MIGF: The Restaurant @ The Club Saujana

The Club Saujana Resort's restaurant remains one of the Klang Valley's most enjoyable eateries, its oasis-like beauty partnered with fabulous food and sterling service.

Earlier entry on The Restaurant: March 11, 2009.

The Restaurant's MIGF menu costs RM210++, not the cheapest but one of the most worthwhile, thanks to its thoughtfully conceived six-course selection.

Not exactly part of the MIGF courses, but an amuse bouche of crab cannelloni packs a nice little carb-protein punch that's certain to get the gustatory juices going.

The highlights of this meal come early: foie gras ice cream with foie gras terrine, smoked duck and wantan-topped pear sounds like something that'll trigger instant gout attacks, but there's no disputing the short-term gratification from this sumptuous, savory spread.

One of 2012's tastiest fish dishes: grilled salmon medallion, still pink and scarcely cooked within, with a moat of whipped Hollandaise sauce, horseradish and parsley oil.

Lamb patties with croutons-meet-croquettes morsels of pulled lamb shoulder. Complemented by potato goulash in paprika gravy and sour cream.

One for the fish fans: Halibut poached with olive oil, served with halibut-stuffed ravioli, asparagus and semi-dried tomatoes.

Beef extravaganza: Black Angus striploin and braised cheek, magnificently meaty, plated with baked cepes mushroom ravioli, garlic-roasted spinach and celeriac puree.

Cake and Mousse: Dark chocolate with mango praline and sorbet. The surprising mix of tastes and textures for some of these courses can be breathtaking.

Here's a happy experiment, not on the MIGF menu, but a potential future entry on The Restaurant's main menu: a hot, crispy-creamy chocolate bonbon with mousse made of champagne-steeped rose jelly.

Thanks to The Restaurant's chef extraordinaire Alexander Waschl and blogger Wackybecky for the invitation to enjoy this excellent meal.

The Restaurant,
The Club Saujana Resort,
Jalan Lapangan Terbang Saas, Shah Alam.

MIGF & Molecular Cocktails: Circus @ Pavilion

Returning to Circus, this time to try its MIGF menu & "molecular cocktails."

Earlier entries on Circus: Sept. 13 and Sept. 30.

Circus' amuse bouche of bread stick & beef is the most savory of them all: grissini wrapped with bresaola & sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Most items on this MIGF menu come from Circus' a la carte selection, but that's fine, since Circus is new. And we welcome all opportunities to munch on the moist, meaty chili crab cake.

Crispy wild mushroom risotto, providing an enjoyable textural contrast to regular risotto, thanks to its crunchy-charred coating.

Tangy-icy lime granite, the perfect palate-cleanser.

Wagyu tenderloin with potato mash. Having the MIGF menu makes economic sense; it costs RM168++, only a little higher than this tenderloin's a la carte price. Not sure how much larger the a la carte portion looks, but this MIGF sampler is fairly hefty.

Lavender creme brulee to wrap up the courses. Pleasant, with a distinctly different flavor.

Circus also has fun "molecular cocktails," comprising components like sauvignon blanc foam & mint-flavored ice cubes. Try the dessert-like "Jelly" cocktails: 21st-Century Tommy's Margarita (jellied tequila with agave nectar & lime, amuse bouche-style) ...

...  and Jelly Bramble (gim, creme de cassis, lemon & sugar, jellied & served double-tiered).

Naturally, there are traditional servings of wine and more too, sufficient to spark memory loss.

What happened next? It remains a confusing blank.

Circus,

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

MIGF: Imperial Rama & Onsemiro

Let's look East for this MIGF installment, checking out Chinese cuisine at Genting Highlands' Imperial Rama and Korean at The Intermark KL's Onsemiro.

First up, Imperial Rama, where the four-course MIGF menu kicks off with a duo of lobster preparations, one chilled with ebiko and the other warmed up with asparagus and mushrooms. Both mighty fine, especially for crustacean enthusiasts.

