Saturday, September 4, 2010

Sage at the Gardens

  Reading about Sage on Paranoid Android's blog spurred on this visit to Sage with the family.  This would be a mini-celebration splurge lunch to congratulate my brother on his new job.  Sage is located on the 6th floor of the Gardens Residences at Gardens Mall at Mid Valley City in Kuala Lumpur. 
 The Discovery lunch menu at Sage. RM100 Nett. 
   Their Discovery Lunch set menu was offered at RM100 Nett for 3 courses, featuring 2 choices from each course. Figuring on ordering a la carte so we didn't have to double up on the same food, we wondered how much to order but our kind waitress suggested that we do the Sage Dinner set priced at RM150 Nett that would come with 3 courses.  Ordering 3 courses off the menu separately, would have set us back RM60 for appetizer, RM95 for entree and RM30 for dessert.  Do the math!  We went for the dinner set.  
   Sage's decor is clean and crisp.  Nothing extraneous. The inter-spaced mirrors on the ceiling offer a nice reflection of the restaurant floor and its patrons.  
  Our waitress took our orders but had to rewrite our whole order on another piece of paper.  I'm not sure what happened there.  If I am to be picky, I would suggest that the staff get briefed on the food being served on their ever-changing menu.  Be prepared for the customer who won't order off your set lunch menu.
    Overall my brother and I were winners because we ordered off the dinner set. While the Discovery lunch appetizers were good, the entrees left my parents a little underwhelmed.
    One good thing about Sage - they weren't at all snooty. The didn't frown upon my little 6-year-old Zoe not ordering a thing.  She was even offered a plate to share with us. Despite having fed her earlier, she happily feasted on our bits and pieces and each of our desserts!

Sage is tastefully decorated and there aren't many tables here. It's also refreshing, in Malaysia, to see a clean kitchen. It's a pity that you have to come to a fine dining establishment to be able to see it!

Confit of duck leg with Puy lentils and olives.  This was the best of the appetizers at the table.  Crispy duck skin, perfectly tender duck leg.  I'm not sure why I thought those lentils were capers at first! Probably a brain fart..

Pasta with seafood was light and tasty.

Seared foie with grapes and red wine reduction.  My first proper taste of foie gras.  Don't like the practice of getting the product but loved the taste.  My brother ate this so slowly it was excruciating to watch. Gimme some more!!  (I only had a teeny weeny bite of it, but I can't complain because the minuscule piece of foie was shared among 4).
The foie looks deceptively big. It was probably 1.5 inches across.

Kelp encrusted Norwegian smoked salmon. Nice.

Risotto of Hokkaido scallop with aonori and wakame.  This risotto was infused with a seaweed and chicken broth. No cheese like the typical Italian risotto. The scallops weren't as fresh as I was hoping. The crunchiness of the seaweed on top gave different texture to the whole dish, making it a delightful mouthful each time.

Dad's slow cooked lamb was tasty but a tad tough. I'm not sure if he was entirely pleased with it.

Slow cooked Wagyu with carrot puree and beans.  Tender, juicy and savoured very slowly by my dear brother. 

Mum's seabass was overcooked, but the beignet oyster was nicely done. Spinach was a touch too salty.  

The other menu. Only available upon request when you choose not to do the Discovery set lunch.

My brother's Strawberry Romanoff with Mascapone ice cream was simply delightful.

1 comment:

  1. Hello, thanks for leaving a comment at my blog. I thought it will be wiser for me to leave a reply here as you might not go back for replies in my blog.

    In general, Malaysian do not tip if there is a service tax included in the bill. (The ++). I usually leave something for the Serving staff if they had gone the extra mile to accommodate me or if the Sommelier has been really excellent.

    You seemed to have enjoyed your little outing in Sage. In general, I avoid the lamb, beef and chicken as mains there (you probably would have noted that).

    The dining scene at the US has been very vibrant. I am not aware of what is happening at the west coast, but NY is dynamic and ever evolving. Too bad I usually dine with business associates there and can't blog about it. Enjoy your trip back home and I hope that your holidays here has afforded you some rest. Check out Boo's blog at http://masak-masak.blogspot.com/

    She is very comprehensive and has all local food listings too. I am more of a tightass and use my blog as a creative outlet to escape the monotony of work and you may not find too much info in my blog.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete