Royale Vietnam, Starhill Gallery

Vietnamese food has always been a fanfare that not many Malaysians opt for when eating out. The Royale Vietnam at Starhill Gallery is worth the trip down town for. Waiting staff in Vietnamese garb greet you politely as you enter. We had a special lunch set which was served quite promptly, making it an apt place for working people!

Spring rolls

The Vietnamese spring roll was served with some papaya and mango salad which played its appetizer role rather well in coaxing the mouth to water.

Pho

I would have to say that the star of the meal was the pho. Light broth with sweet crisp onion accompanied with thinly sliced beef and chewy noodles, ah! Simple and delicious, this came in a small bowl - I'd come back just for this.

Fried rice with grilled prawn

We were quite full with the pho and appetizer by now, despite the small portions. The fried rice was nothing spectacular.

Dessert

One would expect this dessert to be the canned lychee in sweet syrup but we got a delicious surprise. It was actually lychee in coconut water. An unexpected but lovely finish to the quick lunch!

Royale Vietnam

Address

LG7, Feast Floor, 

Starhill Gallery,

Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Business Hours

Monday - Sunday

12:00 - 01:00

Tel

03-2143 9778

Magnum Cafe

I dropped by the internationally acclaimed Magnum cafe that has garnered the attention of the public simply with its long snaking queues as they make their way to the cinema in Mid Valley.

Thankfully, I got there just before lunch, meaning the masses were still hunting for proper meals instead of satisfying their sweet tooth. Magnum occupies two floors: the first being on the same level as the cinema and the second just above.

The line starts on the left as you enter the shop, where you are handed a menu that teleports you into something like Willy Wonka's factory. With multiple toppings, bases and coating, it's time for you to go wild! Or not. I must admit, I get so overwhelmed that sometimes I just want something readily suggested for me. So I went for the very Oriental-sounding Golden Flower (RM 9.90).

Upon payment, you witness the scooping of your toppings. The usual nuts, berries and chocolate toppings are the safest choices. For the more adventurous, try the goji berries, rose petals and well...go check it out yourself ;)

Coat it, top it, drizzle it and let it set is the sequence of making your own Magnum!

Whilst the interior is a warm chocolatey colour (IMHO, a bit dull), they did take the effort to spruce it up with interesting art pieces like the one below.

After the selection of toppings which are put into a shaker and mixed, a fresh bare Magnum is whipped out of its sealed packaging. It is then off to the dipping station.

With three choices: white, milk and dark chocolate dips, customers can really experience a full customization experience of their ice cream. 

Golden Flower

The toppings are then sprinkled atop the dipped ice cream, creating an interesting finish. My Golden Flower consists of popcorn, rose petals and gold nuggets.

My verdict? I found it too sweet. If anything, go for the experience of customization. At RM 9.90 a pop, it is an affordable experience Magnum is selling. 

Magnum Cafe Kuala Lumpur

Addresses

Mid Valley Megamall

T-023, 3rd Floor (same side as GSC Cinema)

IOI City Mall Putrajaya

GE-3, Ground Floor

Facebook

Magnum Ice Cream Malaysia

Business hours

Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 22:00 p.m.

Friday & Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 00:00 a.m. (last call at 23:30 p.m.)

Topshelf, TTDI

Topshelf is located in the quieter side of the pub scene in TTDI. The good news? No rowdy crowd and usually, plenty of parking. It is also popular among families and office workers.

As the brainchild of Christopher Yee, this outlet's menu has strong French influences, with a sprinkling of Spanish and Asian here and there. Very notable once you step into the restaurant is the open kitchen concept. Full ceiling-to-floor glass separates diners from the kitchen, enabling the former to view their food being prepared. Rest assured, hygiene is pretty top-notch!

Chris started the Chef's Table Menu in September together with sous chef Gary, and it garnered a lot of positive response, even earning the attention of boy-about-town, Sean from Eat Drink KL. 