Double-boiled guinea fowl soup, thick with traditional herbs to keep things flavorful.

Fish and fowl meet: baked sturgeon with duck roll. Playfully surprising, the sweet-glazed fish tastes like char siew, while the crispy roll is evocative of curry puffs.

Wrapping up with more Chinese decadence: cold bird's nest with pear and avocado puree. Sure, it's not the most adventurous of desserts, but it's really refreshing.

The MIGF menu here costs RM238++ for food. Quite a sum for a modest-looking four courses, but components like lobster and bird's nest are inescapably expensive.

An extra RM100++ provides three glasses of wine (prosecco, chablis and moscato). Thanks to Genting's Resorts World for inviting us for this complimentary tasting.

Tea and after-meal grappa is also included in the menu ...

... as well as a cool traveling kit of metal chopsticks and cutlery.

Keen on somewhere closer to the city center? Onsemiro is one option, bringing Korean recipes for the first time into the Malaysian International Gourmet Festival.

Starters here comprise crisp, cold bites, like a Korean-style seafood salad in mustard vinegar, as well as a veggie spring roll stuffed with crab meat and soy bean paste ...

... plus sweet-spicy seasoned abalone with rice noodles and a hot bowl of porridge brimming with chicken, chestnuts, dates, gingko and ginseng.

Onsemiro's bibimbap is satisfactory, vibrantly flavored with beef and egg, both raw, to be mixed with mushrooms, veggies and red pepper paste.

We love the pollack-and-tofu soup, as delicious as broths get. All the essential side dishes are offered too, including lotus roots, mung bean starch jelly and white kimchi.

Beef chuck flap tail and short ribs, juicily grilled at the table over Oakwood charcoal and served with a dipping sauce that features no less than 50 secret ingredients.

Service at Onsemiro is gracious and exceptionally accommodating; we only ordered and paid for one MIGF set to share between two of us, but the manager insisted on pouring us two servings of wine to pair with our meal instead of one. Much appreciated.

Love the desserts: persimmon sorbet, made with 100 percent naturally ripened fruit that supplies a honeyed pulpiness, as well as sweet rice cakes and cinnamon fruit punch.

Onsemiro's full MIGF menu costs RM198++ without wine, RM298++ with.

Imperial Rama,

Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands.

Tel: 03-6105-9663

Onsemiro,

Second Floor, The Intermark Mall, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2161-2461

MIGF: Bubbles & Bites @ Genting

Few casual eateries participate in the Malaysian International Gourmet Festival, which makes Bubbles & Bites on Genting Highlands feel like a breath of fresh, cool air.

The five-course MIGF menu at this Highlands Hotel outlet costs RM98++, with a first course of three light starters: a meaty oxtail-stuffed "empanada" puff ...

... as well as Scotch egg, hard-boiled and coated in breadcrumb-fried chicken sausage meat ...

... plus a peri-peri chicken wing. Sampling these starters is a culinary cross-border voyage, tasting recipes from Argentina, Britain and Portugal.

Second course: a heap of freshly picked salad leaves from Genting Highlands Resort's own garden, enlivened with anchovies, parmesan cheese and lemon. Fantastically crisp and zingy.

House-made spaghetti alla matriciana, the familiar Roman pasta favorite with a thick, tangy sauce of tomatoes, onions, smoked beef bacon and olives.

Customers will find their stomach space sorely tested by the fourth course, a whole whopping lamb shank, beautifully braised for eight hours and served with pumpkin-and-butternut couscous.

Tiramisu to finish this belly-busting lunch, made memorable with purple cotton candy.

Add RM70++ to pair the food with Aperol Spritz cocktails and Bottega prosecco.

Thanks to Genting's Resorts World for the invitation to try this MIGF menu, as well as to the friendly Bubbles & Bites service team for working hard to satisfy .

Bubbles & Bites,
Level 2, Highlands Hotel, Genting Highlands.