Lafite @ Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur

Click here for previous review of Lafite (August 13).

The complimentary bread here is OK, but the soft, silky butter deserves all the glory.

Tower of Sweet Corn Soup (corn soup, crab, scallion puree, popcorn).

Pour the warm, thick, comfortingly creamy soup into the bowl...

Voila! Something to give the tastebuds a rest from canned soup.

Foie Gras Volume 3 (roasted foie gras, savoury spiced bun, apricot puree, hibiscus meringue and pistachio). The foie gras was perfectly prepared; the hibiscus meringue wowed us with it fascinatingly flowery flavour.

58 Degrees Celsius Beef Short Rib (48-hours slow-cooked beef, creamy potato, black truffle puree and aromatic braising jus). Marvelously succulent.

Snickers +/- (warm chocolate mousse, roasted peanut ice cream, caramel, crispy nougatine). The ultimate comfort food.

Dark, white and milk chocolate puzzle pieces. A complimentary afterthought.

Rasteau M Chapoutier 2005. Cheapest wine in the house, but we liked it.

Lafite,

Shangri-La Hotel.

Sanbanto @ SS2 Petaling Jaya

Could this be SS2's answer to El Cerdo? Sanbanto uses organic pork from their own farm in Johor to whip up simple but satisfyingly tasty dishes.

The pork liver pate is rave-worthy if you can tolerate the strong flavour of offal. Spread this soft, smooth blend on the bread, then mix in the salad for a luxuriously creamy sandwich.

The piece de resistance is the BBQ pork rib. Every table seemed to order it. Meaty, succulent and sweet, it would be worth returning for this alone.

The two of us were so impressed by the pork rib, we decided to order the pastas too. We enjoyed the comfort foodish spaghetti with thin-sliced pork belly and peas, though the pastas are slightly less than al dente here.

Pork bolognaise pappardelle. Would have been more fulfilling with extra minced pork. But still scrumptious, with bits of pork lard adding some crunch.

The spaghetti with short ribs was oily but sinfully pleasurable. We considered shocking the restaurant staff by asking for the pork belly salad and bacon burger as well, but realized that we had hit our cholesterol quota for the week.

Sanbanto,

SS2/63, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 7876-1728

Chef Diary @ Plaza Damansara

The new kid on Plaza Damansara's block boasts a surprisingly inventive menu.

From octopus carpaccio with chilli oil to Wagyu beef cubes in coffee reduction, there are enough choices here to whet anyone's appetite.

Butternut squash soup with foie gras and truffle oil. Sweet and nutty. This would be a glorious combo if only the soup were creamier.

Hickory-smoked duck, quail eggs, avocado and apples tossed in cider dressing on a bed of lettuce. A zesty salad, though the duck was a tad too thinly sliced.

Pimento-laced foie gras with black truffle, pomegranate compote and saffron-poached pear. The foie gras was tasty enough, but what wowed us was the soft, luscious pear in the background. Nectarous like honey, with the inimitable perfume of saffron.

Duck tortellini with avocado creme and blue cheese. A creation that blends pasta with avocado sounds heaven-sent. Somehow though, we liked it but didn't love it. It needs something extra to propel it into the culinary stratosphere, but we're not sure what.

Yoghurt-based pizza topped with salmon, avocado, mascarpone and avruga caviar. A thin-crust concoction that sounded like a masterpiece on paper but fell flat in execution. Competently prepared, but tasted boring and forgettable.

Would we return? For sure. The setting is conducive for a pleasant evening; the service is efficient and friendly. This place deserves a chance to find its footing. Let's hope they iron out the kinks in the kitchen soon.

Chef Diary,

Medan Setia 2,

Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara.

Fukuya @ Delima, Imbi, Kuala Lumpur

Fukuya's survival despite its slightly hidden location is a testament to the quality of its food. Now if only the menu could be tweaked more often to keep it from becoming boring.

Grilled mushroom and garden veggie salad in yuzu sauce. Fresh AND refreshing.

Teppan-grilled Japanese oysters wrapped with egg. The oysters left little impression taste-wise, but this should still satisfy fans of well-prepared omelettes.

Prawns, chicken and mushroom in mini teapot served in clear soup. We could nearly feel the nutrients in this seep through our body. Stomach-warming stuff.

Simmered turnip with shark fin sauce. A tiny portion that barely qualified as an appetizer. Too bad, since it was flavour-packed enough for us to crave a second helping.

Butter-sauteed Hokkaido scallops with duck liver teriyaki. Delicious, but not as decadent-tasting as we had expected.

Grilled eel and cili padi roll, lightly deep fried in tempura batter. This used to be better, once upon a time. Too much rice and too little unagi make it a bland maki now.

Oden, fish cake stew. A hearty portion that works perfectly as comfort food.

Ozeki Kinkan cold sake washed down an OK meal. We'll keep coming back, but not too soon.

Fukuya,

Jalan Delima.

Tel: 2144-1022

Cristang @ 8 Avenue, Petaling Jaya

Cristang boasts a pleasant ambience and warm service, but its trump card is its menu, which is impressively vast and creative.

The must-try is the P7 Pork Burger, comprising grilled pork patty, back bacon, minced pork chili con carne and petai. As sinfully flavourful as expected. Would love to return to check out their new P9 burger, which is supposedly topped with Korean-inspired bulgogi sauce.

Nasi Lemak Goreng (fried coconut rice with sambal tumis, anchovies, veggies, back bacon, Chinese sausage and egg). Artery-clogging, but worth the risk to try at least once. Loved the one-of-a-kind inclusion of lap cheong in the nasi lemak.

Bacon bone ambila with long beans. A traditional recipe with a satisfyingly spicy kick.

Tiramisu laced with vodka and kahlua, accompanied by strawberry puree. The taste of booze was a bit too subtle to make this memorable.

Pineapple Mojito (pineapple liqueur, rum, mint leaves, sprite) and 3-Mile Long Island Tea (vodka, rum, gin, tequila, lemon juice, coke).

Cristang,

8 Avenue, Petaling Jaya.

King Crab @ Petaling Jaya

A longtime favourite with a well-deserved reputation for scrumptious seafood.

Boiled prawns. Their natural freshness and flavour completely awed us. Bravo!

Squid in salted egg. Every bite was a delight. Wish we could have had more.

Sang har meen. A hearty portion but somewhat bland. Not as brilliant as Soo Kee's.

Creamy butter sauce crab cooked in claypot. We could have licked the bowl clean.

King Crab,

Jln SS25/2, Taman Mewah Jaya, Petaling Jaya.

Tel: 7808-2388