Romani Sky Dining
Words: Jacob Weber
Photos: Rich Callahan
Endless shopping. Indoor skydiving.
French-Japanese fine dining.
Some things around 1 Utama you’ll be familiar with. Others may come as a very, very pleasant surprise.
Romani Sky Dining, sitting pretty on the 34th floor Sky Deck above the AVANTÉ Hotel (next door to 1U), is a stylish and sophisticated spot that boasts a culinary quality that you might not expect to find around here.
That quality is personified in the form of the legendary Chef Daniel, who’s earned quite the reputation at other renowned fine dining restaurants in KL (most recently Cilantro and Sage), making a triumphant return to the kitchen after a little hiatus. And the scene is glad to see him back.
We’re here to sample Chef Daniel’s Signature Series menu (starting at RM188+/pax), which focuses on French-Japanese cuisine – and all the delicate, decadent touches you can imagine comes with it – with Chef’s particular expertise with sauces putting his own spin on things. In the company of Romani Sky Dining’s wine director Harin (who was at Sage with Chef Daniel for 10 years) and with the sun beaming through the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows – the view here is great, by the way – we’re quite happy to settle back in our comfortable chairs and let Chef take the wheel.
Chef Daniel’s Signature Series Menu
We start with bread for the table, which may be a staple – but this bread ain’t ordinary. This sourdough bread (with the crusts removed, which is a nice bit of attention to detail) comes with freshly pressed unsalted butter and shiokombu, a type of seaweed which adds the subtle salty finish to the creamy butter and crunchy bread.
Our first proper course is Carpaccio of Shima Aji with Tosaka (seaweed), Avruga Caviar and White Truffle Soy. It’s masterfully cut and exquisitely presented, with all of Chef Daniel’s knife skills on show. The flavours contrast and complement each other; the saltiness from the caviar gives an edge to the earthy white truffle soy sauce, and both bring the freshness of the fish front and centre.
The second course is Porcini Mushroom Soup with Shaved Black Truffle, and Chef Daniel’s expertise as a saucier really comes through here. This is a ‘proper’ mushroom soup – no thickening agents like corn starch here, thank you very much – and is just beautiful; deep, rich, complex, and immensely satisfying. There’s a silkiness to every spoonful, with just a little extra texture from the finely chopped mushrooms. Serious preparation goes into this dish, and it shows. (*Get a small portion complimentary if you mention The Yum List.)
Course number three: Pacific Oyster Risotto with Shiokombu, Negi and Parmigiana Reggiano. The oyster is a generous, fat and juicy specimen, the unmistakably bold hero of the dish, with the risotto playing its supporting act perfectly. It has a more porridge-like texture than typical risotto, which works well with the strong flavour of the parmigiano reggiano, bringing the salty and savoury flavours together smoothly.
A quick Fresh Sorbet to cleanse the palate – and this crisp and refreshing yuzu citrus variety is so tasty I’d happily accept it for dessert as well.
We move on to the mains, of which there are two choices: fish or beef. Happily, we get both. (Vegetarian or gluten-free options are available upon request if booked in advance, by the way.)
The Australian Wagyu Beef MB7 Striploin with Chasseur Sauce and Yuzu Kosho has to be my favourite course (although most steak courses tend to be). It’s beautifully cooked, and the stunning yuzu kosho adds a delightful little tang on the edge of the bite. The chasseur sauce adds a subtle earthy backdrop, but it’s the citrus sharpness that shines.
The Pan Roasted Tai Fish with Sabah Prawn and Champagne Emulsion is seared perfectly, with a great crust on the juicy, flaky fish that just melts onto the fork. There’s a nice crust on the meaty prawn as well, and the champagne emulsion puts the luxury touch to proceedings.
For the sake of balance (and because we can’t resist more of Chef Daniel’s cooking), we try the vegetarian option as well: buckwheat noodles with truffle sauce. It’s delicious – creamy, earthy, and rich – but we can’t help wondering if it’s a little too close to the soup in terms of flavour profile.
For the final flourish, White Truffle Bavarois with White Truffle Ice Cream. I’ve never had white truffle in a dessert before, and suddenly I have two of them. The bavarois (a type of custard pudding) is velvety-smooth, and the ice cream is among the more interesting I’ve tried, with the earthy, musky white truffle adding a different dimension to the fresh and sweet vanilla.
Harin has kept our glasses topped up with some lovely wines along the way – which won’t be available by the time this is published, but you can rest assured he will be sourcing some even better bottles. If you want to bring your own, by all means – BYOB is available at Romani Sky Dining, with free corkage for a limited time only. That’s enough to raise a glass (or bring a bottle) to!
Note: the price for our selection would be RM218++ for four courses without the mushroom soup. However, The Yum List readers can enjoy a small complimentary portion of the soup if they mention our name while making a booking.
Romani Sky Dining Review
We can see why the team at Romani Sky Dining are so excited to have Chef Daniel making his comeback in their kitchen. From preparation to presentation, his experience and expertise are evident throughout the menu. It’s a classy, comfortable setting too, with indoor and outdoor seating (on the massive patio balcony) available – and this high up, a world away from the hustle and bustle of the busy shopping district downstairs.
Reasons to visit Romani Sky Dining: French-Japanese fine dining cuisine in the hands of the legendary Chef Daniel; an elegant, stylish spot on the 34th floor; exquisitely prepared and presented courses made with top-quality ingredients; truffle fans will appreciate the truffle-dominant menu.
Romani Sky Dining
34th floor, Sky Deck @ AVANTÉ Hotel,
1, Persiaran Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama,
47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
@romani.skydeck
Romani Sky Dining Opening Hours
Daily 12 pm-12 am
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Amazing dining room 😀