Samovar

KL hasn't had a Russian restaurant since Changkat Bukit Bintang's Dusha closed a few years ago, but Samovar _ run by a Russian couple _ is striving to fill that void.

We had mixed feelings about the borscht. It seemed sufficiently authentic, complete with beetroot and beef. But the broth itself was bafflingly bland, having failed to fully absorb the richness of its main ingredients.

Golubtzi (meat wrapped in sourish cabbage leaves). Healthy-tasting and grease-free, this traditional favorite was reminiscent of a Korean recipe. Use your fingers and just pop these rolls into your mouth.

Pilmeni (doughy dumplings stuffed with minced meat). Could've been lovingly boiled by a rural Russian grandmother. Rustic comfort food, hot and hearty enough to potentially thaw us out if we were visiting Siberia.

Olivia Salad (chicken, potatoes, eggs & cucumber). A pot-luck offering, more or less.

Marinated cabbage & cauliflower. Made us think of kim chi; chewy and foul in flavor.

Beetroot salad with tomatoes & shallots. Four could feast on this heap of veggies.

Pineapple & cucumber salad with sugar & lime juice. A cornucopia of citrus.

Cauliflower, zucchini, celery & cherry tomato salad. Too many salads? Oh, yeah.

Saint Clair Vicar's Choice Pinot Noir (New Zealand, 2008), purchased from wineactually.com. Samovar has no corkage charge, so bring all the booze you can guzzle.

Look out for the intriguing decorative touches, including paintings and scarves from Russia.

P.S. It's odd how things work out. As I type this, I've also just completed reading the biography of Peter the Great, the former Russian emperor (not a book I'd have chosen, but someone handed it to me). A coincidence, but one that I can't resist noting.

Samovar,

SohoKL, Solaris Mont Kiara.

Hanare

Hanare: Round Two. Click here for earlier entry (February 2).

The sashimi platter is worthwhile, with fish flown in thrice weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) from Tsukiji Market. Hanare's selection _ including succulent scallops & tuna belly _ is mercifully free of salmon (which we enjoy, but it often feels like a creatively bankrupt option).

Uni kurage (marinated sea urchin & jellyfish). Squishy stuff, with a briny oceanic aftertaste that lingers on the palate (no fear, strong booze can cleanse it with ease).

Heshiko (marinated mackerel). Super-salty; might actually work well as a bar snack. Addictive, as long as you're into preserved seafood recipes.

Dashimaki tamago (omelet with fish broth). Comfortingly warm and lusciously soft. Beware though, prices here can be steep; this item cost 30 ringgit.

Frontera Sauvignon Blanc (Chile).

Hanare also offers champagne lunches on Sundays for about RM300 per person. But the brief two-hour span allocated (12-2pm) might seem too rushed for a relaxing weekend meal.

Hanare Japanese Restaurant,

Ground Floor, The Intermark,

Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2164-2133/ 2164-2633

Lafite

Back to Lafite for the first time in a looooong while.

For earlier entries, click: Aug. 13, 2009 & Sept. 25, 2009.

Squid ink bread, a savory snack to whet our appetites.

Perigord foie gras with celery root puree, spiced bread, almond sauce & apricot chutney. Complicated recipes have always been Lafite's forte, even under the current chef. But the madness makes sense in the end, when we mix a bit of everything and taste it on our tongues.

Butter-poached Brittany lobster with seared foie gras, cherry tomato confit & white truffle foam. Not quite as decadent as expected, with only a puny portion of lobster flesh.

Australian Wagyu beef tenderloin with herb pomme puree, foie gras, bone marrow, shaved black truffles & Bearnaise sauce. Lip-smackingly tender protein to sink our teeth into (alongside some spruced-up mashed potatoes to make it even more marvelous).

Four-colored tomato composition, with white tomato mousse, tomato marmalade, honey yuzu vinaigrette & tomato sherbet with 25-year-old balsamic vinegar (even older than some people we know!). A sweet, tangy medley, lots of fun to munch.

