A Revisit to Bistro à Table @ Jln 17/54 PJ

I told you that I would be revisiting the restaurant after a much unsatisfactory dinner the last time I was there. And here I am again after the 1st visit 2 weeks ago (review here). I just want to give this place another visit to see if it's worth coming back here again.

This time, I went there during a weekday instead of a weekend and I was quite surprised that this place was also fully booked on a Thursday.

For the entree, my friend has the Veal Sweetbreads with Poached Duck Egg Salad (RM45). I haven't the sweetbread in this style. Usually I had it pan seared but in a salad, this is the first time. This is the thymus gland and according to the chef, this is the better sweetbread. The conclusion is that I still like them to be pan-seared.

I had the self-saucing Ravioli with shaved Alba white truffles (RM58). When you order this dish, the chef herself, Isadora Chai would come out and shave the white truffles in front of your eyes. I wished she could have shaved more of it into my plate. This is a very nicely executed dish with the egg still soft and moist in the ravioli.

We brought our own bottle - the Napa Valley Dominus 1999 which I've written before here. I find it drinking well after letting it breathe for at least 30 mins. It's only worth bringing your own bottle if it's a good bottle as the corkage charge here is RM60. And non-negotiable.

This is the Cannelloni of seared scallops and school prawns in Lobster bisque with a slice of Indonesian black nut tapenade (RM62). I wanted to eat scallops and this seems like the dish to order. The scallops and prawns are diced into cubes and you have to eat it together with the lobster bisque cause it gives it the saltiness and added flavour to the otherwise bland stuffing. The "buah keluak" which is also the Indonesian black nut tapenade is interesting. I usually see it in the Nyonya cooking but in a western dish? This is quite new. I like the crispy tapenade that goes with the bisque as well.

My friend has the Shredded Duck Confit Parppardelle (RM52) for the main dish. I can't comment cause I didn't try it.

Mangosteen Pavlova with Chantilly Cream & Candied Cucumber (RM19)

This is one helluva crazy dessert that I've ever eaten. It's so amazing that the baby mangosteen tastes so good with the pavlova and cream. I've never heard about candied cucumbers and I find this dessert simply refreshing and creative. Hats off to the chef. Too bad they told me that they won't be serving this anymore until they are able to find more baby mangosteens. You know why? The half of the supplies goes to Isadora's stomach. Well, that's what she told me. Haha...

Ode to Newton (RM37)

This is one dessert that according to the menu, you can only order this past 9.30pm and to allow 25mins waiting time. If I get this right, it means that by the time you have this dessert, it's 10pm. According to Isadora, the reason why it can only be done after 9.30pm is that they have to coordinate the hot and cold kitchen so that this dish can be served perfectly together. I was lucky that night as I manage to get this dessert a bit earlier.

This is a combination of a candied ginger souffle served with a pure Mexican Vanilla bean Anglaise and on one side you have a warm ginger beer with a Lemongrass ice hemisphere where the Nutmeg & Cinnamon ice-cream sits on top. After a while, the ice slowly melts and the ice-cream would fall into the ginger beer mixture. You can slowly sip the ginger beer as you indulge in the perfectly baked souffle. A very interesting dessert!

I must say that the dinner ended with a good note. Service was much better compared to the weekend dinner that we had. Maybe because it's less busy and the chef was in a good mood. She was quite chatty and nice on that night. They are closed on Mondays but every 1st Monday of the month they would be having a Degustation night with a specific theme. Well, in the end, it's still up to you to decide if it's worth spending at least RM300-400 for a meal here without the wines.

Bistro à Table
No.6, Jalan 17/54,
46400 Petaling Jaya.
Facebook

Tel: +6014-338 5888
+603 7931 2831

Opening Hours:
Tue - Sun : 6.30pm to 11pm

Wines of the World & Ribs by Vintry @ Medan Damansara KL

It was one helluva evening. As when I was making my way to the restaurant, I got myself into an accident, not really minor and not really that major. Partly it was my fault so I paid for the lesson learnt - Kaching kaching RM1200 gone! It could have bought me a bottle of the wines that I'm drinking that night.

Anyways, I was at Ribs by Vintry which is a few doors away from Vintry (the wine outlet) on Jalan Kasah at Medan Damansara. This outlet serves wines as well as ribs! Lol... The convivial and casual dining outlet here serves a repertoire of pork ribs, beef and also lamb. It's the place you want to have a hearty meal and drink good wines.

