Showing posts with label Taman Tun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taman Tun. Show all posts

July 10, 2017

Hennessy X.O Odyssey 2017 with Chef Darren Chin


7 Chapters of Gastronomic Excellence at DC Restaurant



Hennessy X.O Odyssey 2017 returns with another gastronomic excellence with culinary extraordinaire Chef Darren Chin. The exclusive culinary platform makes a striking comeback with an unexpected journey of 7 Chapters of Taste for 2017.


Hennessy X.O, first bottled by Maurice Hennessy in 1870, is classified as “extra old” for its blend of 100 eaux-de-vie. Ever since the launch of Hennessey X.O Odyssey, it has been a yearly journey of exclusive showcase of the 250-year Maison’s iconic seven tasting notes paired with the finest dishes.


This year’s Hennessy X.O Odyssey 2017 is helmed by French trained Chef Darren Chin, featuring an eclectic mix of 7-course to articulate the 7 tasting notes of Hennessey X.O Cognac. From 16 July to 14 August, epicureans will able to indulge in the Hennessey X.O Odyssey 2017 at DC Restaurant.


Chef Darren, our very own culinary maestro, combines classical French and modernist techniques to feature ingredients at their peak of flavours and textures. With a comprehension of the philosophy of ‘la Jeune Cuisine’ (young cuisine), Chef Darren aims to create honest, pure and unpretentious dishes that feature nature’s bounty in its finest form.



Hennessey X.O’s seven chapters, characterized by Sweet Notes, Infinite Echo, Wood Crunches, Spicy Edge, Flowing Flame, Rising Heat and Chocolate Lull, provide the culinary platform for Chef Darren’s creative vision to this exquisite menu.






Sweet Notes

A sweet and savory composition of Botan Ebi with Heirloom Tomato Granita, Konbu, Lemon Basil & Chili Oil led to a great start of the evening, paired with HXO on the Rocks. Sheer ingenious pairing of oceanic flavours of botan shrimp with briny globules of salmon roe is lifted with a fresh tang of tomato granite with drizzle of perfumed oil evoked the sweet nuances of the chilled cognac.




Infinite Echo

Echoing the bold cognac’s complex flavours in HXO with splash of water, the Takao Cold Somen with Ogawa Bafun Uni & Truffle Celeriac Cream oozed with elegance on the palate. As one elegantly slurps the chilled silky strands of somen laced with truffle, the sublime traces of the sea from the bafun sea urchin elevated the taste to new lusciousness. Urchin made more divine with the tasting notes of the cognac…





Wood Crunches

The next sea and land sonata of “Spring” Galician Octopus, Green Gazpacho & Burnt Leeks in Dark Rye Crumbs is paired with HXO with warm water. The refine notes of the slightly warm cognac was utterly soothing, a perfect match for tender octopus flanked by sweet crab meat. The smoky char and tang of gazpacho completed the sonata.




Spicy Edge

There are at least two sides to everything in life hence we tucked into two delicate sides of snow crab paired with HXO with a splash of water. The fine cognac’s spicy peppery note is enhanced by robust sweet crab essence in both sequels.


Part 1 showed off Snow Crab Broth Infused with Herbs from our garden. The sheer intensity of crab essence proved to be brazen match for the fine X.O. Lush aroma tantalized the sense of smell, followed by the satisfaction of oceanic flavours with fine shreds of snow crab was beautiful and delicious.


Part 2 had a medley of Japanese Snow Crab, White Asparagus, Culantro “Nam Jim” & Black Summer Truffle. The sweetest snow crab meat with the season’s finest white asparagus is made even more luxurious with truffles, freshly sliced on. A refine nam jim sauce, well controlled in every possible note of savory, sweet, sour and spicy, tied up the whole dish with much finesse.



Flowing Flame

Paying homage to flavours of flame, the course of Organic Chicken, Bertutu Spice, Vegetables from our Farm & Vegetable Vinaigrettes was not only scrumptious but gorgeous at sight. The chook was sinfully tender with a crisp spiced up skin that was impeccable in flavours. The garden of spring vegetables and purees added much freshness or sweet notes and textures to the dish. The HXO with a splash of cold water and ice was well rounded and imparted a refreshing note to the dish.




Rising Heat

Italian Veal Fillet Poached in Milk and Lightly Grilled with a Foie Gras Emulsion & Red Kampote Pepper could not have been executed any better. The veal fillet was perfectly poached till tender and plush pink before finished with on the grill. Accompanied by tempura battered zucchini flower, crisp snow peas and a foie gras sauce, literally to-die-for. There’s possibly no better way than to pair this with HXO neat for pleasurable notes of fine cognac and meat. Did I mentioned that we sliced through the buttery soft veal with Laguiole steak knives of our choice?




Chocolate Lull

With every journey, there comes an end, and preferably a sweet one. Luring the finale with 100% Arabica Coffee Ice Cream, Spiced Hairy Banana, M’Hencha & Lemon Chantilly, the intensity of the coffee went surprisingly very well with HXO neat. Perhaps the cream married well with the cognac as it added decadence to the fine notes of the cognac.





