The french flair
The Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur has been on a bit of roll recently, welcoming a string of culinary luminaries to de-camp here temporarily. There was Eneko Atxa of Aziamendi 88 last year, then Ryan Clift of Singapore’s Tippling Club earlier this year, and now is the turn of one Michelin-starred chef Nicolas Isnard at the helm of the Mandarin Grill.
From 20th to 24th September, the French chef will be serving up his unique blend of Mediterranean flavours honed from a childhood in Hyeres, Provence and a stint under Gilles Gojoun as Chef de Cuisine of L’Auberge du Vieux Puits. Isnard’s signature is re-inventing traditional dishes from Burgundy with modern techniques, using only premium local produce, that garnered him a Michelin star for L’Auberge de la Charme in Prenois in March 2009.
For his five day take-over of Mandarin Grill, Chef Isnard has concocted both a lunch and dinner course. The lunch course, available in three (RM148 per person), four (RM168 pp) and five course (RM188 pp) variations, includes a red snapper ceviche and a Marseille fish soup for appetizers, followed by Sea bass with niçoise style ratatouille or Gaston Gérard Grilled grain-fed beef sirloin for mains.
Dinner comes in a five (RM288) and seven (RM388) course variants, starting with beetroot and comte cheese, followed by Thai-style prawn tartar, Butternut cappuccino, Virtual lamb ravioli, Scallop a la plancha, Grilled grain-fed sirloin or Roast Atlantic cod, finished off with a sweet course of Sable fleur de del, chocolate ganache and orange cremeux. So much choice, and all of it delicious.
