Ms. Jazz Reviews: Yuzu @ The Gardens

from augustdinersfoodblog by AugustDiners

I wouldn’t say I’m very particular with Japanese food. Normally I’d be happy to satisfy my Japanese cravings at RAKUZEN that serves substantial choices at a fair price. But sadly their quality has somewhat deteriorate and service is no longer at par.

When YJ told me that YUZU has changed its menu, I was excited. YUZU has all these while been praised for its innovative menu and quality food; the only hiccup is prices are slightly steep comparing with other Japanese outlets at the mall.

Tucked in a secluded area of Gardens, next to Pappa Rich, YUZU occupies a large space and surprisingly despite being a weekday, the restaurant was almost crowded. Surely that is a good sign?

The interior has not changed much, a comfortable setting with the heavy use of woods and bamboos, with Japanese elements such as kimonos, sake bottles as a décor. The clever use of odd corners allows diners to enjoy private dinner in the semi-enclave spaces.

We were enticed over the colorful and appealing food pictures in the menu, can’t help but to go “gaga” over some of them. Having to read a lot from foodies on their set menus, we decided to take a different route and head for ala carte, only because we were two very greedy girls and wanted to try more varieties! After careful minutes of debating on our orders before we compromise on a few choice of everything!

For starters we went with Chutoro Sashimi (RM120) comprising of 5 tiny albeit thick slices of medium grade tuna belly, presented on a bed of ice. We were dissapointed as the tuna belly was not thawed properly hence the texture slightly frozen. A good chutoro (in my opinion) is marbled with thin line of fats giving it a melt in your mouth sensation. Clearly something is missing here.

Under the "Special Sushi" section, is the President Roll (RM68) filled with some of my favourite ingredients of wagyu, foie gras, tuna belly, avocado layered with chicken floss. It was a creative dish, and i was curious how these ingredients will go together in flavours.
The servings was HUGE, and definitely not bite size so i wasnt able to devour all ingredients at one go. Having to eat them eperately because all the ingredients were scattered, the flavours was ordinary but nevertheless i enjoyed it.

Yuzu volcano roll (RM45) was an afterthought, when we saw the chef serving this dish to the table next to us, and we thought, by golly gosh.. how pretty it looks and were tempted to order, and order we did.
Turns out to be a right decision. Just like its name, the presentation and taste of this sushi rolls resembles a volcano eruption whereby the baked seafood roll was toppled with generous amount of their special sauce mix of what suspect to be mayonaise and chilli sauce. Comment from YJ that while the sauce complements each other, the amount that was heaped on the sushi can be quite overwhelming after a few bites.

We were contemplating with the several options of beef available, there was choice of kobe steak and various wagyu cuts. In the end we settled for Wagyu Ishiyaki (RM55), Stone Grilled japanese beef with level of doneness to be medium. The beef while not being extremely tender, was pretty satisfying considering the price was quite reasonable. Simple marination and was well seasoned.

Foie Gras Butter Saute (RM120) was a must must order because we were given 100GM worth of them and there's no complaining about having too much foie gras, you know?
Out came 4 large pieces of foie gras, all stacked on top of each other. Hiding underneath all the glorious treat is the crumbled mashed potato, which we didnt touch since it pretty much soaked up all the oil of the foie gras making it quite difficult to enjoy. But Foie gras ohhh foie gras... how lovely you are, if only less oily :)

Ikura Chawan Mushi (RM18), where the combination of Ikura and the silky egg works well together. Sometimes simple does not mean ordinary.

When i saw Special Yuzu dessert (RM50) on the menu, i was delighted with the pictures. While there was nothing special about a simple arrangement of mixed fruit, macha cake, and ice cream, what is note-worthy is the homemade coconut ice-cream which was packed with intense creamy coconut flavours. The macha cake however was a bit parched and the dessert definitely does not worth an exorcist of RM50

If you want to taste something different, there is the Macha Coffee (RM18). The coffee was not brewed with green tea coffee bean *roll eyes at YJ* but assembled with bottom layer of coffee with another layer of what is suspected as green tea powder mixed with milk subsequently topped up with whipped cream.