The Hennessy X.O Odyssey 2017 outdo its previous years again, setting the bar high each time for another culinary adventure with the fine cognac. Each chapter soars on its own, raising above each other to reach the peak of gastronomy.

An unforgettable Hennessey X.O Odyssey 2017 by Chef Darren Chin!


The exclusive Hennessy X.O Odyssey 2017 cognac pairing is priced at RM888++ per guest. This innovative showcase of unrivaled heritage and innovative vision is available from 17 July to 14 August at DC Restaurant. For reservations, kindly contact 03 7731 0502 or 012 223 2991


DC RESTAURANT
44 Persiaran Zaaba, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Highlights info row image
03-7731 0502

May 6, 2015

The Gallery @ Taman Tun Dr. Ismail


A Wonderlust of French & Italian Cuisine


Taman Tun or TTDI is quite the sumptuous neighborhood with lots of hidden gems of restaurants and cafes. Another recent invite had us discovering a gorgeous restaurant elegantly named The Gallery situated along Jalan Aminuddin Baki. Almost discreetly located in one of the shop lots, one might almost missed this lovely restaurant if you are not looking out for it. Either that or one might really think it’s an art gallery with its signboard.


The Gallery is run by a family of talents, from Latifah, The Gallery’s owner to her daughters Natasha who runs the kitchen as chefs together with Nabila’s husband while Nabila works the front-of-the-house. A quick chat with Latifah and Nabila had us all feeling warm and fuzzy, that’s how humble and friendly both mother and daughter was. Their obvious passion for good food is admirable. The chefs honed in their culinary skills abroad for several years before deciding to return home to open The Gallery.


True to its name, The Gallery is all decked out in gorgeous art pieces that immediately grabbed my attention upon entering the restaurant. The décor is minimalist, elegant and contemporary. Bold black walls contrasted with red banquette wrapped seating, wooden furniture and flooring. The bar is colored neutral together with a shelving cabinet displaying pretty dining ware.


The menu boasts of French and Italian favorites together with a decent list of mocktails, flavored iced teas and coffee. To kick off the evening’s French and Italian soiree, the few of us had TG Sunrise (RM16), Raspberry Mint Tea (RM15) and Peach Twist (RM13). My Raspberry Mint Tea is refreshing and bursting with tangy berries and mint.


For starters, we had a few items from the menu starting with TG Crostini (RM15). Crostini are little toasts topped with various toppings favored by Italians as snacks or appetizers. TG Crostini features toasts with 3 choices of toppings from roasted sweet pumpkin mash to roasted cherry tomatoes and tuna with bell pepper. Simple fresh ingredients that made up beautiful rustic flavours…


I love a good arancini and the Arancine (RM18) here is risotto cooked with mushrooms, mozzarella and parmesan before it is being crumbed into tiny balls and deep fried till golden brown. The tiny crispy rice balls are superb in flavours and cheesy too. The rice balls are creamy with hits of earthy mushrooms bits. I could easily polish this bowl off myself happily.


Next of the appetizer list was Grilled Prawn Skewer (RM18), two skewers of prawn and scallop grilled and dressed with lemon chili vinaigrette. The seafood skewers are served with mixed greens and corn puree. Though a little plain, the seafood are well cooked and juicy.


The Classic Caesar Salad (RM25) with added Smoked Salmon (RM10) was delish. Good tossed of all ingredients of romaine, croutons, beef bacon, parmesan with Caesar salad dressing and topped with soft poached egg with molten center. The Caesar salad dressing was robust, lightly tangy with good notes of garlic and cheese. The egg and salty smoked salmon added more depth of flavours to the salad.


I also enjoyed the Prawn Bisque (RM22) a lot. The thick bisque was gorgeous with robust shellfish essence. It was also creamy and lightly spice up. A drizzle of salsa verde of herbs added richness and sharp zingy flavours to the bisque. There were also a few sautéed prawns in the bisque which is a lovely touch.


TG Lord Burger (RM32) is a heavy contender with its thick sirloin patty stuffed with oozy mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Then the whole works of greens, fresh tomato, sweet onion marmalade and wild mushroom sauce is piled on the patty sandwich with soft burger bun. The sirloin patty is gorgeous and really cheesy and juicy. I like the addition of sweet onion marmalade as it gave the burger a lovely sweet smoky note. Though nothing new, I also like the steak fries that came with the burger because I happen to enjoy thick cut fries more than those scrawny ones.


If I were to highly recommend one dish, it would be the Farfalle alla Ragu di Manzo (RM28). The Gallery has tweaked the ragu recipe for a while and has finally nailed it with beef short ribs ragu over farfalle pasta. I loved the flavours of the rich tomato based ragu and the fact that they use beef short ribs made the meat pieces fork tender and so flavourful. The pasta was cooked al dente and managed to absorb the scrumptious ragu sauce well so every bite of pasta was beautifully satisfying. Highly recommended for pasta lovers!


