strawberries with Cointreau Sabayon and Kiwi Sorbet. Masterful.

Sage, Gardens MidValley, KL. Food Porn for This Week

Am postng this in response to Boo's tweet about deciding whether to luxe lunch at Sage or Senses and Agent Cikay's love for oysters tweet. Sage has revamped their menu for lunch starting this week and have introduced some new dishes. Hopefully the pictures here will help her make up her mind.

1. Trio of Oysters with Condiments and Potage


The potage is spinach based and has some oysters inside as well


I am not able to identify all the condiments, but it has some dashi based sauce, some citrus flavoured peel.

2. Sea Bass Escalope with Hokkaido Scallops and Squid Ink Sauce


Beautifully fresh pan fried Sea Bass in a Prawn based Squid Ink Sauce, served with Kailan, French Peas and Yau Mak. Wondrous and spectacular. The sauce was light and not overpowering at all.

3. Galette de Rois


A very traditional French Dessert, Cake of Kings. Plain Puff Pastry served with a dollop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

Enjoy the Food Porn from Sage this week. And the lunch was, naturally ORGASMIC.

Ri Yakitori. Gardens MidValley, KL. No parts spared.

Yaki-Tori. Japanese satay? Somehow or another, whenever i hear that word, it always reminds me of Margaret Thatcher, ex PM of England from the Conservative Party (UK's equivalent to the Republicans), aka Tory Party. Till today, most of the Tories are still pretty Yucky. Located at the 7th floor of the Gardens Hotel, it felt a bit intimidating to tip toe past the reception to access the elevators to the 7th Floor. When I arrived there at 10.30 pm, Ri was almost deserted save for a group of Japanese having their post dinner Sake. I can almost imagine them belting out "My Way" when given a mike.

The interior is rather Spartan, but comfortable with a beautiful view of the KL skyline. The Menu was also fuss free as well. There is a dinner set, and some yaki tori. The most amazing thing about the menu is that it focuses on chicken. All the parts except the feather. Breast, wings, thighs (shaven), knuckles, intestines, spleen, liver, cartilage, skin, etc... Other than chicken, they have Wagyu beef, beef tongue (french kissing a cow?) and king prawns, scallops, vegetables and mushrooms.

Clockwise from top left: 1. Scallop and Chicken Thighs 2. Wagyu beef 3. Shitake mushroom 4. Asparagus 5. B cup Chicken Breasts

Upon being seated I was served with complimentary salad, and some appetizers which was chicken skin, which i absolutely abhor. I tried it, but the cold, slimey, gritty and oily texture just puts me off. It has nothing to do with the quality of the food though. It's just a manufacturing defect of the Paranoid Android. The Salad came with Tangy Sashimi sauce.

The Yaki Tories were served with some chili salt and the Chef's version of Tare Sauce, which is flavoured with some Yuzu. Of all the sticks of yaki tori I had, the best was the Wagyu beef, that was extra succulent, the heavenly, aromatic shitake mushroom and the miniscule chicken breast each served with a small dollop of wasabi resembling small green nipples.

Clockwise, from top left. 1. The Beautiful Motif on the plate 2. Sake, sake... sucky me 3. Half cooked egg, rice and chicken stew 4. Soup 5. Duck Breast with Mustard

And being the gluttonous Android that I am, I could not let the evening pass by without sampling the a la carte menu. I had the Duck Breast (oh no! breast again? some abnormal fixation going on here) which was definitely more voluptious than the chicken's who were still in training bras. The breast came with some Wasabi and Mustard, just to help me clear up my stuffed sinuses. The breast tasted smokey and good, not unlike the one I had in Sun Tong. Heck it could be the duck I had at Sun Tong which was definitely cheaper. I'll bring a tube of Wasabi and some mustard next time I hit that Dai Chow joint.

The half cooked egg with stewed chicken (and skin) served on top of rice was as descibed in the menu. Since carbo is the new "F" word for health freaks this dish would be termed as sinful pleasure. However, I picked out the chicken skin and savoured the rest with relish. As for dessert, I was really spoiled for choice. The dessert menu only had 1 item, fresh fruits. Ha ha ha!. Heck, this is a Yaki Tori joint. Who comes here for Creme Brulle anyway. Just tuck in the satays and drown your sorrow with Sake. This place closes at 1am, but the kitchen closes at 11.30pm. Service was attentive and fast.

Ri Yakitori
7th Floor
Gardens Hotel and Residences

I have been called among other things, a hateful intellectual snob. But who cares? I will now disclose the reason for my absence during this period. Besides work, these 4 wonderful books.


