Giant Crab!

Forgot to post this earlier. When I was at Connoisseurs Restaurant, I was introduced to something huge…

Connoisseurs Lounge & Restaurant

 

THE RESTAURANT

Connoisseurs Lounge & Restaurant is a modern French style place that in my opinion is classy and private. There is a private area that is perfect for small functions that has 3 karaoke rooms that can fit about 10 people in each room. The private function area can fit comfortable about 200 people which connects out to a nice balcony. They have a well stocked Cigar and Wine Bar. Its just a shame I don’t smoke cigars.

Connoisseurs is located at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) near Damansara. But its not only for members! so it is a public restaurant and can be used to hold small wedding functions. When you walk in you will feel like you are in luxury!

When you enter, the small lounge areas are already so cool…

More views of the lounge area and the classy antique style sofas…

They even have a stage equipped with a full drum set , keyboards and amplifiers!…

This is one of their private karaoke rooms. There are 3 of them.

From the private function area, you can walk out to the balcony…

Comfy pink chairs at the balcony!…

You can roughly imagine that even the balcony looks nice to entertain guests for a function.

From the balcony you have a nice cool view of the KLGCC Golf course. I wonder if I can tee off from here?…

Going back inside, this is the private dinner room. Gold and Classy…

They also have a few of these small private rooms for small meetings perhaps.

The Cigar Room. Looks expensive!…

Nicely laid out Wine Cellar. I think I should hangout here more often. I saw a RM20,000 bottle of wine! how cool is that!

This is where the Party is! The main bar!…

 

THE SPECIALTY DRINKS

Well.. it is obvious that their specialty drinks are the Wine! I had a good lesson in Wine appreciation going through all the different bottles. Luckily I managed to drive home. I have many years more to go before I can become a Wine Sommelier, so I got some help to describe some of those good tasting wines…

1. Castello dei Rampolla 'Sammarco 2000'
   A dense ruby/purple color is followed by a sweet nose of high class cigar tobacco intermixed with smoke, minerals, black currants and vanilla. Medium to full bodied dense wine with superb richness, purity and overall harmony. Really kicks in on the fresh bright finish. Perfect with game, red meats and aged cheese.
   
   
   
2. Barristers 'Poetic Justice' Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2010
   Totaly unoaked Chardonnay, fresh vibrant and clear. This wine is bright straw green,showing stone fruit and grapefruit aromas which are mirrored on the palate.
   
   
   
3. Warrenmang Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010
   Bright pale straw in colour, this wine has complex aromas of pineapple passionfruit and melon with a hint of grassiness. The grapes were picked at two stages from a near perfect 2009 vintage for Sauvignon Blanc. The palate exhibits ripe passionfruit and melon flavours mixed with tangy lime and lemon fruit. The wine finishes with a hint of grassiness and a racy mineral backbone.
   
   
   
4. Kabminye Kerner 2010 (dry white)
   Kerner is a hybrid grape variety, cross bred from Riesling and the late ripening black grape, Trollinger. Our Kerner was grown by the sixth generation grape growing French family in the hills behind Angaston in the Eden Valley region. It has thrived here since planting in 2005, coping well in extreme weather conditions. The 2010, our best crop so far, is again a crisp, bone-dry white with lively tropical fruit aromatics that lead into zingy pear, citrus and lychee flavours. Delicious with natural oysters on a hot afternoon.
   
   
   
5. Warrenmang Black Puma 2004
   Warrenmang's flagship Shirazz sourced from the 20 year old shiraz vines at the Avoca vineyard. Deep dense purple red in colour, the nose exhibits huge spice, berry fruit and a touch of mint, together with some white pepper and liquorice. The palate displays ripe berry and spicy varietal flavours, together with the liquorice overtones typical of Pyrenees Shiraz.
   
   
   
6. Warrenmang Estate Shiraz 2004
   Following in the tradition of its highly awarded predecessors, this is a complex, stylish and well balanced wine made from 100% estate grown fruit and aged in French barriques for 18 months. The Shiraz exhibits sweet, ripe fruit flavours together with chocolate, spice and white pepper overtones. Soft oak from ripe tannins and a generous finish complement the intense fruit flavours - a truly powerful red wine.
   
   
   
7. Warrenmang Torchio Blue - Multi Vintage Aged Pressing
   From the ripe blackberry and spice of the Shiraz, to the blackcurrant and earthy tobacco of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the inky Dolcetto it has melded perfectly with cedar and chocolate from barrel ageing.
   
   

 

 

MENU CHOICES FOR FUNCTION

The Chef over here specializes in French Italian Fine cuisine. You can have a choice of Italian style buffet menu or Set Menu for your function. They are definitely different and even serving buffet style for your function can be stylish as their menu choices are unique. When I had a chat with the Chef, he mentioned something that captured my attention. He says that his principle is that ‘Everything served must be fresh!’ and ‘Everything must MATCH… even simple ingredients’. That to me kind of tells you how important they treat their food and their guests.

