Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu – The Library
Monica Tindall
Some of my favourite pre-pandemic dining experiences were guest chefs and collaborations with Chef Wai at The Library in The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur. In what somewhat feels like a return to normalcy, the team are reigniting partnerships in the Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu. In this relaunch, Chef Wai works with Japanese Chef Machi from Yukibana at Shook! to present a tasting menu complemented by wine and sake.
The Library setting is one of the cosiest in the city. The intimate space is walled in by shelf upon shelf of books. It’s a reader’s dream! We take a peek between courses, browsing the collection and even sharing some finds over the dinner table. Soft lighting complements the warm atmosphere, and live harp music is strummed away in the background. All in, it’s both comforting and stylish, resembling a room in a mansion of which I can only fantasize.
Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu – The Library
Crusty Bread
To begin, and warm from the oven, crusty artisan bread is the ideal mate for French butter, which melts delicately around the edges upon spreading. The Ritz Fizz, the hotel’s signature cocktail (of which you get at check-in if staying at the hotel), makes an excellent aperitive. A Caribbean blue hue thanks to Curacao, the cocktail also includes a touch of Amaretto and lemon juice. This is then topped up with Canard-Duchêne Brut Non-Vintage Champagne. We enjoy this very much and would be tempted to have another if it weren’t a Monday evening.
Amuse Bouche
The bruschetta that follows is as equally satisfying. A thick slice of baguette holds sun-dried tomatoes, prosciutto and Parmesan shavings. Pickled cucumbers and onions excite the palate with a bold tang.
Hokkaido Bafun Uni with Amera Tomato Water
One of the most prized catches of the sea, Hokkaido bafun sea urchin, lays atop a toasted brioche finger in the second course. They’re complemented by a treasure from the land, amera tomatoes done two ways. Valued for their sweetness and high nutrient content, guests reap their benefits in both liquid and solid form. The water is made by distilling the tomato consommé and scenting it with garlic and basil. Semi-dried chips intensify the fruit’s sweetness, add texture and elegantly cover soft rounds of raclette cheese.
Izumibashi Junmai Daiginjo Tonbo, Kanagawa, Japan, provides the liquid mate. Highly polished down to 35%, this sake is wonderfully aromatic with a touch of honey on the nose. In the mouth, it mellows out, building to some umami flavours and concludes with a pleasant fruitiness. Note the dragonfly on the label; it’s a nod to the dragonfly-filled rice fields where the sake first begins.
Hokkaido Snow Crab Chawanmushi
Another cherished product from the north of Japan, snow crab, is the highlight of the second course. Free-range eggs are whisked with chicken stock to make a light but flavourful custard. Japanese ginkgo contributes bites of dense texture with hints of both nuttiness and bitterness. Interestingly, Ginkgo Biloba is the only living species in the order Gingoales. It is said to have first appeared over 290 million years ago! The steamed Hokkaido snow crab is laid over the top with a sprinkling of green onion shoots breaking the pink and white flesh.
The sake mate, Koikawa Junmai Ginjo from Yamagata, Japan, boasts 15.3% alcohol and polishing of 50%. Made from kamenoo rice, the bouquet is of tropical fruit and blooms. It’s light, refreshing and balanced.
Mains – Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu
Guest are given a choice of lamb or fish for the main meal in the Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu.
Rack of Lamb
The Aussie rack of lamb has been triple-roasted, creating an incredibly juicy interior and lightly caramelized edge. Japanese eggplant and pan-roasted Hokkaido bamboo sprouts side it. In an East and West collaboration, a drizzling of shiro miso sauce and shavings of 18-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano finish it off.
Well-matched to the lamb, a glass of Bonpas “Croix de Bonpas” Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages, France entices the nose with cherry, herbs and spice. The Grenache and Syrah blend with the addition of Mourvedre and Carignan presents loads of fruit in the mouth, with a medium body and smooth, elegant tail.
Japanese Olive Flounder
Japanese olive flounder is a skillet fillet cut into strips and rolled with mashed prawns in the fish choice. The cylinder is seasoned with herbs and poached in fish stock. An edamame ragout adds colour and a pasty texture to the meal. Just before serving, a lobster reduction is poured over. I generally prefer a bit more acidity in a fish sauce, but this could be a good choice for you if you like less complex flavours.
The partnering Alkoomi White Label, Chardonnay from Frankland River, Australia, offers stone fruit in the bouquet that follows through to the palate. It’s rich and mildly creamy with soft acidity tapering out to a lengthy clean finale.
Green Tea Mont Blanc
The Japanese influence is carried all the way to the conclusion with the green tea Mont Blanc dessert. Sweetened green tea and ivory chocolate flavour “vermicelli noodles”. They’re layered with adzuki beans in a tart shell and served with ice cream of the same variety.
Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu – The Library
The Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu at The Library was just the right size for us in food portions and wine pairing. We depart feeling satisfied, not stuffed. We have enjoyed the beverage pairing but don’t fear a restless night. Chef Wai provided the base for the recipes, while Chef Machi added pizzaz with seasonal Japanese ingredients. The menu was both familiar and exciting at the same time. The four-course dinner is priced at RM 300 per person or RM 450 with wine pairing. It runs from April 16, 2021, until May 13, 2021, every Monday to Saturday from 6:30 pm at The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur.
Reasons to try the Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu at The Library: a beautiful setting – especially one that book lovers should delight in; gracious service; a well-portioned and wine-matched four-course dinner.
Two Friends One Cuisine Tasting Menu at The Library
The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur
168, Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+6 03 2142 8000
[email protected]
www.ritzcarlton.com
Find more restaurants for special occasions in KL here and stay up-to-date with the latest gourmet and travel recommendations for Malaysia here and here.
Snow Crab Chawanmushi sure sounds appealing!
Chawanmushi and miso soup.
These are the two dishes that every good Japanese restaurant must master.