Clockwise from top left:

1. What Great Paintings Say (2 volumes inside) which is a ravishing grand tour of the important landmarks in the History of Art. Written by Rose Marie and Rainer Hagen, Published by the German Publishing Giant Taschen. Ravishingly beautiful and informative. Worth every single cent of the Price Tag of RM 123.90. From MPH, Mid Valley.

2. Selected Works of Goethe. The towering German author and philosopher. Faust, Werther and Italian journey in a single volume. The translators include illuminiaries like WH Auden. Hard Cover, from Kinokuniya. RM 120.66

3. The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol. Explore the beautiful lyricism of Nikolai Gogol which has been beautifully translated by Pevear and Volokhonsky in this hardcover edition available from Kinokuniya. RM 85.90

4. Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou. Graphic novel. Beautifully drawn and illustrated. If there is a comic you will read this year, this has to be it. Searching for the ultimate truth in Mathematics and Logic, it explores the life and thought of Bertrand Russel as he argues in his mind with Frege, Goedel and Hilbert and wrestles with himself and circumstances. Kinokuniya. RM 92.50.

Canton-i, Gardens MidValley. The week that was.

OK, I admit. I am running low on steam and am finding it hard to get new ideas on what to blog about. Feeling a bit tired too, and am having backaches and headaches. Probably due the change in Medication recently. Moreover, the list of unread books have grown to more than 10. Now, that gets to my nerve more than anything else! Hence, just a brief run down on the week that was.

Firstly, lunch at Gardens. Wanted a change from my usual haunt at Sage, and henceforth twittered for some ideas. Joe (lotsofcravings) suggested Ri Yaki-Tori, but they are only open from 5pm onwards. The Android Craved for some dim sum and landed at Canton-i.

Clockwise from top: 1. Duck Floss in fried spring rolls 2. Steamed Fish Maw with fishpaste and 3. Conch with American Ginseng Soup.

The restaurant claims to offer authentic Cantonese cuisine as they have employed two chefs from Hong Kong and that piqued my interest as I am a big fan of Dim Sum. The Duck Spring Rolls were perfectly fried, with just a light trace of oil, but the savoury filling was a tad too salty and very dry. Steamed fish maw with minced pork and fish paste was an interesting twist to the normal dim sum offeerd elsewhere. Not spectacular, but adequate.

Clockwise from top left 1. Seven Belle Tea (The Jasmine Pops up!), 2. Double Boiled Milk 3. Pea Sprout and Scallop Dim Sum 4. Har Gao

The har gao or prawn dumplings were RM 10 per plate, which is a bit on the pricier side. The skin was perfect, not too sticky and soft nor was it tough. The most interesting of the lot was probably the pea sprout, spinach and sliced scallop dim sum which was filled with crunchy pea sprouts that offered a textural contrast to the otherwise uninspiring array of Dim Sum offered.

The Conch and American Soup was salty, but palatable. The double boiled fresh milk dessert with gnger sauce was beautiful and the most memorable of the dishes. I would have to mention that a lot of the items in the menu ar not available. No roast goose,I had to change my dessert 3 times before they found something that was available, and of the 6 varieties of soup offered, only one was available. Kind of disappointing. Do ask first before ordering to avoid disappointment.

Canton-i
Mid Valley City LG 202, 203 A
Lower Ground Floor
Lingkaran Syed Putra
Kuala Lumpur
+6.03.22.84.68.88

The rest of the week was unremarkable except for a few boring dinners with my Boss. Lunch this week at Sage was excellent.


The Cold Cappelini pasta with Salmon Confit and Baby Herbs brought tears of joy to my eyes. The stark simplicity of the taste and the freshness of the Salmon was astounding. The Aiguilette of Duck and Green Pepper Sauce with Foie Gras has probably been done to death elsewhere, but at Sage, the Duck breast (Aiguilette means sliced lean pieces) was done to perfection and topped with beautiful foie. Dessert was Baked Chestnut which retained a slight bitter edge from the skin, tempered down with almond flakes and vanilla ice cream.

Since Lots of Cravings Joe has been moaning about Pad Thai, I am posting the picture below, taken from Somtam Seafood at Jalan Alor. The best Pad Thai in KL.


Notice the chopped peanuts and Raw Bean Sprouts in the background? Squeeze the lime, give the al dente, full of wok hei noodles a toss. Close your eyes and munch. You are now in Bangkok. As good as the stall below my apartment in Sukhumvit. :D

That was my week, and hope you guys have a great one ahead too!

