Yuletide dishes: Rajesh presenting the Christmas Party spread — a four-course menu available on Christmas eve at Mulberry Restaurant & Bar.
Mulberry Restaurant & Bar,
Ground Floor, Bangunan Ming Annexe,
9, Jalan Ampang,
50450, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2078 8830
Business hours : 10.00am to 10.00pm.
CHRISTMAS is upon us once again and Mulberry Restaurant and Bar promises to provide a just-right ambience coupled with great food.
The pork-free gastropub nestled in the heart of Kuala Lumpur near Jalan Ampang was launched a year ago with the main aim of providing great international and local cuisine.
Rajesh has put together a traditional meal with a twist.
For appetizer, there is the Cream of Cauliflower with Toasted Rice Crusted Scallop and Plum Tomato Concasse.
Though the soup appeared creamy, Rajesh assured that no cream was added, just chicken stock and milk to thicken the soup.
“The Australian scallops were covered in rice that was toasted in the oven on low heat for over eight hours to ensure they did not burn.
“The rice seals the juices of the scallop, unlike bread crumbs,” he explained.
The second course came in the form of Timbale of Slipper Lobster with Melon Duo, Chilled Cucumber Soup, Petit Sprouts, Honey Lime Aioli and Caviar.
Rajesh uses fresh honeydew, rock melon and Japanese cucumber with the lobster that is mixed with grape seed oil for a refreshing taste.
The chilled cucumber soup is clear and has a hint of seafood from the prawn oil that Rajesh added. To top it off, he used prawn roe for added flavour and colour.
The main course has three options — lemon salt seared sea bass on a bed of cauliflower cous, brussel sprouts, baby carrots and sugar peas with orange daube sauce, or stuffed leg of chicken with fruits and nuts and mashed potato, glaced vegetables and ruby port wine sauce or the grilled rib-eye served on a polenta walnut bread, seasonal vegetables and topped with marjoram-infused oxtail stew.
The sea bass was salted with lemon peel and peppercorn to give it a slight boost in flavour. Cauliflower truffles sauteed with garlic and shallots were used as a base before completing the dish with seasonal vegetables.
Beef lovers would probably opt for the grilled rib-eye from the 1824 Australian beef. The beef was cooked medium well and topped with the oxtail stew that was braised for five hours before marjoram was added to it in the last few minutes.
“I did not want a sauce for the beef because I wanted it to speak for itself. In the stew I added carrot, celery, leek, onion, thyme and rosemary with red wine, all traditional Christmas ingredients,” he added.
Rajesh believes that turkey is more suited for a large family dinner and so decided to serve chicken as a main course option. The stuffing contained a splash of brandy and white wine in addition to the carrots, nuts and raisins while the sauce was made from port wine which was reduced with beef stock.
Finally the dessert, the most important part of any meal and keeping with the trend, Rajesh added Red Velvet cake with apricot creme cheese and candied nuts and fruits.
Rajesh said the creme cheese gave the dessert a different taste as he had infused it with apricots. The fruit was soaked overnight, blended into a puree and mixed with orange zest and creme cheese. To add an extra crunch, walnut praline was added and served with some fruits and cranberry sauce.
The Christmas Party menu is priced at RM150 per person with free flow of the house cocktail until 11pm. Children below 12 years can eat for free from the menu for kids.
This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.