Solaia, Opus One and Almaviva

The highlights of the dinner wasn't too much about the food but more on the wines. Since it was just a few of us, we had 3 bottles of wines from 3 different regions of the world and these wines are iconic to each wine producing regions of its own. The line up are - Antinori Solaia 2007 from Tuscany in Italy, Opus One 2007 from Napa Valley in California and Almaviva from Chile in South America.







We started off the dinner with a bowl of thick cream based Wild Mushroom soup (RM14) that is garnished with fried Basil leaves. There's a also a platter of Honey Fried Cheese (RM16) and also Sauteed Button Mushrooms (RM16) with garlic and basil for starters.

Antinori Solaia 2007

The first bottle that we were drinking that night was the Antinori Solaia 2007 . Antinori makes some of the world famous Italian wines such as the Super Tuscan - Tignanello and then adjacent to Tignanello in the Mercatale Val di Pesa zone of Chianti Classico, lies a 10 hectare vineyard for Solaia (also called as "the sunny one"). Solaia 2007 emerged today with a current blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged in 100% new oak.



Piero Antinori didn't want to recreate a Bordeaux-style claret, but rather to convey the versatility and the finesse of the Sangiovese grapes. Thus, the Solaia 2007 has an intense ruby red colour, displays an array of super-ripe black cherries and plums, cassis and sweet oak. This is one of those smooth and supple wines that is not heavy on the palate and it's considerably opulent and balanced!This is truly a wine with finesse and character. Rated 97 points by RP, there are 6500 cases made for this wine and it's best drank during 2017-2017 according to him.



This is one of those wines that you should try alongside some of the most expensive Super Tuscans such as Tignanello, Sassicaia and Ornellaia. I think I prefer the Solaia 2007 to an Ornellaia 2007 anytime!

Opus One 2007

This is probably my third bottle of Opus One, the first being an Opus One 1999. One of the factors that bring fame to this wine is that it's a collaboration between Baron Phillipe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi to create a single Bordeaux style blend based upon the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.



The 2007 Opus One is composed of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. During fermentation and maceration, component lots received an average of 20 days of skin contact prior to 19 months of barrel aging in new French oak. It's two of the strongest wines ever made at the Opus One winery. On the palate, you can taste a tight & firm notes of blackcurrant, licorice and minerals. It's full-bodied and instense, well-structured like a bordeaux style wine and end with a good, persistent and lingering finish. One of the more voluptuous wines I've tasted that leaves a very good impression. RP gave it a 95 points and states that it can be drunk now or cellared for 25+ years.

Almaviva 2003

The last wine of the night is the Almaviva 2003 from Chile. This is another winery and wine born of the joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro. Almaviva is the only non-Bordeaux produce to be handled by the famed French negociants and marketed by them. Production of Almaviva is limited ensuring its exceptional quality. Thus, on its own merits, Almaviva has joined the elite in the world of wine that represents a massive qualitative step forward for domestic production.



Rated with 95 points from Wine Spectator, this is a wine in the Top 100 in 2006. It's "very dense, with loads of raspberry ganache, black currant and fig fruit layered with loam, tobacco, mineral and cedar notes. Lots of grip on the finish, with impressive balance between the tannins, acidity and oak. Built like a Pauillac. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2007 through 2015."



For me, among the 3 bottles of wines that I tried that night, I really liked the Almaviva 2003. There's something about it that makes it irresistible like the dense and complex notes coupled with its balanced tannins and long finish. I loved the cigar notes with a slight orange zest. It's indeed and exceptional wine.

Of course we did have other food besides the starters. There's a Vintry House Salad (RM28) consisting of romaine lettuce and rocket, sliced white button mushrooms, jamon, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives. Then, we had a Braised Beef Ribs (RM69), BBQ Pork Ribs (RM42 for a medium portion) and some other dishes.





Even after so many dishes, we still managed to find some stomach space for some desserts. We ordered a few recommended desserts such as the Chocolate Brownie (RM14) served with Vanilla ice-cream, Warm Apple Crumble (RM15) served with Vanilla ice-cream as well and a Tiramisu (RM15) to end the night on a sweet note.