Aussie Wagyu beef tartar mille-feuille, with lemon polenta, yuzu sour cream & Avruga caviar. Ideal for anyone who regards chewing a steak as too much effort.

Wolf Blass Cabernet Merlot (2009).

Lafite,

Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur.

Ip Man Bar

No sign of Donnie Yen here, but this is one of TTDI Plaza's few hangouts that can still lure a crowd these days.

The cocktails available are commonplace, without any martial arts theme for novelty value. The Sangria Summer (red wine, tequila, triple sec, lemonade) & Long Island Iced Tea (vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, cola) both proved unmemorable.

Quirky decor aside, it might be better if Ip Man Bar served food. But for now, the kitsch factor and touchy-feely waitresses seem sufficient to keep this establishment humming.

Ip Man Bar,

TTDI Plaza.

Chef Choi

Still going strong, Chef Choi should be bursting at the seams this Chinese New Year.

Our first yee sang of the year! Ocean trout was used, but we couldn't distinguish it from salmon after mixing everything together. Still, we liked the plum sauce, which tasted far less cloying and artificial compared to many versions elsewhere.

Crispy prawns with haw par flakes. Essentially a sweet-&-sour treatment.

Lap mei fan. Satisfying enough, with lots of imported waxed meat and rich, creamy liver sausages (our favorite!). The twist: basmati rice is employed for a firmer feel.

Braised pork shoulder with mushrooms, black moss & scallops. Hearty and tender, but the meat tasted strangely stinky, perhaps past its prime.

Merlot (High Valley, California; 2007).

Chef Choi,

Jalan Ampang.

Hanare

It's been awhile since a new Japanese restaurant possessed the potential to beguile our sushi-satiated city. But thanks to Hanare, the long wait is finally over.

The highlight here is "chinmi" _ hard-to-find seafood delicacies that are an acquired taste. One perfect example: "bakurai," the pickled innards of sea squirts (oceanic filter feeders). Pungently savory and pulpy, this causes customers to either swoon or sprint away screaming.

Shirako (cod sperm sacs). Rather reminiscent of pig brains in both taste and texture, but with a creamier, milkier feel. Always a treat to taste this in KL (so far, we've only had it at Cilantro, Kampachi and the now-defunct Seki Tei at Holiday Villa Subang).

Nama karasumi. This salted fish roe is tasty, but not extraordinarily memorable. Nevertheless, all these items are ideal for whetting the appetite before a full dinner.

Tamano Hikari Junmai Ginjyo (15 percent alkie).

Hanare Japanese Restaurant,

Ground Floor, The Intermark,

Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2164-2133/ 2164-2633

Maju Palace

Despite the absence of pork, the food at Maju Palace is pretty satisfying _ but that's no surprise, since it belongs to the Oriental group of restaurants.

Crab meat with pomelo sauce in whole oranges. A light, refreshing starter, with the tangy fruit nicely complementing the tender crab meat. Easy to scrape out.

Lobster broth in pumpkin. Naturally sweet, decadently creamy.

Soft-shell crab in 'moneybag' parcels. Warm and crisp; a fuss-free snack.

Empress Chicken. Superbly executed; the paste was juicy and aromatic, while the coating of almonds gave everything a pleasant crunch.

Braised bean curd with spinach & shimeiji mushrooms. Melts in your mouth, not on your spoon. Irresistible, really (and healthy too!).

Smoked farm chicken. Fairly flavorsome; in another meal, this could be the star of the evening, but it was eclipsed by the other more flamboyant dishes here.

E-fu noodles with mushrooms & veggies. Soft and slippery, but not greasy; went well with a hearty spoonful of crushed garlic on the side.

Peking Duck, Part I. Decent, but forgettable; not the best in town, that's all.

Peking Duck, Part II. The only flop in this meal. Too salty to recommend.

Maju Palace,

Maju Junction, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.