Rendez-Vous Bangsar French Restaurant - A Wine Pairing Dinner With Traditional French Cuisine - Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

French people are well known for their dining antics and so in every dinner meals, it is not only about ambience, plating, food but also the right wine pairing for the dishes. At Rendez-Vous French Restaurant located at 100, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar Park, 59000 Kuala Lumpur; is where you can find great traditional French food cooked by artistry French Chef with a wine selection for each dish.

Recently, we were invited to taste out a new menu offering from Chef Benjamin which hails from Toulouse, France. Besides serving the popular other French dishes that we had in our earlier review (pls click Here); he is offering some newly crafted French cuisine in its original taste for us to savour.

As usual, in the full French tradition, we had our pre-dinner drink which is the popular Kir Classique (a white wine with Creme de Cassis (is a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants) - RM34.00). Kir is a French refreshing cocktails which are mix with fruit liquor and topped with white wine.

Next, is, of course, the Amuse Bouche, a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre. Amuse-Bouches are different from appetisers in that they are not ordered from a menu by patrons, but are served gratis and according to the chef's selection alone. For the night, the chef served us the Scambled eggs topped with Caviar. With the bland taste of the Eggs and slightly salty flavours of the caviar, it blended well with the cool fruity Kir.

For starters, we had the "Ouef Parfait Et Gnocchi" (RM22.00)- Gnocchi is a popular dish in France, it is made from a combination of mash potatoes, flour and eggs. For this dish, the chef served the Parisian style Gnocchi; with the Fried, Choux strip rolls pastry that gives it a crunchy feel and topped with a half boiled eggs served in a clay pot with cheese and bechamel sauce.

For this dish, the recommended wine is the Chardonnay.

Next, we had the "Thon Confit" (RM25.00) which is Candied Tuna (slow cooked together with Olive oil and Tarragon leaves) served with cauliflower puree, with a refreshing sides of chop green apples and cabbage sprinkled with rouille sauce.

The recommended wine pairing is the Sauvignon Blanc

After that it was time for the main course, the first main course dish is the "Filet De Loup De Mer" (RM58.00) - a fish based dish which is made out from of a pan fried Seabass Fillet which has a nice crisp skin served on a bed of carrot puree with a tangy citrus vinaigrette sauce that married perfectly to the fish meat. It is then topped with the flavorful and savoury Avruga Caviar. 

For this dish, the recommended wine to be paired is the Pinot Grigio (dry, semi-sweet white wine)

Our last main dish is the "Poitrine De Porc Fondante" (RM49.00). The pork belly is slow cooked for 2 days and pan fried to a light crisp on the outside which has its' meat and pork belly fats literally melting in the mouth. A simply delightful feel that satisfy our craving. It is served with Crispy "Gribiche" style Pork feet. We were taken aback that they was no sign of any pork feet/knuckles in the dish; As it turns out the chef has cooked the pork feet and has its' meat chopped to small pieces and together with Gherkin pickle, capers, onions, parsley, boiled eggs and Dijon Mustard rolled in a spring roll and deep fried. 

Beside the Gribiche there is another roll which is the Mushroom Cannelloni, which has chopped chicken meat and mushroom stuff in a pasta roll. The sauce of the dish is the meat juice which was slow cooked with the pork belly and added with fried bacon chip.

The wine to be paired for this dish is the Baron Monbarduc (a fine, soft and fruity wine)

We had 2 dessert to end our lovely dinner; the first of which is the "Tarte Au Citron Meringue". Sitting at the bottom is the home-made biscuit like lemon tart which is topped with lemon flavoured cream and the soft crusty meringue. Decorated with freshly slice apples to give it a crunch and a home-made lime sorbet that add to a refresh feel to this dessert.

For those that would like to savour this dessert with a sparkling wine, a Prosecco; a sparkling wine made in Italy; now you cannot call a Champagne unless it is from this region (as the saying goes all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne) - would be an ideal choice for this dessert.

Our last dessert is the Paris Brest (RM20.00); an in-house made Choux pastry which has a slight crust and an inside soft texture which is then sandwiched with a hazelnut custard. My dinner partner loves the flaky pastry crust with the right balance of buttery taste.

