Officially opening for dinner only starting July 12, Joon Dining heralds the return to Malaysia of head chef Tyrell Joon, who spent years sharpening his skills in Singaporean establishments like Les Amis and Iggy's.
Spearheaded by the founders of Damansara Perdana's Rare The Food Company, Joon Dining delivers a delicious experience, full of scintillating surprises and secret subtleties, bringing together beautiful produce with brilliant techniques for modern European cuisine with Asian flourishes. This is one of 2022's best new restaurants.
Set sail on this expedition with fish, fabulously finessed, a triumphant trifecta of Portuguese-canned Nuri mackerels, mellow-tasting and meaty, pan-seared with salted egg gribiche and walnuts over romaine lettuce (RM49), ayu sweetfish, cooked with a char that conceals delicately flaky flesh, laid over a lively ensemble of addictive ago dashi beurre blanc with piquillo peppers and kaffir lime oil (RM58) and Raub-sourced spring water izumidai, plumply tender, broiled in time-honoured fashion, sprinkled with choy poh popcorn for a salty crunch, herbaceously cushioned with creamy ulam raja Parmesan espuma (RM48). Spot the izumidai, whole and hanging, in the dry-aging chamber beside the entrance.
Meat also reveals meticulous nuances - duck gizzards lend a cured robustness to sautéed wild mushrooms with egg, croutons and balsamic cream (RM28), free-range chicken is a sacrament of sheer succulence, aged for seven days and roasted to pure perfection, sauced with sake cream and leeks (RM128) and Pyrenees Saratoga lamb, milk-fed on the foothills of southwestern France, is red meat at its juiciest, seductively smoked, spiced with the lingering peppercorn heat of mala chimichurri, soothed with honey lime yogurt (RM288).
Joon Dining demands repeat visits, with much more to explore, from chef Joon's take on clam-filled vongole pasta to Murotsu Bay oysters, baby crabs and wild tiger prawns. But for now, we wrapped up with sashimi-grade Hokkaido scallops with spicy escabeche and garlic crisps (RM76), thickly firm squid ink paella, blanketed with battered baby squid and gochujang aioli (RM128), and a confident millefeuille with berry gelato and cherries (RM33).
Complete your meal with sake - friendly founder Ken makes a marvellous recommendation, putting patrons at ease throughout the evening in a rustic space lined with an Ohsum Mossum wall piece of leafy-red maple-on-moss.
Joon Dining
Jalan 51a/225, Seksyen 51a, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
