Pierre Ledent @ BSC & Kasdi & Allen @ Delicious

Macaron mania has a shot at resurfacing in KL, following this week's launch of Pierre Ledent's booth at Jasons Food Hall in Bangsar Shopping Center.

Main entry on Jasons Food Hall: May 21, 2012.

Flown in from Belgium, these might be KL's priciest macarons, costing RM10.90 apiece (!!!). But they constitute a masterclass in creaminess, distinguishing themselves with assertively flavorful ingredients like Bora Bora vanilla and the best chocolate we've tasted in a long time.

Varieties include rum-infused Mojito, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, yuzu-wasabi, violet-blackberry, pistachio-raspberry, cinnamon, caramel-sesame, banana-apricot, grapefruit and rhubarb-strawberry. Not all are available all the time; when stocks of each one run out, it might take a week to bring new batches into Malaysia.

The macarons are stored in a custom-made sliding counter at ready-to-eat temperatures. Each lasts about three days after purchase and can be purchased in hand-crafted boxes at more than RM200 per package of sixteen pieces.

If happy ever after did exist, we'd still be eating chocolates like these _ Pierre Ledent also offers pralines in beautifully designed jewel boxes of various sizes. A container of three pieces: RM38.

The most lust-worthy ones are laced with liquor, like the sultry-smooth concoction with Champagne-raspberry ganache, or Remy Martin Cognac, Calvados-cinnamon, Irish coffee, Armagnac or cherry-Cointreau.

Hopping from one Bangsar mall to another: following a victorious debut at Dish, Chef Steve Allen worked with The Delicious Group's executive chef  Kasdi Dahari to introduce 25 new recipes now available at Delicious' outlets in Bangsar Village, Mid Valley, Marc Residences, Dua Residency, 1 Utama, Sunway Pyramid and Setia City Mall. 

Entry on Steve Allen at Dish: April 11, 2012.

We had these on Tuesday night at Bangsar Village, so we can't vouch for Delicious' other branches. But the red pesto gnocchi with arugula and tomatoes (RM22.90++) could please fans weary of mushroom mascarpone spaghettini (which nevertheless remains on Delicious' menu with other longtime favorites like the Seriously Delicious Cheeseburger).

Pumpkin risotto with char-grilled prawns, squid and toasted almonds. The seafood was fresh and bountiful, partnered with plenty of pumpkin and nuts. But the rice seemed surprisingly too watery. For RM25.90++ though, this is still worth every ringgit.

Sixteen-hour-braised beef short ribs in a mushroom broth with soba (RM32.90++), something that tastes somewhat Oriental. Here's the caveat: whatever we tried was good but not great, falling short of the heights of Dish. But prices at Delicious are substantially lower, so fair's fair.

Speaking of cheaper, remember Dish's cream of pumpkin with truffle oil, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese? Delicious now serves that soup too, in a smaller portion at RM13.90++ versus Dish's larger RM22++ one.

As with Pierre Ledent, we wrap up this visit to Delicious with chocolate, served as a warm, thickly melting pudding with ice cream (RM14.90++).

Of the opposite temperature (we love framing fearful symmetry): cold chocolate fondant with caramel and macadamia brittle.

Pierre Ledent @ BSC & Delicious @ Bangsar Village,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Paradise Dynasty @ Paradigm Mall

Singapore-born Paradise Dynasty is our top pick for now at Kelana Jaya's Paradigm Mall, thanks to its intriguing interior and innovative food selection.

Stroll past the open kitchen of surgical-mask-wearing cooks, take a table by the Buddha statue and order the Legend of Xiao Long Bao signature sampler of eight steamed dumplings, each with different-colored skin and different-flavored soup stuffed within.

Original, foie gras, black truffle, crab roe, cheese, ginger, garlic and spicy Szechuan (RM24+). The hot broth in each of these is distinctive and delicious _ bite into the truffle one and let its earthiness wash over your tongue; the foie gras and crab roe varieties, on the other hand, bathed our taste buds in uncompromising richness.

Somewhat less successful: la mian in pork bone broth with pork belly and boiled egg (RM18+). Essentially a ramen recipe, but with Japanese noodles swapped for Chinese ones. The soup tastes cleaner but less satisfyingly complex compared to, say, Menya Musashi's.

Finish with a flourish: scrambled egg white with scallops, fish, raw egg yolk and vinegar (RM20+). Mix it up for a luxurious softness that bears the flavor of shark's fin soup, minus the guilt.

No wine is available; customers can presumably bring their own and pay a corkage fee.