1. Insalata Di Fruitti – Salad with Seed Honey Mustard Balsamic Vinaigrette & Fruit.
This is an Entrée dish and its pretty refreshing when I tasted it. It’s a good starter and definitely increased my appetite.

2. Pan Seared ‘Messe’ Foie Gras – Foie Gras with Sweet Pineapple & Wild Honey Hollandaise
So I had a little tasting lesson here. I was told that the best Foie Gras has to be nicely crispy on the outside and the insides should almost melt in your mouth! Well.. that happened to me! If you are a Foie Gras fan… this is definitely a must order for you and your guests.

3. Clam Chowder Soup – Venus Clam Chowder with Summer Vegetable
The clams were fresh and this is pretty important, I guess, so it doesn’t taste ‘fishy’. I’m not a big fan of soups but this one was pleasant

4. Duo Aglio Olio Seafood – Black and White Pasta with Scallops, Prawn, Vernus Clams, Half Shell Mussel and White Asparagus
As you can see in the picture below, it’s a seafood extravaganza! This being an Aglio Olio dish makes it light and Chef told me the White Asparagus are imported from Holland.

5. Canadian Cod – Oven Baked Cod with Wild Honey Hollandaise & Mango Mamataro
In case, like me, you are wondering what Mamataro means?… It is a Type of tomato from Japan. It’s a colorful dish as you can see, and the sauce is fruity and I like how it blends with the crispy oven baked texture.

6. Charbroiled Rack of Lamb – Rack of Lamb with Grilled Pink Eggplant Confit with Pineapple Mint and Caper Finish
Lamb… is my Favourite meat! so I have to be a little bias on this dish. I love how the Mint sauce and the fruits tastes. Lamb and the sauce goes perfectly well together. Can I have another one please?

7. Madagascar Crème Brulee
Although I’m not a Desert person, I actually finished it! the Vanilla is not too sweet. The portion wont make you too full. Its just nice.

8. Chocolate Volcano
RICH! Eruption of oooozing chocolate! Comes with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream which I felt was a good balance.

9. Peach & Banana Crumble – served with Almond and Vanilla Ice Cream
By the time they brought this out.. you can imagine how FULL I was already! So according to my friend that went with me, it’s a nice fruity desert blend.

 

 

HEAD CHEF – MOHD AZIZAN

The man behind it all is originally from Taiping. His expert skills was picked up working in a French/Italian restaurant in Dublin since 1990. When he came back to Malaysia, he continued his learning at several Italian restaurants where he refined his skills.

 

 

 

 

 

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VenueMenu Recommendation for Weddings

Event Capacity: max 300 persons for Buffet Style and 50 persons for Fine Dining Set Menu
Event Option: Whole restaurant can be booked for events. This includes usage of the karaoke rooms, bar and outdoor balcony.
Location Convenience: Damansara, easily accessible from KL or PJ. Its in a quiet location so you don’t have to worry about loud surrounding noises.
Halal/Non-Halal: Pork Free
Type of Cuisine: French/Italian
Price Range*: $$$$

*price range is my personal rating system out of the overall venues that we have been to. It is a rating of between $ to $$$$$

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Connoisseurs Lounge & Restaurant
Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club,
First Floor East Wing,
Jalan Bukit Kiara 1,
60000 Kuala Lumpur.

For bookings call +603 20949888

 

 

photos by Edwin Tan

Don’t Ploy Ploy! :: Reviewing PLOY, Modern Asian Cuisine Restaurant

THE RESTAURANT

PLOY restaurant is located at a pretty secluded area in Damansara Heights near one of the entrances to the new Istana. It has a nice view of the KL Twin Towers outside of the restaurant. When you walk into the restaurant, immediately you can feel that its really cozy yet elegant. I really like the gold colored shiny pillows. Looking at the restaurant, its good for doing private events of about 120 people. I really like to bring my friends and family to this restaurant because the food is reaaaaally good and the price is, in my opinion, very reasonable. When we dine there, the staff are all so friendly and it makes me feel like I am having a dinner at home!.. well except that at home, I don’t have waiters serving me :)

The PLOY entrance with a view of the wine cellar…

Here’s a view of their dining hall…

The Private Room that make me feel like home (except that my home is not so nice!)…

My favourite cool Golden Pillows!!!…

THE SPECIALTY DRINKS

One of the things that I try to do is to ask the bartender what kind of special drinks they have that potential guests may find interesting. Here are some of the drinks that PLOY has to offer. I must say… some are pretty ‘interesting’…

1. Pardon My Pandan
   This drink is a mixture of Thai pandan and local herbs served in a cute martini glass. The contents had some RUM according to the bartender and Lychee liquor. It tastes sweet and sour and I could definitely taste that sweet pandan aroma.
   
   
   
2. Tomyamtini
   This one is an interesting Martini drink. It has a mixture of some TomYam spice, Vodka and Mango juice. I was a little scared at first because the drink looked SPICY… but then when I took my first sip… it tasted nicely sweet and very flavourful! Nice!
   