Atsukan Sake (RM24) per serving, served warm

Our bill came up to RM600 between two

Ratings:

Food: 7/10

(one of the better japanese restaurant in town, probably wont be there for foie gras on a regular basis, but their sushis, and bentos are quite reasonably priced, dont worry you'll still have a satisfying meal under RM50 per pax!)

Service: 5/10

(Servers were not particularly friendly but efficient enough)

Ambience: 7/10

(comfortable without being too rigid)

Presentation of food: 7.5/10

Overall: 6.5/10

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

YUZU Japanese Restaurant

T236, 3rd Floor

The Gardens

Mid Valley City

Tel: 03-2284 7663

Tigger Groped Me Cookies

from Bittersweet by Rick

Here is a little recipe that was created by Korrine.

This summer we had a trip to the Magic Kingdom where we dined at the Winnie the Pooh buffet. It is already awkward trying to stuff your face with giant plush toys walking around miming to you, but it natural gets worse.

We instantly befriended Tigger. He refused to leave our table even though the majority of the restaurant was three year olds begging for his attention. He started ripping napkins and breaking straws in half, making these crop circle drawings in the center of our table. He even had to grab a straw out of a child's hand to complete it. It spelled out, "C. P."

We had no idea what that meant. We still don't.

And then he would not stop posing for pictures with us. Then he started hugging me. Right here

And basically squeezed my chest five times consecutively.

Awkward.

Tigger Groped Me Cookies

What you need:

1 stick softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 banana

1 1/2 cups whole grain organic cooking oats

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup blueberries

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until nice and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and banana and mix until it is all nicely combined. In another bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing until just combined. Do not over mix please. Stir in the blueberries. Separate the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1 tablespoon for each cookie. Bake for 20 minutes.

Lafite @ Shangri-la Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur

tart of Hokkaido scallops


Another design laden post which you hope will not kill your network tie though hopefully lift you out from your post week end coma. I've been biding my time with Lafite, really slowly as well as surely.AfterI had a ambience of a brand new chef aka Georg Schroppel's culinary talentsduring a leisurely as well as intensely enjoyable lunch, I've been plotting to return for their night pleasures. This Oct proved to be a undiluted excuse since Lafite was participating in MIGF this year (a rare occurence indeed as well as a single which should be savoured completely) together with their sister outlets: Zipangu as well as Shang Palace.



Lafite menus look identical to albums, French Laundry desirous cornet of salmon, steamed steep egg custard


Lafite has regularly been upon top of my list for those special arise dinners. You know, a ones you celebrate with a desired ones whether it's an anniversary, birthday,a matrimony offer or only something meaningful. Most importantly for me, Lafite has been around since you was a immature girl where as a family we'll gather to celebrate occasions identical to my parents' marriage anniversary. In those old days, Lafite was complicated wooden furniture, superplush carpetsand etc.I remembertastingduck ala orangefor a first time with pomp as well as ceremony as it wasserved with complicated round trays thatwere whooshed awayby waiters. Even their dessert smorgasboard (now renamed a showcase) was etched in my mental recall as you admirably recollect they once crafted a chess set in chocolate which you was so tempted to eat square by square (I didn't if you're curious).


four colour chopped tomatoes salad: a melange of 4 colour tomatoes, chopped tomatoes marmalade, white chopped tomatoes mousse, chopped tomatoes sherbet as well as honey-yuzu vinaigrette


Nowadays,the ambience has now left all complicated infrequent with a some-more open environment where tables have been placed in a round aroundthe dessertcentrepiece with a fountain within. However, a single thing never changes as people generally couples love to celebrate here (we spied a girl with a outrageous fragrance of flowers as well as a baked sweat bread a night you dined here). you consider all a wait for staff have been substantially well trained in a art of romanceespeciallythe ever popular stealing a ring pretence in a dessert.