I attended the 3rd series of the Chef's Table, with high expectations. This time, however, Chris and Gary passed the baton, or shall I say, the skillet, to Han & Marc. The outlet was closed off to other patrons, eliciting an air of exclusivity and intimacy between the two chefs and the 14 gourmands. The layout of the restaurant was changed slightly to create a stage of sorts for the chefs, with the gourmands seated around them.

Of course, like a regular French dining place, Topshelf churns out its own bread. We were presented with amazingly fluffy ciabatta slices with a fresh lime aioli. I loved the fact that they steered clear of the average diner's butter and went with something edgy and unexpected, and more importantly, got it spot on. For someone who isn't quite a bread person, I was left wanting more of that, preferably warmed.

Also passed around in flutes was a chilled sparkling elderflower drink. Sweet and bubbly, this contained no alcohol, bringing out a delighted sound of approval from the only child at the table.

And then, there was a fragrant sweetness that permeated the air. The chefs started pouring out a tan-coloured broth into clear glass teacups. It was an aromatic Lobster Bisque with saffron foam that we were being served. The broth contained a basic recipe of onion, celery and carrot, which was then enhanced with tomato paste and brandy. I can only imagine how good it smelt while being simmered down to the creamy portions we were given. 

There was also a deep fried prawn head placed beside the cup, as though the chef thought that he had to replace what would have been a biscotti. This piece of head which most people would chuck aside, ladies and gentlemen, was heavenly. It was crunchy and so wonderfully seasoned, reminiscent of seafood over a barbecue grill. 

The salmon, salt & horseradish was a carefully crafted appetizer that reminded me of Salmon Gravlax combined with an Asian touch of a cold Szechuan starter. 

Chefs Han & Marc designed this, I am sure, with the intent to tickle all 5 taste buds. The sourdough shard was a little too hard but the secret to this dish was the brining of the vegetables. The cucumber and carrot were thinly sliced with a mandoline, and flavoured with a thin white wine vinegar with added spices including cardamom and surprise, surprise, a splash of Patron to create acidity in the dish. I found the dish averagely acidic while my other companion thought it too much for his enjoyment. This tartness served well to neutralize the lightly smoked salmon which was seasoned with beetroot, dill and lemon zest overnight. Furthermore, the little puffs of horseradish cream lent a robust pop to the dish. 

Next up was the Canard à l'orange, a very typical French dish. 

The piece of duck breast was brined in-house and came with orange slices poached in Cointreau and grenadine syrup. This dish also contained elements of five spice powder to give it a slightly Asian angle. I found this only average, having had my expectations adjusted.

The chefs had fish on the menu too. Using halibut, Chef Han explained that it was beautifully textured but lacked flavour, which they enhanced using clam broth. 

To contrast with the rather succulent fish, the chefs had an interesting mix of mushrooms that offered crunch and an earthy taste which paired surprisingly well with that of the seafood flavours. A small amount of mash also gave way for some creaminess in the dish. I am quite partial to mushroom, and enjoyed the truffle oil that was drizzled into the mushroom crunch to go with the fish. One can imagine, some creaminess from the mash, a bit of crispness of the fish skin, the moist fish meat and an explosion of mushroom and truffle oil!

The final main dish was belly of lamb, marinaded in garlic and black pepper in a vacuum. Then, the meat is cooked sous vide at 75◦C for 18 hours. Consequently, the texture of the meat is amazingly tender and full of flavour without stripping away the natural moisture of the meat. The mint foam that accompanied the lamb was light and refreshing. 

I also must commend the finger of fried potato. It was a small portion of carb for the dish but the herb seasoning was spot on!

Lastly, dessert was a feast for both the eyes and stomach. A chocolate-coated brioche was served alongside an Irish parfait. Atop the brioche was a gorgeous sprinkling of edible flowers which of course, looked fantastic against the dark chocolate. 

