Chef’s menu for Valentine’s Day influenced by East and West.
SQUARE RESTAURANT
The Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre
2 Jalan Kia Peng
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-2147 0888
Business hours: 6am-10.30am (breakfast), noon-2.30pm (lunch) and 7pm-11pm (dinner)
THE Square Restaurant at The Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre is welcoming couples this Valentine’s Day with a romantic set menu.
The menu comprises four courses, each with apt romantic names, and was designed by head chef Huzaidy Samson as a “fusion cuisine” experiment, a departure from the Italian theme the restaurant adopted last year.
“The key to any good relationship is balance, and it’s the same with cooking”, said Huzaidy. “That’s why I chose fusion cuisine, balancing influences from East and West in the dishes just like couples must find a balance in their relationship”.
Huzaidy, who has worked around the world as a professional chef for 15 years, spent three days working on this Valentine’s menu, “I wanted it to be perfect, so I spent a lot of time planning each dish” he said.
He doesn’t have a favourite dish; “I spent equal time on them all and love them all equally.”
As guests arrive, they are offered a “Love Potion”, before starting with the “Love is in the air” appetiser, a Maguro Tuna Tartare served with guacamole, pickled ginger and a wasabi cream puree.
“Love” is certainly the word I would use to describe this starter, which resembles a deconstructed sashimi set.
The tuna was fresh, and the subtlety of the wasabi cream when teamed with the ginger created one of the best dishes in the menu. My only wish was to have more of it – the portion was quite small.
This was followed by the “Flying kisses” soup course: a corn and lemongrass veloute teamed with prawn, onion and tomato cocktail tartar served on a heart-shaped crouton.
This thick and hearty soup was, on its own, not entirely flavoursome, but balanced well when eaten with the prawn cocktail and crispy crouton.
Following the soup course, guests have two options for the main (or “Romeo and Juliet”) course. First is a pan-fried red snapper, served with mushroom saffron risotto, tomato pineapple salsa and Thai green curry sauce.
Guests with a taste for meat can opt for the spice-roasted turkey, which is served with a sweet potato lasagne, spicy mango salad and a mint strawberry and sambal oelek relish.
I enjoyed the red snapper, which was cooked to perfection in two well-sized portions and worked well with the aromatic Thai green curry sauce.
The highlight of the dish was the saffron mushrooms, which were very flavoursome and could have easily been eaten on their own, though they also complemented the sweetness of the pineapple and tomato salsa.
Overall, this was a standout dish, reaffirming that when it comes to a delicious main course, nothing beats well-cooked seafood.
Enjoy a romantic dessert to finish off your four-course set menu at the Novotel KL City Centre’s Square Restaurant.
After all that, I didn’t think I could eat anymore, but that was before I saw the “Sweet memoir”, a gorgeous heart-shaped chocolate and lemongrass tart.
The tart is served with a heart-shaped cup made of white chocolate and filled with fresh berries, with a hint of pistachio crumble delicately smeared across the plate.
The tart was deliciously chocolatey without being too rich, no doubt the result of the slight blend of lemongrass, which may sound unconventional but worked perfectly.
The tart base also contained a crunch praline, which created an ideal balance of textures, leaving a lasting reminder of the thoroughly enjoyable meal long after I had left the restaurant.
The Valentine’s menu is priced at RM180++ per couple.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
