Duck Leg with Orange Sauce, classic and superb.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — Classic French food is what Bertrand J. Langlet offers at Ma Maison, with no apologies. And none are needed, with this chef who has been described as a French cuisine purist. There is no French restaurant quite like Ma Maison in Kuala Lumpur. It’s cosy and homey, and you could well be in a small country restaurant in France once you sit down and soak it all in. Other French restaurants in the city have gone the contemporary way, with more styling and attitude than is necessary sometimes. Langlet’s dishes are unabashedly hearty and generous. And none turn out a panfried foie gras quite like his. The Escalope de Foie Gras “Miss Chan” has been on the menu for years and is named after a regular and favourite diner of his.
Escalope de Foie Gras ‘Miss Chan’ is named after a favourite diner.The foie gras sits on a potato galette, with grapes on top, with more grapes on the plate together with lettuce and tomato in a sauce. The foie gras has just a thin crust; you drown in its rich aroma as you take a bite into a melting centre. All the surrounding grapes and vegetables are secondary to this duck liver though they help to assuage the guilt you might have at this deliciously sinful experience. We had to eat this foie gras, though we already had two main courses between us, for the set lunch that the chef lays out every day, for just RM30! You have your pick of appetisers laid out on a buffet counter, and a hot main course. On the day that we were there, it was Duck Leg with Orange Sauce, Spaghetti with Prawns or Fish Terrine. You can have all the pate you want to eat, and it’s so good! We put this together with some mayonnaise egg on a slice of French bread, and it was a stunning combination. We kept going back for the pate. There’s also apple salad, cauliflower and broccoli salad, macaroni and sausage salads, melted cheese on bread, garlic toast, cannelloni rolls, Kalamata olives and so on. My main course was the Duck Leg with Orange Sauce, very classic French, and perfectly done. The crispy roasted skin of the duck breaks through into tender meat; the citrusy, lightly sweet sauce matches it well.
French Toast with Cinnamon and Raspberry Couli is a lovely surprise of a dessert.We found the Fish Terrine a little too creamy and bland. But we had had great satisfaction from the foie gras (from the a la carte menu), and the duck l’orange, so we didn’t mind. I already have my eye on the Sauteed Frog’s Legs with garlic and parsley butter (now which French restaurant you know serves this?) for another trip to Ma Maison, and the Escargots Burgundy Style, and possibly the Tomato Cream Soup with Blue Cheese, for no one quite does it like Bertrand, who has worked in the finest restaurants in France and in this part of the world. We then focused on desserts. The Chocolate Mousse that was highly recommended was not available, but we had the French Toast, Raspberry Coulis and Cinnamon, topped with ice cream, and the Crème Caramel. I have never had French toast as a dessert after a meal; for breakfast yes. Slices of these sat on a light raspberry sauce with the finely chopped fruit; the bread was sprinkled with cinnamon and icing sugar. Still hot, it tasted just wonderful, with the light fragrance of cinnamon against an eggy aroma that went so well with the fruity sauce. The Crème Caramel had a firmer, not wobbly texture and I loved it. The slightly bitter caramel was delightful with the not very sweet custard. Another dessert to try would be the Crepes Ma Maison that are apple pancakes with orange and vanilla ice-cream. The Crème Caramel is RM10, the French Toast RM16. The Foie Gras is RM54. The portions are so generous you need to share them. Ma Maison is located at 32 Persiaran Ampang, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-4256-5410. It’s closed every Tuesday, and it’s cash only.
The interior of this cosy and classic French restaurant.
Escalope de Foie Gras ‘Miss Chan’ is named after a favourite diner.The foie gras sits on a potato galette, with grapes on top, with more grapes on the plate together with lettuce and tomato in a sauce. The foie gras has just a thin crust; you drown in its rich aroma as you take a bite into a melting centre. All the surrounding grapes and vegetables are secondary to this duck liver though they help to assuage the guilt you might have at this deliciously sinful experience. We had to eat this foie gras, though we already had two main courses between us, for the set lunch that the chef lays out every day, for just RM30! You have your pick of appetisers laid out on a buffet counter, and a hot main course. On the day that we were there, it was Duck Leg with Orange Sauce, Spaghetti with Prawns or Fish Terrine. You can have all the pate you want to eat, and it’s so good! We put this together with some mayonnaise egg on a slice of French bread, and it was a stunning combination. We kept going back for the pate. There’s also apple salad, cauliflower and broccoli salad, macaroni and sausage salads, melted cheese on bread, garlic toast, cannelloni rolls, Kalamata olives and so on. My main course was the Duck Leg with Orange Sauce, very classic French, and perfectly done. The crispy roasted skin of the duck breaks through into tender meat; the citrusy, lightly sweet sauce matches it well.
French Toast with Cinnamon and Raspberry Couli is a lovely surprise of a dessert.We found the Fish Terrine a little too creamy and bland. But we had had great satisfaction from the foie gras (from the a la carte menu), and the duck l’orange, so we didn’t mind. I already have my eye on the Sauteed Frog’s Legs with garlic and parsley butter (now which French restaurant you know serves this?) for another trip to Ma Maison, and the Escargots Burgundy Style, and possibly the Tomato Cream Soup with Blue Cheese, for no one quite does it like Bertrand, who has worked in the finest restaurants in France and in this part of the world. We then focused on desserts. The Chocolate Mousse that was highly recommended was not available, but we had the French Toast, Raspberry Coulis and Cinnamon, topped with ice cream, and the Crème Caramel. I have never had French toast as a dessert after a meal; for breakfast yes. Slices of these sat on a light raspberry sauce with the finely chopped fruit; the bread was sprinkled with cinnamon and icing sugar. Still hot, it tasted just wonderful, with the light fragrance of cinnamon against an eggy aroma that went so well with the fruity sauce. The Crème Caramel had a firmer, not wobbly texture and I loved it. The slightly bitter caramel was delightful with the not very sweet custard. Another dessert to try would be the Crepes Ma Maison that are apple pancakes with orange and vanilla ice-cream. The Crème Caramel is RM10, the French Toast RM16. The Foie Gras is RM54. The portions are so generous you need to share them. Ma Maison is located at 32 Persiaran Ampang, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-4256-5410. It’s closed every Tuesday, and it’s cash only.
The interior of this cosy and classic French restaurant.
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