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| Crusty rye and corn breads, olive oil and balsamic vinegar |
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| Amuse Bouche – soft boiled & fried quail egg with minced curry leaves |
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| Brik Pastry Cigar – tomatoes, goats curd, vinegar, olive, Dutch basil |
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| Angus Carpaccio – pecorino, rocket pulp, peri peri, wood grilled capsicum |
Sixty Drops 2011 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
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| Classic Caesar Salad – has been part of table service for over 25 years |
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| Table Service Tomato Soup |
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| Five Spice Quail – mushrooms and fungi, garlic chive, soy mirin, coriander, cuttlefish |
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| Refresher – lemon lavender and natural yoghurt flavoured sorbet |
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| Salmon Fillet – slow roasted with spices, pink onion, mustard cress, roe, mascarpone, radish |
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| Lamb Loin – pine nuts, spring onions, egg plant and miso, shallots, pearl barley |
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| Chocolate Pannacotta – banana marshmallow, rosemary popcorn, earl gray |
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| Petite Fours |
An Amuse Bouche, a single serve hors d’Å“uvre offered complementary by the chef, launched the five course tasting menu at Ferinngi Grill, Rasa Sayang, Penang. We knew we had lift off when the petite ball of soft boiled, deep fried quail egg with minced curry leaves exploded on our tongues oozing creamy yolk and ‘amusing our mouths’ as the name ‘Amuse Bouche’ suggests. With such a full throttle start the only way to continue was up.
Superior service and views of flourishing tropical gardens set the stage for an exceptional evening. Nothing appeared too trivial or too great a request. If so your choosing, everything can be left in the hands of the capable wait staff. We did just that with the wine selection and our knowledgeable waiter, Safari, chose a reasonably priced 2011 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Pale herbal tea in colour, Sixty Drops has a full tropical fruit aroma with a floral lasting finish and is well balanced making a gentle accompaniment to a variety of dishes – highly suitable for the expedition we had begun.
Furthering our ascent, the Brik Pastry Cigar was served next. Goats curd rolled in a delicate crisp pastry harmonized with tomatoes, vinegar, olives and Dutch basil was a graceful starter. The Angus Carpaccio provided more substance, with a sharp zap of pecorino and dobs of a cream dressing covering all taste buds and then with just a moosh of the tongue the whole dish disintegrates in your mouth. After the first fork full, change your palate with a bite of the sesame bread stick to appreciate a new buttery dimension to the beef.
Taking a slight detour from the tasting menu, we were treated to table service with Caeser Salad and Tomato Soup. These two dishes have been popular classics for over 25 years at Rasa Sayang giving customers live culinary entertainment as the plates are prepared from scratch in front of you. The waiter wheels out a trolley with the raw ingredients chopped and ready to be combined. He explains each step while demonstrating, then serves his creation directly to you at the table. A little bit of friendly rivalry between staff, each trying to outdo the nother, adds to the action.
We were jolted back onto the chef’s degustation highway with the bold Five Spice Quail. Soy mirin gives the dish strength while the mushrooms, fungi and cuttlefish help disperse the flavour. This exciting middle dish invoked intrigue for what lay ahead. An icy lemon lavender and natural yoghurt sorbet refresher served its purpose and then we were ready to choose either salmon or lamb for the main. A slow roasted Salmon Fillet crusted with spices was escorted by pink onion, mustard cress and roe cutting through the butteriness of the fish, while the mascarpone, radish and capers danced alongside. The Lamb Loin with pine nuts, spring onions, egg plant and miso, shallots and pearl barley proved another mosaic of flavours and textures. The chewy barley complemented the soft animal flesh while the drops of honey balanced the oil of the pine nuts.
Our gastronomy rocket landed to applause with Chocolate Pannacotta, an engaging blend of sweet and savoury. Sweet cocoa creaminess, marshmallows, crisp toffee topped bananas and white chocolate coated ice cream logs were juxtaposed with rosemary popcorn and earl grey creating a captivating climax. Presentation of Petit Fours ended the journey and confirmed our thoughts that the mystical Shangri La is more than a story.
The five course tasting menu, dreamed up by the young and talented Aussie Chef de Cuisine, David Pooley will be available for the next few months at the price of 185++ RM per person. Reservations are recommended.
Reason to visit: Five course tasting menu, table side service, pretty green views
Feringgi Grill
Mezzanine Level, Rasa Wing Lobby
Rasa Sayang
Batu Feringgi Beach
111000 Penang
Malaysia
+6 04 888 8888
Wow all d food looks so delicious..
I personally like d amuse buche.. Looks very unique…
It was a great start 🙂
Been a while since I had a degustation meal. The food here looks so delicious and really reasonably for RM185.
Me too. It was a lovely getting to sample so many unique dishes.
all of them look awesome! 🙂 im sure i can't get such a bargain around KL
Latest: How Hot can You Take?
You might have to take a trip up to Penang 😉
Gorgeous amuse bouche…actually everything look so fresh, colourful and delightful. with more of these offerings in Penang, soon I will be packing my bags and moving up.
I'm with you. It seems Penang has quite a lot to offer.
ah.. my hometown… glorious food haven… hotel or hawker, there is just something for everyone!
the food looks fabulous here at Rasa Sayang!!
Food Dreams… do tell of your fav spots in Penang. Such an gloriously delicious island. 🙂
Such a lovely looking amuse bouche! 🙂
Too right! It looked AND tasted divine. 🙂
ooo, it's looking like your penang food series will be every bit as incredible as your ipoh one! this is one of those restaurants in penang that i've not managed to visit yet, but it's always been on my wish list … and now more so than before! 😀
So much to visit in Penang. Will have to return again soon.
All the food looks divine. Its very reasonably priced as well for a 5 course meal!
Yeah, not too bad right considering the location and quality of food.