It's always a pleasure to dine at Maison Francaise, that elegant French restaurant on Changkat Kia Peng, were one almost feels one is not in KL, so when the lovely Broughtuptoshare couple invited me to revisit the place, yeah, didn't have to think very hard about it.
The Chef, Thierry Le Baut, has been there a few years now, and we were privileged enough to sample his cuisine the last time as well, which is posted
HERE.
To begin, an Amuse bouche of tsalmon tartare, a little profiterole or cheese gougere, and goat's cheese nougat. Certainly a minor symphony of flavours to kick start the meal.
And to whet our palates, this very drinkable Lavilla Cabernet Sauvignon, which presumably is the house red.
Carpaccio De Poulpe, Gel De Yuzu, which is an octopus carpaccio. It's amazing that octopus can be so tender and so fresh, and yet devoid of that briny fishy smell. RM75. Loved the plating.
Terrine de Foie Gras au porto RM98. I personally favour a pan seared foie gras over a terrine, but this was choc ful of foie gras, so much so for a brief moment, none of us were sure if it was a pure chunk of foie gras, or indeed a terrine. Melt in the mouth, with that wealth of taste that comes with the lavish use of foie gras.
Crepes Vonnasienne Au Saumon Fume, creme aux citron confits, RM70. Such a gorgeous looking display of smoked salmon, on a Vonnasienne crepe. A word so bombastic that even google yields few search results, and none in English. A very unique crepe, that seems like cross between pancake and bread. Well, carbo aside, that smoked salmon was delicious.
Le bisque de homard, saute de homard confit au beurre Breton RM65, which when lost in translation, is Lobster Bisque with sauteed lobster in Britany butter. An excellent soup, so rich and full of prawny lobstery flavours, with albeit a miniscule glob of lobster, for taste. I really liked this bisque though, but be warned, it is very rich.
Our culinary prayers were answered with the serving of this Escalopes de foie gras poellees aus raisins.. well, if those round things were raisins, they have have been "resurrected from the dead" cos they were plump and grapelike. RM 125. To me, this is the absolute must have. The slightly tangy sauce reduction cuts through the fattiness of the liver, complementing it perfectly.
It almost looks like the two scallops were communicating with each other. Coquilles Saint Jacques poellees, puree d'artichaud a l'huile de truffes. RM72. Seared scallopes with truffle flavoured artichoke. I can understand why menus are so much more interesting in a foreign language. Perfectly seared plump scallops, and who doesn't love artichoke puree?!!
Who's have recognised this, which we only ever see in our ikan bakar. Poached sting ray, potato puree and black butter with capers. RM120. Interesting combination, but I feel that the sauces kind of overpowered the simplicity and sweetness of stingray flesh, which we Malaysians are more accustomed to eating grilled. (albeit with chilli sauce).
This gorgeous Galician Octopus, (actually it doesn't state on the menu its from Galicia, Spain, but I had sampled it last year in Spain, so asked the chef it these WERE Galician, and sure enough they were). Grilled with crunchy spicy potatoes and sauteed pak choy. That black "thing" is the spicy potato, and is absolutely yummy. RM115
Filet de lotte rotie a l'ail, fenouil et echalottes, sauce auz crevettes. RM148. Monkfish, in English. I am more intrigued as to how it got its name. This fish itself is a hideous creature, but is a deep water fish, with white meat. I usually am ambivalent about the monkfish, though clearly there is a market for this, as it seems quite popular.
Roasted Lamb Rack, Sweet and Normal potato puree, grand veneur sauce. RM135. When I first saw the doneness of the meat, I swore I could hear the lamb still bleating, baaaa baaaa....A bit hesitant to try such rare lamb (in my old age, I am less adventurous with lamb), I'm glad I overcame my haemophobia, and had a slice, because it was really good. Tender, melt in the mouth.
Supreme de volaille farcie de foie, peau croustinllante, sauce poulette, ..Chicken breast with foie and crunchy skin, poulette sauce, RM130. Half the battle is lost for me when it is breast meat, and it takes in my book, some skill to make a chicken breast moist and succulent as the red part of the chicken. Well, Chef Thierry did a good job here, his breast was indeed succulent and tender.
Roasted Smoked Duck Margret, Puy Lentils and duck sauce. RM135. I didn't know it's possible to slice duck so thinly, and make it look exactly like beef!!! I love the slight gaminess of duck, that free range kind of flavours of the meat. And those potatoes!
Le Souffle au votre choix, vanilla cointreau and chocolate souffle RM45. I am always in awe of a good souffle, and am impressed with those who can make their thing rise. I've attempted once or twice but have failed dismally. Souffles are a must in French restaurants, and is to dessert what foie gras is to starters.
Lemon tart with meringue and lemon ice cream RM36, although I am fairly sure that this was a raspberry ice cream we were served that night. Love the elegance and tang of the french lemon tart. Could have omitted the meringue for me.
Pear and Praline Tear, with Raspberry sorbet, RM36. Such a pretty dessert that looked too good to destroy. That tangy sweet tango between the sorbet and praline worked magnificently.
Guanaja Chocolate Volcano, with pistachio Ice cream. RM36. The timeless appeal of this dessert I guess is watching that flowy chocolaty goodness burst forth like lava from Vesuvius, and besides, you can't really go wrong with a good quality chocolate.
Maison Francaise is also a great venue for private events and functions as described in my first visit,
HERE.
5 Jalan Changkat Kia Peng
50450 Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia
Tel: 03 21441474
info@maisonfrancaise.com.my
OPENING HOURS
Tuesday to Sunday: 11.00am - 11.30pm (last order)
Monday : Closed.
WEBSITE : http://www.maisonfrancaise.com.my/
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