Overall, the food here is satisfying and it's a great place for wine drinking as well as it's unpretentious and laidback. I was very glad that I had a chance to try the wines that I've wanted to and now I can move on to other regions! Cheers...

Ribs by Vintry

120-122, Jalan Kasah,

Medan Damansara,

50490 Kuala Lumpur



Tel: +(603) 2096 1645

email : sales@vintry.com.my

Opening Hours

Mon - Sun : 12.00pm till 11.00pm.

Kitchen closes from 3.00pm till 6.00pm.

A revisit of Millesime @ Solaris Dutamas KL

My friends are really awesome. I just got home from Paris on Sunday and the following day, Mr.L calls for a dinner at Millesime, my favourite Chef Max Chin of KL and it was a wonderful night of chilling out and catching up after 1 month of not meeting due to my packed traveling schedule. I missed all of them!

We started off with a bottle of Glenrothes Three Decades, which is a an expression that I have not tried. This bottle retails at 100 euros at the airport. The Glenrothes Three Decades celebrates all the past and present vintage releases (1970's, 80's & 90's) by combining in one bottle mature Glenrothes from each of the three decades that have produced vintages. It is matured in Spanish oak (Quercus Robur) and American oak (Quercus Alba) casks which are seasoned with either sherry or bourbon.This whisky is sweet, honeyed and with tastes of mixed peel and a spicy finish. Very good!

And with it, I lighted a Juan Lopez Robusto to go with it while we were waiting for one of our friends to turn up.

I was feeling rather full as we only have dinner at 9+pm and so I decide to skip the mains and just have some starters.

First up was the Carpaccio of baby octopus served with confit of potato brunoise and avocado - bell pepper mouse and salmon tartare with horseradish. I love the balsamic sauce that goes very well with the carpaccio of baby octopus and creme fraiche (a sour cream containing 28% butter fat and 4.5 PH). The confit of potato is like semi-mashed potato that retains its texture and immersed with flavours.

Napa Valley Dominus 1999

The Dominus is a red wine produced from the historical Napanook vineyard, in Yountville, mid-Napa Valley of California. Christian Moueix (a French winemaker of the famed Chateau Petrus) of St-Emilion and Pomerol began producing Dominus with the 1983 vintage. This wine is made from cabernet sauvignon with small amounts of merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. Therefore, it is a very bordeaux-styled wine with aromas of black cherries, structured tanins and spicy notes. It is not easy to find this bottle in KL but if you do find one, give it a try. It is indeed a beautifully crafted wine with richness and intensity.


The Humboldt white asparagus braised with duck foie gras, duck breast with black truffles and Echire butter emulsion is something that makes my heart melt. This dish is so full of robust flavours coming from the foie gras and the butter sauce. The white asparagus is still crunchy and it balances the strong flavours of meat.


This is a new dish that I haven't had before. It's a Hokkaido sea scallop baked in an "en cocotte" style with puff pastry served with seared Tuna loin with seaweed-carrot mousseline and shellfish oil. You're supposed to dip the puff pastry into the ramekin filled with scallops and eat them together. The combination is just heavenly as the puff pastry absorbs the thick scallop sauce so well. Max is still very good at preparing scallops. Paired it together with the seared tuna loin and you're in heaven.



I told Albert, the maître d' that I wanted to skip my mains but I would like to have some Haloumi cheese. This is what Chef Max came up with - Fried Haloumi cheese with Portobello mushrooms. Both of my favourites are in one dish! How wonderful! The evening could not have been better. Good food makes me happy....

The first thing I saw Max that night was to ask him "Ada soufle ah?" and he said YES! And so chocolate soufle it is! And then I passed him 2 blocks of Valrhona cooking chocolate and a bar of Valrhona bar all the way from Paris which he loves. I told him that the next time I come, I wanna taste some awesome Valrhona desserts.

Yes, I'm plain and boring. I've been having the same old chocolate soufle at Max's place eversince the first meal at his 1st restaurant. It's so good and I'm not really a dessert person but I will never give this a miss!

It was really a wonderful evening to catch up with all my friends, and my favourite chef. Looking forward to another good evening soon!

Other Millesime reviews here & here.

When I'm sick...

