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While having visited Intercontinental’s buffet spread a couple times and came away impressed, we had never been to their new Japanese outfit – Tatsu. Hence, when I received the invitation from Lisa to participate in the Vina Maipo wine dinner late last month, I said yes without hesitation.

Vina Maipo wine dinner Tatsu Intercontinental KL

Vina Maipo was founded in 1948 in the Maipo Valley, renowned as the most famous wine growing region in Chile. The brand underwent an aggressive development since the year 2000 and is now the 4th biggest Chilean winery.

the selection Vina Maipo wines for the night

For the wine dinner, five different Vina Maipo wines were paired with various Japanese dishes thought up by the more than capable chef at Tatsu. It was priced at RM 280 nett per pax, a more than fair price considering the dishes and drinks offered, I thought.

sushi, sashimi, & chawamushi with Hokkaido uni

As with most Japanese course dinner, we started out with a selection of sushi, sashimi, and cucumber spider roll. The seafood was top notch, and the freshness of cucumber combined with the savoury deep fried soft shell crab worked out rather well. We had this with Vina Maipo Varietal Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley. The well-bodied wine was sharp and balanced, went well with the seafood.

Next dish was steamed egg custard with Hokkaido sea urchin paired with Vina Maipo Vitral Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley. The wine carries a creamy butter texture with crispy acidity.

Himalayan salt and Sansho roast duck breast

Then came the first of our three “main dishes” in the form of Himalayan salt and Sansho roast duck breast with grilled Japanese eggplant, baby bok choy, and Haccho honey sauce. The duck breast was juicy and I thought the Haccho honey sauce gave it quite a distinct taste.

For this dish, we went up a notch on the range and had the Vina Maipo Gran Devocion Carmenere Syrah, Maule Valley. It has a good body, soft tannins and complex finish that went well with the meat.

oven baked teriyaki salmon,
Vina Maipo Gran Devocion Carbernet Sauvignon Syrah

We continued with our second “main dish” in the form of oven baked Yuzu teriyaki salmon, kani cream croquette, char kyuri cucumber, and crispy puff rice. Yuzu is all the rage these days, and the treatment of salmon with this fruit in this instance was interesting, though ultimately I found perhaps slightly forced. I enjoyed it, but it could have been slightly better.

The wine paired with the salmon was Vina Maipo Gran Devocion Carbernet Sauvignon Syrah, which has a fresh acidity that carries a long nice finish.

grilled Australian Black Angus beef, shimeji mushroom

The third main dish was the cha-grilled Australian Black Angus beef with king brown, shimeji mushroom, sweet peas, truffle oil topped with spicy mayo. An interesting dish to say the least, the beef was prepared perfectly in this instance, and those spicy mayo did go surprisingly well with the greens & mushrooms.

We had the Vina Maipo limited edition Syrah, Maipo Valley with this penultimate dish in the wine dinner course. The official tasting note says – “This Syrah rests on a sophisticated structure. In mouth tannins are ripe, elegant and the finish is smooth and persistent”. Well, I’m not one to come up with a different description, but I liked the wine!

Japanese green tea Panna Cotta, Haze, BabySumo & her big boy

Dinner was concluded with Japanese green tea panna cotta, chocolate soil, red beans, lychee jelly and vanilla bean ice cream.  Quite fancy and rather beautifully decorated. The mixture of different ingredients and texture in this dessert somehow came together quite well to provide a sweet ending to this more than decent dinner.

I’d want to return to Tatsu again to perhaps try some of their more traditional fare, and if I’m looking for a good bottle of wine for a party of four, Vina Maipo is now on my radar.

Address:
Tatsu
Intercontinental Hotel
165 Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.159767, 101.718045
Tel: 03-2161 1111
Web: www.intercontinental.com

A while back a reader of this humble blog was kinda enough send me a one day Shangri-La hotel prestige membership coupon. This coupon entails me to be treated as if I am one of those people who frequent this hotel chain enough to be given the membership, which also means I get to eat at the various restaurants in Shangri-La for up to 50% discount. I chose to go to Zipangu, the Japanese restaurant that has the reputation to be one of the finest in Klang Valley.

very classy design, and my membership coupon

The interior of the restaurant is most impressive. There is a huge selection of wine, with a dedicated room surrounded by walls made of wine cellars, there is even a dedicated cigar room. The ambiance is mellow and yet classy, no rowdy crowd nor screaming babies.

After checking out the menu, my old pal horny and me decided to order the set dinners as they look enticing, and probably one of the more affordable choices to experience the Japanese style haute cuisine. We ordered the beef teriyaki with tempura and the sushi set.

this foie gras appetizer is to die for

We were first served with a piece of tofu and some vegetable as starter. The texture of the tofu was somehow closer to cheese than tofu and really has the added sophistication. Then came the soup with a slice of lime and some mushroom that carries a tangy taste that I usually don’t associate with hot soup, it was very good nonetheless.

The next item on the menu was foie gras. I have heard and read about this French delicacy for a while now and this was the first time I came face to face with it. For the uninitiated, foie gras: “the liver of a duck or a goose that has been specially fattened by gavage” (as defined by French law).” It was served on a piece of winter melon and lightly seared. The texture is akin to butter and yet just ever slightly more solid. The taste was subtle but yet so good, it was as like a taste I never knew existed. Kinda like the first time you had orgasm, just new, exciting, and addictive (if your wallet is fat enough). You just have to try it.

beef teriyaki with tempura, sushi set with very fatty cuts (best)

The main dish did not disappoint either, the beef teriyaki and tempura was succulent and the sauce that came with the meat so delicious horny was basically in cloud 9. As for the ten pieces of sushi on my plate, I can tell you that I had never had sushi this good before, you could see from the picture that the salmon cut was from the belly, and so was the tuna. It was of course, very fresh, and absolutely delectable.

map of Shangri-La Hotel at KL

Even after the 50% discount, the bill came to around RM 200. However, it was really a dining experience that is worth every cent. They serve buffet lunch on Sunday for around the same price as Jogoya I believe. I must bring the hot chick there one of these days. 🙂

Address:
Shangri-la Hotel
Jalan Sultan Ismail
Kuala Lumpur
GPS: 3.154169, 101.706243
Tel: 03-2032 2388