It was our pleasure to have a nice French cuisine in which we discover the Chef great efforts and skill to showcase these delicious dishes at Rendez-Vous French Restaurant. We look forward to taste more enchanting dishes in the near future.

"Bon Appetit"

Maria's Steak Cafe Restaurant Bangsar - A Hidden Gems For Steak Lovers

There are a number of steakhouses in Kuala Lumpur, but to find one that serves top quality steak at a fairly reasonable price is few and rare . Recently, +BestRestaurantToEat was invited to taste out the Australian Wagyu Steak at Maria's Steak Cafe Restaurant located at 58, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar Kuala Lumpur which is a walking distant from the Bangsar Village Shopping Centre. There are also 2 other outlets one which is in Ipoh and Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya.

Maria's Steak Cafe a western steakhouse has its roots from Ipoh which was started more than 15 years ago. The owners' has a strong conviction to serve only the best and freshest quality meat to its clients; this was perfected thru the extensive experience in managing chilled cuts which are kept in controlled conditions to preserve its natural freshness and succulence.

Our Dinner Course at Maria's Steak Cafe

The restaurant is perfect for all occasions, it is a favourite casual family oriented restaurant, but the restaurant’s intimate, relaxed, elegant interior design and atmosphere make it a great place for a date nights too.

To start off our evening of fine dining pleasure, we were served the NZ Spicy Mussels which is a sharing platter for me and my partner. The sauce is a vegetable siciliana tomato based with fine chilli flakes that blend a hint of sourish and slightly spicy taste. It went well with the firm texture of the air flown New Zealand Green mussels which have a firm meat texture and does not bode any fishy taste. 

For the soup, I had the Oxtail Soup which was boiled for more than 7 hours with a vegetable broth; to extract the full flavours of the oxtails. While the meat texture of the oxtail was fork tender, the aroma of the warm hearty soup was very savoury and pleasant. 

My partner had the Wild Mushroom soup which uses a combination of Shitake and Button mushroom which was thickened with a hint of white cream. What we like about this soup was the chef has added in little small chunks of cut mushroom that add a texture that gives some bite to the soup.

Next; Our main course which is the star of the night is the Australian Wagyu 7 which is Maria's signature and best selling steak. We were a little curious as to why there is a number like 5 and 7 as in the standard menu; it turns out that this is the marble grading of Wagyu. The higher the number the more marbling there is and naturally the cost as well. 

At Maria's Steak Cafe; you get to savour this top quality steak cut which was cooked using a simple marinade of salt, black pepper and red wine to bring out; the best natural flavours of the beef by grilling it to (Medium Rare) which were lightly charred on the outside and deep pink on the inside, making each and every bite of tender, juicy, tasting steak. 

To truly enjoy this AustralianWagyu 7 Rib-Eye steak cuts, it would be a good idea to chew the steak a little longer, so that it gets contact with more of your taste buds. According to the owner of the Maria Steak Cafe, this steak does not come with any sauce as serving it naked; is the best way to truly enjoy the real original taste of this succulent meat cut.

For my partner, her main course was the Canadian Seabass (also known as White Cod Fish). This is a welcome treat for non-meat eater; as the Cod Fish was Pan Fried and served with a specially Sake infused citrusy tangy sauce that was superbly paired with the soft firm, moist texture white fleshed fish. It is topped with Bonito Flakes which was still twirling and dancing when the dish was set on the table.

For desserts; we had the Moist Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-Cream. The cake which was made from seriously rich chocolate; is served warm and was brought to the best with a pairing of the cold smooth vanilla ice cream that tickles your sweet-tooth.

For my partner, she had the Carrot Walnut Cake Topped with Cream Cheese. These freshly home-made cake; was a real delight and sugary treats to end our lovely meals at Maria's Steak Cafe Bangsar.

Deck on the walls of the restaurant are some of the wines collection that you can order with your favourite meal; there is a wine pairing suggestion for most of the mains if you have trouble pairing it. Maria's Steak Cafe Bangsar is really an ideal restaurant to wine and dine in the bustling Bangsar. As mention earlier, there is also two other outlet that you can savour these delicious dishes of which the address are listed below.