Lunch appetisers: cucumber as well as dill soup, poached cower egg with asparagus spears


Georg's Luncheon (asit is called)for a weekdaysis a steal in my perspective with a inexhaustible portions. Youare since dual choices: a "watch your waistline" choiceby receiving a appetizer as well as a categorical march for RM82++ or a"throw which diet out of a window" choicewith dual appetisers as well as a categorical march for RM108++. Both choices came with a dessert showcase as well as coffee or tea to assistance assuage a food deep sleep incident after lunch.I suggest which it is most appropriate you take a day off after a lunch unless you have perfected a art of keeping those eyes far-reaching open minus a toothpicks (or only feign a meeting after lunch).


sturgeon with roe


The 4 colour chopped tomatoes salad was my preference which day. I'm partial to tomatoes generally singular varieties ever since you first had my ambience of heirloom tomatoes in the Corn Exchange during Rapid City, South Dakota. There seemed to be assorted dimensions of ambience plus textures trimming from a well-spoken chopped tomatoes sherbet to a white chopped tomatoes mousse as well as a slightly piquant honey-yuzu vinagrette. The chilled cucumber soup with dill, scallop as well as smoked salmon was lovely as well as weirdly enough, it gives you a clean tingly mouth feel which reminded me of toothpaste!! That day you dined here, there were dual identical asparagus meals - a single came with a decadent poached egg as well as a Bernaise salsa whilst an additional was interconnected with abeautiful corn sherbet. The yellow fin tuna tartar is similarly considerable asit comes built in layers for you to enjoy starting from a black sesame crisp, crushed avocado, cucumber salad, a tuna tartare as well as a ginger yuzu vinaigrette.A risotto done from steep bolognese as well as a boundless homemade tawny tagliatelle pasta rounded up a appetisers. The risotto was tawny as well as portions were inexhaustible whilst a creaminess of a pastawasbalanced with atangy kumquat compote.



white truffle risotto


The mains which proposal us was a braised reduced ribs with a fork-tender hardness served with crispy celeriac sticks, immature broccoli, corn as well as thyme sauce. My alternative crony gave his thumbs up to a steep confit - frail upon a outward though proposal - served with almond potatoes, red cabbage, Brussels thrive as well as green cardamom sauce. The golden brown seared Atlantic cod fillet is a vast cube with ! a beauti ful melt in a mouth hardness which comes with baby potatoes, immature carrots as well as truffle foam. you generally desired a soft roasted garlic nibs served with it as they were full of flavour. Everything paled in comparison with my preference of pressed organic chicken breast with a immature leek, chive salsa as well as aristocrat oyster fungus ragout. Desserts was a hit as well as miss from a showcase. Some were approach as well honeyed for us hence you picked a piquant ones identical to a light lemon curd tartlet as well as a passionfruit marshmallows. They additionally serve Shangri-la's own done chocolate bars in a showcase. My favourite is a caramel fleur de sel one, a boundless combo of slight saltiness to boost a honeyed records of a caramel. You can additionally purchase a bars from their cafe cum bakery Lemon2Go.



Indian red orange sherbet


On a second visit, you both motionless to do a face off challenge between a MIGF menu as well as a brand brand new (and seasonal) white truffle menu. There's roughly a same number of meals solely a white truffle menu has a single extra dish. There seem to be some-more equipment in a MIGF menu versus a published a single upon a Net as well as a guidebook. In conditions of looks as well as taste, a MIGF's cold starter of Hokkaido scallops tart won hands down. Scallop tartare mixed with a small yuzu shallot creamis sandwiched between orange squid ink polenta as well as surfaced with reddish globules of caviar. Lovely contrariety of colours. My French Laundry desirous cornet of salmon tartar with thickk thickk cream cheese was lovely as well as light though felt a small lacking. Even a MIGF steamed steep egg custard was beautiful as well as well-spoken when interconnected with a honeyed Maple thickk thickk cream with tainted burst! s from a caviar as well as a boiled sage leaf.



grilled beef with black truffle


I guess you should have opted for a MIGF menu though never mind, you did get to eat wafer skinny shavings of white truffles from Alba. They're tossed in my salad leaves andshaved over a tawny zvi cohen hen egg omelette served with black wail mushrooms. Keeping it in balance is a small tawny risotto which uses carnaroli risotto rice for a creamier hardness as well as abundantly covered with shavings of white truffles. you entirely enjoyed each spoonful of a risotto. My truffle fix even comes in a form of a lollipop d'alba - white chocolate interconnected with a truffle. The white chocolate seems a small as well powerful as well as honeyed compared to my truffle. There's a pretty complicated influence of French Laundry in my white truffle menu substantially since a chef used to work there before.For my mains, thegrilled beef (to perfection) is served witha black truffle salsa upon a side as well as a salad with a Bernaise sauce.



glowing ball of flowers...they're everywhere in Lafite as you get purple ones as well as even box made ones


