from Paranoid Android
(no pork served)
I have never found a compelling reason to dine frequently at any hotels in KL until now, except for Sage at Gardens. The opening hours of Pacifica has always attracted me but I have to brave the really horrible underground car park in order to dine there and after musterring some fortitude, I proceeded there after waking up at 10.30 PM, attacked by hunger pangs.
The theme of the restaurant is the sea, and 80% of the menu comprises of seafood. The decor is a bit tacky and designed to give diners an under the sea kind of ambiance and the blue circles you see on the orange walls are actually aquariums (total of 350) but the tanks are filled with freshwater fishes. ??
The amuse bouche did bring a smile on my face. I was totally famished by the time I got there and the Oatmeal oyster, oyster with citrus dressing and mango salad filled me up as a prelude.
Mussels mariniere for starters. The celery and onion based broth with white wine was slightly wimpy and lacked the herbal punch it requires for vibrancy. A few mussels did not taste too fresh. Adequate, but hardly a revealing dish.
The pan seared Gindara (black cod/butterfish) Prince Murat was served with cherry tomatoes, small crystal wax onions, artichokes and baby potatoes. The fish was fresh and creamy, but bland and would have benefited from a more generous portion of Parsley Jus. Not a particularly outstanding dish.
The star of the show must be the beautiful Praline Soufflé. The choice of desserts are limited. But the soufflé was really lovely. Beautiful airy consistency that did not fall flat, filled with the rich taste of nutty praline. I broke the top a bit to pour n the sauce. One of the best soufflés I have ever tasted!
For the wines, both whites, to match the food and both almost the same straw colour. To the right is the Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2007 which I paired with the Mussels. It was clean, slightly citrusy and acidic. Fresh and light bodied and youthful. And on the left is the 2008 Macon Villages Borgogne Blanc (Chardonnay). The menu stated 2006. This was a slightly more elegant white, but I don't think there was enough time for the malolactic degradation to produce the desired creaminess yet. It had a nose of peaches/nectarines and was light bodied as well, with a very balanced acidity that matched well with the butter fish. Perhaps next year would be a better time to taste it.
Service was excellent and friendly, but food fuss free, but unenthusiastic. They will be changing their menu next month. It would be interesting to note that they serve a variety of caviars here. Many cuts of Kobe steaks are also available in their grill. Dining there was a tad expensive and the cost of my indiscretion with the wines, a macchiato and a small bottle of Perrier was RM 386 which made it one of the most expensive but unfortunately except for the excellent dessert, unmemorable suppers I've ever had.
Read Curiosity Feeds the Cat's post here, and Cumi and Ciki's post here.
Pacifica
Ground Floor
Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur
KLCC
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +6.03.23.80.88.88
