Malaysia International Gourmet Festival - Marche

November 22nd, 2006

2nd MIGF do! this time we went to Med Marche at the Renaissance. i’ve heard many good things about Marche, plus their Festival menu looked very promising indeedy.

upon seating, we were presented with two glasses of cold sangria. truly mediterranean! the sangria was lurvely, with just the right ratio of fruit and red wine. yummy. i drained mine to the very last drop :D

this is the 1st starter, a seafood degustation called Around the Mediterranean Sea. clockwise from the top - Tuna Carpaccio which was alright. the Terrine of Scallops and Leek was the best on the plate. having the salmon roe explode in your mouth, along with the soft chewy texture of the scallop-cake … hello, heaven! next is the Blue Crab in Vine Leaf, which i thought was good too. the crabmeat and leaf is a genius pairing. the Clams and Preserved Lemon were just alright, with a nice zing courtesy of the ginger shreds, but i donno.. the clams coulda been a little fresher. the Salt Cod Stuffed Calamari with the lemon was very whatever.

the Artichoke Soup with Osietra Caviar and Chive! the moment i saw that on the menu, i thought NO WAY AM I HAVING THAT. haha thankfully Kelvin wanted it anyway. and it was actually really good for a soup that’s a mucous green in colour!! creamy yet light enough. and the caviar went soooo well with the soup.

but… MY soup was better. this, ladies and gentlemen, is the Pigeon Consommé with Porcini Mushroom on Griddled Raisin Bread Dumplings Scented with Truffle. and it’s bloody fantastic.

the consomme was superb - clear and fresh, but packed with so much flavour. and i’m a super mushroom fan, so the porcini was very welcome. but the best part of the soup is without a doubt the bread dumplings at the bottom of the bowl. they are these round things which taste like a delightful cross between scallops, and white bread dipped in cream of mushroom. damn good. and the smell of truffle, omg. it was the perfect finish. i would say this is one of the best soups i’ve ever had. possibly even THE best. hehe and this is coming from a Chinese.

3rd starter was Sautéed Tiger Prawns and Fennel Provolone Ravioli in Sage Burnt Butter. the one mistake in this dish: the sage burnt butter. i dont care if its sage burnt. who the hell cares anyway how you burnt your butter when your entire dish is swimming in oil?! it was very unappetizing and the butter seriously spoilt what would have been a fantastic starter. fresh prawns. cooked just right. nice choice of cheese in an oversized ravioli. lovely touch of strawberry compote on the side. just too bad about the oillllllll.

Palate Cleanser was An Evolution of Red Grape Sorbets. haha can someone explain what the word ‘evolution’ means here? is it just fancy wordplay or does it have some culinary context that i’m unaware of? anyway i liked the sorbet, Darwinified or otherwise. the secret ingredient? sour plum.

Kelvin’s main- Simmered Fillets of Plaice, Lettuce Anchovy Emulsion and Textured Beetroot. okay, this is one innovative dish. i must admit i have never seen anything quite like it, what with the lettuce sauce and all that beetroot all around. i had a bite and i thought it was okay. but Kelvin didnt like it, he says there’s no complexity in the dish. which is true, but i think it was meant to be a very fresh, unembellished dish. if you like that sorta thing, then it’s not too bad :)

i dont normally have red meat when i go out for dinner, simply because i’m so used to dining out with Azlan, whom i swear eats nothing but red meat (azlan i miss you!! faster come back, then we go for steak! there’s this new place in Changkat Bkt Bintang…). so i donno why i had red meat at both MIGF dinners. the veal at Chalet was boring. at Marche’s, i had the Mediterranean Roasted Rack of Lamb with Turnip Turnovers and Root Vegetables. it was very, very forgettable. nothing interesting about it at all. i dont know what was in the crust, but i’m guessing mustard, cos it was damn salty. the waiter hovered around for a bit and asked if i liked my rack of lamb.. and i said it was ‘alright’. okay i lied. cos it was not alright. it was boring. mediocre. banal.

and carrots then say carrots lah. “root vegetables”… -____-

this is the dessert- Saffron Ice Cream on Mango Galette with Toasted Almond Meringue. cant believe i’m saying this but it’s refreshing to see a dessert that’s not chocolate-based. this one at Marche was goooooooood. mango galette was both crispy and puffy at the same time, with a lovely creamy mangoey filling. the saffron ice cream was a unique flavour that went surprisingly well with the pastry. and those red berries were freaking sour, but soooo good when you pop one in your mouth together with a spoonful of ice cream and galette.

dinner ended with coffee, tea and cookies. i love cookies always and forever.

bottom line, it was a good dinner. pigeon consomme was the best! pity about the rack o lamb, but the entire dinner was definitely better, and more worth it, than Chalet. my next MIGF stop, Pacifica at the Mandarin. hopefully they give cookies with their coffee too :D

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