While a white truffle menu was decadent, you both felt which a MIGF menu won hands down in a fire out in conditions of looks as well as etc. There's a couple of similarities additionally with both menus: a sturgeon served as well as a dessert of a comfortable Valrhona chocolate souffle.



sous vide lamb encased in parsley mousse<>
Following a tawny steamed egg custard, it was a comfortable starter which highlighted Brittany mixture identical to a butter poached lobster interconnected with foie gras, cherry chopped tomatoes confit as well as white truffle foam. I've had a ambience of this in MIGF's Gala Launch as well as it is wonderful rich pairing. The sturgeon was additionally engaging as it came with sauteed yabbies, pea mousse, chanterelle mushrooms sparse around with marinated baby fennel as well as sturgeon roe. My sturgeon dish bore a clever similarity to this dish solely you felt my fish had a clever unlikely smell. After a first bite, you ate it with my ginger carrot emulsion as well as which unpleasant ambience dissapeared.



lightly grilled cheese with cower egg brioche as well as hunger nuts


To cleanse a palates, you were both since a tartIndian red blood orange sherbet which came drizzled with churned creme fraiche as well as crispy rosemary. Each spoonful of sherbet was surfaced with a dark chocolate square to make it go down better.



Just before desserts, it is a categorical courses. My grilled beef even done to soundness was no compare to a MIGF's spectacular parsley mousse encased lamb. The lamb was baked sous vide to proposal perfection. It was surrounded by a micro ratatouille, capers as well as a black olive gnocchi with a thyme sauce.



Lunch dessert showcase: light as well as tart lemon curd tartlets, passionfruit marshmallows as well as a artistic multi-layered dessertshowcase layout! <>

Last though not least was dessert served ceremoniously together - a black slate platter of individual treats such as a comfortable Valrhona chocolate souffle anda crater of Tahiti Vanilla cappuccino. Scattered around a blackness was an avocado puree, verbena ice thickk thickk cream (just identical to my L'Occitane soap!), a not as well tangy pineapple ragout. you desired picking up a cocoa nibs crisps sparse all over with a bit of chilli powder to add a tingling sensation to my tongue.


Even though cooking was great with a couple of hiccups (plating does look a bit opposite from a little alternative cinema you have seen)and you would definitely rarely suggest it to friends, I'm quite confounded with a use here as well as don't consider it fits their "fine dining" moniker. Last week, you have been bandying around what was a definition of excellent dining as well as a single such anxiety was Michelin's for their own guides. For them a excellent dining grill was use great sufficient for a aristocrat with silverware as well as an ambiance to give them a royal treat. Sadly, for Lafite this seems to be utterly lacking even from a front of their door. First, you got ignored when you walked in (they were bustling ushering in an imporant male you mostly seen grace a newspapers' commercial operation section), then you were not served any bread (we didn't ask since you were quite filled up with a lunch) though you suspicion it was uncanny they had a aioli upon a list though no bread (maybe they ran out?). More misdemeanours followed, they got a categorical courses mixed up as well as no explaination was since for a dishes. The straw which pennyless a camel's back was when you paid a bill, they even forgot to bring a pen. Tsk tsk tsk...I hope they do buck up. you vaguely recollect my lunch use was efficient though not really comfortable as well as kinda impersonal. you guess you have been! spoiled with Cilantro, Sage, Senses andMandarin Grill.


Nevertheless, do go knowledge a MIGF menu if you have a opportunity as well as hopefully someone from a road house reads this as well as use bucks up or else it's going to be a single painful occasion.


Lafite
Shangri-la Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
Kuala Lumpur


Tel:03-2074 3900


(Pork free. Booking is advisable. The MIGF menuis RM380++ per personwithout booze as well as RM580++per personwith booze pairing. Full minute menu is here. Note which Lafite serves additional equipment additionally which were not listed. Thewhite truffle menu is RM450++ for an 8 march set menu as well as additional white truffle is charged during RM25 per gramme. Formore pictures, see my Flickr set.)


Disclaimer: The opinions voiced here is entirely based upon my personal tastebuds as well as might change for others. This review is time sensitive; changes might start to a place later upon which can affect this opinion. The reviewer additionally declares which she has not received any financial or non-monetary remuneration from this place for essay a review.