Sage. Gardens Midvalley. Lunch Menu, 28th Sept to 2nd Oct, 2009. Myth of a Controlled Dining Ambiance Shattered.

(no pork served)

At the entrance of Sage, there is a small little sign that says that there are certain rules that diners should abide by while enjoying their food at Sage. Children under 6 to be supervised by adults and phones in silent mode. Anybody with half a brain will be able to interpret that the Management of Sage places emphasis on the comfort of their diners. Being assaulted by high pitched, loud and animated conversation and loud laughter from a table of 8 is not comfortable. Rules are absolutely unnecessary if only people are considerate to the needs of others. There is a time or place for everything. I'm sure you wouldn't raise a toast and Yam Seng at a fine dining western restaurant.

Note to inconsiderate Diners. If you have a loud voice, tone it down. Use your larynx intelligently, it can be controlled to decrease the volume of your voice. Keep your conversation to your table. As interesting as the story may sound to you, I am not interested in your office politics and where your boss parks his private parts during leisure. Please respect the others around you, other diners might want a quiet and enjoyable meal. There is a place for everything. If you fellowship during meal means telling bawdy, off coloured jokes or loud conversation with 3 threads going on at the same time, book a table in a private room. Or dine in a loud Chinese restaurant. Plenty of dining options available. I know it is difficult for the serving staff to tell customers off without offending anyone, but the customers themselves should be considerate and have some respect for the other diners.

Before you throw a plate of Foie at me, and comment that I am a snobbish, snooty and grumpy old fool, just look back on your previous dining experiences and see if you have been appalled by the lack of consideration of ther diners? It was unbearably noisy when I dined there today. So loud, I could no hear what the waiter was saying to me when I wanted to select the Cheese. Sigh!

This weeks menu at Sage is:

Sarters:

1. Mousselline of Scallop with King prawns and Lily Bulb.


Lovely Scallops with springy consistency and seared just right, served with mousseline (sauce folded with egg whites and cream) which further enhanced the already rich Prawn Flavoured Sauce.

or

2. Warm Salad of Quail with Foie Gras and Asian Greens


Probably another crowd favourite at Sage. Beautifully seared Foie with tender Quail meat. Served with Balsamic Dressing.

Mains:

1. Pan Fried Red Star Garoupa with Aubergine and Red Wine Reduction


Baurtifully Pan Fried Garoupa with an almost raw centre, served with 2 types of Sauces. Creamy and the Red Wine Reduction had a terriyaki like taste that was a bit strange.

or

2. Grilled Angus Beef, Sauteed Mushrooms and Taragon Butter.


Faultless beef that was served with some of the most incredible tasting stir fried mushrooms and potatoes.

Desserts:

1. Miile Feuille of Strawberry with Vanilla Ice Cream and Lime Zest.


A slightly more disappointing dessert from Sage when compared to the more illustrious offerings previously. The lime Zest could hardly be tasted at all but the Phyllo Pastry was well prepared.

or

2. French Farm Cheese

The cheese is at the bottom right and not the top, who are the lovely couple I met from FBB's Bangsar outing and the Hari Raya do. They displayed beautiful dining manners. Although there were later joined by friends for a bash, the level of conversation from their table was hardly audible. Compared with the din from the other tables half a restaurant away, they were god send! It does show that the young can be better behaved than the old.



View of KL from my table. Edited with GIMP for that toy town aka Godzilla town look. I will be taking a break from blogging about lunches at Sage as I think i have completed their Menu cycle rotation.

Sage
Gardens Hotel and Residences

Tel: +6.03.22.68.13.28

Sage. Gardens, Midvalley. Lunch Menu, 23rd to 25th Sept, 2009. Welcome Home!

(no pork served)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. During my absence, I have been pining for Sage, for it's understated charm and the brilliant serving team that makes me feel welcome during my visits. This week's menu would showcase what I have been missing for the past 3 weeks. Some may complain about the almost Omakasen like austerity of choice (only 2 choices for each course), but I have yet to be disappointed.


Fedelini Pasta with Mushroom Ragout and Shaved Wagyu. Harmonious blend of woody and earthy mushrooms with soft and gently seared waygu slices makes this dish a perfect start for lunch. All the tastes were masterfully blended and accentuated in this faultless pasta with nary a discordant note. Heavenly.


Roasted Lamb with Ratatouille and Natural Jus. Lovingly grilled with all the natural flavours intact and gently coaxed to release it's natural jus, the Lamb meat remained so tender that an edentulous matron would be beaming for joy. The vegetable stew (Ratatouille) with Zucchini, Aubergines, Tomatoes, Onions and Garlic was flavoured subtly with Garden herbs and was slightly sourish. Sublime.