For our fans and readers of BestRestaurantToEat, you will get a receive a 10% off of your total bill whenever you dine at Maria’s SteakCafe - valid until end of July 2016 by mentioning “BestRestaurantToEat”

Damansara outlet: 

Address: Centre Wing, Level 3, Metropolitan Square, No. 2, Jalan PJU 8/1, Damansara Perdana, 47820 PJ  Telephone Number: 03-7725 2313

Ipoh outlet: 

Address: Persiaran Greentown 1, Greentown Business Centre, 30450 Ipoh, Perak 

Number: 05-2424133

A Good Dim Sum Buffet Restaurant In Bukit Bintang @ Lai Ching Yuen Chinese Restaurant Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur

Photo Source: Lai Ching Yuen Facebook

We are real fan of good Dim Sum and recently we went to Lai Ching Yuen Chinese Restaurant Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang to taste the All You Can Eat Dim Buffet (Ala Carte) at RM78.00 Nett.

Not many five-star Hotel in Malaysia serves non-halal Dim Sum but according to Lai Ching Yuen Chinese Restaurant Dim Sum Chef Thye Yoon Kong; the flavours and taste will be very different and will not be in it's purest form which we totally agreed. Lai Ching Yuen is a famous Dim Sum restaurant with a long history of serving the traditional mainstream dish from the original Dim Sum recipe.

With the latest special promotion; if you truly love Dim Sum; this all you can eat offer will be very irresistible to miss out with more than 60 delectable Dim Sum in its menu; which we are not able to try every single dish.

For me; my all time favourite Dim Sum is from the steamed section in which we were served the Steamed Siew Mai with Fish Roe. When this Dim Sum reach the table, we were surprised with the generous topping of Fish Roe and needless to say, it was a superb start to our gastro Dim Sum lunch.

Next, we had the Steamed Spared Ribs With Yam and Garlic. With the additional Yam that is laid at the bottom of the dish, all the flavours of the sauce and spare ribs are totally absorbed into the Yam; which was a little wonder by itself.

After that, it was the fluffy Steamed Home Made Fishball.



The must eat traditional Steamed Prawn Dumplings

Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Pepper.

followed by the Steamed Beancurd Roll With Oyster Sauce.

Normally for turnip cake, we would normally eat the fried version, but here the Chef steamed it and topped with dried shrimp. As it was steamed, it has a softer texture and blended well with the dried shrimp and scallion topping .

The next Dim Sum dish was a specially dressed up; which is the Seafood Dumpling With Spinach. Love the springy prawn that was in the filling.

For veggie lovers, you might like to try out the Steamed Spinach Dumpling With Preserved Vegetable.

While for fans of Steamed Cake, there is the Traditional Steamed Cake aka Malay Kuih with slice Roasted Almond seed.

For those that love some spicy taste; can try out the Steamed Szechuan Wanton.

After the many Steamed Dim Sum dishes, we move on to taste the Deep Fried section which the first was the Deep Fried Beancurd Roll With Shrimp. We love this one as the beancurd roll has a very crispy texture, which literally crush in our mouth coupled with the fresh shrimp that has a bouncy texture.

Another dish from this section is the Pan Fried Bun With Vegetables and Pork. 

Next, we had the Pan Fried Pork Dumpling With Chives; from the first onset, this looks quite similar to a Gyoza.

and the last item from this section is the Wok Fried Turnip Cake which is fried with Chinese Sausage similar to the other Chinese Restaurant Dim Sum that I recently reviewed. 

Normally it is difficult to find Nian Gao after the Chinese New Year, but the Chef, here have specially made this for those that love Nian Gao which is pan fried with an egg batter.

As we move along to the next section which is Porridge, the first is the Porridge with Century Eggs and Lean Pork.

While the next one is the Porridge With Bonito Fish and Peanuts.

