THE RESTAURANT,
The Club Saujana Resort,
Jalan Lapangan Terbang SAAS,
40150 Shah Alam, Selangor.
Tel; 03-7806 7000
Email: dine@thesaujana.com website: www.theclubatthesaujana.com
THE Restaurant executive chef Alexander Waschl showcases his creativity and attention in detail in this year’s Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) themed “It’s Raining Chefs”.
For this promotion, the chef draws inspiration from the elements of water and things related to rain, water, and seafood in conceptualising his dishes.
The first course has two choices — Home Dried Watermelon Carpaccio or Marinated Salmon and Salmon Tartar.
Variety: Veal Assiette consists of Braised Veal, Fillet of Veal and Veal Wonton.From afar, the thinly sliced watermelon looked like slices of raw beef due to the texture and red hue.
Chef Waschl explains that when watermelon loses water, the colour turns vibrant red.
“The process of preparing watermelon as an ingredient is tedious and time-consuming,” he said.
For the second course, diners can choose between Lobster Bisque with Lobster Grissini or Clear Oxtail Consomme with Ravioli.
The oxtail consomme was clear and appetising with finely diced vegetables adding crunch.
The Crab Cannelloni or Cinnamon and All Spice Poached Saddle of Venison are the options in the third course.
For the main course, there’s Veal Assiette, which consists of braised veal, fillet of veal and veal wonton; or Olive Oil Poached Halibut with coriander drizzle and spiced cream.
I went for the halibut and it was a choice I did not regret.
Thumbs-up: Olive Oil Poached Halibut Coriander Drizzle and Spiced Cream.The spicy cream, which is mashed potato with garam masala, was good enough to be enjoyed on its own especially with the refreshing tinge of lemon and lime.
The greenish spots of cream on the side added colour to the plate but be warned that it is a blend of coriander and chilli padi!
For desserts, Vacherin Ice Cream with Port Wine Plums or Choco-lates and Raspberries make it difficult to decide which one to have.
The ice-cream will be a surprise for those accustomed to sweet ice-cream, as the Vacherin, which is cheese based, is salty.
“The port wine is cooked to reduce the alcohol and what’s left is the sweetness.
“I come from a country where there is a lot of snow, cows and cheese, and that became my inspiration for the Vacherin ice-cream,” the Austrian-born chef said.
Do not let the name Chocolates and Raspberries fool you, as the dessert is not just chocolates and raspberries.
The raspberry cake is served with jam-filled raspberries, white chocolate froth and a dollop of white chocolate ice-cream with chocolate cream on the side. What more can you ask for?
“The halibut is poached with olive oil and the different flavours of the cream is like when you go outside after the rain and take a walk, you smell something fresh,” he said.
Aside from the ingredients, even the food presentation is in line with the theme.
“The Parmesan cheese in the carpaccio represents the rain drops while the shape of the oxtail’s ravioli is made to look like small clouds and rainbow,” the 30 year-old chef said.
From the menu, one could see that Waschl likes to give his customers variety, whether in terms of ingredients, taste, texture or style of cooking.
“For the Watermelon Carpaccio, the shavings add crunch and the watermelon has a different texture.
“For the Veal Assiette, diners can try veal prepared in different styles,” he said.
The prices for those who want to wine and dine are as follows: The full festival menu is RM440 per person (five courses); RM380 per person (four courses); RM280 per person (three courses). Diners will be served one glass of wine per course.
The wine list includes Ayala “Zero Dosage” NV, Shaw and Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2010, La Chablisienne Chablis “Mont de Millieu” 2006, Marchesi de Frescobaldi “Lucente” 2007, Akarua Pinot Noir 2009, and De Bortoli “Black Noble” NV.
You can also choose to dine without wine and the prices are: RM220 per person (five courses); RM190 per person (four courses); RM140 per person (three courses).
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