I have always been delightfully surprised by the Desserts and sage and today was no different. Apples baked with cheese and then folded with Calvados (Apple Brandy) Sabayon that was light, fluffy and airy. Topped with sinfully fragrant Honey Ice Cream (Gratinated Fuji Apples with Calvados Sabayon and Honey Ice Cream). Great ending.


My favourite table at Sage. Another beautiful lunch.

Other choices

1. Tartare of Smoked Salmon with Hokkaido Scallop and Asparagus for Starters

2. Steamed Seabass with Piqued of Anchovy and Spinach Puree for Mains.

Sage
Gardens Hotel and Residences

Tel: +6.03.22.68.13.28

Sage. Gardens MidValley, KL. Lunch Menu 31st Aug to 4th Sep.

(no pork served)

Hallmarks of a great Chef differs from person to person. If I were to pick 3, it will be

1. Excellent Cooking Technique
2. Attention to detail including the choice of ingredients
3. Creativity and Passion

Cooking technique can be perfected if there is a right instructor and through practice. Attention to detail and using the finest ingredients are possible with adequate financial resources to back up the chef. Creativity and Passion. This is the most difficult to attain. Years of cooking school, hours behind the stove, all the money in the world cannot buy you creativity and passion. If you would like to taste a good Vichyssoise soup, that's not difficult. Can't find it in KL? Fly to Paris and dine in Le Cinq or Alain Ducasse. But to find Sashimied Hokkaido Scallops in the soup with artichoke puree? A stroke of pure genius with a streak of arrogance and in your face kind of nonchalance, available only at Sage.

One must have considerable confidence and a perfect understanding of occidental and oriental cuisine before presenting such twists and artful combination of both. The focal point of convergence at Sage is the artistry and skill in creating beautiful, inspiring dishes that are breath taking both in it's audacity and the successful fusion of tastes.


This week's menu may seem a little bit sedate and less adventurous, but be assured that it was still a culinary adventure. I started off with Seared Salmon with Asparagus and Aonori Sabayon. Perfectly seared top grade salmon, with a slightly raw centre served with Aonori (Japanese Seaweed) in the creamy Sabayon Sauce. The Sabayon here is not the light and souffle like version. The version here is heavier (I can hear purists screaming sacrilege!) and creamy and rich, and the sauce and seaweed blends perfectly with the rich creamy taste of Salmon. Very Japanese inspired, and I could taste a touch of Teriyaki in the Salmon which lent it some saltiness as well.


I chose the beef for mains. One more reason for dining here is that the lunch menu is limited to 2 choices each for the starters, mains and dessert. It's like dining at home, just eat what Mama cooks. I never know what's being served the next week and go there for a surprise. Being a very picky eater, I would not have ordered fish if I was given a wider choice. Going to Sage has opened up my mind and allowed me to taste what I would forgo in another situation and thus deprive myself from the many gastronomic wonders and adventures.

Grilled Angus with Braised Daikon and Yuzukoshou. It's easy to get a good piece of beef in KL nowadays as compared to 15 years ago. Many great steak houses offer a myriad of choice prime cut beef from every corner of the world. But to find grilled Angus served with braised Daikon (Japanese Radish) that has it's distinctive but slightly bland taste together with some mashed Yuzu (Japanese Citrus) would be difficult. The Yuzu has been spiced up with some spicy salt and has a sourish, tart and tangy taste with a dash of mint like freshness and mustard kind of pungency here. It served as a brilliant accompaniment to the rich beef and takes away the satiety of the beef. The daikon also neutralized the satiety as well.


Almond Nougat Glacè with Raspberry Sorbet was my choice for Dessert. The glacè was rich and sublime and the Raspberry Sorbet is what you'd expect from perfection. Lovely, fruity and tart with the right balance of sourness, it was a splendid sorbet that matched the glacè exquisitely.

I'll be off somewhere to work for the next two weeks, and if you were to ask me what I'll miss the most about KL, I would say my weekly lunches at Sage, with it's understated elegance, Billie Holiday/Sarah Vaughn playing in the background and the wondrous food.

Other choices this week:

Patè en Croute of Duck with green Salad for Starter

Étuvée of Red Star Garoupa with Tsubagai and Cereliac for Mains


Sage
Gardens Hotel and Residences

Tel: +6.03.22.68.13.28

Sage. Gardens Mid-Valley, KL. Lunch Menu 24th to 28th Aug 2009.