We had 2 dishes from the Steamed Rice Rolls section; the first of which is the Steamed Rice Rolls With Shrimp.

followed by the Steamed Rice Rolls With Preserved Vegetable. This is something new; as the taste of the preserved vegetable has a slightly salty taste which will test your taste-bud.

For Dessert, there is Chinese Pancake, Red Bean, Hot Barley but for me, I love the Chilled Sea Coconut as it was a very refreshing end to our lunch.

There is also an appetiser section which we did try out i.e. the Black Fungus and Cucumber In Special Dressing. This is served chilled with a slight hint of spicy taste coupled with the crunchy black fungus. A good start for the meal.

Or you can try out the Deep Fried Golden Enoki Mushroom for those that likes the crispy and fried starters.

The other section which you can try out is the Soup section, Main course and also the noodles section if you still have stomach rooms to be filled.

Photo Source: Lai Ching Yuen Facebook

Overall, we find this Eat All You Can Dim Sum Buffet; a real-valued for money as the quality of the Dim Sum is good and as it is served ala-carte; you can really enjoy this delicious fare at Lai Ching Yuen Chinese Restaurant Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur.

Sangkaya Bukit Bintang Jalan Alor Joining The Durian Craze - Durian Cendol - The King Of Chendol

This year 2016, is gonna be a great Durian year for me; as we gotten the chance to taste Durian the King of Fruits not only on its whole but in many variations of desserts. Today, we head down to Sangkaya which is famed for its coconut ice-cream at its flagship store located at 79, Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang, 50200 Kuala Lumpur, to taste out a new dessert offering.

As many have known one of the hottest talks about in town was a Malaysian Dessert somewhere in early May 2016; was the Durian Cendol in Shah Alam. Now Sangkaya which also serves its version of the famous Malaysian cendol; is also jumping on this bandwagon with their offering.

At Sangkaya, the main difference for the cendol is there is no Santan that is added into the cendol; in place of that is the coconut ice-cream which has a much smoother texture and taste and also with shredded coconut strip which exudes out a more natural coconut taste.



What was set on top of the Cendol Durian (RM13.50) is the species that has a bitter taste and when intertwined with the cool coconut ice cream and the other condiment (Cendol, Corn, Grass Jelly, Red Beans) was perfectly paired. If you love to have an additional durian, you can add it at RM3.50 per piece.

 This King of Chendol is only available at the Jalan Alor outlet (opening time 5 to 1 am daily) and there is a limited daily supply, so it is best to go early to avoid disappointment to eat this dessert.

If Durian is not your cup of tea, you can also try out the original Sangkaya Chendol (RM10.50). All the condiments in this dessert are of premium quality; for example, the corn that is used are the full corn, not the creamy corn, while there are whole roasted peanuts, fresh coconut flesh, Chendol, Grass Jelly and the all important Coconut ice cream (which replaces the Santan) topped with roasted coconut flakes.

For me; One must try the Signature Sangkaya Coconut ice cream (RM10.50) when going to Sangkaya which has a creamy texture . Served on a one-half of the coconut shell, you get 4 full scoops of the coconut ice cream layered with fresh coconut flesh and you can have a choice of 3 toppings (coconut flakes, roasted peanuts, corn flake, cereal, sweet corn, kidney beans) to goes with your ice-cream. There will also be an offering of seasonal extra topping like raisin during the Ramadan season for you to choose from.

For some of you which like to explore on other flavours; can order the Signature Sangkaya Ice-Cream; where you can choose the other flavours like the " Cha Yen" , "Teh IJO" or the "Chokoko" flavour besides their popular Original Coconut Flavour.

There are other drinks that you can order at Sangkaya namely the Coconut Coffee series (from RM6.50 to RM7.30)  like the CoLatte, CoCinno, CoBlack, CoBlack Jelly for those that loves a taste of coffee with is blended with coconut water and/or coconut milk.

And for others that prefer a cold drinks can also order their Shakes series, which has the Original Coconut Shake (RM9.40), Chai Yen Coconut Shake, Teh Ijo Coconut Shake or the Chokoko Coconut Shake. Sangkaya is currently running an on-going promotion which is for the order of any 2 Shakes at RM15.00.