Paradise Dynasty is part of the Paradise Group that also runs the popular Paradise Inn at Sunway Pyramid and Kungfu Paradise (also here at Paradigm Mall), which is a little less lovable, but that's likely a tale for another time.

Prowling through Paradigm Mall in search of booze is a tough task, since few eateries here have liquor licenses, but Plan B saves the day. It's The BIG Group's second Plan B to open this month, following the 1 Utama branch; another may launch at Mid Valley soon.

Paradigm's Plan B is only serving a test run menu of coffee and cakes for now, but the service team obliged our wine request, even though no wine glasses were ready yet. Thanks!

Paradise Dynasty,
Level One, Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya.
Tel: 03-7887-5022

Gyuichi @ Hartamas & Gyu-Kaku @ 1U

In the mood for beef, we wasted no time waiting for the cows to come home, heading instead to Gyuichi at Desa Sri Hartamas and Gyu-Kaku at Isetan 1 Utama's Eat Paradise.

First, Gyuichi: this potato salad starter was the only non-bovine course we sampled here.

A carnivore's delight: Wagyu beef sirloin and short ribs with ox tongue.

Succulent, sizzling stuff. The process of grilling the meat isn't tedious; each slice of beef gets cooked nicely in fewer than 15 seconds. Thankfully, there isn't a powerful smell of meat hanging in the air that clings to our clothes.

Beef tataki with red wine dressing. Service is impeccable, with a well-oiled team gliding efficiently to tackle hordes of customers at dinnertime.

Japanese hamburger with mushrooms. Seems pricey at about RM38++, but the minced meat has a marvelous hand-chopped feel.

Spicy Wagyu ramen soup. An interesting change from the usual porky ramen, but too much chili might deter some from finishing the broth.

Wagyu beef with stir-fried veggies. Again, the meat saves the day for this one, adding a tender touch of luxury to an otherwise run-of-the-mill recipe.

Wagyu beef fried rice. Sticky and mushy, but satisfyingly flavorsome.

Mix your drinks for maximum effect. Sake ...

... followed by shochu ...

... followed by creme de cassis ...

... and red wine for the coup de grace.

Moo-ving along now to Gyu-Kaku, one of the fresh-faced eateries at Isetan's Eat Paradise.

Gyu-Kaku might be a more wallet-friendly option than Gyuichi, with most servings costing around RM20 per plate, including these miso-marinated "karubi" beef short ribs ...

... the shio-and-leek-laced beef tongue ...

... and basil pasto-soaked lamb neck.

Burn, baby, burn! A protein rush, perfect for those evenings when only meat will do.

Sake is available by the bottle at Gyu-Kaku, but no wine, unfortunately.

Entries on Eat Paradise's other outlets: Menya Musashi and Gantetsu Ramen: May 9; Won Korean Dining and Puran B by The BIG Group: May 12; Ichiro Sushi Bar: May 13.

Gyuichi,

Jalan 19/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6205-2233

Gyu-Kaku,

Level Two, Isetan 1 Utama.

Samira by Asian Terrace

Samira @ Sentul Park: Round Two. Earlier entry on Samira: April 9, 2012.

Pineapple lamb in coconut sauce (RM30+), a sweet-savory recipe with no stinging spiciness. The tender meat plays deliciously off the tangy-creamy gravy.

Roast duck green curry (RM25+). Its fieriness is dialed down, so chili fanatics might complain, but the rest of us will likely be smiling throughout a sweat-free dinner.

Massaman beef curry (RM28+). We've long searched for a rendition to rival one we had somewhere in Bangkok. Haven't found it, but this is serviceable. Could be nuttier/creamier.

Rice, an agreeable companion for addictive curries, whether it's sticky (RM5+) ...

... or fried with lychee (RM16+). Grains are good, all the time.

Chilling out: Thai tako (RM9+), the soft coconut mousse and crunchy water chestnut combo with a potent pandan scent. Can't tell whether it's nutritious, wicked or health-neutral.

Warming up: Pumpkin in coconut milk (RM8+), to send us out into the cold night.

Halia serai juice and Minty Krabi (Jack Daniel's, wild mint, mint leaves).

Passion fruit serai and Long Way Home (Jack Daniel's, cointreau, grenadine, lemon, egg white).

So Samira's food is nice enough, but the beautiful setting is still the main reason to head here.

Note: Some customers have said the staff members sometimes prohibit photography of the surroundings, though pictures of food and friends in the foreground seem to be fine.

Samira by Asian Terrace,

Sentul Park (KLPAC), Jalan Strachan, Off Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 012-921-3880

Closed Wednesdays.