The Evolution Menu at Mandarin Grill – KL

The Evolution Menu at Mandarin Grill – KL

Words: Alison Christ
Photos: Rich Callahan

Last month Monica, Rich, and I were invited to a walk-around media launch of the Evolution at the Mandarin Grill, one of Kuala Lumpur’s iconic and award-winning fine dining establishments. The Grill has launched “The Evolution” Menu, an exciting new menu focused on some of the most premium selections of steaks and other meats. They like us so much that they invite us back for a full sit-down dinner review. Well, the feeling is mutual; we love the Mandarin Oriental and its amazing F&B team. 

MO Bar

This time we sit down in the MO Bar for a cocktail before we head into the Mandarin Grill for dinner. They describe themselves as a classically cool cocktail bar with an elegant interior and wonderfully relaxed ambience. Mon has her usual Negroni (RM 68). She thinks it’s one of the best in town. And, for a woman who orders one at every bar she visits, that is high acclaim. I do feel cool here and even a bit Zen when I am served an awesome Mango Coconut Cream Daiquiri (RM 68, don’t judge me). This is delicious and has a spoonful of thick, rich, amazing coconut cream on top. I’m like an adult child with a huge smile on my face as I eat this drink. It is almost a meal unto itself, I would be worried about finishing dinner if I had eaten already, but this will constitute my first meal of the day.  

The Evolution Menu – Mandarin Grill

We are escorted to our beautiful table with a great view of KLCC Park and the Twin Towers. The lovely Mei from the marketing team is joining us for dinner. They let me pick in advance the dishes we want to try tonight, and Mei assures me that I chose well and that they’ve added two more that we shouldn’t miss. The Evolution menu is extensive; choosing can be difficult (if you want one of everything as I do). It’s okay though, if you’re faced with this dilemma, don’t worry you can’t make a bad decision here.  

The Mandarin Grill’s Chef du Cuisine Marco Caverni has been in Malaysia for over a year now and has passionately developed this new menu bringing his international experience to the table. Together with his team, the Mandarin Grill’s Evolution of the menu is intended to elevate the already exceptional reputation and standards, striving to always be the best modern grill in Kuala Lumpur.  

We are about to experience this firsthand, as everyone, especially our young server Aman is treating us like royalty. He is striving to become a sommelier, and I have full confidence in his abilities. Monica says most dishes have some drama here. Meaning that they come with some tableside entertainment. Aman is no exception. He knows how to put on a show, as you can see from Rich’s photos. Not in a cheesy way but in a passionate, enthusiastic way. He loves his job, and we can feel the love. It’s a nice thing to see these days. 

First, we order a bottle of white to start the meal off. Aman recommends the Villa Sparina Gavi from the Piedmont hills of Italy (RM 268). The wine is produced from the indigenous grape Cortese. It’s a lovely white with fresh acidity, striking minerality, and tropical fruits. The wine is pairing well with our amuse of delicate, fresh Prawn Ceviche on a thin tapioca cracker that melts in my mouth and is also beautiful to look at. 

Back to the entertainment side, our next dish of Scallop Flambé is Gratinated Hand Dived Scallop with a to-die-for Leek Fondue, flame-topped with Cognac served in its shell (RM 145). After my first bite and I am so excited that they have served us six scallops and there’s only three of us eating seafood (sorry, Rich). Next, we thrust our spoons into the Wagyu French Onion Soup with Caramelised Onions, Wagyu Beef Stock, Chardonnay Wine, oozing Gratinated Emmenthal Cheese, and Croutons on top (RM 72). It’s salty and delicious; the caramelised onion adds a sweetness that will surely please many palates. 

Coravin & Premium Wine by the Glass

We are ready to switch to red wine and happily let Aman continue his magic. He informs us he has a Coravin selection as well as a regular selection of wine by the glass. Coravin, if you don’t know, is a wine preservation system that allows you to pour one glass at a time, and you can save the rest of the bottle to drink days, weeks, or months later. As Aman starts to prepare our glassware, he tells me we have something in common; our love for Barbaresco, the great wine of the Piedmont. We are going to get along just fine, I tell him.