(no pork served)

I'm really horribly predictable. Creature of habit, my friends can actually guess the colour of my undergarments based on the day of the week. I did not want to put up this post for fearing of boring all of you to bits with my lunch escapades at Sage. But this week's lunch menu was so good, I could not resist sharing this with you guys.


Sage's 3 course lunch menu are rotated on a weekly basis. There was also a huge crowd there today. Noisy diners. Can't they speak with muted tones? Not everybody in the restaurant would like to know where they spent their holiday playing golf, and neither am I interested to hear them pronounce Moulin Rouge wrongly. *cringe* OK, OK. Now that we know you are rich, can you show some class please, and lower down the conversation by 50dbs?

There goes my quiet reflective, peace and quiet lunch. Tuesdays are bad for me. I have to work for more than 16 hours, and I need my fix at Sage badly.


I started of with their excellent Tagliolini Pasta with Fresh Water Prawn and Mozarella. Lovely freshly grilled fresh water prawns sprinkled with pepper and full of roe, with some cheese added to enhance the creaminess of the sauce. Very intense prawn flavour in the sauce which went very well with the pasta. Imagine Sang Har Meen, but double the intensity.


The main course was equally amazing. Pan Fried Hokkaido Scallops with Foie Gras and Sauce Marinière. Marinière Sauce is made from seafood base, usually fish and/or mussels and reduced with white wine and shallots and spices and the version today is thickened with a bit of butter. The scallops were pan fried, but the centre was still slightly raw. The creamy foie gras with the creamy marinière sauce enhanced the natural sweetness of the scallops making every mouthful a joy.


Dessert was Feuilleté of Caramelized Apple with Vanilla Ice Cream. Caramelized apple with puff pastries served with a dollop of ice cream. The pastry was light and fluffy and slightly charred bringing out the smokiness of the caramel. Lovely.

Other choices:-

1. Seared Wagyu Beef with Sauteéd Mushrooms and Wild Rocket for Starter, and

2. Roasted Rack of Lamb with Ratatouille and Thyme Jus for Main Course.

Sage. Gardens, Mid Valley, KL. Lunch Menu 17th to 21st August.

(no pork served)

Wagyu Beef Cheeks is in the Lunch Menu for this week. This explains the unusually large crowd at Sage on a Monday? Anyway, just a quickie post. I have blogged about Sage before, so, you know what to expect. And most of you who have read my blog before know that I am a creature of habit. I love lunching at Sage because of the excellent ambiance and service.


This week's rolls come with a centre of Sun Dried Tomatoes, and served with the cheeseless Pesto like dip with lots of basil and olive oil.


For Starters, Vichyssoise of Hokkaido Scallop with Grated Summer Truffle. Vichyssoise is a cream based soup made from pureed waxy potatoes, leek, onion, garlic with chicken stock. Usually, chives are added for a bit of flavour as well. It may be served hot or cold, but commonly cold. It is reputed to be Anthony Bourdain's favourite soup.

The version at Sage was served with raw, huge Hokkaido Scallops, sliced Shashimi style in the middle of the cold, thick and rich soup. The little black specks you see on the surface of the soup are summer perigord truffles. Masterful blending of the base of the soup with slushy smooth scallops and the truffles accentuated the taste of the creamy soup.


The Brasied Wagyu Cheek with Dauphinoise Potato and Fine Beans was the mains I had. Somebody must have given the cow a lot of loving pecks on the cheeks, because the cheeks were soft and pliable. It was served with a very rich, thyme flavoured Potato Dauphinoise that had been roasted in milk and cheese. My only grouse here is that the beef tasted a little bland. I'm not sure if the restaurant can be faulted, but I suspect I have been breathing with my mouth at night because the haze has banged up my nose. And breathing with my mouth open has affected my taste buds. But, of course, blandness is minor fault that can be corrected easily with just a shake of salt.


Eral Gray Bavarois with Chocolate Sorbet and Ginger Confiture is the Dessert of the Week. Bavarois is just a hoity toity name for Bavarian cream that is usually thickened with Gelatin to achive a very very smooth texture and the version at Sage this week is flavoured with Earl Gray (Bergamot and Tea). Light, smooth and balanced. Of course the Chocolate Sorbet was slightly bitter to balance out the sweetness and Ginger is an interesting departure from the normal presentation of this dessert. Only Gripe? Portions are too small.... Boo Hoo Hoo....


A shot of the concrete slabs fro Level 3, Gardens. I love the shadows!

As usual, lunch is served from 12pm to 2 pm.

The other choices available are :

1. Seared Foie Gras with Quail and Mesclun Salad for starters

2. Roasted Sea Bass with King Prawn and Sauteed Mushrooms for mains