In the heart of Georgetown on Penang Island lies the sprawling and opulent Macalister Mansion, a heritage building turned boutique hotel built in the early 1900s. Within its beautifully restored walls sits Blanc Restaurant, a beacon of French-Asian cuisine amongst the island’s burgeoning fine dining landscape. Its décor features a large white artificial tree with leaves, along with intricate birdcages and framed artwork of European monarchs, creating an enchanting and opulent atmosphere. The seating, consisting of plush, velvet-upholstered booths in a rich blue, provides a sense of comfort while the soft lighting with hanging stars further enhances its intimate ambience.
Recently, Chef Yew Eng Tong, Executive Chef of the Michelin-starred Alma by Juan Amador in Singapore, joined Blanc’s Chef de Cuisine Benny Yeoh for a one-night-only Four-Hands Dinner. Yeoh shared about the duo’s history, saying, “When I first joined the culinary world, Chef Yew was my Head Chef and he taught me a lot. We reconnected again after many years and he suggested this dinner.”
Their shared expertise served to transform Asia’s natural bounty into dishes that beautifully wove modern European cuisine together with Asian accents. The pièce de resistance of the menu was the tender yet rich Arctic Char resting on a bed of sushi with vinegar jelly, artistically arranged to resemble a bouquet of fruits of sorts along with watermelon salsa, passionfruit gel, and caviar to create a refreshing zest. A signature dish of Chef Yew, who principally favours working with fruits, it is served at Alma and is an adaptation of his competition dish at Bocuse d’Or 2015.
The next course was a magnificent display of the bounty of Hokkaido’s oceans. Their scallops, considered some of the best in the world, are noted for their natural sweetness and succulent texture. This was accompanied by the faint nutty undertones of Camellia Oil along with the Raddish and Cabbage Dashi, which served to enhance the umami notes of the Cordyceps to add complexity to the dish.
The decadent meal ended with an indulgent total of three desserts, including a signature of Blanc and Chef Yeoh, ‘Forest Logs’. This dish took the diner on a journey through an exquisitely assembled, enthralling mossy forest inspired by Penang’s landscapes of pulut hitam, creamy caramel coconut ice cream, pistachio, sponge, and milk pebbles.
With its refined creations, intriguing flavours, and inspired use of local and Western ingredients, we foresee that the future of Blanc may glitter with a Michelin star.
Photography: Chin Siang