   
   
3. Lychee Mint Cooler
   This is MY personal favourite. It resembles a little bit like a Mojito drink with the traditional Mint. It is very refreshing with roughly blended lychee. This combination with the mint is just right. I love it!
   
   
   
4. Some others that are available there are: PLOY Bonanza, Apple Sour with Frozen Sour Plum and Ginger Camper, etc.
   
   
   

THE MENU

The best part about doing this blog is that I get to taste all these awesome dishes! Here are some of my best picks of the menu options you have at PLOY.

1. PLOYs Pomelo Salad – Roast Duck, Pomelo, Fresh Lime, Mint leaf and chili
This is a very light dish and refreshing and for me, it’s a really good starter to increase my appetite for the main course. I like the combination of the duck and the pomelo.

2. Blue Crabmeat Pizza – Avacado paste, Japanese tobiko, spring onion and crabmeat
When I first saw the dish, it obviously looked like… a pizza but I was interested to taste it because instead of the traditional cheese on the pizza, they used Avocado paste! Its kind of like what I would call ‘Asian style’ cause it tasted good, but yet not so filling like what pizzas do to me. Definitely a good dish to try out.

3. PLOY Black Fried Rice – Squid Ink, Seafood, Crunchy Thai Sweet Basil, Egg Yolk and Chili
The first impression when I looked at the dish is a little scary cause the rice is… black! This is caused by the squid ink. I would  say that at first glance, it takes a little bravery to try it. The egg yolk is raw and is displayed nicely at the top. So to eat it, we take the yolk, pour it over the rice and stir it in. Then… you take the first spoon and put it in your mouth. After that… you feel the awesome taste and sensations! This dish is really good! I finished it even though I knew I had to save room for other dishes! One of my personal favourite dishes.

4. Spaghetti Thai Anchovies – Anchovies, Chilis and Peppercorn on Spaghetti
The chef told me that the anchovies was specially flown in from Thailand. It’s a kind of a spicy dish familiar with the traditional Aglio Olio. It’s a light pasta dish with a nice Asian flavour.

5. Chill with the Eel – Grilled marinated Eel, Avocado, Crab stick, Tobiko wrapped with finely sliced Cucumber
This is a sushi roll dish and to me this dish is like a craft project on its own. Instead of the traditional sushi rolls that get wrapped with seaweed, this one was wrapped with thinly sliced cucumber! amazing! If you are a Unagi fan, this dish is definitely a MUST TRY…

6. PLOY Special Selection : Emperor Burger 
This burger dish is an Australian minced sirloin patty sandwiched in a ‘Man Tao’ bun. A true West meets East dish. When I tried this burger, I tasted something nice and sweet in a sauce. The chef told me that it’s the Japanese ‘Tiugan’ sauce that gives it its flavour. The meat itself is sooo juicy and almost literally melts in your mouth. I’m not a big ‘fast food’ fan personally, but this burger was definitely nice!!

7. Durian Panacotta
I was a little reluctant to introduce this dish in my blog post because Chef Daniel told me that there is a limited number of servings of this dish per night and this is my VERY VERY favourite dish!! So I wanted to be selfish to keep this wonderful PLOY secret to myself!! but… of course I want to share it with you. So this Dessert is a MUST HAVE if you are a Durian fan. They use only the ‘Musang King/Raja Kunyit’ durian! on top of a delightful creamy desert. Writing about it… I feel like I want to go eat it now!

8. PLOYs Red Rubies
This dessert is a popular traditional ‘Tap Tim Krop’ Thai water chestnut dish but with a great twist! The water chestnut is served with cool coconut shaved ice. A nice refreshing dessert after a good meal.

9. Decadent Chocolate Fondant
I like the cool way the chocolate flows down when you cut it. Tasting this dish, it is just at the right sweetness for me. It comes with a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream and I like how it taste together with the fondant.

 

The Man Behind it All

We had the pleasure to have the Master Chef, Daniel Yong introduce the dishes to us and also take us through his inspirations on his creations. Daniel is really friendly and while we were dining on his lovely creations, he told us stories about his culinary life. He was working in a Japanese restaurant in New York at some point of his life and where he learnt his trade. It was a pretty tough life from what he described but I personally think that it paid off from the food we tasted tonight.

 

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VenueMenu Recommendation for Weddings

Event Capacity: 120 person
Event Option: Whole restaurant can be booked for events
Location Convenience: Damansara Heights, easily accessible from KL or PJ
Halal/Non-Halal: Pork Free
Type of Cuisine: Modern Asean
Price Range*: $$$

*price range is my personal rating system out of the overall venues that we have been to. It is a rating of between $ to $$$$$

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PLOY Restaurant
Prakash Ramachandran, Restaurant Manager (Cell: 011 1221 8389)
G-02 Ground Floor WORK@clearwater, Changkat Semantan, Off Jalan Semantan, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur
Phone: +60320950999
www.ploywithyourfood.com

 

photos by Edwin Tan | Make-up by Agnes Yip