Linguine de Pepperonata (RM25) is another signature of The Gallery and this one is also pretty good. It has a very piquant and spicy sauce of bell peppers, tomato, black olives, onions and garlic. This meatless pasta is quite addictive with the spicy sauce and briny olives. Other pastas to check out are TG Mac & Cheese, Classic Linguine Carbonara and Spaghetti Aglio Olio.


Risotto with parmesan fondue, crispy leeks, brown butter and gremolata summed up Pan Seared Scallop (RM48), a special of the day. This one is also very delectable and since I love a good risotto and scallops, this dish was almost a match made in heaven for me. The risotto was so creamy and cheesy in flavours and has got a good al dente bite in the rice. The scallops were gorgeously seared on the outside in brown butter and remain tender inside. The delicate oniony leeks and bits of gremolata added more flavours and textures to the dish. It’s just a perfectly executed dish and I would certainly order this again.


If you are into meat, the menu has plenty of meat and poultry to offer as well. Roasted Spring Chicken (RM38) is one sexy bird at sight. The plump roasted spring chicken sat on a bed of basil mashed potato and is also served with sautéed vegetables and a beautiful orange thyme sauce. The chook is well-seasoned and roasted beautifully. The meat was juicy too and when paired with the citrusy sweet orange sauce, the flavours were scrumptious.


Pan Seared Black Cod (RM69) was served with another citrus sauce, an orange butter sauce that has a rich citrusy and sweet note. The fish was nicely cooked but a tad too thin cut for me. I like my cod to be cut thicker but that is really a tiny matter as it is more of a personal preference of mine. It is served with roasted potatoes, cherry tomatoes and asparagus.


The Pan Seared Duck Breast (RM42) was another French favorite and came paired with a nice large piece of potato pancake, crispy fried garlic chips, side of mixed greens and cranberry sauce. The skin of the duck was well rendered till its fat are minimal and nicely charred while the duck meat remain medium rare in the middle. The cranberry sauce gave the dish a nice subtle hint of fruity sweetness and light tartness to balance the richness of the duck. I enjoyed the potato pancake too.


Grilled Black Angus Rib-Eye (RM95) was a hefty piece of 250g rib eye nicely char grilled till medium rare doneness. This dish is simply my kind of dish. Served with creamy sweet potato mash, sautéed mixed mushrooms and topped with lots of arugula leaves, the steak also has a drizzle of vincotto sauce. Vincotto sauce is reduced fig vinegar which has a luscious rich caramelized sweetness. The rib eye is tender and juicy and cooked till just right. I adored the vincotto with the rib eye and the sweet potato mash pairing as it was super yum!


Grilled Rack of Lamb (RM55) is another choice for meat lovers. The lamb racks are served with roasted baby potatoes, pepperonata and rosemary sauce. As one can see, the lamb racks are meaty and quite lean. It is well-seasoned and nicely grilled to medium. The rosemary sauce is savory and aromatic while the pepperonata is sweet and soft. It’s a pretty decent dish overall.


Though we were all quite full, the mentioned of Baked Alaska (RM26) and other desserts were enough to tempt us again to try them. The Gallery does Baked Alaska differently. It has coconut cake with mango sorbet nicely covered in Italian meringue and torched till nicely browned on the edges. It is then served with pandan paste, coconut crumbs and strawberries.



I like this version a lot. It’s a nice change and the mango sorbet is so refreshing and vibrant in flavours. The pandan paste was ok but I wouldn’t miss it if it wasn’t there. A creative touch on the classic Baked Alaska!


Chocolate Vault (RM26) was another signature of The Gallery. It was an elegant dessert of chocolate fudge brownie and milk chocolate mousse coated with rich dark chocolate in the shape of a dome. The dome is served with raspberry and orange coulis, orange segments and crushed nuts.



Chocolate is always a good sweet ending. This one was not overly sweet and was nice and rich with a lovely bittersweet note. The berries also help to balance up the chocolate.


The simplest dessert when made well really takes the cake! Petite Orange Madeleines (RM15) is one of them. The French little cakes are simply a must-order here at The Gallery. Made fresh upon order, these fluffy orange scented madeleines are just so delicious and addictive. Make sure to order them and savor them piping hot!!


Haagen Daz Ice Cream (RM12 per scoop) is also available in few flavours.


The Gallery is a perfect venue for family, friends and business dining too. I like their food and find lots of hits on the menu. My personal favorites are the Arancine, Farfalle alla Ragu di Manzo, Pan Seared Scallop, Grilled Black Angus Rib Eye, Baked Alaska and Petite Orange Madeleines!



THE GALLERY
165, Jalan Aminuddin Baki,
6000 TTDI
Tel: +60 0377322005


Business Hours:
Tue - Sun: 12:00 - 15:00
Fri: 16:00 - 20:30
Closed: Mon