I’m totally wine dorking out (a term only found in the Urban Dictionary) that we can try two wines from the same Tuscan producer Tenuta Luce, one young and one older higher end, served with the Coravin. La Vite Lucente, 2019 is a blend of Merlot, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a full-bodied, delicious red packed with dark and red fruits, herbs, and spices. The wine spent 12 months in French oak barriques (RM 82). Next, Aman uses the Coravin to extract the 2016 Luce from its bottle. In the glass, the wine is velvety and lush, with powerful tannins. It’s complex with cocoa, berries, tobacco, leather, and spices and was aged for 24 months in barrique (RM 288). The winery is located in one of the most iconic wine regions of the world, Brunello di Montalcino. Because they blend the Sangiovese with other grapes, they cannot by law call it Brunello, so it’s Toscano Rosso IGT instead. Monica and I pass the two wines back and forth, taking sips, giggling, and deciding on our favourite. I’m happy with the Lucente, and Monica prefers the Luce, winning!

Next, the moment I’ve been waiting for… the Wagyu Beef Cheek with Slow Cooked Wagyu, Baby Onions, Red Wine Sauce, and Celeriac Puree (RM 258). During the walk-around tasting, this was my favourite, I kept going back for more. Mon and I have a joke that sometimes food is so good and tender you don’t need teeth to eat. This dish for sure checks all the boxes, delicious, flavourful, and creamy, and no teeth needed! As you can probably imagine, the two reds are killing it with the beef cheek! 

Grilled Organic Spring Chicken “Tuscan Style” with Chanterelle Mushroom, Charred White Corn, and Black Truffle (RM 168) comes next. The chicken is tender and juicy with a savoury sauce and delicate black truffle shavings. It’s also going great with the Italian big boys. 

The Mandarin Grill is really all about the beef, so we get two cuts to indulge in, both from Australian Sher Wagyu Black Label (Grain Fed 400 Days). First, the Ribeye cut (300 grams for RM 438) and a Tomahawk which is around two entire kg’s (RM 1398). Both are labelled as B.M.S 7-8. This 7-8 is the marbling level. In Australia, 9 is the highest. According to the Sher Family, “Marbling is the fine textured fat contained within the muscle. It enhances flavour, juiciness and tenderness. Wagyu marbling is unique and different to other cattle breeds due to its lower melting point and higher ratios of mono-unsaturated to saturated fats. Selected genetics, plus the way animals are raised and fed, contribute to the level of marbling and flavour. Higher marbling will be a richer eating experience”.

Other cuts are available as well, but we can’t possibly try them all, although we want to! Of course, the steaks are cooked to perfection and come with a selection of accoutrements, including my favourite, roasted garlic, and up to nine sauces to choose from. The Sher family raises and produces this beef, which is exported to 14 countries and renowned around the world by leading chefs and discerning diners. The full-blood cattle can be traced back to their Japanese ancestors. Only the best is served at The Mandarin Oriental.

To accompany our beef extravaganza is very yummy Gratinated Broccoli with English Red Cheddar Cheese (RM 30), to me, this dish exudes my childhood pleasures, broccoli and cheese, please! We also get a delicate Grilled Green Asparagus with a buttery Choron Sauce (RM 30) which is a variant of the classic Béarnaise. By adding tomato to it, it works and who doesn’t love butter?!

We are about to hit a wall here, and thank goodness we have Rich with us to help polish off the steaks. No meal is complete without Nitrogen Ice Cream, whipped Baileys and Espresso Ice Cream, and Almond Crumble (RM 33), coming complete with some theatrics served with a fantastic glass of Dow’s Fine Ruby Port (RM 38). However, the show is not over until the Limoncello (RM 42) sings! This house-made version is beautifully vibrant with the perfect balance of citrus, sweetness, and alcohol. 

Monica and I are stuffed. We are going to walk home as we don’t live far from the Mandarin, we’d prefer to get a room and check into The Mandarin, but the hotel is full. This is great news. It seems we are finally getting back to “normal.” 

Reasons to try The Evolution Menu at Mandarin Grill: Impeccable quality, highly passionate F&B team, luxury service, and atmosphere.

The Evolution Menu – Mandarin Grill
Italian Restaurant at Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+6 03-2330 8798
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/MOHKL

Mandarin Grill Opening Hours
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Wednesday to Sunday – Lunch: 12 – 2 pm & Dinner 6 pm – 10 pm

Find more on the Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur here and stay up to date with the latest food and beverage happenings in KL here and here.