Upper Deck Tanzini @ G Tower KL

It's been quite a while since I last went out and try a new dining place in KL. I've been too comfortable dining at the usual outlets and sometimes missing out on new and happening restaurants in KL city. Unfortunately, some has even closed down before I even have time to set my foot in. Haha... (that is really a sarcasm)

Initially I wanted to go to Upper Deck Tanzini at G Tower on a Wednesday but it was fully booked for a private event and thus I defer my reservation to Thursday night. My 1st experience in making a booking didn't go too well as the lady on the other side can't give me the info I needed. I wanted to know what is the difference between Tanzini & Upper Deck and sadly she didn't know how to explain. Thus, I resort to reading reviews online.


I don't know why, but I think this is going to be quite a long-winded post.

After much questioning, it turns out that Upper Deck Tanzini ONLY serves dinner (degustation style & reservations highly recommended) and also private functions for lunch & dinner. Dress code is strict too as you need to dress smartly, like how you would do for a fine dining restaurant. Of course I was well-heeled for the dinner. Downstairs, at level 28, that's the Tanzini restaurant where they serve ala carte dishes and it's a more casual dining, available for lunch & dinner too.


I was also quite excited as I've recommended to my dining partner to give this place a try. As I walked in, I was awed by the picturesque KL skyline, particularly the view of the KL Twin Towers from the double storey rooftop glass windows that surround the restaurant. Service was also top-notch as the staff was polite, attentive and also helpful.

What disappoints me was the whole food experience. As a start, I chose a 4-course-dinner set @ RM155++. Lo & behold, I didn't know that the sorbet, for in between the starter and my main was also called "a course"?!! For me, the right way is to call it "in between". It's just to wash my palate and not a course by itself. Then, it gives people the impression that it's only 3 courses and not 4!

I ordered a Yellowtail King Fish Tataki which was recommended by the staff and my dining partner ordered a Pan-roasted Pigeon as starters. After a while, the staff came back and told us that the Pigeon dish is not available and thus he settled for the same starter as mine. When the first dish came, the staff apologized to us and told us that they ran out of Yellowtail King Fish and the chef has substituted it with lobster.

At that moment, I jokingly told the staff that I want my Yellowtail King Fish and not the lobster! Of course they were polite and told me that the lobster is better and it's delicious BUT what I was not happy about is that they do not have the courtesy to inform the diners that they had to use lobster instead for the starter before serving it to me. What happened if I'm allergic to lobsters (which is not uncommon here)? And it's also funny that a fine-dining place like this can run out of two out of the six starters and they did not inform the staff in the 1st place. Very disappointing.

To be fair, the lobster does taste fresh, juciy and succulent. But I am still no happy for not getting my Yellowtail fish!!


To save the day, lucky we have a bottle of Felton Road, Central Otago Calvert Pinot Noir 2008 which is a New Zealand red wine. It's a silky wine that is averagely rich with cherry & minerals and a hint of spice. I have not had Felton Road for years and it's nice that we have a NZ red once in a while. The chief sommelier, Mr. Eddy Lau happened to be a friend whom I have known since the days he worked for Vintry. It's nice to catch up with friends that you have not seen for donkey years and then suddenly bump into them out of nowhere.

Here comes my a teaspoonful "2nd course" sorbet of the day.


Master Kobe Striploin & Wagyu Beef Rump

There are three layers to this dish. The first and outer layer is the Kobe beef, carpaccio like as it's a very thin piece of beef (written on the menu as Marble Score is 10+) with two pieces of wagyu beef rump stacked together. the broth is a caramelised oxtail with pearl onion. I like this because the beef is tender and the broth is flavourful. But what I don't like is the part that why I wasn't asked how I prefer my wagyu to be cooked? Maybe I like it a little bit more rare? That I could not accept. A fine dining restaurant should not make such a mistake.

Scotland's Label Rouge Salmon

It's a "Red Label" Scottish Salmon (want to know more about the label, read here) poached with duck fat at 48 degrees Celsius , served with Saffron Carnaroli Risotto, Dill & Sorrel Jelly and with Amoroso Tomato Confit. I didn't try the dish but my friend says it's good and he's glad he made the right choice (as compared to my dish). That's very terrible of him! I'm happy with my dish and perhaps next time I'll give this a try.

Sweet Ending

But I don't want a sweet ending, I want a happy ending! hahha... The dessert is a berry sorbet (which melted way too fast before I manage to snap the perfect picture), served with big juicy, sourish strawberry and a chocolate mousse which is gelatine like. There's nothing unusual about this sweet delight except for the pretty presentation.

The verdict - I will not strike this place off the list yet as I do love the ambiance and the spectacular views. The menu is a hit and miss but I'm sure they can still improve on it. What I am hoping is that they not only improve the menu, but also on the communication to the diners. They should have the quality of a fine-dining restaurant if they want to maintain that status. Alternatively, if you want more courses, you can opt for a 5-course-dinner at RM185 and a 6-course-dinner at RM215.

IMHO, they are still very far from the quality & taste of food that Max can offer at Millesime. So I hope you can hop over to TIME OUT KL Food Awards website and vote for Millesime & me for the Blogger's Choice Award!

Tanzini
(do state if you want to make a reservation at Upper deck)

Level 28, GTower
Jalan Tun Razak
50400 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: +603 2168 1899
Website