I should be resting at home. But instead, I went and pig out because I'm easily tempted by food. I was lured into this chamber in Imbi Palace, with promises of good wines, good company and of course the good food.

The excuse of being sick didn't work and so I thought, if I have to die tomorrow, I could have at least had a good meal the night before. Accompanying me is my two girlfriends, sister and one of my wine drinking member.

Hue Gee, Yiling (my sista) and Liwei

Don't you just lurve the champagne glass?

We started off with the champagnes. First, we had a bottle of 1999 Dom Perignon which Hue Gee had the pleasure of popping it. I don't know whether we were drinking too fast or the DP is too small, because we did pop another bottle which I was given the honour to choose. I chose a bottle of Krug Brut Grandee Cuvee. This time Liwei did the popping and guess what?!! The cork went flying across the table. Haha! Lucky she broke nothing.

Can you imagine I had 4 appetisers?!!

Then came the appetisers. As usual la, this friend of mine will order at least 3-4 appetisers (minimum) before we can adjourn to the mains. That very much explained the expanding waistline of mine. Since I've been on a diet for 2 weeks now, everything looked so good! I can even have my favourite runny yolk centre century eggs! The chicken and abalone bits soup was so good! The "char siew" is commendable but I find it still not as good as the one at Overseas Restaurant.

The ooh la la main dishes

Just as when you thought the appetiser is filling enough, we started with 1/2 a roast suckling pig. Is it to celebrate me falling ill?!! Hmm.. I put my sore throat aside and savour every roasted crispy slice. Then the cheese baked tiger prawn was served! OMG, cheese in the middle of a filling dinner? I still went ahead and ate it. The relief came when I saw the green leaves and we always have greens to end the meal. And so I thought...

The beef came in....

But I must say that the beef is tender, and cooking it with soya sauce brings out the flavour. It's such a nice dish to accompany the drinks that we were having. Actually, the main highlight of this dinner is the wines. And these wines really surprised me.

The Hermitage and Opus One

2005 Domaine JL Chave Hermitage Rouge

This wine has an inky ruby with huge aromas of red and dark berries, cherries, flowers and spices. The palate is remarkably deep with hints of red berries and spices but leaves a sweet trail. Chave says that if you insist on drinking this young, it's now because it will close up in about two or three years and not be open again for a long time.

The test begins. We were asked to rate this wine. Everyone has a guess and see who's got the closest point to Wine Spectator, Robert Parker & Tanzer's ratings. I gave this bottle a 98pointer and it appeared that WS - 98, RP - 94 and Tanzer - 97. Bravo!

2005 Domaine JL Chave Hermitage Blanc

This white has a very nice pale gold hue. The nose is fabulously complex with honeyed pear, apricot and fruity bouquet. On the palate, it's dense, you could taste the peach, and a whiplash of smoky minerals. It's still a very young wine and I felt that this wine hasn't really open up.

The rating that I gave this time was a 96-97pointer. WS - 98, RP - 96 and Tanzer - 97. Right on the dot!

Then, I have a choice between two American wines and I opted for Opus One 1999 from Napa Valley. They claimed that this is the Greatest Wine of California which is a gathering of two wine families: Rothschild and Mondavi. This wine has a dark purple red. On the nose, I could recognise the bordeaux style, with blackcurrants but subtle. It's a modest wine. There's a slight hint of olives but I wouldn't regard this as the greatest wine from California. It's good but I don't think the price is justified.

Fried crispy frog legs!

We had an extra order of fried crispy frog legs to go with the wines. It's better than KFC I tell you! It's so good when it's crispy and piping hot! I have forgotten about my sore throat. Then, I spotted a big claypot in the room! OMG, please don't give me any more food!

I'm scared of the food!

The porridge! I was sick and so my friend asked Imbi Palace to prepare a nice porridge for me. But I never expect the porridge to be laden with crabs, scallops, oysters, abalone and the other condiments! This is just over the top! I'm so spoilt...

And the ultimate end to the night was this wonderful and satisfying bowl of birds nest. My favourite dessert. Ahh... isn't it nice to be sicked and pampered? Lucky sis was driving because I was drunk and I don't even remember eating the birds nest the next day! haha...

And you know what happened the next day, my sore throat was worse than ever! I had to see the doctor for the 2nd time. It really doesn't help if I'm on diet and still writing all these gluttony past posts.