Château Dionne KL, French Restaurant, Bukit Damansara

Château Dionne KL

Words: Monica Tindall
Photos: Rich Callahan

It’s mind-blowing the number of brave new food and beverage openings this year. What’s even more surprising though, is how successful many of them are given the circumstances. Château Dionne, a new French restaurant in Bukit Damansara, is one such outlet defying the odds and drawing customers despite the pandemic.

Located on a popular strip in Plaza Damansara, the entrance is easy to find being about half-way between Jhann and The Sticky Wicket. A small patio offers semi-alfresco dining, while the indoors provides two distinct experiences. Downstairs is more casual with a good-looking bar, open kitchen and booth seating. The upper floor is intimate with private rooms, a romantic setting ideal for couples that resembles an art gallery, a hidden cellar and VIP liquor lockers.

Seating capacity is only around 40 pax without restrictions, so even less under current regulations. The overall feel is classy and exclusive, yet approachable. I’d recommend an elegant dress code with long pants for the gents.

Château Dionne KL Wine List

Only open for a few months, the wine menu at Château Dionne KL is a work in progress. Currently running about 100 labels they target to have around 500 when in full operation.

Two wines are available by the glass, a white from New Zealand and a red from Spain. Both are adept choices and pair well with food. Long Cloud, Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, 2019 from Marlborough (RM 38) is a good balance of fruit and acidity, well-matched to our seafood dishes. Later we move to the red with our beef course, with a glass of the Aguaza, Le Sarada Seleccion Garnacha Monastrell 2009 from Castilla La Mancha (RM 38). It offers a bouquet of dark fruits, vanilla and a whisper of smoke. It’s a powerful glass, an excellent mate to the nicely charred wagyu further on in our meal.

Degustation Menus – Château Dionne Malaysia

Chef Andy Choy and the team have developed several degustation menus of classical French cuisine for Château Dionne. Today we taste mostly from the six-course collection (RM 588++ per person) with a few diversions along the way. The team are flexible and happy to cater for dietary preferences, with advance notice of course. Additionally, you can shuffle across the menus switching mains and so on.

We’re pleased to see that six-courses does indeed mean six-courses and that the amuse bouche, palate cleanser and so on are extras – just as they are in tradition, not tallied in the dish count. All sets begin with freshly baked artisanal sourdough and French baguette, which we spread liberally with the house-made truffle butter.

Next, come delicate canapes of an ikura cutlet with cauliflower puree and choux pastry with truffle and cream cheese. Begin with the tartlet. The shell is incredibly thin and crisp and the burst of roe is refreshing. Follow with the choux, which is cool and creamy coating the entire mouth.

Amuse Bouche

Chef Andy’s idea is to keep a free-range egg as the base of every amuse bouche at Château Dionne KL with the condiments changing depending on the season and chef’s inspiration. This round it’s an onsen egg (sous vide at 63.5 C) with a creamy texture of sweet corn espuma ponding the edges. Crispy parmesan, pickled shallots and… popping candy add flavour and crunch. As I break the yolk a vibrant deep orange spills into the white and the moisture activates a chemical reaction. We hear the tiny explosions in our bowl and they’re repeated in the mouth when the remainder erupt.

St Jacques

The first course, St Jacques, is a delicate plating of Hokkaido scallops with French Osetra caviar, fresh uni and uni cream. The pretty sashimi-grade scallop carpaccio is sprinkled with micro herbs (chives, dill, red amaranth, sorrel), kafir lime zest, edible blooms, thinly sliced radish and baby beetroot. It’s superbly fresh and a splash of olive adds smoothness to the dish.

Kinmedai

Plate number two consists of an attractive arrangement of Kinmedai fish with potato and rouille (saffron and garlic mayonnaise) in a rich, vibrant bouillabaisse. Boiling hot oil is the secret to crisping and flaking the scales, and saffron gifts the striking hue.

Trou Normand

Traditionally, the Trou Normand would be a glass of Calvados or apple-soaked-in-Calvados sorbet, providing a rest in between courses. Chef Andy has chosen yuzu sorbet with lemon jelly, however, a more regional inspiration. It’s served on a bed of crushed ice and adorned with edible blooms.

Foie Gras (from the 4-course degustation)

While I don’t eat foie gras, Rich, who comes from a classically trained chef background, is quite happy to do the tasting. “Rougie” (a famous brand from France) foie gras a torchon has been prepared in the traditional method using a cheesecloth to retain the fat. Château Dionne KL’s house marinade consists of black pepper, clove, cinnamon, cardamon, salt and Cognac. Alongside the foie gras are fig chutney, fresh figs, sweet wine jelly, balsamic reduction points and a toasted slice of buttery brioche. Rich is smiling. It must be good.

Homard (main from the five-course menu)

One of the stars from the five-course degustation is the Homard – Canadian lobster with orzo pasta and crustacean sauce. A half lobster tail sits atop a “risotto” made from the tiny orzo pasta with mascarpone, green peas, chervil, tarragon, dill and chives. Lobster bisque is the base for a rich foam and it’s all topped off with a sprig of chervil. The textures are pleasantly surprising with an unexpected smoothness from the pasta (not a risotto chewiness you’d get from rice).

Boeuf (six-course)

From the six-course degustation, the Boeuf is Australian wagyu sirloin M6+ with celeriac mousseline and Perigueux sauce. Guests can choose, however, to upgrade to the super-premium A5 Miyazaki wagyu rib-eye. Hailing from the Nakanishi Prefecture, the meat comes directly from the farm with all of the appropriate certifications. It is possibly the most perfectly cooked piece of wagyu I have enjoyed for some time. I like a good char around the edges caramelizing the flavours, and chef Andy has managed to do this while keeping the meat medium-rare inside. Celeriac puree, shaved truffle and the foie gras and truffle sauce are all delightful but when the meat is this good, they easily get overlooked.

Brie Aux Framboises

Cheese provides an intermission between the main and dessert, and today it’s Brie de Meaux with raspberry, pecans and a slice of sourdough. Rich makes his into a mini-open sandwich. Chef Andy approves.

Tarte Tatin

Lastly, the sixth course sees a warm French apple tart with salted caramel contrasted in temperature with cool, smooth vanilla ice cream. Portioning is just right as is the level of sweetness.

Petit Four

Concluding the degustation at Château Dionne KL is a duo of petit fours. If you haven’t tried authentic canelé before, this is a pretty good place to start. Representative of Bordeaux with a hint of vanilla and rum, they’re the perfect texture exhibiting a crunchy, burnt exterior and spongy moist middle. It’s mate, truffle, is a rich soft 74% dark chocolate with butter, icing sugar and a touch of sea salt.

Reasons to visit Château Dionne KL: a true degustation menu complete with artisanal bread, canapes, amuse bouche, palate cleanser and petit four; attractive setting; classical French cuisine; flexibility with the degustation menus allowing guests to curate something to their desires.

Side note: Be sure to use the bathroom downstairs before you leave. It is sure to leave those with a sense of humour smiling.

Château Dionne KL
24- Ground & Mezzanine,
Jalan Medan Setia 2,
Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara,
50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+603 2011 2333
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/chateaudionnekl

Château Dionne Opening Hours
Monday: 6 pm – 10 pm
Tuesday to Saturday: 12 pm – 3 pm & 6 pm – 10 pm
Sunday: 12 pm – 4 pm & 6 pm – 10 pm

Find more French restaurants in Kuala Lumpur here and stay up to date with the latest food and beverage happenings in KL here and here.