It's always cause for celebration when a fresh-faced outlet takes off at Terrace at Hock Choon; Romanza Le Restaurante marked its maiden flight on Valentine's Day, propelled by fantastic fusion fantasies in which Europe & Asia land on a singular runway of recipes.
Romance was in the air as Romanza unveiled its lovely setting to endearing effect, with a band charming customers with renditions of Eric Clapton's "Beautiful Tonight" & Elton John's "Something About The Way You Look Tonight" _ though it was bizarre that they also sang Adele's "Someone Like You."
Cold winter melon & coconut soup with ginger sorbet & pine nuts, strange but exhilarating. The foundation of the menu is French Mediterranean, flirting with influences from Japan, Indonesia & more, balanced by South African chef Steven Kruger with high-wire culinary bravura.
Tempura of tiger prawns, mango & sesame salsa with Pommes Maxim, pickled red cabbage, curly lettuce & rose caviar in a vanilla-&-black pepper vinaigrette. Painstakingly put together, but perhaps overly fussy, with so many components competing for attention.
Roasted chicken thigh roulade, glazed with Indonesian sweet soy sauce & served with crisp leeks & risotto laced with spring onions & shiitake mushrooms. The risotto might be a bit too mushy, but this remains flavorsome enough to keep us tantalized.
Slurp & swallow: freshly shucked oyster with plum chutney, fish roe & apple kiwi salsa.
The happily-ever-after: rose-&-yogurt-swirled sorbet with lime jelly & crystallized rose petals.
Cocktails are available; berry margaritas contain all the Vitamin C you'll need this week.
Seeing red, with wine that runs crimson. 'Tis the season to be tipsy ...
Romanza Le Restaurante,
Terrace at Hock Choon, Off Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-4252-6059
I love strawberry... I bet d berry margaritas really taste good...
ReplyDeleteWeird huh for a guy who loves strawberry.....
Simple Person: oh, i like blueberries! but i usually don't like strawberries & raspberries, cos they can be a bit too sour sometimes :D
DeleteThe food presentation here is very vibrant. Lots of colour ;)
ReplyDeleteBaby Sumo: the food was very attractive indeed! i think this was my first time seeing a soup that had something PINK in it! :D
DeleteWow those dishes look complicated. I imagine a lot of time went into their preparation - or the decoration at least.
ReplyDeleteThe Yum List: oh yeah, i usually try to be appreciative of recipes that had a lot of care & consideration poured into them, heh =)
DeleteNow...this is wat I call fusion...creative and colourful...full of flavours :)
ReplyDeleteBtw...wat r the prices like? =)
Ulric: ooh, prices seem a bit steep, unfortunately. i think for a full-blown dinner, it's best to budget at least RM100 =)
DeletePer pax? @.@...
DeleteI'm just curious who your Valentine's Day date was last night? *winks winks* :D
ReplyDeleteKenny: *blinks blinks* oops, i need to go get a drink of water. will be back later :D
DeleteYou're not getting off that easily. Devil and I will interrogate you the next time we have dinner together. No Escape Wan! :P
DeleteBoth the environment and food look good.
ReplyDeleteNew place to go! But I guess we need to start saving money first. :P
CK: save up for a celebration dinner, maybe! maybe to celebrate after you've finished moving apartments, heheh :D
DeleteAfter moving, we will be "pok kai" already, no money to go! hahaha.
DeleteCK: hahah, ok, then can celebrate after you get your first tenant for the old apartment! :D
DeleteOooooOOO.. I love a place with a good band playing! But a terrible one puts me off immediately! Even before the food is served!
ReplyDeleteVien: ooo, the band here was kinda ordinary, to be frank. i think it was a one-night-only valentine's day gig for them at this restaurant =)
DeleteIs this next to fukuharu or at the top level?
ReplyDeleteMichelle: it's next-door neighbors with fukuharu :D
DeleteI've always loved Terrace, and am happy that there's yet another reason to visit the place. The setting of the restaurant is quite pretty; I guess the restaurant is aptly named. :-) Interesting match of ingredients, and almost as quirky as the pairings you've suggested in the past. :-)
ReplyDeleteLemongrass: oh yeah, i'm hoping 2012 might herald the rejuvenation of terrace at hock choon! there's supposed to be a northern indian outlet also opening here later this year. time for some butter chicken! :D
DeleteNice place... overall do you like the food there?
ReplyDeleteSmitten by Food: ya, i think there could be improvements, but maybe it's just teething problems so far. i'd rate the food a solid B for now. maybe even B+ :D
DeleteThe oyster with plum chutney, fish roe & apple kiwi salsa sounds funky!
ReplyDeleteBangsar-babe: it's a very strange but very cool threesome to put together on one oyster! :D
DeleteI don't think one of those oysters will be enough! lol
ReplyDeleteDrops of Contentment: heheh, one oyster is NEVER enough! :D
DeleteBrilliant food presentation and quite a fair bit of ingredients being used. The taste buds must have been working real hard to appreciate all the details.
ReplyDeleteMissyblurkit: you're right! at first, i was minimizing our alcohol intake, so we could concentrate on the food. by the end though, we couldn't resist having the margaritas :D
DeleteI really REALLY like the restaurant ambience! And those comfy high back sofas looked like they're begging me to sit on them!! :)
ReplyDeleteIamthewitch: oh yeah, i think you nailed it perfectly. this place is both beautiful & comfortable! :D
Deletethe berry margarita looks really good apart from the other appealing foodstuff :)
ReplyDeleteLatest: Look out for the Haven!
Fish: the margarita was very eye-catching indeed! :D
DeleteThis place looks chic with all the black and white tones. Maybe next time I'll wear some black and white attire to blend in. hehe
ReplyDeleteEiling: heheh, i think you'd blend in perfectly & stylishly with anything that you wear! :D
DeleteConfusing fusion more like it! :P
ReplyDeleteBut one certainly can't call it boring!
Eh, Adele's "Someone Like You." is your fav no? :p
Rebecca: ooo, i do love the song, but it's a sad song! not suitable for valentine's day, heheh :D
DeleteOooh can I order the head rest of the chair? That would be perfect as my headboard! ;))
ReplyDeleteSean... why restaurant foods are so smalllllll? :p :p
Rad: heh, I would love that headboard too for my couch! :D small portions mean they're trying to persuade us to order more dishes =)
DeleteCold winter melon & coconut soup with ginger sorbet & pine nuts.. woweee.. looks refreshingly good.
ReplyDeleteSo, Terrace at Hock Choon makes a comeback.. good! that place seriously needs more life;)
Ciki: that soup helped prove to me that cold soups can be as enjoyable as hot ones! :D and yeah, maybe 2012 will the year when terrace at hock choon stirs up with a vengeance! cross fingers =)
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