The parfait had some calamansi cream and white chocolate ganache and I truly loved it. The parfait was thin and made a delicious, delicate casing to hold the filling. It was the icing on top of the cake, if I may say so myself.

The bill came up to just slightly over RM 150 per person including a bottle of still water. If you would like to pair the meal with wine, that option is also available. I am not sure how long Chris will hold his Chef's Table Menu for, but one thing's for sure - the 12 spots (per session) get filled up quickly. Should the fresh quality ingredients Topshelf uses not entice you enough, perhaps the chefs will. Here's a teaser of them:

Chris, Han, Anwar, Marc

Serious in the kitchen and friendly on the floor, combined with quality food. Topshelf gets the "Kau Tim Lah" stamp! Also, Topshelf is having a Christmas Menu on 24th & 25th December. Do join them!

Topshelf TTDI

Address
61, Lorong Rahim Kajai,
Taman Tun Dr. Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur
(behind Sid's)

Tel
03-7727 7277

Website
http://topshelf.com.my/

Email Address
info@topshelf.com.my

Facebook
Topshelf KL

Seven Deadly Sins

I was invited to the launch of a new name in town: Seven Deadly Sins Desserts. Just to refresh your knowledge, the seven sins consist of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.

Seven Deadly Sins (7DS) is a one-woman show by Liz who chose to take the less trodden path of giving up a corporate career and chasing her patisserie dreams at the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu. She says she also surprised herself by taking such a huge leap of faith but is visibly ecstatic to embark on this new journey. 

The rustic setup of 7DS cakes

The sugar-loading kicked off with the Snickers Cheesecake. With a cookie base, this was chewy, thanks to the generous overflow of dense caramel. The nutty flavour that is synonymous with Snickers was prominent throughout the slice of cake I had, so this is definitely a rich sort of cheesecake which will go well with a cup of aromatic coffee.

Snickers Cheesecake

Next up was the Red Velvet. The cake was coloured an eye-catching carmine red and smooshed in between two layers was cream cheese. The sensitive balance of sweet and savoury was attained successfully in this creation, with a slight tang from the cheese and possibly, a hint of lemon? 

Red Velvet

Of course, no cake collection is complete without the evergreen chocolate cake. Invoking memories of comforting home-made chocolate cake, this was one of my favourites. The chocolate ganache was rightly sweet and made the perfect luxurious blanket to the cake, keeping it moist.

Moist chocolate cake

*drumroll* The star of the 7DS cakes, I must admit, is the butterscotch and rum glazed vanilla bean cheesecake. Served with a simple finish on top, the heavenly taste of butterscotch overloads your tastebuds, leaving you wanting more, as though you didn't believe how good that was. The sensuality of the vanilla flavour permeates through your nostrils. Really, if you have to choose one sin from 7DS, this has to be it.

 7DS signature: Butterscotch and rum vanilla cheesecake

And to end the night, there was the entremet, which is a complex cake with many layers of different textures and usually, tastes that complement each other. This time, Liz combined japonais, chocolate cremeux and praline buttercream. The richness of the chocolate was coupled with the silkiness of the buttercream. Unfortunately, the humidity (no thanks to the incessant rain and our local climate!) robbed this masterpiece of its textures. Liz explained that it was meant to have a little crunch to it. Nevertheless, this was also very popular with many people, some even proclaiming that it bested the butterscotch and rum! Imagine if it turned out exactly how it was supposed to be! 

 Shot borrowed from @sevendeadlysinsdesserts

 The cut section of the entremet

(Liz, you really need a name for this!)

Honoured to be invited to such a sugar & carb affair, I think 7DS is set to go to Paris, with high drive and passion for what Liz does. To add on to that, she is actually selling her creations to fund her own education at Le Cordon Bleu. Big kudos on such independence!

If you would like to try her cakes, do contact her at

Seven Deadly Sins Desserts

Email

sevendeadlysinsdesserts@gmail.com

Website

www.sevendeadlysinsdesserts.com

Tel

0129715883